A Landmark Gift Advances Dialogue and Prosperity for US and Mexico

For generations, the relationship between the United States and Mexico has shaped economies, communities and daily life across both nations. Nowhere is this relationship more active and critical than in Texas. At Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, that relationship is the focus of the Center for the U.S. and Mexico, the country’s leading research efforts dedicated to informing policy, strengthening economic ties and deepening understanding between the two neighbors.

Through research, public events and direct engagement with policymakers, business leaders and the media in both countries, the center examines the most pressing issues shaping the binational relationship — from trade and investment to migration, energy, security and emerging technologies. Its work provides the data and analysis decision-makers in the U.S. and Mexico rely on to navigate an increasingly interconnected future.

That work is now poised to expand significantly thanks to a landmark philanthropic investment from Claudio X. González, with additional funding supported by a coalition of his peers. In December 2025, the institute renamed the center the Claudio X. González Center for the United States and Mexico in honor of the largest individual gift in its history. The $7.5 million endowment will expand research capacity and broaden outreach at a critical moment for both countries.

For Claudio, the gift reflects decades of personal and professional engagement in strengthening North American cooperation. As a member of Mexico’s negotiating team for the original North American Free Trade Agreement, he helped shape one of the most consequential economic partnerships in the region’s history — and saw firsthand what collaboration can achieve. He credits early encouragement from former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III with reinforcing that vision of a more economically integrated and competitive North America.

“My career basically has been very intertwined between Mexico and the U.S.,” he says. Bilingual since childhood and educated at Stanford, Claudio has led Kimberly-Clark de México while serving on major U.S. corporate boards.

“We’re inextricably joined together. Let’s make the best of it,” Claudio says.

His connection to the Baker Institute spans years of engagement and leadership on the board of advisors for the institute, leading him to recognize the importance of elevating U.S.–Mexico relations through policy research — particularly based in Texas. “Houston is a lot closer to that border than Washington, D.C., is,” he notes, underscoring the state’s deep economic and cultural ties to Mexico.

"My career basically has been very intertwined between Mexico and the U.S. We're inextricably joined together. Let's make the best of it." -- Claudio X. Gonzalez

That regional perspective was central from the beginning. When the center launched in 2013 under founding director Tony Payan, there were established policy efforts in Washington, D.C., and California, but little focus from Texas — despite its position as Mexico’s largest trading partner and closest economic counterpart. “Texas represents probably the most important state relationship with Mexico, and Mexico is really the largest partner to Texas, without a doubt,” Tony says.

Early support from Claudio and a network of business leaders in Mexico made the center possible, providing the initial funding needed to launch and sustain its first years of work. “The center wouldn’t exist without Claudio,” Tony explains. “The funding that came from Mexico was essential to get us started.”

Since then, the center has grown into a globally respected program that reaches policymakers, business leaders, scholars and the public. Its research and analysis are regularly sought by policymakers in Washington and Mexico City, as well as by business leaders and journalists looking to better understand the forces shaping the relationship. As Tony puts it, the center provides “data, facts and analysis that gives them good ideas” — helping translate complex challenges into informed action.

Both Tony and Claudio see the center’s role not just in explaining the relationship, but in shaping it. Claudio hopes the center becomes “the most relevant center on U.S.–Mexico relations,” a place where leaders turn first for insight and understanding.

More than a research hub, the center is a testament to what happens when vision, partnership and philanthropy align. As Claudio notes, the bonds between neighbors are too important — economically, socially and culturally — to leave unwritten or unexamined. Through this investment, Rice and its supporters are helping write the next chapter of that shared story.

Accelerate the Vision

To help advance the Baker Institute’s essential work, contact Jill Assir, director of development, at jill.assir@rice.edu or 713-348-2977.