Isabel Jara

Isabel Jara Noda (1 May 1957 – 24 June 2026), also known as Chabela Jara or simply Chabela, was a Spanish and Venezuelan civil servant and institutional representative. From August 2023 until her death, she served as the delegate of the Government of the Canary Islands in Venezuela. She was head of the Canarian Government Office in the country.

Jara was president of the Council of Spanish Residents (CRE) of the Venezuelan consular district, an organization she first chaired in 2021. She was re-elected in 2026.

Jara died in June 2026 as a result of the double earthquake that devastated Venezuela, when the building where she resided in La Guaira collapsed.

Early life and education Isabel Jara Noda was born in La Guaira on 1 May 1957, into a family of Canarian origin. She was the daughter of emigrants from the island of La Gomera; according to immigration documents, her father was among the 171 people who participated in the clandestine voyage to Venezuela aboard the sailboat Telémaco. In 1996 she also graduated as a professional fashion designer from the Brivil Institute in Caracas, where she received the "Golden Thimble" honorable mention. From that year onwards, she worked as an administrator for the Canary Islands Foundation for Foreign Action (Fucaex) in Venezuela, with the function of coordinating social aid programs.

In the CRE elections of 3 May 2026, the Canarian Coalition Venezuela list, headed by Jara, obtained an absolute majority with 4,741 votes (54.70%) and eight of the fifteen councilors. On 15 May 2026, the XI Mandate of the CRE of Venezuela (2026–2030) was constituted with Jara as president and Ana María Navarro Rodríguez as secretary; it was the first time in the history of the Venezuelan CRE that its presidency was revalidated for a new term. She maintained a close relationship with the leader of the Canarian Coalition, Ana Oramas, with whom she traveled throughout Venezuela for more than 27 years. Jara lived in a penthouse apartment in the Macuto neighborhood of La Guaira, one of the most devastated areas; the building collapsed after the earthquakes, and her whereabouts became unknown, with her family, colleagues, and the Canarian regional government unable to contact her. The Government of the Canary Islands declared three days of official mourning and held an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to coordinate aid to Venezuela. Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo and deputy president Ana Oramas dedicated farewell messages to her.