In 1962 Robert interrupted studies at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica as part of Group 1. He taught construction skills to teenage boys at the Cobbla Camp near Spaldings. Following the Peace Corps service he completed studies at Georgetown.
In 1967 he married Amelia Comas Bacardi and returned with her to Jamaica to work in the private sector. They have 3 children, with spouses and grandchildren the family now numbers 17. They reside in USA but spend as much time as possible in Jamaica.
Spurred by the ethics of his grandparents who have founded the camp on MT. Riga and the beauty of the Caribbean region where he had come to know and love. He was executive director of the Bacardi Family Foundation which supported significant environmental initiatives in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, including the Parks Partnership Project which brought The Nature Conservatory to the Bahamas. Now retired, he continues to serve as a trustee of the Caribbean program of The Nature Conservatory. However he is principally focused on a number of environmental projects in Jamaica, including Jamaica Conservation Partners, ArtVark, and Carib Share Biogas.