Andrew Rajec currently serves as Vice-Chairman of Friends of Slovakia. He is also the Director of Independent Agents for the First Catholic Slovak Union (FCSU) and President of Cleveland-Bratislava Sister Cities, an organization established under the auspices of Sister Cities International (Washington, DC) to develop and promote the relationship of Cleveland, Ohio with its sister city Bratislava and other regions of the Slovak Republic.
Rajec is a licensed insurance professional in 9 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Prior to joining the FCSU, he was an integral part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) where he served as the International Cooperation Specialist for Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Romania and as the Deputy Director for the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He was awarded USAID’s Meritorious Honor Award for exemplary service and leadership in furthering the Europe and Eurasia Bureau’s Foreign Policy Interest and USAID programs. Rajec also participated as an international election observer for the crucial 2008 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia, helping to enhance accountability and transparency and boosting domestic and international confidence in the country’s election process. Rajec began his career in Washington, DC as personal assistant to United States Senator Mitch McConnell, the current Senate Minority Leader, and eventually became Special Assistant to Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, and served as a member of the Secretary’s transition team. Andrew earned his MBA with High Honors (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Notre Dame and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society. He received his BSc. in Business Administration from Marquette University, specializing in Finance, and was awarded membership into Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities.