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Former Mexican President Vicente Fox plans to discuss his business-centered approach to the development of Mexico, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and opportunities for international corporations in the region on Tuesday, Feb. 5 in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Fox will make his presentation, ''Bringing the New Economy to Latin America,'' at the Oklahoma City Civic Center, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

<strong><a href=''http://cepd.okstate.edu/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=8''>Registration for the Oklahoma City Civic Center Presentation</a></strong>

<strong><a href=''http://cepd.okstate.edu/index.php?option=com_forme&fid=7''>Registration for the Tulsa Mabee Center Presentation</a></strong><br>

The presentations are sponsored by The William S. Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University through the OSU Center for Executive and Professional Development.

Fox headlines the 2008 series of OSU Executive Management Briefings and Tulsa Business Forums, which feature international business and political leaders, authors, and policymakers discussing issues relevant to Oklahoma's economic development.

Tickets for Fox's presentation are $50 per person or $45 per ticket for a block of 30 or more. For more information or to register by e-mail or phone, contact the OSU Center for Executive and Professional Development in the Spears School of Business at 866-678-3933 or 405-744-5208, cepd@okstate.edu.

About Vicente Fox

On July 2, 2000, the world's attention was fixed on Mexico when Vicente Fox pulled off the seemingly impossible feat of winning the country's presidency and toppling the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) after more than 70 years in power.

Fox was born July 2, 1942 in Mexico City but grew up on a communal farm in the state of Guanajuato near Leon. His father was a rancher of Irish descent and his mother came from Spain. Fox also spent time in the United States, first in Wisconsin where he attended high school for one year; then at Harvard University.

In 1964 he was hired by the Coca-Cola Company, after studying business management at Mexico City's Iberoamerican University. Ten years later he was named president of Coca-Cola of Mexico. In 1979, the company sought to promote Fox to head its entire Latin American division. However, the job required a move to Miami, and he declined the offer.

Fox then decided to quit the Coca-Cola Company altogether and return to his family ranch and boot making business in Guanajuato.

Over the next few years, Fox was politically inactive. Although popular and charismatic, he was not seen as a presidential contender until Article 82 of the Mexican Constitution was revised in 1993, allowing for presidential candidates who were born to parents not native to Mexico.

In 1995, he was elected governor of Guanajuato. In January 1998, Governor Fox announced he was seeking the PAN nomination for the presidency in the 2000 election. Fox won the presidency with more than 40% of the popular vote, breaking the PRI's dominance of the Mexican political landscape.

About the Center for Executive and Professional Development

For more than 50 years, the OSU Center for Executive and Professional Development has served a vital role in the economic growth of Oklahoma by providing more than 265 executive and professional development programs to more than 17,500 individuals each year.

These programs are offered to the public and are continually being developed and refined to adapt to the ever-changing needs of Oklahoma and regional businesses. Programs can be custom designed to meet the needs of each particular client. The center can provide needs assessments and program delivery as well as a variety of administrative functions ranging from basic facilitation to total program planning.