Biography

Ambassador Alan D. Solomont (photo: US Embassy Madrid)

Alan D. Solomont, U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra

President Barack Obama nominated Alan D. Solomont, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador of the United States of America to Spain and Andorra in August 2009. After his nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 24, 2009, Ambassador Solomont and his wife Susan arrived in Madrid on January 9, 2010.  He presented his credentials to King Juan Carlos I at the Royal Palace on January 27, 2010.

Prior to his diplomatic service, Alan Solomont was an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political activist. Most recently, he was Chairman of the bipartisan Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that oversees all domestic service programs, including AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America , VISTA and Senior Corps. He was initially appointed by President Clinton in 2000, re-appointed by President Bush in 2007 and elected chairman in 2009.

Mr. Solomont spent his professional career in the health and elder care arenas.   He was Chairman of Solomont Bailis Ventures, investing in early stage health care companies. He was the Co-Founder of HouseWorks, a home care company that helps senior remain independent and supports families caring for aging relatives. He was also Founder and Managing Director of Angel Healthcare Investors.  In addition to managing his own businesses, he has served on the boards of directors for several nonprofit and for-profit organizations, including the Boston Medical Center, Boston Private Bank & Trust Co., Angel Healthcare Investors, The New Israel Fund, Israel Policy Forum, the University of Lowell and the University of Massachusetts, Tufts University, The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Foundation, and the WGBH Educational Foundation.  He has chaired the Boards of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and Hebrew Senior Life, a large nonprofit elder care provider in Boston. 

Mr. Solomont has been a longtime leader in the Democratic Party, serving as National Finance Chair in 1997-1998. He was a crucial supporter of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and is a close friend of Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Drawing on his personal involvement and interest in American politics, Mr. Solomont taught an undergraduate political science course on the American Presidency as a Senior Fellow and Visiting Instructor at Tufts University.

Mr. Solomont holds a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from Tufts University and a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.  After graduating from Tufts in 1970, he was awarded the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for independent study and travel abroad, which supported his first visit to Spain.

He is married to Susan Lewis Solomont and they have two grown daughters.