Carmen Yulín Cruz

Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto is a Puerto Rican politician and public servant known for her work in public policy, community engagement, and crisis management. Cruz studied political science and graduated cum laude from Boston University, then earned a master's degree in public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was the first recipient of the Spirit Award, now called the Barbara Jenkins Award. She worked for the U.S. Treasury Department before returning to Puerto Rico, where she held corporate positions at Colgate-Palmolive, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, AT&T, and Scotiabank. Cruz later served as an advisor to the mayor of San Juan and the speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives before running for office.

Cruz was elected representative at-large for the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and later became mayor of San Juan. During her tenure, San Juan became the first municipality in Puerto Rico to grant employees the right to collective bargaining and established the island's only transgender health clinic and aquatic therapy clinic. Cruz advocated for equality, supporting the LGBTQ community, the deaf community, children with functional diversity, and immigrant rights.

As mayor, Cruz led San Juan through significant challenges, including Hurricanes Irma and María, financial crisis, coastal storms, earthquakes, political unrest, and public health emergencies such as Zika, Chikungunya, and COVID-19. She gained national attention for her public advocacy regarding federal disaster aid distribution to Puerto Rico. Her efforts contributed to increased support from non-governmental organizations and private companies for recovery initiatives.

Cruz has received multiple recognitions, including inclusion in TIME's list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, the Martin Luther King Centre Justice Award, the Peace and Freedom Award, the Humanitarian Leadership Award, the Antonio Villaraigosa Leadership Award, and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Humanitarian Award. People en Español named her among the 50 Most Powerful Women, and TIME selected her as a candidate for Person of the Year. Cruz is the author of "El Poder está en la Calle" ("Power Is in the Street"), which explores community activism and social change.

Cruz has served as the first distinguished fellow in leadership at the Weissman Center at Mount Holyoke College, a Hauser Leader at the Center for Public Leadership, and a leader-in-practice for the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She works as a consultant and speaker on climate change, crisis management, female leadership, and community empowerment. Cruz is also the host of the podcast "SHEROICS," which highlights women making an impact in their communities.