The Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico () is the highest-ranking officer in the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico after the governor and the secretary of state. The Chief of Staff leads the Secretariat of Governance and is charged with managing and overseeing almost all executive agencies while assisting and advising the governor.
The chief of staff is a political appointee for the Governor of Puerto Rico who does not require Senate confirmation, and who serves at the pleasure of the governor. While it is not a legally required role, since the position was officially established in 1986, all governors since Rafael Hernández Colón have appointed a chief of staff.
The Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico serves as the Governor’s principal aide in directing the executive branch of government and is regarded as the Governor’s main policy advisor. The most important responsibility of the position is to ensure compliance with the Governor’s public policy agenda across all agencies.
The office coordinates the work of agency heads to guarantee the effective implementation of governmental priorities and advises the Governor on administrative, legislative, and policy matters. The Chief of Staff also oversees the preparation of executive orders, legislation, and official memoranda. In addition, the position plays a central role in crisis management and emergency response, assists in the planning and coordination of actions during natural disasters and other emergencies, and may represent the Governor in official activities and meetings with federal entities, municipal governments, and private sector organizations, while monitoring the performance of agencies in the execution of infrastructure projects, social programs, and economic initiatives.
Duties and responsibilities The duties of the chief of staff vary greatly from one administration to another, and in fact, there is no legal requirement that the governor even fill or create the position. Nevertheless, one of the first acts undertaken by a new governor is to issue an executive order appointing a new chief of staff. This order also establishes the chief of staff's duties and responsibilities as the governor sees fit. This proclamation is done by virtue of the executive powers vested upon the governor by Article IV of the Constitution and Law No. 104 of 1956, which include the faculty to appoint officers and to delegate functions.
The duties and responsibilities are both managerial and advisory and typically include the following: Manage and supervise the executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico Manage the flow of information between the Governor and the executive departments Advise the Governor on various issues Directing, managing and overseeing all policy development Making sure the public policy of the Governor is implemented by all agency heads Run the day-to-day government operations Advise on any and usually various issues set by the Governor
Agencies overseen
Both the Constitution of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican law usually ascribe all executive offices to either the Governor or the Office of the Governor. The Governor then issues an executive order proclaiming the delegation of the management and oversight of such executive offices onto the chief of staff. This proclamation is done in virtue of the executive powers vested upon the Governor by Law No. 104 of 1956 which include the faculty to delegate functions.
The agencies overseen by the Chief of Staff include all the executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico and almost all executive offices created either through an executive order or by law.
As the Department of State is headed by the Secretary of State—who holds a higher constitutional rank than the Chief of Staff and frequently serves as Acting Governor—Chiefs of Staff, as a matter of courtesy and deference, generally refrain from exercising the same degree of oversight over that Department as they do with others.
The agencies overseen by the Chief of Staff include the following:
Department of Agriculture Department of Consumer Affairs Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Department of Economic Development and Commerce Department of Education Department of Family Affairs Department of Health Department of Housing Department of Justice Department of Labor and Human Resources Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Department of Public Safety
Department of Sports and Recreation Department of Transportation and Public Works Department of Treasury Economic Development Bank Federal Affairs Administration Financing of Housing Authority Financing of Industrial, Touristic, Educative, Medical, and Environmental Control Facilities Authority (AFICA) Financing of Puerto Rico Infrastructure Authority Government Development Bank Municipal Financing Agency Public Financing Corporation Public-Private Partnerships Authority Urgent Interest Fund Corporation (COFINA) Office of Management and Budget Planning Board among others
Chiefs of Staff + # Portrait Name Date took office Date left office Political party Appointed by Affiliation 1 Sila M. Calderón January 2, 1985 December 31, 1989 (1824 days in office) PPD Rafael Hernández Colón Democrat 2 Óscar Rodríguez García January 1, 1990 December 31, 1992 (1095 days in office) PPD Rafael Hernández Colón Democrat 3 Álvaro C. Cifuentes January 2, 1993 July 31, 1995 (940 days in office) PNP Pedro Rosselló Democrat 4 Angel Morey August 2, 1995 December 31, 2000 (1978 days in office) PNP Pedro Rosselló Democrat 5 César Miranda January 3, 2001 December 31, 2004 (1458 days in office) PPD Sila María Calderón Democrat6Aníbal José TorresJanuary 3, 2005June 21, 2006 (534 days in office)PPDAníbal Acevedo ViláDemocrat 7 Jorge Silva Puras June 22, 2006 December 31, 2009 (923 days in office)PPDAníbal Acevedo ViláDemocrat 8 Juan Carlos Blanco Urrutia January 2, 2009 October 3, 2009 (274 days in office) PNP Luis Fortuño Republican 9 Marcos Rodriguez Ema December 4, 2009 July 31, 2012 (970 days in office) PNP Luis Fortuño Republican 10 Miguel Romero August 1, 2012 December 31, 2012 (152 days in office) PNP Luis Fortuño Republican 11 Ingrid Vila Biaggi January 2, 2013 September 19, 2014 (625 days in office) PPD Alejandro García Padilla Democrat 12 Víctor Suárez September 20, 2014 November 19, 2015 (425 days in office) PPD Alejandro García Padilla Democrat 13 Grace Santana Balado November 20, 2015 December 31, 2016 (407 days in office) PPD Alejandro García Padilla Democrat 14 William Villafañe January 2, 2017 May 2, 2018 (485 days in office) PNP Ricky Rosselló Republican 15 Luis Rivera Marín, interim May 3, 2018 July 31, 2018 (89 days in office) PNP Ricky Rosselló Republican 16 Raúl Maldonado August 1, 2018 January 31, 2019 (183 days in office) PNP Ricky Rosselló Unknown 17 Ricardo Llerandi February 2, 2019 August 2, 2019 (182 days in office) PNP Ricky Rosselló Unknown 18 Zoé Laboy August 21, 2019 December 18, 2019 (119 days in office) PNP Wanda Vazquez Democrat 19 Antonio Pabón December 21, 2019 December 31, 2020 (376 days in office) PNP Wanda Vazquez Unknown20 Noelia Garcia January 2, 2021 December 31, 2024 (1459 days in office) PNP Pedro PierluisiDemocrat21 Francisco Domenech January 2, 2025 August 7, 2026 (582 days in office) PNP Jenniffer González-ColónDemocrat
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