Meet Our Team
Eng. Lucy A Crespo
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Lucy Crespo is the Chief Executive Officer of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust. The Trust mission is to advance the research and innovation ecosystem in Puerto Rico. She retired as General Manager of Hewlett-Packard Puerto Rico for the Enterprise Business in 2013. Her tenure at HP lasted for 31 year, successfully working in the HP Computing and Printing and Personal Systems business units.
Lucy is an executive with ample experience in the technology industry and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus and completed Executive Development education at the Kellogg’s Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University. She is a member of the Alpha Pi Mu, the Industrial Engineering Honor Society. Under her leadership, HP Puerto Rico received the HP’s President Quality Award given by the HP’s CEO. Lucy has been recognized by various institutions.
Board of Trustees
Our Board of Trustees is composed of distinguished professionals who support and oversee our work and provide guidance to ensure that the Trust is focused on within its mission and vision.
Alfredo Casta
Alfredo Casta
Founder and Chairman of Cascades Technologies, Inc. (CTi), Alfredo Casta led the organization to become one of Inc. 5000 magazine’s fastest growing companies for eight years. Currently, CTi is ranked #3498 on the Inc. 5000 list. Mr. Casta combined his technical expertise, solid management skills and an unrelenting mission focus to accomplish results in the service of the American public. Under the tenants of Think – Build – Measure, CTi delivers IT Governance services, Technical Solutions, Data Management, Agile Development, and IT Organization Analysis including Cyber Security expertise to key cabinet agencies such as NIH, CDC, Labor, GSA, US Army, DHS, Justice, and Financial Regulatory Agencies.
Daniel Colón Ramos, Ph.D
Daniel Colón Ramos
Esther Alegria, Ph.D
Esther M. Alegria, Ph.D.
Esther M. Alegria, Ph.D.
Former Biogen Inc Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing
Esther Alegria is Senior Executive Biopharmaceutical Advisor at Catalyst Excel & Advance (EA) lending her R&D thru Commercialization expertizes of over 28-year experience to establish and start-up pharmaceutical & biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to becoming a Senior Executive Advisor she was the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Global Manufacturing at Biogen where she was responsible for the company’s successful manufacturing operations in Denmark, Massachusetts and North Carolina. These facilities cover world-class biopharmaceutical large-scale drug substance, medical devices assembly, finished goods and small molecule manufacturing operations. Prior to her role as SVP, Esther was the Vice President of Manufacturing and General Manager of Biogen Idec’s Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina site, and moved to Hillerød, Denmark to lead the start-up of a second large scale facility, bringing it to commercial manufacturing licensure. Business NC Magazine selected Esther in 2009 as Woman Extraordinaire of the Year for being an influential leader within her company and for her impact on its economic success and forward-thinking strategies. Esther holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Hawaii and an Executive Business Management certification from Harvard Business School. Esther has lent her expertise to key industry education and advocacy groups including serving on the Advisory Board for North Carolina Biosciences Organization, Global Manufacturing BioPhorum Organization, Biotechnology Training and Education Center at NC State University, and the American Chamber of Commerce of Copenhagen-Denmark. In addition, she has served on BOD for non-profit organizations’ supporting the multiple sclerosis research & patient support and currently serves at the UAE-Union Atlantic Enterprises Board of Directors (for-profit) and Shepherd Care Medical Clinic (non-profit org). Throughout her career, Esther has mentored others to pursue their education and further develop their professions. Her simple and approachable style welcomes men and women to seek her mentorship and see her as a role model
Felix Negrón
Gualberto Medina, Esq. & CPA
Gualberto Medina
Mr. Medina, a licensed attorney, CPA, and real estate broker, was New Jersey’s former Secretary of Commerce. He also served as the co-founder, president, or general counsel for many technology and biotechnology startups. Because of his successful career in government and business sectors, Mr. Medina was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Hispanics. He has ample experience serving as a Trustee for the Trust.
Michael A. Caligiuri, MD.
Michael A. Caligiuri, MD.
