Ambassador Francis Rooney served as the United States ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 through 2008, appointed by President George W. Bush. Currently he is the chief executive officer of Rooney Holdings, Inc., a diversified investment company, and Manhattan Construction Group, a civil and building construction company.

Ambassador Rooney has rejoined the Board of Advisors of the Panama Canal Authority, Republic of Panama, on which he was member prior to resigning in 2005 to enter government service. He is a member of the board of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation and serves as chairman of the Board of Visitors of the University of Oklahoma College of International Studies. Ambassador Rooney also currently serves on the boards of directors of Helmerich & Payne, Inc.(NYSE) and Laredo Petroleum, Inc. (NYSE), both in Tulsa, Oklahoma; VETRA Energy Group, Bogota, Colombia; and Mercantil Commercebank, Coral Gables, Florida. He is a trustee of The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and a member of the board of directors of The Trust for the National Mall, both in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the Council of American Ambassadors.

He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center.  He is a member of the District of Columbia and Texas Bars, and holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100 Ton Masters License (sailing endorsement). He is married to Kathleen Collins Rooney and they have three children.