Angel Edgardo "Gary" Rodríguez Miranda (born January 9, 1977) is a Puerto Rican

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. He was a member of the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico ( es, Cámara de Representantes de Puerto Rico) is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The House, together with the Sen ...

from 2009 thru 2017.

Early years and studies

Angel Edgardo Rodríguez was born on January 9, 1977, in Toa Alta to former mayor of Toa Alta Angel "Buzo" Rodríguez and Marisol Miranda. He began his elementary studies at the Lutheran College in Bayamón, and continued at the American Military Academy 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 ...

. During his time at school, Rodríguez excelled in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, competing in regional, state, and international tournaments. Rodríguez then moved to the United States and completed high school in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1994, Rodríguez enrolled at Drexel University in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, 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 Business Management, with a major in International Business and Accounting. During his time in college, he was a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. In 1996, he was part of an

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

with Jansen Pharmaceuticals, a division of Johnson & Johnson, working as an auditor and accountant in their factories in Puerto Rico and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. After six weeks, they awarded him the Johnson & Johnson Lightning Strike Award. Rodríguez was admitted at Samuel Fels Center of Government of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 2000, where he received a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Government Administration.

Professional career

In 1998, Rodríguez worked at the

Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA)— es, Administración de Asuntos Federales de Puerto Rico—is the executive agency of the government of Puerto Rico that represents the government of the island and its dependencies ...

in Philadelphia, first as an educational officer, and then as a Regional Deputy Director and Director. He also served as member of the Young Executive Committee in Philadelphia.

Political career

Rodríguez began his political career in the United States, when he served as part of the Board of Directors of an Inscription Program for Voters of the Delaware Valley, which includes the states of

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, and

. During that time, he also presided the Philadelphia Council of the

League of United Latin American Citizens The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the largest and oldest Hispanic and Latin-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was established on February 17, 1929, in Corpus Christi, Texas, largely by Hispanics ...

. After moving back to Puerto Rico, Rodríguez decided to run for the

with the New Progressive Party (PNP), representing District 9 (Toa Alta and Bayamón). He was elected at the 2008 general election. He then became President of the Commission of Youth Affairs, as well as member of the Commissions of Family, Infrastructure, Transportation, Sports and Recreation, Natural Resources, and North Region. Rodríguez was re-elected at the 2012 general election.

References

External links

Angel Rodríguez Miranda
on the House of Representatives website
Angel Rodríguez Miranda Profile
on ''

El Nuevo Día ''El Nuevo Día'' (English: ''The New Day'') is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1909 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and today it is a subsidiary of GFR Media. Its headquarters are in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Gary Living people 1977 births Drexel University alumni New Progressive Party members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico People from Toa Alta, Puerto Rico Political commentators University of Pennsylvania alumni