President of the City of Hope National Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He also holds the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician-in-Chief Distinguished Chair. Before his appointment at City of Hope in February of 2018, Dr. Caligiuri was The CEO of The Ohio State University (OSU) James Cancer Hospital (2008-2017) and Director of OSU’s Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC; 2003-2017); he served as the Director of OSU’s Division of Hematology-Oncology from 2000 through 2008. While CCC Director and hospital CEO Dr. Caligiuri oversaw the construction of the 3rd largest cancer hospital in the United States and recruited over 300 physicians and scientists to OSU.
Dr. Caligiuri is a physician–scientist whose basic and translational work has focused on immunotherapy for both liquid and solid tumors. His laboratory has studied human natural killer (NK) cells for 35 years, with over 400 original peer-reviewed publications on NK cells and/or cancer. Pivotal discoveries from the Caligiuri laboratory have made it possible to bring chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cells from the laboratory into the clinic for cancer therapy. These include proprietary retroviral transduction of human NK cells, the elucidation of the site, stages, cytokines, and molecular mechanisms involved in the differentiation of human NK cells from CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells, and the discovery of IL-15 as the critical cytokine for human NK cell development, survival, growth, and activation. These three advances have been critical for the genesis of CAR NK cells from peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Most of this work was accomplished with his pre- and postdoctoral fellows and his longtime collaborator, Jianhua Yu, Ph.D.
Dr. Caligiuri has designed and conducted clinical studies modulating NK cells for over 1,000 patients with cancer. Over 100 students have trained in the Caligiuri laboratory and have received over 200 local, state, national, or international awards for their research. In 2022, Dr. Caligiuri received the Basic Science Mentor Award from the American Society of Hematology. He is an elected member of the American Association for Clinical Investigation and the American Association of Physicians and an elected Fellow for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is past president of the Association for American Cancer Institutes, past president of the Society of Natural Immunity, and most recently served as president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world’s largest cancer research organization.
Dr. Caligiuri has served on the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Board of Scientific Counselors and Board of Scientific Advisors. He was chairman of the Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Forum from 2014-2016. In 2010, Dr. Caligiuri was one of four individuals in the country to receive a MERIT award from the National Cancer Institute for his work on immunity and cancer, and in 2016 he received an Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute. In 2018, Dr. Caligiuri received the Lifetime Achievement award from Stanford University School of Medicine, was elected a Fellow of the AACR Academy and a member of the USA National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Caligiuri is co-founder of Pelotonia (www.pelotonia.org), The Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (www.ORIENcancer.org), CancerBridge (www.mycancerbridge.com), The Ohio State University Drug Development Institute (https://cancer.osu.edu/research-and-education/drugdevelopment-institute), and CytoImmune Therapeutics (www.cytoImmune.com).
Dr. Caligiuri earned his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his master’s and medical degrees from Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, and then a fellowship in medical oncology, bone marrow transplantation, and immunology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. He next spent seven years at Roswell Park Cancer Institute as an assistant, associate, and full professor before moving to Ohio State University in 1997 and City of Hope in 2018.
Ubaldo Córdova, Ph.D
Ubaldo Córdova
Dr. Ubaldo M. Córdova-Figueroa completed his BS degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) in 2003. That same year, he went to Pasadena, CA to pursue a MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Under Prof. John F. Brady’s advisement, he studied recent experiments showing catalytically driven propulsion at nano- and micro-scales appearing as a possible mechanism for the transport of colloidal particles. During his PhD work, he also devoted time to study macro- and microrheology of colloidal suspensions using Brownian dynamics simulations and propulsion mechanisms at low Reynolds number flow. This experience gave him the opportunity to become an expert in colloidal transport, the exploitation of chemical reactions, and in the use of analytical and computational methods. Nevertheless, the most important outcome of this stage in his life was the sudden deep and genuine interest in transport phenomena and colloidal hydrodynamics and the need to teach others what he was learning. In 2008 he obtained his PhD and returned to UPRM where he is now an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious NSF CAREER award, and in 2013 as Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering. His research experience includes the authoring of peer-reviewed articles in Physics Review Letters, Soft Matter, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Advanced Functional Materials, and Nature Chemistry.
