Originally from San Lorenzo Puerto Rico, Verónica has over a decade of experience in program management for the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She began her career at the National Institutes of Health before pursuing her master’s in Latin American Studies from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University. After Georgetown, Verónica joined the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Latin American Program and then the National Science Foundation as a social scientist for the Directorate of Social and Economic Sciences.
When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Verónica went home to be at the forefront of the recovery process. She joined the vibrant and emerging start-up ecosystem as a program manager at Grupo Guayacán Inc., a non-profit supporting the entrepreneurial community in Puerto Rico for over 23 years. Two years later she was recruited to launch and serve as the director of Holberton School Puerto Rico, a software development program born in San Francisco, where she helped strengthen the island’s technology sector by creating partnerships and connecting students with high-profile companies. Verónica currently lives between San Juan and San Lorenzo, with her two dogs and a few chickens. She enjoys paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking, camping, and refurbishing old furniture.