Appleseed mourns the passing of Alexis Rovzar, who left us on Saturday morning, January 7, 2012. In the words of Robert Herzstein, “Alexis viewed his legal training and high status in the practicing bar as a platform for making the world a better place.  He was the exemplar for lawyers in his country and for all of us. He clearly merits the description that Albert Einstein wrote to Louis Brandeis on the latter's 80th birthday: 

“I do not know another individual who combines such high intellectual talents with such complete selflessness, who in quiet service to the community finds the complete meaning of his existence.”

As the secretary of Appleseed’s board of directors, Alexis played a critical role in establishing Mexico Appleseed and was also engaged in our financial access and asset building work. He worked on ensuring that remittance transactions were fair to consumers, opening banking services on fair terms to newcomers and promoting financial education among immigrant populations. When he was the head of White & Case’s Latin America office in Mexico City, he required attorneys in that office to do pro bono work, and through many other actions he helped transform Mexico’s practice of law to include pro bono service. 

He was a partner in the Latin America Practice of White & Case, serving as the founding partner in charge of the Mexico City office from 1995-2005. In addition to serving on Appleseed’s board of directors, he served on the boards of directors of Fomento Económico Mexico (FEMSA), Coca-Cola Femsa (KOF), Grupo Bimbo, Grupo COMEX and Compañia Occidental Mexicana (COMSA), the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, the Board of Qualitas of Life Foundation, the Board of International Overseers of Tufts University, Patronato del Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (The National Children’s Hospital Institute) and was a former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Center on Philanthropy of Indiana University in Indianapolis.

He was gracious, charming, warm, smart, and committed to improving the lives of Mexicans in Mexico and abroad.  He will greatly be missed by his family, Appleseed, and his many friends and admirers.