From Natural Resources to Daco: These are Pierluisi’s latest appointments to his cabinet

The governor-elect Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia made 5 appointments to his cabinet on Tuesday, which will be his last appointments before taking office on 2 January.

Below is a review of the nominees and their credentials:

Edan Rivera Rodríguez, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs

He has a baccalaureate in Economics from the University of Puerto Rico, Pedres River Precinct. He also holds a Juris Doctor from the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico. He further earned a Masters in Law from Columbia University in New York. He began his professional career in 2011 working for a San Juan law firm and in 2013 went on to work at the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico as Rafael Martínez’s associate legal officer. He then became part of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DACO) in 2017 where he worked until 2019 as a legal advisor.

Javier Bayón, director of the Industrial Development Company of Puerto Rico

He is an attorney and licensed public accountant with over 13 years of experience in both fields. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and then continued his studies at the Inter-American University where he obtained his Juris Doctor. He has experience in auditing working for prestigious firms such as Deloitte & Touche and Ernst & Young. In addition, he worked in several well-known law firms where he concentrated his practice in tax law. He has worked in the Department of Finance and the Department of Economic Development and Trade. Precisely in 2017 he joined the Department of Economic Development and Trade as Executive Director of the Office of Tax Exemptions, from where he was able to develop incentive strategies for the manufacturing, services, renewable energy, And others.

Mariano Mier Romeu, Insurance Commissioner of Puerto Rico

He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colby College in the state of Maine. He worked as a financial analyst at various prestigious firms such as Merrill Lynch, where he focused on investment banking, and at Printon Kane / Cambrian Capital Corp, developing financial projections. He also worked as a journalist for The New Day handling issues of economics and government. He completed his Juris Doctor studies at the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico, while serving as a professor of mathematics and research at the same university institution.

Ray J. Quiñones Vázquez, Secretary of Recreation and Sports

It has a baccalaureate in Pedagogy with concentration in Physical education of the University of Puerto Rico, Enclosure of Mayaguez. He also has a master’s degree in Physical Education and Athlete Training from the University of Turabo. He has been a professor of physical education, athletic director, and principal track and field leader at various venues at the University of Puerto Rico. Since 1984, he has served as athletic coordinator for various educational institutions and national leagues such as the Puerto Rico Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, better known as the NCAA. From 2003 to 2005, he was a consultant for the Department of Recreation and Sports and currently serves as Program Director for Sports Affairs at the Mayagüez University Campus. It obtained a gold medal in the Central American Games of Athletics. He was exalted in the Hall of Fame of the Immortals of the Sport of the School of Mayaguez in the 1997 and in the Pavilion of the Fame of the Immortals of the Puerto Rican Sport in the 2005.

Rafael Machargo-Maldonado, Secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

He currently holds this position. He has more than 25 years of experience in the legal sector with a focus on environmental law. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Tulane University in Louisiana. He then completed a Juris Doctor at the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico. He also holds a master’s degree in environmental law from George Washington University in Washington, DC He began his career in environmental law studying the Clean Air Act and attended the implementation of this program in Puerto Rico. In 1998 he joined the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources as an undersecretary, developing public policy and projects for the management and conservation of natural resources in Puerto Rico. After 19 years in private practice, he returned to public service as secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.