Today, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Jamie Areizaga-Soto nominee for the Chair of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, Department of Veterans Affairs. From the announcement:
Jaime Areizaga-Soto, Nominee for Chair of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, Department of Veterans Affairs
Jaime Areizaga-Soto, an attorney, public servant, and Army JAG Brigadier General, is currently mobilized to active duty as the Principal Deputy General Counsel of the National Guard Bureau (NGB), a joint activity of the Department of Defense (DOD). In that role, he works closely with the General Counsel in advising the senior leadership of NGB, in leading an office of over 100 attorneys, and in coordinating among the Air Force, the Army, and the 54 National Guards. From 2014 until earlier this year, Areizaga-Soto served as the Deputy Secretary for Veterans and Defense Affairs of Virginia, where he advised Governors McAuliffe and Northam on matters related to the 730,000 Virginia veterans and military families, and in ensuring an excellent relationship with DOD’s thirty large installations across the Commonwealth.
Areizaga-Soto practiced international law for twelve years, focusing on cross-border infrastructure project finance. He served as a White House Fellow assigned to the Treasury Department, and as the Senior Attorney Advisor at USAID’s Office of the General Counsel. Areizaga-Soto grew up in Puerto Rico and graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He holds a law degree from Stanford Law School, a Masters in Latin American Studies from Stanford University, a Masters in Security and Defense from the Inter-American Defense College in Ft. McNair, and a Mágister from the National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies (ANEPE) of Chile. He is a member of the Virginia, District of Columbia, New York, Maryland, and U.S. Supreme Court Bars; is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French; and has basic knowledge of Italian.