Research Interests: Fluid Dynamics, Transport Phenomena, and Colloidal Physics: Brownian and Stokesian Dynamics Sim- ulations, Low Reynolds Number Flow, Microrheology, Complex Fluids, Colloidal Suspensions, Colloidal Devices, and Granular Flows .
Ángel O. Soto Ortiz
Ángel O. Soto Ortiz
Ángel O. Soto Ortiz serves as Special Assistant to the Governor of Puerto Rico, Hon. Jenniffer González Colón, where he supports strategic initiatives related to public policy, legislative affairs, and interagency coordination. He previously served as a Legislative Aide in the United States House of Representatives, gaining experience in federal policymaking and congressional processes relevant to economic development, education, and innovation initiatives. Mr. Soto Ortiz holds a Master’s degree in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Microbiology from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. Additionally, he serves as Director of the Luis A. Ferré Executive Internship Program, fostering civic engagement and workforce development by connecting students with hands-on public service experiences.
Scientific Committee of Trustees
This Charter of the Scientific Committee of Trustees was adopted by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust (the “Trust”) on August 31, 2020.
Develop and recommend strategies to further the Trust’s mission and vision regarding science and technology
Identify persons and appoint scientific advisory boards that assist the Trust in fulfilling its programmatic mission concerning science
Assist in the establishment of the Trust’s Research Institute.
Daniel Colón Ramos
José Lasalde Dominicci
Ubaldo Córdova
Daniel Colón Ramos
José Lasalde Dominicci
Ubaldo Córdova
Dr. Ubaldo M. Córdova-Figueroa completed his BS degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM) in 2003. That same year, he went to Pasadena, CA to pursue a MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Under Prof. John F. Brady’s advisement, he studied recent experiments showing catalytically driven propulsion at nano- and micro-scales appearing as a possible mechanism for the transport of colloidal particles. During his PhD work, he also devoted time to study macro- and microrheology of colloidal suspensions using Brownian dynamics simulations and propulsion mechanisms at low Reynolds number flow. This experience gave him the opportunity to become an expert in colloidal transport, the exploitation of chemical reactions, and in the use of analytical and computational methods. Nevertheless, the most important outcome of this stage in his life was the sudden deep and genuine interest in transport phenomena and colloidal hydrodynamics and the need to teach others what he was learning. In 2008 he obtained his PhD and returned to UPRM where he is now an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering. In 2011, he was awarded the prestigious NSF CAREER award, and in 2013 as Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering. His research experience includes the authoring of peer-reviewed articles in Physics Review Letters, Soft Matter, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Advanced Functional Materials, and Nature Chemistry.
Research Interests: Fluid Dynamics, Transport Phenomena, and Colloidal Physics: Brownian and Stokesian Dynamics Sim- ulations, Low Reynolds Number Flow, Microrheology, Complex Fluids, Colloidal Suspensions, Colloidal Devices, and Granular Flows .
Ad-hoc members
Gillan Haney
Marc Lipstich
Marc Lipstich
Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Director, Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.
Gillian Haney
Director of Office of Integrated Surveillance and Informatics Services, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Data Science Advisory Committee
Provides guidance, expertise and recommendations on the acquisition, management and analysis of data for the benefit of Puerto Rico.
María Eglée Pérez Hernandez
Rafael A. Irizarry (chair)
Rafael A. Irizarry (chair)
Professor and Chair, Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber University Professor, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
María Eglée Pérez Hernandez
Professor and Chair, Department of Mathematics, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.
