American diplomat and a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela. He went on to become Deputy Assistant Secretary at the State Department, and now heads its free trade agreement task force. Shapiro was very unpopular with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during his time as ambassador. Since 2004, he has been indicated by Venezuelan people as one of the perpetrator in the Coup d'etat against President Chavez of 2002. Shapiro has degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgia State University, and served in the United States Coast Guard.