Women have long played a central role in Puerto Rico’s economic development, leading companies, strengthening institutions, and driving innovation across industries. Today, their leadership continues to shape the island’s economic trajectory as Puerto Rico advances its position as a competitive destination for investment, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
From global manufacturing and aerospace to entrepreneurship, research, and community development, women are helping build the ecosystems that support growth and opportunity, strengthening Puerto Rico’s competitiveness, expanding opportunities, and advancing initiatives that support long-term economic progress.
This Women’s History Month, Invest Puerto Rico recognizes several leaders whose work reflects the talent, collaboration, and momentum that continue to move the island forward.
Leadership Driving Economic Development
Strategic leadership across government and economic development organizations helps shape the policies, initiatives, and partnerships that strengthen Puerto Rico’s business environment and support the island’s ability to compete globally.
Ella Woger-Nieves
CEO, Invest Puerto Rico
Ella Woger-Nieves leads Invest Puerto Rico’s efforts to attract new business and capital investment to the island, helping position Puerto Rico as a competitive destination for investment and innovation. With more than two decades of experience in strategic marketing, management consulting, and operations across both the public and private sectors, she brings a broad perspective to economic development.
Her leadership focuses on strengthening Puerto Rico’s global value proposition by highlighting the island’s sector depth, talent base, and investment opportunities. Through Invest Puerto Rico’s work with investors, companies, and local partners, Woger-Nieves continues to help advance initiatives that strengthen the island’s long-term economic competitiveness and visibility in the global marketplace.
Zoraya Morón-Vélez
Assistant Secretary of Entrepreneurship and Business Development, Puerto Rico (DDEC)
Zoraya Morón-Vélez serves as Assistant Secretary of Entrepreneurship and Business Development, a role dedicated to strengthening Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and small-business pipeline. Her work focuses on supporting the development and expansion of local businesses by ensuring that entrepreneurs have access to programs, resources, and mentorship opportunities.
Through initiatives that promote innovation and business creation, Morón-Vélez helps create the conditions for new companies to emerge and scale. By supporting entrepreneurs at different stages of growth, her work contributes to diversifying Puerto Rico’s economy and reinforces the importance of small businesses as drivers of economic dynamism and job creation.
Women Leading Global Companies
Puerto Rico’s economy is deeply connected to global industries, particularly in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare services, and life sciences.
Rosa Maldonado
Country Head, Carelon Global Solutions Puerto Rico
Rosa Maldonado leads Carelon Global Solutions’ operations in Puerto Rico at a time of continued growth in the company’s technology-enabled healthcare services. In her role as Country Head, she oversees operations that support critical healthcare and business functions for the organization.
Her leadership combines operational excellence with workforce development, creating opportunities for highly skilled professionals on the island. As Puerto Rico expands its presence in strategic services and technology-enabled industries, Maldonado’s work helps reinforce the island’s reputation as a location that supports sophisticated global operations.
Margaret Horsfield
Associate Director of Strategy, Collins Aerospace – Puerto Rico Operations
Margaret Horsfield leads strategy for Collins Aerospace’s Puerto Rico operations, helping guide how the global aerospace manufacturer continues to strengthen and expand its presence on the island.
With more than two decades at Collins Aerospace, she has held roles across engineering, supply chain management, operations, and strategy. Her work supports Puerto Rico’s growing presence in advanced manufacturing and aerospace industries, sectors that rely on highly specialized talent and long-term planning to remain competitive in global supply chains.
Iliette Frontera
Vice President of Operations, Boston Scientific Puerto Rico
Iliette Frontera leads Boston Scientific’s operations in Puerto Rico, overseeing manufacturing activities that support the company’s global medical device supply chain, one of the island’s most important industrial sectors.
With a background in industrial engineering and extensive experience in medical device manufacturing, she has helped strengthen operational excellence across Boston Scientific’s Puerto Rico facilities. Her leadership highlights the importance of Puerto Rico’s highly skilled workforce, and she has also been a strong advocate for increasing women’s participation in engineering and manufacturing careers.
Building the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Entrepreneurship continues to emerge as an important driver of Puerto Rico’s economic diversification. Leaders across the ecosystem are helping create spaces, programs, and networks that support founders, innovators, and new businesses.
Angelique Sina
Executive Director, Friends of Puerto Rico
Angelique Sina leads Friends of Puerto Rico, an organization focused on expanding economic mobility through entrepreneurship and community-based development. She founded the organization while working at the World Bank and has since developed initiatives that connect youth and women with pathways to entrepreneurship.
Through programs that build skills, networks, and access to opportunities, Friends of Puerto Rico helps strengthen the island’s entrepreneurial pipeline. Sina’s work reflects a broader approach to economic development—one that prioritizes inclusive growth and empowers more individuals to participate in building Puerto Rico’s economic future.
Isabel Rullán
Executive Director, ConPRmetidos
Isabel Rullán is cofounder and executive director of ConPRmetidos, a nonprofit organization focused on building a more stable, productive, and self-sufficient Puerto Rico through community-centered initiatives.
She co-founded the organization at 24 as a platform to mobilize resources and programs that support communities following major disruptions. ConPRmetidos also leads initiatives such as El Comeback, which connects professionals with opportunities on the island and promotes talent retention, an increasingly important component of Puerto Rico’s workforce competitiveness.
Karen Mojica Franceschi
Executive Vice President, Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association (PRMA / Industriales)
Karen Mojica Franceschi serves as Executive Vice President of the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association, one of the island’s leading private-sector organizations representing the manufacturing industry.
Her work focuses on strengthening collaboration across the business community while advancing policies that support industrial growth and competitiveness. As Puerto Rico continues to position itself as a strategic manufacturing hub, particularly in life sciences and advanced manufacturing, Mojica Franceschi plays an important role in advocating for initiatives that sustain the sector’s long-term development.
Strengthening the Innovation Infrastructure
Research institutions and innovation programs play a critical role in translating ideas into new companies, technologies, and economic opportunities that benefit Puerto Rico’s long-term growth.
Lucy Crespo
CEO, Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust
Lucy Crespo leads the Puerto Rico Science, Technology & Research Trust, a cornerstone institution in the island’s innovation ecosystem that connects research, commercialization, and entrepreneurship support.
She has overseen the implementation of more than 18 initiatives aimed at advancing Puerto Rico’s scientific and technological agenda. Programs such as Parallel18, the Technology Transfer Office, Colmena66, and the Research Grants Program have helped strengthen innovation infrastructure while supporting research, startups, and workforce development.
Sofía Stolberg
CEO, Piloto 151
Sofía Stolberg is the CEO and cofounder of Piloto 151, Puerto Rico’s first coworking network and a key platform supporting entrepreneurs, startups, and independent professionals across the island.
Through Piloto 151, Stolberg has helped create collaborative environments where founders can access resources, networks, and opportunities to grow their businesses. Her work contributes to the continued development of Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting a growing pipeline of startups and innovators that are helping diversify and strengthen the island’s economy.
Leading the Way Forward
The leaders highlighted here represent only a small sample of the many women contributing to Puerto Rico’s economic progress. Across industries and institutions, their work reflects a broader momentum taking shape on the island, one driven by talent, innovation, and collaboration. As Puerto Rico continues to strengthen its position in advanced manufacturing, bioscience, aerospace, technology, and entrepreneurship, the leadership of women across sectors will remain essential to sustaining this progress. Their vision, dedication, and contributions are helping shape a more dynamic, competitive, and resilient economy for Puerto Rico’s future.
