Mr. Ortiz has a B.A. from Loyola Marymount University with a major in Political Science and a double minor in History and Asia-Pacifi­c Studies, and an M.A. in Southeast Asian Studies (specialization in International Relations). He studied under the MIR Program at the Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Thailand. Since 2001, he has worked in universities in Thailand and travelled extensively throughout ASEAN. He has accumulated experience in the fi­elds of higher education as a lecturer/ administrator, and government consulting as a researcher.