Norma Burgos
Encyclopedia
Norma E. Burgos Andújar is a Puerto Rican
politician. She has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico
since 2000. She also served as the 17th Secretary of State
under Governor Pedro Rosselló
(1995-1999).
, Illinois
, but raised in Puerto Rico. She studied at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, where she obtained both a Bachelor's degree
(Cum Laude) with a major in Economy, and a Master's degree
(Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Administration
. She continued post-graduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology
and the National Center for Housing Management where she obtained the title Housing Administrator. She is also a Licensed Professional Planner.
, working for Mayors Carlos Romero Barceló
and Hernán Padilla
. She worked in areas like municipal administration, statistics, federal ruling, and others.
During the administration of Baltasar Corrada del Río
and Héctor Luis Acevedo
, she served as Executive Director of the Corporation for Development of Old San Juan (CODEVISA). She led several projects of restoration and remodelation of squares and public spaces in Old San Juan. She also served as advisor for the Department of Transportation in some projects of public transportation.
After Pedro Rosselló
was elected Governor of Puerto Rico
in 1993, Burgos was appointed as President of the Planification Board. She remained in that position until 1998. During that time, she presided over several groups like the one in charge of the establishment of the Energy Public Policy, the Implementation of Deregulation in Government, and the New Economic Development Model for Puerto Rico (1994).
. As Secretary of State, Burgos also served on several Special Commissions, such as: the Commission for the Study of a Unicameral Legislature, the Commission for the Study of the Naturopathy Profession, the Accident Prevention and Safety Committee, the Centennial Commission of Puerto Rican Democracy USA-PR, and the Special Commission on the Island of Vieques.
During this time, Burgos was also elected unanimously as Vice-president of the party and chaired its Platform Committee in 1996. In 1999, Burgos resigned to her position as Chief of Staff to campaign for Senator.
in the 2000 general elections
and reelected in 2004. In both occassions, she was the second candidate with most votes among all candidates, and the one with most votes among her fellow party candidates. In 2005, she was appointed by Senate President Kenneth McClintock
as chair of the Senate Committee on Public Welfare and the Joint Commission on Health Rights, as well as member of several other committees.
In the 2008 elections
she was again re-elected to a third term, this time being the third candidate with most votes. She was then appointed by current Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz
as Chairwoman of the Senate Commission for Economic Development and Planning and the Joint Commission on Public Private Partnerships. She is also Vice Chairwoman of the Urban and Infrastructure Committee, and member of the Committees on Finance, Trade and Cooperatives, Women Affairs, Banking, Consumer Affairs and Public Corporations. In addition, she has served on the Joint Commission on Fiscal and Management Audit of Public Funds and the Special Committee on Government Reform of the Senate of Puerto Rico
.
In 2008, she served as a member of Puerto Rico's 53-delegate delegation to the Democratic National Convention
held in Denver
, elected on then-Senator Barack Obama
's slate. She subsequently campaigned for Obama's presidential campaign in Orlando, Florida
in a historic campaign swing that brought together pro-statehood Democrats such as her, Resident Commissioner
Pedro Pierluisi
and then-Senate President McClintock, along with pro-Commonwealth Democrats such as Democratic Party state chair Roberto Prats
and Senator Eduardo Bhatia
.
Puerto Rican people
A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...
politician. She has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
since 2000. She also served as the 17th Secretary of State
Secretary of State of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico provides for the position of Secretary of State of Puerto Rico who is first in line to exercise the role of acting Governor when the Governor is temporarily unavailable, whether because of being away from Puerto Rico or due to another temporary...
under Governor Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
(1995-1999).
Early years and studies
Norma Burgos Andújar was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, but raised in Puerto Rico. She studied at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, where she obtained both a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
(Cum Laude) with a major in Economy, and a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico's School of Public Administration
Roberto Sánchez Vilella School of Public Administration
The Roberto Sánchez Vilella School of Public Administration is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and the only public policy school in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States....
. She continued post-graduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
and the National Center for Housing Management where she obtained the title Housing Administrator. She is also a Licensed Professional Planner.
Political career
Burgos began her political career occupying several positions in the Muncipality of San JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, working for Mayors Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Romero Barceló
Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló is a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fifth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party and also Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001, making him one of the more successful...
and Hernán Padilla
Hernán Padilla
Hernán Padilla in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, is a retired physician and former two-term Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, the oldest city in the United States....
. She worked in areas like municipal administration, statistics, federal ruling, and others.
During the administration of Baltasar Corrada del Río
Baltasar Corrada del Río
Baltasar Corrada del Río is a former politician from Puerto Rico. He held various high political offices in the island, including President of the Puerto Rico Civil Rights Commission, Resident Commissioner , Mayor of the capital city of San Juan , Puerto Rico's 15th Secretary of State and...
and Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo
Héctor Luis Acevedo is a politician from Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Héctor N. Acevedo and Toñita, both public servants...
