George R. Harper was elected president of the Inter-American Bar Association and was sworn in at the conclusion of IABA's 45th Annual Conference held in Nassau, Bahamas, on July 4, 2009.  Harper stated, "As president, my aim is to strengthen the ties between the US and Latin American legal communities," and that under his leadership, the IABA will focus more on the area of human rights.  He is the first American lawyer elected to this position in over ten years, and is also a member of the executive committee of IABA's advisory council, having previously served as vice president.