Alejandro Plaz
Alejandro Plaz Castillo | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 2, 1955 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Occupation(s) | Electrical engineer, management consultant, civil activist |
| Known for | Cofounder of Súmate |
Alejandro Plaz Castillo is an electrical engineer from Venezuela, a management consultant, and a cofounder of the volunteer civil organization Súmate. He possesses three master's degrees, two of which were earned at Stanford University. Prior to taking a leave of absence to help launch Súmate alongside María Corina Machado, he was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company in the Latin American region.
Life and education
Plaz was born on 2 December 1955 in Caracas, Venezuela. He completed his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at Universidad Simón Bolívar in 1977. Following two years of professional experience in Venezuela, he moved to the United States for further education. There, he obtained a master's degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, followed by two additional master's degrees in industrial engineering and operations research from Stanford University. At age 26, he returned to Venezuela and began a 23-year tenure with McKinsey & Company.
After two decades with McKinsey, Plaz took a one-year sabbatical to cofound Súmate, dedicating most of his efforts subsequently to this initiative.
Work with Súmate
Plaz characterizes Súmate as a nonpartisan group of professionals dedicated to advancing genuine democracy through specialized technical knowledge. The association is involved in election observation and promotes active citizen engagement.
Members of Súmate, including Plaz, were accused of treason and conspiracy related to a $31,000 grant provided by the National Endowment for Democracy, aimed at enhancing democratic participation. However, the trial was halted in 2006 due to breaches of due process and has experienced multiple postponements since.