Appointed to the position of Associate Administrator for International Trade at the U.S. Small Business Administration in August 2011, Dario J. Gomez oversees programs that support small business engagement and growth in international markets. His office works in cooperation with other federal agencies and public- and private-sector trade groups to promote trade opportunities, facilitate access to export financing, and represent the interests of small businesses in U.S. trade negotiations. Dario also directs the delivery of the SBA’s export assistance programs via 19 U.S. Export Assistance Centers throughout the country.
Prior to his appointment at the SBA, Dario served as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Associate Director for Federal Affairs in his Washington DC office. He was responsible for representing the Mayor’s positions on federal issues including ports and goods movement; aviation; export promotion; and energy. Prior to this position, Dario was Mayor Villaraigosa’s Director of International Trade for Los Angeles. In this capacity, he was integral in bringing the Americas Business Forum to Los Angeles, which is an annual export matchmaking event with the Department of Commerce to help businesses export to Latin America. Also he was responsible for attracting foreign investment and raising the global profile of Los Angeles. In addition to his successes, he was successful in recruiting Chinese electric automaker, BYD to launch their North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.
From 1999-2001 Dario was a Presidential Appointee as a Congressional Specialist for Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, the United States Trade Representative. During that time, he worked on such historic trade measures as Congressional approval for China's entry into the World Trade Organization, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement.
Prior to working for Barshefsky, Dario served on the White House staff in the Administration of President William Jefferson Clinton. Following his work in the Clinton Administration, Dario worked as a legislative liaison for the City of Los Angeles, where he helped secure federal funding for Los Angeles after school programs and public works projects. He also worked as a regional manager for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation prior to joining the Mayor’s Office.
A Southern California native, Dario is a graduate of the IBEAR International MBA program at the University of Southern California, where he worked on global consulting projects for Fortune 100 companies involving the energy and telecommunications sectors. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.