Lauro Arias is assistant director of the State of Illinois Office of Trade and Investment, the arm of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that orchestrates export promotion and foreign direct investment. He brings a wealth of expertise in international trade to this position, including serving as director of an International Trade Center for the Illinois Small Business Development Center. A native of Uruguay, Arias studied in England where he obtained a M.Sc. in agriculture economics at the University of Reading.