The National Puerto Rican Agenda (NPRA) was created as a nonpartisan alliance of stateside organizations, elected officials, community leaders, and citizen volunteers. Born out of a collective desire to strengthen our capacity and elevate our impact in addressing Puerto Rico’s extended economic crisis and promoting Puerto Rican political and civic participation in Puerto Rico and the United States, NPRA brings together a rich tapestry of advocacy efforts at the national, state, and local levels.
Our vision is a world where island-based and state-side Puerto Ricans are engaged and empowered to pursue public policies that provide an equitable and sustainable future where our communities can heal, grow, and thrive. We believe that providing a forum that brings together diverse stakeholders and bridges collaborative initiatives, we can accomplish a common goal – improving the lives of Puerto Ricans everywhere.
To get there, we must organize our public policy advocacy efforts, in the diaspora and on the island, in support of legislation and policies that remove the barriers of economic, educational, and healthcare inequities.
Our members represent Puerto Rican communities in the states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington DC. We have proudly collaborated with an extensive network of Alliance Member Organizations for this common mission:
- Acacia's El Centro Borinqueño
- Alianza por Puerto Rico
- ASPIRA Association
- Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM)
- Boricua Vota
- Center for Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY Hunter College
- Chicago Puerto Rican Agenda
- Delaware 4 Puerto Rico
- El Puente
- Iniciativa Puertorriqueña
- NACOPRW
- National Boricua Human Rights Network
- Pennsylvania 4 Puerto Rico
- Puerto Rican Congress
We invite you to become a member today and help us promote a more effective and robust advocacy model. United, we can ensure policy makers pay attention to issues that adversely affect our communities and take action to pass laws and institute policies and programs that will improve the lives of all Puerto Ricans.
- National Puerto Rican Agenda
Our Mission
The mission of the National Puerto Rican Agenda is to unite, educate, and create solutions for the Puerto Rican people in the United States and Puerto Rico. We seek to work with the government, candidates, political parties, organizations, and, most importantly, the public to make the mission of this organization a reality.
Alongside our mission to unite, educate, and create solutions for the Puerto Rican people in the United States and Puerto Rico, the National Puerto Rican Agenda has taken up an ambitious agenda on central issues concerning Puerto Ricans in the United States and Puerto Rico.
On July 24, 2016, at the First Constituent Assembly in Camden, New Jersey, over 200 people gathered to solidify the direction and work of the newly formed NPRA. Together, the attendants established a position on a number of central issues affecting Puerto Ricans. The agenda was revised and approved at the July 14, 2018 Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Who We Are
Executive Comittee
Nilda Ruíz
President
As President, Nilda works with the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and her appointed Committees to lead the organization’s advocacy efforts and help shape its strategic direction. Ms. Ruiz is also the 2nd President and CEO of Asociacion Puertorriquenos En Marcha, Inc., a Philadelphia-based health, human services and community economic development nonprofit organization founded in 1970. She is a respected community leader and multi-award recipient for her transformative work in Philadelphia, PA.
Roseni Plaza
Treasurer
A founding member of NPRA, Roseni is passionate in her pursuit of uniting stateside and island-based Puerto Ricans to ensure that PR is treated equitably in its struggle for stability and sustainability. She is the Executive Director of the National Employment Lawyers Assn., NY, a plaintiff side, civil rights bar association which advocates for employee rights. Roseni has a MA in Urban Affairs, and a BA in Political Science, both from CUNY Hunter College. Roseni lives in Queens, NY with her husband, son and two dogs and enjoys writing, spinning, and listening to music.
Action Committee Chairs
Yolanda Laguerre
Outreach and Chapter Development
Ms. LaGuerre is on a mission to give a voice to the inequities faced by our Puerto Rican citizens here and on the island. She has a unique background in education, business, leadership, and program development. She is a staunch advocate for NPRA’s national and regional initiatives, working to formalize State chapters across the US. She is also the founding Vice President of the NPRA NY Chapter.
Jimmy Torres- Vélez
Action Committee Chair
Mr. Torres Vélez has been a professor, union leader, and activist in the Puerto Rican community in the United States since 1985. He is the current President of Boricua Vota Movement, a nonpartisan educational and mobilization initiative that seeks to improve activism and civic engagement among Puerto Ricans. Jimmy also leads the Puerto Rican Action Initiative, a community group seeking to improve the life and opportunities of the Puerto Rican and Latino community in Florida thru direct action, advocacy, and leadership development.
Board of Directors
Harry Franqui-Rivera PH.D
Board Member, New York
As a founding member, Dr. Franqui-Rivera is a passionate advocate of NPRA’s mission and helps guide the organization’s vision and strategic direction. He is an Associate Professor of History at Bloomfield College, New Jersey and author of Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 (Studies in War, Society, and the Military Series). He writes, blogs, and publishes in online magazines about current issues ranging from geopolitics, local and national politics and economics to social and cultural matters.
Ivis García
Board Member, At Large
Ms. Garcia is an Assistant Professor in Urban Planning. She is based in Chicago and collaborates on a variety of Puerto Rican advocacy efforts with a focus on housing and community development in the Humboldt Park area.
Natascha Otero
Board Member, At Large
Ms. Otero is a Public Relations / Marketing professional who has been an advocate of the Puerto Rican community for the past 20 years. She focuses on Puerto Rican-owned businesses and her passion and commitment is on culturally strategic campaigns that unite Puerto Rican communities, not only in Florida, where she resides, but nationally. Otero-Santiago has volunteered her time in the past 6 election cycles to promote the vote, has led donation efforts after disasters in the island, and has been involved in policy advocacy.
NPRA State Chapters
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Become an Individual Member and join a Chapter Committee!
Start a Chapter
NPRA invites active, individual members in areas not currently served by a state chapter to consider lending your voice, leadership, and passion for Puerto Rico by creating an NPRA State Chapter in your community.
Our State Chapter Leaders include a dynamic representation of local influencers and organization leaders who seek to increase formal partnerships and collaboration amongst local agencies, community stakeholders, and other entities to promote a more efficient and robust advocacy model for the Puerto Rican people.
To learn more about the formal process of State Chapter creation, contact Yolanda LaGuerre, Chapter Development and Outreach Chair.
Agenda
On July 24, 2016, at the First Constituent Assembly in Camden, New Jersey, over 200 people gathered to solidify the direction and work of the newly formed NPRA. Together, the attendants established a position on a number of central issues affecting Puerto Ricans. The agenda was revised and approved at the July 14, 2018 Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
NPRA Bylaws
Bylaws serve as both a legally binding document and operating manual that establishes the rules by which NPRA is governed. Here you can learn more about membership requirements, frequency of meetings, amendment procedures, voting procedures, and more.
