Joseph Rodriguez is currently the President of the Board & Co-Founder of Puerto Ricans United, Inc. (PRU), the umbrella organization that sponsors the Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven, Connecticut.

PRU’s mission is to promote, preserve, and celebrate the Puerto Rican culture while actively engaging in community service. Since its creation in 2015, PRU has expanded its footprint in New Haven, Connecticut.  From an annual cultural festival held in August, a Three Kings Day Celebration that serves over seven hundred kids, to cultural awareness exhibits and the annual Abolition of Slavery Commemoration that takes place in March, the all-volunteer organization works daily to fulfil its mission.

After Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Joe knew that the organization could not sit on the sidelines while the island of Puerto Rico and its people suffer, so working with his fellow board of directors, sponsors, community partners, and the City of New Haven, a collaborative initiative was launched called, “New Haven 4 Puerto Rico”.  The goal was to raise funds towards relief efforts while also creating an advocacy arm, recognizing that Puerto Ricans must mobilize & organize, and demand fair and equal treatment. The initiative was a success raising over $100,000 and two advocacy trips to Washington D.C. Through Joe’s leadership, the organization continues to promote the Puerto Rican culture while actively engaging the broader Puerto Rican community in Connecticut on the importance of civic engagement.

Joe has previously served on the FLECHAS Inc.’s (Loiza Festival) Board of Directors and was a Board Member with the former CT State Puerto Rican Day Parade. He currently serves as the Second Vice President to the National Puerto Rican Agenda’s Board of Directors, Member, CT Coalition of Puerto Rican Parade & Festival Committees, and is a regular at many cultural parades, festivals, and discussions held by the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College in New York.

Joe lives in New Haven, CT with his daughter and is a product of the New Haven Public School system and Albert Magnus College’s Criminal Justice Program.

He is employed by the U.S. Senate as a Deputy State Director.