Governance

PRSA was founded in 1992 and incorporated in the State of New York. Currently, it is a 501 [c] (3) non-profit charitable organization under certification by the United States Internal Revenue Service. An important implication of this is that donations to PRSA’s operational and restricted funds are tax-deductible.

PRSA has an Executive Council, which is elected during its biennial conferences. The Executive Council holds quarterly meetings to discuss and make decisions on regular business matters that include organizing its conferences and other events, preparing a budget and managing its finances, recruiting potential candidates for future Executive Councils and its regular and ad hoc committees, and providing guidance and a long-term vision for the sustenance and growth of the organization.

Besides its Executive Council, PRSA’s governance structure includes the following committees staffed by members of the E.C. and non-E.C. members recruited to collaborate on specific tasks:

Planning and Budget Committee: Includes the President, Vice-President/President Elect, Treasurer, the Past-President, the Chair of the Local Organizing Committee for the next Biennial Conference, and an Executive Council graduate student representative. As its name implies, this committee oversees the elaboration of biennial budgets, produces periodical financial reports for internal E.C. use, for submission to relevant government agencies, and for informing PRSA membership of the general state of its finances. The PBC Committee is also responsible for producing a long-term strategic financial plan for the preservation and growth of the organization.

Local Organizing Committee: This special committee is composed of members of the various institutions that will organize and stage the new biennial conference.

Conference Program Committee: Composed of Executive Council members and and non-E.C. members recruited by the E.C. to give formal structure and final shape to the program of each biennial conference.

Frank Bonilla Book Award Committee: Composed of PRSA members recruited by the Executive Council to evaluate nominees and select the winner of the Frank Bonilla Award for the Best Book in Puerto Rican Studies published between Biennial Conferences as specified in the announcement for each competition. For details about the 2012 Frank Bonilla Book Award competition, please read the corresponding page found in “Biennial Conferences” –> 2012 Conference –> 2012 PRSA Book Competition.

Best Dissertation Award Committee: Composed of PRSA members recruited by the Executive Council to evaluate nominees and select the winner of the Best Ph.D. Dissertation in Puerto Rican Studies defended and filed between Biennial Conferences as specified in the announcement for each competition. For details about the 2012 Ph.D. Dissertation Award competition, please read the corresponding page found in “Biennial Conferences” –> 2012 Conference –> 2012 PRSA Dissertation Competition.

Website Editorial Committee: Established in 2011 and currently chaired by the Treasurer and Website Editor, this committee is charged with managing all aspects of the new website, including the new “El Noticiero” blog. Initially composed exclusively by Executive Council members, the Website Editorial Committee will expand to include non-E.C. members as the demands of website editorial work increase.

From its inception, PRSA’s Executive Council has included graduate student representatives (currently two positions) in an effort to give a voice to young scholars in training and address their specific needs and goals, particularly in the area of professional development.

Executive Council – January 2013 to December 2014

  • President: Charles Venator-Santiago, University of Connecticut-Storrs
  • Past-President: Roberto Márquez, Mt. Holyoke College
  • Vice-President/President-Elect: Arlene Torres, Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
  • Secretary: Mérida Rúa, Williams College (MA)
  • Treasurer: Carlos Álamo, Vassar College (NY)
  • Communications Officer: Luis Figueroa-Martínez, Trinity College (CT)
  • Members-at-Large:
  • Solsirée del Moral, Pennsylvania State University
  • Lawrence La Fountain-Stoke, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Urayoán Noel, University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY)
  • Melissa Rosario, Cornell University
  • Graduate Student Representatives:
  • Jenni Colón, University of Connecticut-Storrs
  • Ricardo Gabriel, City University of New York (CUNY)

 

Note: PRSA will publish soon brief biographical notes on the principal Executive Council Officers for the current 2013–2014 biennial cycle.

 

Updated on February 23, 2013.

 

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