Matthew Rooney

Senior Advisor
George W. Bush Institute

Matthew Rooney joined the Bush Center in June 2015 following a career as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.  He currently serves as Senior Advisor, where he leads work in the Americas with an emphasis on northern Central America and the issues of prosperity, transparency, and public integrity.

Previously, as head of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, Mr. Rooney focused on analyzing the impacts of NAFTA on the growth, job creation and competitiveness of the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico.  His work has also focused on building a network of thought leaders in Central America committed to promoting economic policy reforms to put that region on a sustained and broad-based growth track.  The Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative has produced a significant body of work analyzing the benefits of immigration for U.S. economic growth and promoted common-sense reform at the federal level.  Under his leadership, the Bush Institute  developed a partnership with the SMU Department of Economics to produce analysis and advocacy on domestic policy constraints on growth.

 

In his Foreign Service career at postings in Washington and abroad, Mr. Rooney focused on advocating market-driven solutions to economic policy challenges in both industrialized and developing countries, and on protecting the interests of U.S. companies abroad.

 

In Washington, Mr. Rooney was on loan to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to create a high-level private sector advisory body for the Summits of the Americas, working closely with the U.S. private sector and with companies and business associations from throughout the Americas to negotiate an agenda to promote economic integration in the region.  Previously, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for relations with Canada and Mexico and for regional economic policy.   In prior Washington assignments, Mr. Rooney worked for then-Senator Fred Thompson, and supported negotiations to open global markets to U.S. airline services.

 

Abroad, Mr. Rooney was Consul General in Munich, a Consulate General providing a full range of Consular and export promotion services, supporting a permanent presence of 30,000 U.S. forces in two major base complexes, and carrying out a media and public relations initiative in support of U.S. diplomatic objectives in Germany. As Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, El Salvador, he laid the groundwork for free trade negotiations between the United States and the five countries of Central America, and promoted market-based reforms for electrical power.  Prior to this, Mr. Rooney served in various posts in Germany, Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire.

 

Mr. Rooney studied Economics, German and French at the University of Texas at Austin and received his Master’s Degree in International Management at the University of Texas at Dallas.

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Read the article Root Causes of Migration: From Northern Central America.
Jan 17, 2023

Root Causes of Migration: From Northern Central America

By: Jenny Villatoro, Matthew Rooney
Over 35% of the approximately 1.6 million migrants arriving at our southern border in 2021 were families or unaccompanied children. Almost 200,000 children came from Northern Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras), and about half of them were unaccompanied. Shifting demographics, the increase in children and family arrivals, and the increase in large caravans arriving from Northern Central America have spurred a conversation into the root causes of migration.
Read the article North American Workforce Initiative Recommendations .
Sep 13, 2022

North American Workforce Initiative Recommendations

By: Matthew Rooney, Jenny Villatoro, Tiffany Melvin
The North America Workforce Initiative, a joint undertaking co-chaired by the George W. Bush Institute–SMU Economic Growth Initiative and NASCO (North American Strategy for Competitiveness), began in 2016 to develop and test practical approaches to workforce development across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and issue recommendations to strengthen the region’s global competitiveness.
Read the article North America is the key to Central America.

North America is the key to Central America

By: Matthew Rooney
As part of an ongoing series from the Wilson Center, the Bush Institute's Matthew Rooney shares how linking USMCA with CAFTA will contribute greatly to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, rampant crime, and institutional weakness in Central America.
Read the article North America is the key to Central America.
Jul 21, 2022

North America is the key to Central America

By: Matthew Rooney
As part of an ongoing series from the Wilson Center, the Bush Institute's Matthew Rooney shares how linking USMCA with CAFTA will contribute greatly to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, rampant crime, and institutional weakness in Central America.
Read the article Two-Minute Take: Supply Chain Delays.
Nov 4, 2021

Two-Minute Take: Supply Chain Delays

By: Matthew Rooney
U.S. consumers and retailers are increasingly seeing goods backordered and extended shipping delays. Matthew Rooney, Managing Director of the George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, explains how we can realistically improve the Nation's supply chain.