OREANDA-NEWS. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) has appointed Richard W. Fisher to its board of directors. Mr. Fisher served as the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 2005 until March 2015, and as a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative from 1997 to 2001, where he oversaw the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He will serve on the Corporate Development and Finance Committee of AT&T’s board of directors.

“Richard brings extraordinary banking and foreign policy experience to our board,” said Randall Stephenson, AT&T chairman and CEO. “His extensive financial, trade and regulatory expertise, along with his deep understanding of Mexico and Latin America, make him an invaluable addition to an already strong and diverse board of directors representing AT&T shareholders.”

Prior to heading the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Mr. Fisher was vice chairman of Kissinger McLarty Associates, a strategic advisory firm chaired by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.  Before that, Mr. Fisher served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative for President Clinton, where he oversaw the implementation of NAFTA and significant trade agreements with Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Chile and Singapore. Mr. Fisher was also a senior member of the team that negotiated China’s and Taiwan’s entry into the World Trade Organization. He served as a special assistant to the secretary of the Treasury under President Carter, working on issues related to the dollar crisis of 1978-1979. And he also founded investment management firms Fisher Capital Management and Fisher Ewing Partners. Mr. Fisher began his career at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co., a private banking firm, where he established the company’s Texas operations.

Mr. Fisher serves on Harvard University's Board of Overseers and on the board of directors of PepsiCo. Throughout his career, he has served on numerous other corporate and not-for-profit boards.

Born in Mexico, Fisher holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. He also attended the U.S. Naval Academy and Oxford University.