Jairo Raúl Clopatofsky Ghisays (born 20 October 1961) is a Colombian politician. A

Party of the U The Union Party for the People ( es, Partido de la Unión por la Gente), or Party of the U ( es, Partido de la U), is a liberal political party in Colombia. The Party is led by former president Juan Manuel Santos. It was formerly Colombia's lar ...

politician, Clopatofsky had served in the

Congress of Colombia The Congress of the Republic of Colombia ( es, Congreso de la República de Colombia) is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature. The Congress of Colombia consists of the 108-seat Senate, and the 188-seat Chamber of Repre ...

, as Senator and as

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

for the

Capital District A capital district, capital region or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any poli ...

, and most recently as the 17th General Director of

Coldeportes The Administrative Department of Sport, Recreation, Physical Activity and the Use of Free Time, Coldeportes was the national government department of sports in and for Colombia; it is charged with fomenting, planning and organizing the activities ...

from 2010 to 2012. In 1982 he experienced an automotive accident that left him paraplegic and reliant on a wheelchair. In 2005 he went through an experimental

stem cell transplant Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood in order to replicate inside of a patient and to produce ...

surgery procedure, using olfactory adult stem cells into the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the sp ...

. After 22 years of paraplegia, and loss of sensation from the waist down, Clopatofsky was able to regain sensation in his legs and successfully took his first steps thanks to physical therapy and the operation.

Career

Clopatofsky studied at the Liceo de La Salle until 10th grade when he enrolled in the Cadet Naval Academy in Cartagena. He graduated from University of La Sabana with a

Bachelor of Business Administration Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) is a bachelor's degree in business administration awarded by colleges and universities after completion of undergraduate study in the fundamentals of business administration and usually including advanced ...

, and received a scholarship to study at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

where he received a Master of Public Administration. He also did specializations in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Soc ...

, and in

Public Administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit est ...

from the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In 1988 Clopatofsky created the Independent Civic Movement a Colombian political movement, aimed at countering the partisan political system of the time.

Congressman

In 1991 was elected to the

Chamber of Representatives of Colombia The Chamber of Representatives (Spanish: ''Cámara de Representantes'') is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia. It has 172 members elected to four-year terms. Electoral system According to the Colombian Constitution, the Chamber of Re ...

for the term between 1991 and 1994 representing Bogotá. In 1994 Clopatofsky was elected to the

Senate of Colombia The Senate of the Republic of Colombia ( es, Senado de la República de Colombia) is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the House of Representatives. The Senate has 108 members elected for concurrent (non-r ...

for the period between 1994 and 1998. In 2002 he returned to the senate after winning in the legislative elections of 2002. His party then adhered to the

Social National Unity Party The Union Party for the People ( es, Partido de la Unión por la Gente), or Party of the U ( es, Partido de la U), is a liberal political party in Colombia. The Party is led by former president Juan Manuel Santos. It was formerly Colombia's larg ...

which supported

Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He held offices in t ...

to the presidency of Colombia. In 2006 Clopatofsky was reelected in the legislative elections of 2006. Clopatofsky is member of the Second Commission of the Senate which debates topics related to defense and international relations of Colombia, as well as participant in the Special Commission for Foreign Affairs.

Head of Consulate in Western Canada

In 2012 he assumed the role as head of the newly opened Colombian Consulate in Vancouver, Canada.

Philanthropy

Clopatofsky is the founder and director of the ''Fundación Promover por Colombia'' which seeks to benefit people with physical disabilities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clopatofsky Ghisays, Jairo Raul 1961 births Living people People from Cartagena, Colombia Colombian people of Polish descent Colombian people of Lebanese descent Harvard Kennedy School alumni Colombian political scientists Colombian philanthropists Politicians with paraplegia Social Party of National Unity politicians Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Members of the Senate of Colombia University of La Sabana alumni Scientists with disabilities