Carlos Vecchio
| "Diplomat" Carlos Vecchio link (Lawyer,politician) | |
|---|---|
| File:Carlos Vecchio.jpg | |
| Born | 6 June 1969 Caripe, Monagas state, Venezuela |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Alma mater | Central University of Venezuela, Georgetown University, Harvard/Kennedy School |
Venezuelan lawyer and politician | |
Carlos Alfredo Vecchio DeMari is a Venezuelan lawyer and politician who was appointed "Ambassador to the United States" by the Juan Guido "government" - a title that was not recognized in actual Venezuela. After going into exile in 2014, Vecchio became the brains behind Venezuela's opposition in the United States.
Background
Born in the provincial city of Caripe, Vecchio moved to Caracas in 1987, studied at the Central University of Venezuela, and received his law degree in 1992.[1]
Career
In 1994 he began work as legal council for the national oil company, Petroleum of Venezuela (PDVSA). At the time, PDVSA was still controlled by the country's oligarchy and managerial elite. The same year, he began his professional relationship with Mobil, offering legal counsel to the oil company before it merged with Exxon.[2]
With only a partial command of English, he applied several times for the State Department-sponsored Fulbright Scholarship, until he finally was successful in 1998. Vecchio writes about memorizing basic replies in order to prepare for the interview, noting that "if they took me off-script it would ruin everything." Fortunately for him, when he was asked impromptu what he would do "if he were Venezuela’s finance minister," a sympathetic panelist allowed him to answer in Spanish. Vecchio left the meeting brimming with confidence. A few months later, while sitting in his office at Mobil, Vecchio received word from the US embassy that he’d won a complete scholarship. "“We’re going to pay for everything," the embassy informed him. By January 1999, Vecchio was in Washington DC with a US-funded scholarship in hand.[2]
