Marissa Jiménez Santoni (born February 18, 1979) is a Puerto Rican politician serving as a member 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 ...

for district VIII.

Life

Marissa Jiménez Santoni was born February 18, 1979, in

Arecibo, Puerto Rico Arecibo (; ) is a Arecibo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Utuado and Ciales, Puerto Rico, Ciale ...

. She was raised by her mother, Martiza Santoni and her maternal grandparents, Emilio and Awilda. She attended Escuela Segunda Unidad de Río Arriba and later Luz América Calderón high school in Carolina. Jiménez was interested in politics at a young age and joined the youth New Progressive Party as an adolescent and at 14, she was elected a municipal vice president. At 18 years old, she was a college official and she voted for the first time in the 1998 Puerto Rican status referendum. She completed a B.Ed. with a concentration preschool and primary education. She earned a M.B.A.,

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 ...

, with a speciality in management and human resources from the Ana G. Méndez University. Jiménez was an election commissioner in 2000, 2008, and 2016 and an election coordinator in 2004 in Carolina Precinct 107. She was director of the Carolina region of

get out the vote "Get out the vote" or "getting out the vote" (GOTV) describes efforts aimed at increasing the voter turnout in elections. In countries that do not have or enforce compulsory voting, voter turnout can be low, sometimes even below a third of the e ...

. Jiménez is a member of the Organización de Servidores Públicos. Jiménez worked in the private sector in client services. In the public sector, she was a special advisor to 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 2009 to 2010. She worked in customer service for the

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA; Spanish: ''AEE'') is an electric power company owned by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico responsible for electricity generation, power distribution, and power transmission on the island. PREPA was ...

from 2012 to 2016. At the Puerto Rico Administración de Compensación por Accidentes Automovilísticos, she has served in various roles including regional director, executive advisor, and manager of operations. In the general election on November 3, 2020, Jiménez was elected senator for district VIII. She assumed the office on January 2, 2021. She has advocated for

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

. Jiménez is married to Juan Valentín Nieves and they have three children. They are members of the Bautista Luz de Salvación church in

Carolina, Puerto Rico Carolina (; ) is a Carolina barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico, immediately east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan and Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, Trujillo Alto, n ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimenez, Marissa 1979 births Living people 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico 21st-century Puerto Rican women politicians Democratic Party (Puerto Rico) politicians New Progressive Party members of the Senate of Puerto Rico People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico People from Carolina, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican women in politics