Teodoro Maus, the consul general of Mexico, is the new the dean of the Consular Corps, and Mario Roiter, Brazil’s consul general, is vice dean.
During an interview with GlobalFax last week, Mr. Maus said that he would advance the concerns of the city’s diplomatic community as conscientiously as he tries to represent those of the Southeast’s Mexican community. As the leading diplomat in Atlanta based on seniority of service here, he chairs monthly meetings of the 18 career consuls, 29 honorary consuls and eight independent trade commissioners.
Mr. Maus assumed the position following the departure of Ruben Nestor Patto, the consul general for Argentina, who occupied the position of dean for only a few days before concluding his five year term of service and returning home. Mr. Patto had assumed the position from the German consul general Klaus Zehentner who had been dean since 1995.
Mr. Maus arrived in Atlanta as consul in 1989 and was promoted to the rank of consul general in 1991. He has held this position since then except for a year in 1994 when he was appointed director general for a program of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs representing the Mexican communities outside of Mexico.
He was reassigned to the position of consul general here in 1995. Since then he has been a staunch advocate of the Mexican workers in the Southeast.
The Mexican community in Georgia alone, he estimated, has reached a “stable” population, excluding seasonal workers, of some 400,000, requiring increasing services from his consulate. Although an outspoken critic of U.S. immigration laws, he added that he would not mix his day-to-day responsibilities with his position as dean.
Mr. Maus has had a varied career including founding two design-architectural firms, and producing and directing films and videos. He entered the foreign service in 1978 as a cultural attachÈ of Mexico in New York.
He may be reached by calling the Mexican consulate at (404) 266-2233; fax, (404) 266-2302.