Alvaro Uribe Velez was born in 1952 in Medellín, Colombia. He earned a Law degree from the Universidad de Antioquia (Medellín) and pursued graduate studies in Conflict Resolution in 1993 at Harvard University. He was awarded the Simon Bolivar Scholarship by the British Council, to become Senior Associate Member at the Saint Anthony’s College, Oxford University, England. He has also done extensive independent research and strategic analysis related to the Colombian political situation. Uribe began his public career in 1976 with his appointment as assets manager at Empresas Públicas de Medellin (Medellin Public Works); soon after he was appointed General Secretary of the Ministerio de Trabajo (Labor Secretary)From 1980-82, he was Director of Civil Aeronautics (the equivalent to the FAA). Between 1984 and 1986, he was Mayor of Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia. Alvaro Uribe was twice elected Senator of Colombia (1986-1990 and 1990-1994). During his first term, he was elected President of the Senate’s Seventh Commission and was designated as "Outstanding Senator." In 1992, he was chosen as one of the Five Best Senators in a poll of the media and his colleagues. In 1993, his colleagues in the Senate chose him as the "Best Senator." He was speaker (author) for the Law extending Social Security coverage to domestic workers, and for the law to reform pensions and retirement plans. He was also co-author and speaker for the law on cooperatives and cooperative banking. He was actively involved with the law to create a fund to finance social benefits for teachers and educational workers and a labor reform law. He was the author of the law to professionalize public administration careers and was speaker for Law 100, which reformed the Colombia Social Security System and for the law to protect women heads of family. In 1995, he was elected Governor of Antioquia state, a position he held until 1997 (there is no re-election under the Constitution). His accomplishments were widely recognized, both at the local level in Antioquia and at the national level. He worked hard to reduce public expenditures, introduced strict budget controls while at the same time making greater investments in community development and public safety. His innovative economic, health and educational policies and programs have been copied by other states across the country. Alvaro Uribe developed incentive programs for the cultivation of land and the organization of farming cooperatives. Such accomplishments, combined with his strong views on the peace process and national public safety issues have positioned him as an outstanding Colombian with clear Presidential potential. Alvaro Uribe is married to Lina Moreno. They have two teenage sons, Tomas and Jerónimo.
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