Senator Carmelo Ríos Santiago

Carmelo J. Ríos Santiago was born on May 21, 1973, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He completed his primary education at the American Military Academy in Guaynabo and graduated from the Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, FL, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He obtained university degrees through athletic scholarships at Valencia Community College, where he completed an Associate Degree in Economics, and at Bethune-Cookman University, where he excelled in NCAA Division I, earning several awards for his athletic and academic performance, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics. He attended the Pontifical Catholic University School of Law. At this institution, he was part of several student organizations, including the National Association of Law Students, founding member of the local chapter of the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity, and President of the Student Council. In 1998, he completed his Juris Doctor, receiving the Mascareña Award for leadership and academic performance. He worked as an attorney and legal advisor to the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs and as Director of the Legal Division of the State Insurance Fund Corporation. In 2001, he started his own law firm, specializing in administrative, criminal, and civil cases. In 1999, he was elected Municipal Legislator of Guaynabo and Majority Leader of the Assembly. In the 2004 General Election, he became the youngest Senator in history to represent the District of Bayamón. In November 2008, he was re-elected to another term and led the Government Committee in this Body. Likewise, he served as Vice President of the Municipal Affairs Committee and member of the Consumer Affairs and Public Corporations committees. In 2012, he served as Alternate Spokesperson for the PNP Delegation. After the 2016 elections, he served as Majority Leader and Chairman of the Rules and Calendar Committee. From 2018 to 2019, he presided over the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), which includes over 600 Hispanic legislators from the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Nationally, he has been a member of the Board of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), and the Council of State Governments-East (CSG-East). At the national level, he was elected president of the Democratic Delegation during the party’s convention in 2020. In 2021, Ríos was elected by his peers to serve as Alternate Spokesperson for his Delegation. During this four-year term, he was recognized for his national trajectory as a legislator and invited to serve on the Board of Directors of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF), a position he holds to the present. In November 2024, he was elected for the sixth time as Senator for the District of Bayamón. He also serves as: First Vice President of the Senate; Chairman of the Committee on Federal Relations and Implementation of the People’s Mandate for the Solution of the Status; and Chairman of the Joint Commission for the Córdova Fernós Congressional Internship Program. He is currently the first Latino to hold multiple leadership positions in several national organizations, such as SLLF, NHCSL, CSG, and NCSL.