Born in Antiguo Cuscatlán on December 31, 1948, he grew up as a native Spanish speaker, but also became fluent in English and learned to speak French.

 

Alshcul graduated as an architect from the University of El Salvador. He later studied Urban Development, Housing and Planning in Holland at Bouwcentrum International Education and studied at the Economic Development Institute of the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

 

Alschul taught at the Central America University José Simeón Cañas (UCA) for the Department of Architecture. He also won first place for the design of the “David J. Guzman” National Anthropology Museum with Roberto Dada and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

 

In the 1970s, he worked for social housing and urban development organizations such as the Salvadoran Foundation for Development and Minimum Housing, the Executive Hydroelectric Commission of the Lempa River, and the Ministry of Planning.

 

During the following decade, he traveled to the US, Yugoslavia, and Algeria on diplomatic missions for Frente Democrático Revolucionario (FDR)-FMLN. He was also involved with the Non-Aligned Country Movement and lobbied at the UN General Assembly.

 

In 1997, he served as the Councilor of San Salvador for the Urban Development Commission.

 

Between May 2003 and December 2007, he became the Executive President of the NGO Sistema de Asesoría y Capacitación para el Desarrollo Local (SACDEL).

 

He founded and headed Eco Desarrollo, a private agricultural company that promotes organic agriculture.

 

In July 2009, he was appointed as a Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of El Salvador in Washington, D.C.

 

He and his wife Melinda Delashmutt Altschul have two children, Jorge Enrique and Margarita Eugenia.

 

Official Biography (See Ambassador’s Biography)