Melvin Floyd Sembler (born May 10, 1930) is an American former diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Italy (2001–2005), and Ambassador to Australia and Nauru (1989–1993). He has also served as chairman of the board of the Sembler Company, which develops and manages shopping centers, and co-founder of Straight, Inc., a controversial drug-treatment center. Sembler is the chairman of the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Trust, and was a co-chair of the Florida Finance Committee for Mitt Romney. Early life and education Sembler was born on May 10, 1930 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University in 1952. He is of Jewish descent. Political fund raising career Sembler has been a Republican fundraiser since 1979, raising a record $21.3 million at a single dinner in April 2000. During the 1988 Presidential campaign, Sembler served on the National Steering Committee and the National Finance Committee for the George H. W. Bush for President campaign. Additionally, he was finance co-chairman for the state of Florida for the George Bush for President campaign. He served on President Reagan's White House Conference for a Drug-Free America and was an advisor on drug policy to President Bush and to Florida's former governor Bob Martinez. He served as co-chairman of the Republican National Committee's Team 100 and finance co-chairman of the American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural, and from 1993 to 1995 he was finance chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Sembler served as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee from 1997 to 2000, as Florida's National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee from 1994 to 2000, as honorary chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, as chairman of the Drug Free America Foundation, served on the boards of the Florida Governor's Mansion Foundation, and the Florida Holocaust Museum. He is a resident member of the Florida Council of 100, a business advisory council to the governor of Florida. Sembler serves on the boards of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Freedom's Watch, the American Enterprise Institute, American-Australian Education Leadership Foundation, George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, American Momentum Bank and the Moffitt Cancer Center. Sembler was a supporter of the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney and is one of the more prominent Jewish donors to the Republican party. On October 11, 2011, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney announced that he had appointed Sembler to his Florida Finance Team. Sembler