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Previously, Alex served as Vice President of the Arizona Technology Council where he turned around and expanded Southern Arizona operations providing strategic value to over 800 technology businesses and organizations.  Alex served as Facilitator of the Arizona Aerospace, Aviation and Defense CEO Network.  Alex earned his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government with concentrations in International Trade and Finance and International Security in 1997.  He obtained his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Arizona in 1994 and is a graduate of the New Mexico Military Institute.  He completed Army ROTC as a Distinguished Military Graduate, becoming an Army Officer at twenty years of age in 1991.  Alex is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and completed a rigorous public policy institute at the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management of Carnegie Mellon University in 1993. 


Alex held significant leadership roles in business development and strategic planning for three Fortune 500 companies. At Raytheon, Alex lead a half-billion dollar spend portfolio in supply chain management.  He led the national team that won a new multi-million dollar cooperative contract at W. W. Grainger, Inc.  Alex served on the Board of Trustees of a 60M privately held ESOP. A former Term Member of the New York based Council on Foreign Relations, Alex served as a U.S. Department of Defense International Policy Advisor, Country Director and Special Assistant at the Pentagon, entering federal service by appointment as a Presidential Management Fellow.  Locally, Alex was elected to serve on the Governing Board of the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) where he served as Board President, Clerk and Member of the Board. Alex was candidate for U.S. Congress losing the election to Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in 2006.
 
            Over the millennium, Alex was mobilized as a Captain in the U.S. Army for a tour-of-duty in support of Operation Joint Forge, the U.S. Peacekeeping Mission in Bosnia & Herzegovina.  His military decorations include the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Service Medal,  NATO Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" Device, Army Achievement Medal (2^nd Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Airborne Parachutist Badge.  After college, Alex worked at the Arizona State Senate, the United Nations Association in New York City, and with the U.S. State Department at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador.
 
Alex was inducted to the Nogales High School Hall of Fame and named to the Arizona Daily Star 40 Under 40 Class in 2009.  Alex appeared regularly on KMSB TV Fox News 11 providing expert commentary on economic, political and societal issues. The son of a first-generation working-class family, Alex was raised as the youngest of ten children and was the first child with the privilege to graduate from college.  He is an avid reader, enjoys playing racquetball and playing the drums on his free time.  Alex is married to the former Claudia Araiza and they are the proud parents of 7^th grader Emi Sofia, an avid performer with the Tucson Dance Academy, and Alexander, their seven month old who is reportedly the one in charge at home!