Administrative Team
Cesar Piovanetti
Chief Information Officer
Cesar Piovanetti, Chief Information Officer
E
Doira Díaz
General Counsel & Administrator
Doira Díaz, General Counsel & Administrator
E
Gilberto Márquez
Chief Financial Officer
Gilberto Márquez, Chief Financial Officer
E
Inés Álvarez
Human Resources Director
Lupe Vázquez
Chief Communications & Marketing Officer
Lupe Vázquez, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer
Chief Communications & Marketing Officer de la Fundación. Tiene 30 años de experiencia como editora y reportera de El Nuevo Día. Su experiencia incluye la dirección de escritores, diseñadores y equipos de trabajo independientes, en una variedad de temas de noticias, como estilo de vida, negocios, educación y viajes, en secciones como “Por Dentro, Fashionista, De Vinos, DeViaje, El Nuevo Día Educador, Logón, El Nuevo Día Domingo, Negocios y Revista Negocios”. Capaz de liderar el rediseño y el cambio de alcance en plataformas impresas y web, ha lanzado y conceptualizado nuevos productos editoriales impresos y digitales, con responsabilidades que incluyen la creación de marcas, la asociación con el departamento de ventas, el desarrollo y la ejecución de iniciativas para aumentar los lectores y los modelos de ingresos. Ganó en 2012 el Premio WAN-IFRA a los Jóvenes Lectores que hacen la Noticia con la transición de Logon, el periódico para adolescentes de El Nuevo Día. Tiene un bachillerato en Artes Liberales y tiene un máster en Traducción, de la UPR.
Eng. Luis Nieves
Chief Facilities Management Officer
Compliance Team
Our organization enforces a compliance culture to enable success.
Sylvia López Jorge
Chief Compliance Officer
Cesar Piovanetti, Chief Information Officer
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Mitzy González
HIPAA Compliance Officer
Doira Díaz, General Counsel & Administrator
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Program Directors
Abel Baerga
Abel Baerga
Dra. Natasha De León Rodríguez
David L. Gulley, PhD, RTTP, CLP
Dr. Marcos López
Marcos Lopez
David L. Gulley, PhD, RTTP, CLP
David L. Gulley, PhD, RTTP, CLP
Barbara Rivera
Barbara Rivera
Héctor Jirau
Denisse Rodríguez Colón
Ms. Rodríguez is currently Program Manager for Puerto Rico Source Link at the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust and serves as COO for Codetrotters. Prior to that, she was Program Manager at Foundation for Puerto Rico. She served as Deputy Fiscal Agent for the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico and was named Executive Director of the José M. Berrocal Institute for Economics and Finance. Prior to that, Denisse worked at Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking Division in New York. Has a BA degree in Finance and Marketing with honors from the University of Puerto Rico. Denisse volunteers as a Kiva Fellow and was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Global Shaper.
Amarilys Silva
Amarilys Silva
Marianyoly Ortiz-Ortiz, PhD
Marianyoly Ortiz-Ortiz, PhD
Marianyoly Ortiz-Ortiz, PhD
Executive Director
Puerto Rico Public Health Trust
Dr. Ortiz has joined the P.R. Public Health Trust as Executive Director to lead the organization in the public health local scenario for the purpose of promoting evidence-based public health practice to make systematic improvements in the health of the population, increase access to health programs, promote developments that impact health outcomes, and reduce inequalities in Puerto Rico’s communities.
She is also part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Dr. Ortiz was the Associate Director for the P.R. Vector Control Unit for 5 years, until June 2022. With that program, she has overseen the implementation of the program’s activities and strategies, including the establishment of two modern entomology laboratories, a new mosquito surveillance system, the launch of five media educational campaigns, community outreach activities, and the evaluation of novel vector control efforts. Before joining PRVCU, she was the Grants Management Specialist of the PRSTRT’s Research Grants Program where she supported the development of new guidelines and processes for the evaluation and selection of scientific proposals. She was also key in the establishment of the Trust’s Center for Tropical Biodiversity and coordinated various Meetups which gathered local scientists and key stakeholders on strategic topics for the research and economic development of the Island. Since 2013, she has been an active member of the Puerto Rico Society for Microbiology and was a member of its Board of Directors from 2016-2018. Since 2019, Dr. Ortiz is part of the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Caribbean Division. She is also part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Dr. Ortiz has a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez and a Doctorate in Environmental Sciences and Microbiology from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Grayson Brown
Grayson Brown
Eng. Luis Nieves
Luis Nieves
Ricardo Burgos
Ricardo Burgos
