Laura Alonso

When Laura Alonso was a young girl in Argentina, thousands of people began “disappearing” into thin air. For several years, the military dictatorship would wage a violent campaign of state terrorism against liberal activists, rebel fighters and the people who helped them.

Laura grew up witnessing corruption and the frightening potential of unchecked government power. She decided from an early age that a good government should be accountable to its citizens and not harm them.

After obtaining a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics, she returned home to Argentina to put her political ideals into practice.

Laura headed up Poder Ciudadano (Citizen Power), one of Argentina’s leading government watchdog organizations, before her election to Congress in 2008, where she represents Buenos Aires for the PRO Party.

Laura’s political activism reaches beyond Argentina’s borders. Through a partnership with Transparency International, Laura trains non-governmental organizations in Latin America and Southeast Asia on safe and effective government monitoring.