President and Founder of the Center for Puerto Rico Equality & Advancement (CPREA) formed under the July 4th, 1899 Foundation, Rafael Rodríguez has been an active advocate for Puerto Rico statehood throughout his adult life. Rodríguez is committed to ensuring that the Center provides Puerto Rico’s statehood movement with a much-needed voice at the national level, consistent with the Center’s stated goal of “Advancing Statehood through Policy Analysis, Education, and Advocacy.”
Professionally, Rodriguez been involved for many years in community and pastoral affairs; serving as Director of Youth and Christian Education, District of Queens, New York for the Church of God, and as Pastor of the Monticello Church of God in New York, where he also served as the host of "The Shepherd's Staff”, a weekly ministry radio program sponsored by the Monticello Church of God. Mr. Rodriguez also served as Educator for the regional Bible Institutes of the Church of God in upstate New York and in Queens, New York, where he also served as Youth and Christian Education minister at the Jamaica Church of God.
Rodriguez also previously served as President of the Brooklyn Young Republicans in New York, Young Republicans of Kings County, New York and was a candidate for State Assemblyman for District 54 in Brooklyn, New York. He has served as a Board member of the Sullivan County Anti-Poverty Coalition, as well as on the Human Rights Committee for the Monticello Police Department. Rodríguez holds an Associate’s Degree in Ministry from the Hispanic Institute of Ministry of Dallas, Texas.
Email: Rafael@PuertoRicoAdvancement.org
