Jim Cason is a Senior Advisor to the American Flood Coalition, where he uses his experience as a leader on sea level rise during his time as Mayor of Coral Gables to help inform the strategy and policy of the Coalition. Prior to his position as Mayor, Cason served as the Foreign Service Officer for the US Department of State for 38 years, during which time he worked in 12 countries. He also represented the United States as its Ambassador in Paraguay, and the Chief of the United States Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, which the U.S. maintains in lieu of a normal embassy.

Cason also served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Kingston, Jamaica. Prior to this, he served as Political Advisor to the Commander of the U.S. Atlantic Command and to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. Cason has also served at U.S. missions in Italy, Portugal, El Salvador, Panama, Venezuela, Uruguay and Bolivia.

Cason has received numerous awards from the State, Defense, the White House, and the intelligence community for his outstanding career achievements. In 2011, he was elected Mayor of Coral Gables, Florida, where he recently finished serving a third term.

Cason graduated from Dartmouth College and went on to obtain his M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.