Angel "Chayanne" Martínez Santiago (born February 17, 1964) is a Puerto Rican politician and

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

. He has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2008.

Early years and studies

Angel Martínez Santiago was born on February 17, 1964, in Ciales, Puerto Rico. His parents are María Santiago and Miguel Angel Martínez. Martínez approved 60 credits en route to a

pre-medical Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students mostly in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med ...

degree in 1982. He graduated from Puerto Rico Junior College in 1986, certified as a radiologic technologist. In 2002, he obtained a

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

in business administration from the American University of Puerto Rico, graduating

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

. In 2005, he finished his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate 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 prac ...

in human resources from Caribbean University, graduating

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

Professional career

Martínez worked as a radiologic technologist full-time in Doctor's Center from 1990 to 1996, and part-time in Manatí Medical Center from 1987 to 2001. In 1997 he started working for the State Insurance Fund Corporation where he supervised the Department of Radiology. He worked there until December 2008, after being elected as senator.

Political career

Martínez began his political career in his teens, becoming president of the PNP Youth in Ciales by 1986. In 2007, he presented his candidacy to the Senate of Puerto Rico for the District of Arecibo winning the 2008 PNP primary. In the 2008 general elections, he won receiving the most votes in the District. After being sworn in on January 2, 2009, he was named president of the Commission of Health, and vice-president of the Commissions of Economic Development and Planning, Sports and Recreation, and Natural Resources. He is also member of the Commissions of Treasury and Cooperativism. In June 2009, outgoing Secretary of Health Jaime Rivera Dueño, claimed that Senator Martínez pressured him into naming people close to him to positions in the Department of Health in exchange for his confirmation. According to Rivera Dueño, Martínez' sister was among the ones the Senator asked him to hire. Martínez ran again for senator in the 2012 general elections. He was one of the few senators from the New Progressive Party (PNP) to retain his seat, defeating the candidates of the other parties by a small margin. Martínez ran again for senator in 2020 but was not reelected and left office on January 2, 2021.

References

External links

Hon. Angel Martínez
on SenadoPR {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Angel Chayanne Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico Living people 1964 births New Progressive Party members of the Senate of Puerto Rico People from Ciales, Puerto Rico 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico