Rafael Flores S.

Since 1968 until the day I moved away from California, Elbert Covell College became the center of my entire education and social life in my early days as an international student in the United States. After completing my degree in Business Administration & Economics from Elbert Covell College, in 1971, I continued postgraduate education at California State University - Sacramento. I received an MBA degree in 1974. Subsequently, I traveled to Venezuela, found a job and I got established there. I also started to build up my Family and now I have three daughters and one son (Luisa, Liliana and Ana Karina who were born in Venezuela and Rafael who was born in Peru), and six grandchildren (three grandsons born in the USA, one grandson and two granddaughters in Peru).

In my professional years I have worked and acquired experience in various areas of the industry, amongst which: Crude oil exploration, work over and production activities; project development; Management and Personnel Administration; Stevedoring and dock facilities operations, Maintenance and, more recently, in the Aluminum production (billets) and aluminum extrusion operations. Working together with my compadres, Alberto and Beverley Yanez, we created Promotora Empresarial y de Inversiones, S.A. in 1981 and have been International Director responsible of Field Operations for PREMISA for the last 10 years.

Besides working in various projects internationally ( Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador and the Caribbean), I have also worked as Professor in Business Administration and English, at the Villa Alianza Polytechnic Institute of Puerto Ordaz, and was awarded recognitions. During my early years at CSUS, I was one of the very few students who was awarded scholarships from the School of International Affairs ( California State University, Sacramento) to attend conferences related to International Trade and Economic Development in Latin American countries at Assilomar-Monterrey, California.