José Cunningham

José Cunningham is the Director of Development for WEConnect International. In this role, José creates and manages the development strategy and priorities to advance the organization’s brand position among vital internal and external stakeholders. He also manages the collaboration between the development team and the internal individuals and teams responsible for identifying and pursuing new funding opportunities, ensuring all fundraising activities fall in line with the organization’s business development and marketing strategy.

Prior to joining WEConnect International, José served as the Executive Director and “Chief Sales Officer” of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advocacy Center, which exists at the intersection of business and foreign policy, where commercial diplomacy efforts are required to let U.S. businesses compete fairly. During his tenure, he managed a team that met–and exceed–its goals and metrics with 102 client WINs representing $25.3 billion in U.S. export content, $33.8 billion project value, and supporting 135,600 new U.S. jobs.

He served for four years on the Diversity Council for one of the world’s largest law firms, where he helped diverse lawyers identify business opportunities, ask for and win the business and enhance client relationships for follow-on work. He was the founding co-chair of the Legal Marketing Association’s Global Diversity Committee and a founding member of the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Association’s D&I Working Group. Before joining the Executive Branch, José was Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer at the law firms Nixon Peabody LLP, Crowell & Moring LLP, and Shaw Pittman LLP.  He has also held positions within the U.S. Government including the Department of Defense and the Department of State.

In addition to his significant contributions as a champion of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, he has earned the distinction as a competitive Masters swimmer.