Jaime Areizaga-Soto
Encyclopedia
Jaime Ariel Areizaga-Soto is a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination to the 31st District of the Senate of Virginia.
, Areizaga-Soto obtained his B.S. with honors from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
, where he completed the Hoya Battalion ROTC Program. He also obtained an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University
, and a juris doctor
from Stanford Law School.
Areizaga-Soto worked with the Corporate & Securities Group of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, DC. Then, he worked as an attorney for over eight years in the Global Project Finance Group of Clifford Chance
, structuring and negotiating cross-border infrastructure project finance transactions.
Until April 2011, he served as Senior Attorney Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel of the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) in Washington, DC. He left the federal government to run for the Virginia State Senate. The newly drawn district is "considered a Democratic-leaning district."
Areizaga-Soto serves as a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel in the JAG Corps of the National Guard.
He is admitted to the practice of law in New York and Washington, DC and is a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and the Virginia Hispanic Bar Association. He is fluent in Portuguese, French and Spanish.
appointed him as a White House Fellow, which provided him with a year-long policy staff position at the Department of Treasury.
In 2009, he served as the Principal Advisor for Latino Affairs to State Senator Creigh Deeds
, the 2009 Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia.
During the 2011 Virginia General Assembly session and during the 2010 session before being appointed to USAID by the Obama Administration, he served as the Advisor to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, Senator Mary Margaret Whipple
.
Areizaga-Soto is an officer in a number of Hispanic civic and political organizations. In the past, he has served as Deputy Finance Chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) and board member of the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia (HBA-DC). In 1998, he served as an international election observer in Venezuela
under former President Jimmy Carter
, and in 1996 he served as an election observer in Nicaragua
.
Biography
His mother was an elementary school teacher, and his father is a Korean War veteran. After growing up in Puerto RicoPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Areizaga-Soto obtained his B.S. with honors from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, where he completed the Hoya Battalion ROTC Program. He also obtained an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, and a juris doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Stanford Law School.
Areizaga-Soto worked with the Corporate & Securities Group of Hogan & Hartson in Washington, DC. Then, he worked as an attorney for over eight years in the Global Project Finance Group of Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance LLP is a global law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom and a member of the 'Magic Circle' of leading UK law firms. It is one of the ten largest law firms in the world measured by both number of lawyers and revenue...
, structuring and negotiating cross-border infrastructure project finance transactions.
Until April 2011, he served as Senior Attorney Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel of the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(USAID) in Washington, DC. He left the federal government to run for the Virginia State Senate. The newly drawn district is "considered a Democratic-leaning district."
Areizaga-Soto serves as a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel in the JAG Corps of the National Guard.
He is admitted to the practice of law in New York and Washington, DC and is a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) and the Virginia Hispanic Bar Association. He is fluent in Portuguese, French and Spanish.
Political career
In 2007, George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
appointed him as a White House Fellow, which provided him with a year-long policy staff position at the Department of Treasury.
In 2009, he served as the Principal Advisor for Latino Affairs to State Senator Creigh Deeds
Creigh Deeds
Robert Creigh Deeds is an American politician who was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2009. He also ran in the 2005 race for Attorney General of Virginia. He was defeated in both of the above races by Bob McDonnell. Deeds lost by just 323 votes in 2005, but was defeated by a...
, the 2009 Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia.
During the 2011 Virginia General Assembly session and during the 2010 session before being appointed to USAID by the Obama Administration, he served as the Advisor to the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, Senator Mary Margaret Whipple
Mary Margaret Whipple
Mary Margaret Whipple is a Democratic member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 31st District since 1996. She is the Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and she is the first woman to hold a leadership position in the Virginia General Assembly. On February 25, 2011, Whipple announced...
.
Areizaga-Soto is an officer in a number of Hispanic civic and political organizations. In the past, he has served as Deputy Finance Chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC) and board member of the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia (HBA-DC). In 1998, he served as an international election observer in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
under former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, and in 1996 he served as an election observer in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
.