Liza Fernández Rodríguez (born July 23, 1973) is a Puerto Rican attorney and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP). Fernández was a member of the

House of Representatives of Puerto Rico The House of Representatives of 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 Senate, control the legislative branch of the go ...

from 2005 to 2012, and of the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of 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 the legislative branch of ...

from 2012 to 2013. In December 2012, after her electoral defeat, Fernández was confirmed as a Superior Judge. Fernández is married to Guaynabo ex-mayor Angel Pérez Otero.

Early years and studies

Liza Fernández was born and raised in

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

. In 1995, she completed 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 communications from the

Universidad del Sagrado Corazón Universidad del Sagrado Corazón (English: University of the Sacred Heart), abbreviated "USC" and often called simply Sagrado, is a private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is one of the oldest and larg ...

, 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 ...

, meaning "with great honor". She was also included in the National Dean's List for her academic excellence. That same year, she was admitted to the Faculty of Law of the

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Faculty of Law () is the school of law of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, a private co-educational corporation accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Commissi ...

. She completed her law degree in 1998.

Professional career

After graduating, Fernández worked as part of the U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance Group. Since 2001, Fernández has worked as an attorney for the city of San Juan, as Coordinator of the Contract Division in the Office of Legal Affairs.

Political career

In 2003, Fernández decided to run for the

to represent District 4. She was elected at the 2004 general election. After one term, she was reelected in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. During her time as a Representative, she was Chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee and the Joint Commissions for the Revision of the Civil and Penal Codes. She was also a member of the Treasury, San Juan Development, Labor Relations, and Women's Affairs Committees. In 2011, Fernández confirmed her intention of running for the seat left vacant by

Roberto Arango Roberto Arango-Vinent is an American politician who served in the Senate of Puerto Rico from January 2005 until August 2011 representing the San Juan district for the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP), which is a conservative group der ...

in the

. After being elected in a Special Election held in March 2012, Fernández became president of the Commission of Commerce and Cooperativism, as well as member of the Commissions of Government, and Woman's Affairs. Fernández ran for reelection to the Senate at the 2012 general election, but was defeated by the candidates of the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). In December 2012, Fernández was confirmed as a Superior Judge by the

Personal life

Fernández married fellow representative Angel Pérez Otero in 2006. They have two daughters together: Valeria Angélica (b. 2007) and Lorena Angeliz (b. 2008).

References

External links

Liza Fernández Profile
on

WAPA-TV WAPA-TV (channel 4) is a Spanish-language independent television station in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the flagship and namesake station of Guaynabo-based WAPA Media Group. WAPA-TV maintains studio facilities on Luis Vigoreaux Avenue ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandez Rodriguez, Liza 1973 births Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni Living people New Progressive Party members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico Politicians from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican women in politics Universidad del Sagrado Corazón alumni 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico