One of the great minds of energy issues in Latin America, Ramón Espinasa passed away on Thursday, March 21, 2019. After dedicating 20 years to Venezuela’s state oil company PSVSA during its height, Ramon remained committed to understanding the ills of his troubled country and hoping for a better future. Soft spoken and charming, Ramon was a friend of the Inter-American Dialogue and contributed his thoughtful analysis in numerous forums over the course of almost a decade. He had seemingly endless passion for his intellectual interests, serving as an economist at the Inter-American Development Bank, professor at Georgetown University and Senior Fellow at the Dialogue. He was warm and kind, a friend and mentor to a great many thinkers on energy in Venezuela and the region. Although he didn’t live to see his country’s recovery from crisis, his legacy will be the exceptional analysis and inspiration he passed on to those who will contribute to Venezuela’s reconstruction.