Diego Area is an associate director in the Adrienne Arsht Latin American Center where he leads the Venezuelan portfolio. He joined the Council in December 2018, previously working as a researcher at the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University. Before being forced to leave Venezuela, Diego was director of social development in the municipality of Sucre where he oversaw a team of 300 employees. Additionally, he served as campaign manager in the 2015 parliamentary elections in the State of Miranda in Venezuela, holding a similar role in more than ten electoral and advocacy campaigns. Diego is a graduate candidate in political management at the George Washington University and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the Universidad Central de Venezuela.