, she served as Executive Director of the Corporation for Development of Old San Juan (CODEVISA). She led several projects of restoration and remodelation of squares and public spaces in Old San Juan. She also served as advisor for the Department of Transportation in some projects of public transportation.
After Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Rosselló
Pedro Juan Rosselló González, M.D., , is a Puerto Rican physician and politician who served as the sixth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico from 1993 to 2001...
was elected Governor of Puerto Rico
Governor of Puerto Rico
The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Since 1948, the Governor has been elected by the people of Puerto Rico...
in 1993, Burgos was appointed as President of the Planification Board. She remained in that position until 1998. During that time, she presided over several groups like the one in charge of the establishment of the Energy Public Policy, the Implementation of Deregulation in Government, and the New Economic Development Model for Puerto Rico (1994).
Chief of Staff: 1995-1999
In 1995, Governor Rosselló appointed Burgos to serve as Secretary of StateSecretary of State of Puerto Rico
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico provides for the position of Secretary of State of Puerto Rico who is first in line to exercise the role of acting Governor when the Governor is temporarily unavailable, whether because of being away from Puerto Rico or due to another temporary...
. As Secretary of State, Burgos also served on several Special Commissions, such as: the Commission for the Study of a Unicameral Legislature, the Commission for the Study of the Naturopathy Profession, the Accident Prevention and Safety Committee, the Centennial Commission of Puerto Rican Democracy USA-PR, and the Special Commission on the Island of Vieques.
During this time, Burgos was also elected unanimously as Vice-president of the party and chaired its Platform Committee in 1996. In 1999, Burgos resigned to her position as Chief of Staff to campaign for Senator.
Senator:2000-present
Burgos was elected to the Senate of Puerto RicoSenate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
in the 2000 general elections
Puerto Rican general election, 2000
General elections were held in Puerto Rico on 7 November 2000. Sila María Calderón of the Popular Democratic Party was elected Governor, whilst the PPD also won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voter turnout was between 80% and 82%.-Governor:-Resident...
and reelected in 2004. In both occassions, she was the second candidate with most votes among all candidates, and the one with most votes among her fellow party candidates. In 2005, she was appointed by Senate President Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth McClintock
Kenneth D. McClintock-Hernández is the current Secretary of State of Puerto Rico. Mr. McClintock served as co-chair of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign's National Hispanic Leadership Council in 2008, co-chaired Clinton's successful Puerto Rico primary campaign that year and served as the...
as chair of the Senate Committee on Public Welfare and the Joint Commission on Health Rights, as well as member of several other committees.
In the 2008 elections
Puerto Rican general election, 2008
The Puerto Rico general election of 2008, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 was the most recent election to select the Governor of Puerto Rico.The election was won by Luis G...
she was again re-elected to a third term, this time being the third candidate with most votes. She was then appointed by current Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz
Thomas Rivera Schatz
Thomas "Tommy" Rivera Schätz is a Puerto Rican politician currently serving as the fourteenth President of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Republican Party...
as Chairwoman of the Senate Commission for Economic Development and Planning and the Joint Commission on Public Private Partnerships. She is also Vice Chairwoman of the Urban and Infrastructure Committee, and member of the Committees on Finance, Trade and Cooperatives, Women Affairs, Banking, Consumer Affairs and Public Corporations. In addition, she has served on the Joint Commission on Fiscal and Management Audit of Public Funds and the Special Committee on Government Reform of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Senate of Puerto Rico
The Senate of Puerto Rico is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate is composed of 27 senators, representing eight constituent senatorial districts across the commonwealth, with two senators elected per district; an...
.
In 2008, she served as a member of Puerto Rico's 53-delegate delegation to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
held in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, elected on then-Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's slate. She subsequently campaigned for Obama's presidential campaign in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
in a historic campaign swing that brought together pro-statehood Democrats such as her, Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner
Resident Commissioner is the title of several, quite different types of Commissioner in overseas possession or protectorate of the British Crown or of the United States.-British English:...
Pedro Pierluisi
Pedro Pierluisi
Pedro R. Pierluisi Urrutia is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician affiliated with the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico and the United States Democratic Party...
and then-Senate President McClintock, along with pro-Commonwealth Democrats such as Democratic Party state chair Roberto Prats
Roberto Prats
Roberto Prats Palerm is a former Senator of Puerto Rico, a lawyer, and a former candidate for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in the elections of 2004...
and Senator Eduardo Bhatia
Eduardo Bhatia
Eduardo Bhatia Gautier is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. He is the current Minority Whip in the Senate of Puerto Rico for the Popular Democratic Party...
.