Advancing policy solutions to maximize Venezuela’s economic, political, and energy potential.

Leadership team

• Jorge JraissatiExecutive DirectorRead bio
• César DagerDirector of U.S. Government RelationsRead bio
• Ángel AlvaradoDirector of Public Policy and the Economic CouncilRead bio
• Martin Rodriguez RodriguezDirector of Commercial DiplomacyRead bio
• Rafael StruveDirector of Strategic Communications and Public AffairsRead bio
• Armando ArmasDirector of Venezuelan Political AffairsRead bio
• Jesús LanderDirector of FinanceRead bio
• Barbara de JesusSocial Media CoordinatorRead bio

Founding members

• Dany Bahar, co-director of the Migration and Displacement program at the Center for Global Development and fellow at the Harvard Growth Lab. PhD in Public Policy, Harvard University.
• José Gustavo Arocha, senior fellow at the Center for a Secure Free Society and retired lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan Army, specializing in national security and civil-military relations. MPA, Harvard Kennedy School.
• Paola Romero, political philosopher who teaches at LSE and NYU London. PhD in Political Theory, LSE.
• Guillermo Arcay, researcher at the Harvard Growth Lab, specializing in macroeconomics, fiscal policy, and economic development. Economics degree, UCAB; MPA in International Development (MPA/ID), Harvard Kennedy School.
• Ana María Diez, co-founder and president of Coalición por Venezuela, specializing in migration, refugee protection, and human rights. Master’s in Public Management, Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA); master’s in Diplomacy and International Relations.
• Juan Wulff, Government student at Harvard University and staff writer for the Harvard International Review.
• Samuel Díaz Pulgar, communications director of Primero Justicia and co-founder of Nutriendo el Futuro, specializing in social policy, education, and community development. Master of Public Policy, University of Oxford; Chevening Scholar.
• Santiago de la Presilla, public affairs and corporate communications specialist, currently responsible for Bloomberg’s communications strategy in Europe. Experienced in European affairs, with specialized training in European governance from KU Leuven.
• Adriana Mata, co-founder and CEO of Agile Impacts. Production engineer with an MBA and executive education from INSEAD.
• Valentina Issa, affiliated with the OAS Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI); former communications specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Graduate studies at LSE.
• Victor Lovera, economist at T-Systems Iberia with more than 12 years of experience managing transformation projects. Trained in public administration management and public policy analysis at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
• Alejandro Conejero, urban planner and graduate of Universidad Simón Bolívar, with a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School (Berlin). Formerly a data and research analyst at the European Research Centre for Anti-Corruption and State-Building (ERCAS); has published on natural resource dependence and governance quality.
• Javier Mijares, founder and director of NEXO Field Relations, a consultancy specializing in social risk management and community relations for companies operating in Venezuela. Anthropologist with a master’s in International Development from LSE.
• Jose Morales-Arilla, Venezuelan economist and professor at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Previously a researcher in the Department of Politics at Princeton University and at the Harvard Growth Lab, and an assistant professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.
• Juan Carlos Badaoui, physician trained at Universidad de Oriente; completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Hospital Dr. Bernardo Houssay and Maternidad Santa Rosa, affiliated with the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Marcos Planchart, political and economic analyst and Caracas Chronicles columnist covering the transition, regional integration, and the political economy of chavismo. Master’s in Political Economy, LSE.
• Roberto Patiño, PhD student in Economics at the University of Bonn, researching international economics, macroeconomics, and monetary policy. BSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, LSE; MSc in Economics and Social Sciences, Bocconi University.
• José Ignacio Hernández, Venezuelan lawyer specializing in constitutional and administrative law and economic regulation. PhD in Law, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; former Special Attorney General of Venezuela (2019–2020); former researcher at the Growth Lab at Harvard Kennedy School; non-resident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
• Gustavo Rojas-Matute, Venezuelan economist at Moody’s Analytics, specializing in monetary policy, macroeconomic forecasting, and data analysis. PhD in Economics, American University; master’s degrees in Public Policy from IESA and in Political Management from George Washington University.

To preserve the initiative’s technical, selective, and high-level character, the group of co-founders will be capped at 35 people, organized into five working groups according to each member’s expertise and interests.

Advisors

To be announced in the coming days. The group will comprise eight advisors; confirmed so far:

• Stephen Bartulica
• Pedro Pizano