Carmelo Javier Ríos Santiago (born May 21, 1973 in San Juan,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

) is a Puerto Rican politician, lawyer and

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. He has been a member of the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control th ...

since 2005.

Early years and studies

Carmelo Ríos was born on May 21, 1973 in Santurce,

to Carmelo Ríos Nazario and Lydia Santiago Estrella. He studied at the Ramón Marín Elementary School in

Guaynabo Guaynabo (, ) is a city, suburb of San Juan and municipality in the northern part of Puerto Rico, located in the northern coast of the island, north of Aguas Buenas, south of Cataño, east of Bayamón, and west of San Juan. Guaynabo is spr ...

and in 1991, he entered

Florida Air Academy Florida Prep (FPA) is a private boarding and day school founded in 1961 by Jonathan Dwight, located in Melbourne, Florida. Students in grades 6 -12 are provided a college-preparatory education that emphasizes leadership, character, accountability ...

in the US. That same year, he started his college studies in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

receiving an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

in Economy from

Valencia Community College Valencia College is a public college in Orlando, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. The college was founded in 1967 as Valencia Junior College and changed its name in 2010 because the academic scope of the school had expanded to ...

. In 1993, he transferred to Bethune-Cookman University in

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

where he obtained a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in Political Science and Economy.

Professional career

Ríos started working as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, and as a legal aide of the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs, and Director of the Lawsuit Division of the Corporation of State Insurance Fund. In 2001, he started his own

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...

specializing in Administrative, Civil, and Penal Law.

Political career

Ríos started his political career in 1999, when he ran for

's Legislative Assembly, where he was elected Majority Speaker. In November 2004, he was elected as Senator for the District of Bayamón, where he presided the Municipal and Financial Affairs Commission. In November 2008, he was reelected for a second term. He presided the Government Commission. He was also Vice-president of the Commission of Municipal Affairs, Secretary of the Commission of Public Safety and Judicial Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Public Corporations during his first years. He was reelected in 2012 and 2016. He currently presides the Commission of Rules and Calendars.Senadores Info
senado.pr Retrieved 27 May 2020 Carmelo Ríos ran for mayor of

on August 5, 2017 in a special election to replace former Mayor

Hector O'Neill In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

, but lost against Angel Perez. In 2018, Ríos was selected to be President of the

National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL) is the non-partisan, 501(C)(3) organization founded in 1989 by then Colorado State Senator, Larry Trujillo. NHCSL today represents over 425 elected Hispanic State legislators throughout ...

. In 2020, he was elected as an at-large member of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.

References

External links

Hon. Carmelo Rios
on SenadoPR {{DEFAULTSORT:Rios Santiago, Carmelo 1973 births Bethune–Cookman University alumni Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians Living people Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican lawyers Valencia College alumni