Carlos A. Chardon López (born ca. 17 of January 1939) is a Puerto Rican educator and public servant. He has served twice as Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Education and subsequently served under Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock as the first and only Assistant Secretary of State for Governmental Affairs.

Biography

Chardón (birth name: Carlos A. Chardón López) was born in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, when his parents were there while his father was doing research in mycology. His father, Carlos E. Chardón Palacios (1897 - 1965), was Puerto Rico's first mycologist and the first native to be appointed as Chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico. His uncle Carlos Fernando Chardón (1907-1981), served as the

Puerto Rico Adjutant General The Puerto Rico Adjutant General ( es, Ayudante General de Puerto Rico) is the Commander of the Puerto Rico National Guard. As the Adjutant General he is also the Senior Military Advisor to the Governor of Puerto Rico and oversees both State and ...

and Secretary of State of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973. Chardón López did graduate work at Syracuse University in New York state to earn his doctorate. During that time, Chardón worked at the Division of Human Rights of the State of New York as a field representative.

Political career

After returning to Puerto Rico, Chardón López was appointed as an aide to Governor Luis A. Ferré. A lifelong

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Chardón has served as

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

of Puerto Rico's Republican Party and as a member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...

. In the 1970s, Chardón López was first appointed as Secretary of Education of the commonwealth, under Governor

Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...

. In 1981 after he was the distinguish by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos 1, with the medal of Isabel La Catolica and the Interamerican Gold Medal . More than 30 years later, under Governor

Luis Fortuño Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset (born 31 October 1960) is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, from 2009 to 2013. Fortuño served as the first secretary of econom ...

, he was appointed again to the position. He resigned on November 30, 2009, to take a position as Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs to Kenneth McClintock, Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Chardón López also chaired the Board of Directors of the Urban Renewal and Housing Corporation (Corporación de Renovación Urbana y Vivienda, "CRUV" in Spanish). During his first stint as Secretary of Education, he focused on improving the quality of teaching, increasing the number of teachers with master's degrees, developing English-language immersion courses and increasing the funding of education in the arts. Chardón López subsequently served as Executive Vice President of the

Museo de Arte de Ponce Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of European ...

and also as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. At the federal level, he has served as liaison Representative of the

Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

(HEW) (now Dept. of Health and Human Services). He also served as the Caribbean District Director for the U.S.

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stre ...

. He also chaired the State Volunteer Action Board for AmeriCorps. On a volunteer basis, Chardón López has also served as Vice Chairman of the Puerto Rico Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chardon Lopez, Carlos A. Puerto Rican educators Puerto Rican people of French descent Living people Secretaries of Education of Puerto Rico Syracuse University alumni Republican Party (Puerto Rico) politicians 1939 births

Biography

Political career

See also

Notes

References