Dario J. Gomez serves as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Associate Director for Federal Affairs in his Washington DC office.  He is 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.  In this capacity, he was responsible for attracting foreign investment and raising the global profile of Los Angeles.  In April 2010, he successfully recruited 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.