CIRCULO DE PUERTO RICO, INC.
WASHINGTON, D.C. | MARYLAND | VIRGINIA | PUERTO RICO
It is organized for charitable, educational, cultural and civic purposes, and it is a non-partisan and non-sectarian organization.
Está organizada con fines benéficos, educativos, culturales y cívicos, y es una organización no partidista y no sectaria.
Board Members
NAYDA FORTEZA | PRESIDENT
Nayda Forteza was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to Washington, DC in 2006. She has a Bachelor of Science Business Administration, Major in Accounting from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico (San Juan, PR), she has achieved Level 3 DoD Financial Management Certification Program, (Washington, DC) and is a Certified Fraud Examiner. Nayda was awarded the “Most Valuable Fundraiser” and “President Award” and is a former member of Toastmasters International, served in the following capacities as club Vice-President of Education, Club President, and Area D2 Governor for area Clubs. Nayda joined el Círculo de Puerto Rico, Inc. in 2020.
DAVE HOLMES | VICE PRESIDENT
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Dave Holmes who resides in Fairfax Station Virginia is a retired federal government Senior Executive Service member, and a US Army veteran. Dave was born in Connecticut and graduated from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Recinto de Rio Piedras. Upon graduation from UPR, Dave began his career in the US Army and lived in the Panama Canal Zone. He subsequently started his lengthy career in federal law enforcement when sworn in as a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent. He retired from federal service in 2012. Dave is the proud father of four children who are all members of CPRI, and four grandchildren. After retirement, Dave offered his volunteer services to the Ecumenical Council Helping Others (ECHO) in Springfield VA where he is a counselor. He has been a long-term member of CPRI and was also a former board member in the University of Puerto Rico Alumni Association (UPRAA) in Washington. DC.
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ROBERT ODOM | TREASURER
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Robert Odom is a career federal employee with the Department of Homeland Security. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from Sacred Heart University of Puerto Rico and completed various leadership development opportunities such as the George Washington University Senior Leaders Program, U.S. Graduate School New Leaders Program, and Second Level Command Preparation.
Robert, who lived in Puerto Rico most of his life, is fluent in Spanish and is passionate about Puerto Rican culture, history, and traditions.
Robert Odom es empleado federal de carrera con el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional. Es graduado con un bachillerato en administración de empresas y contabilidad de la Universidad del Sagrado Corazón y ha completado varios programas de desarrollo en liderazgo como el Senior Leaders Program de la George Washington University, el New Leaders Program de la U.S. Graduate School, y Second Level Command Preparation.
Robert, quien vivió la mayoría de su vida en Puerto Rico, domina el español y es apasionado por la cultura, historia, y tradiciones de Puerto Rico.
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EDDIE GALARZA | DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH & DONATIONS
(Colonel, Retired), Project Management Professional (PMP), is committed to serve as CPRI Director of Donations and Outreach. Eddie serves as Vice-president for Department of Defense Sales and Business Development. He has over 35 years of professional and military experience and relevant leadership experience in Information Technology and Cyberspace Operations.
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GEORGE TURNER | DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH & DONATIONS
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ADAMARIS VARGAS | SECRETARY
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Originally from Puerto Rico and now residing in Maryland, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. During high school, she held leadership positions in various honor societies and student associations, actively representing her community and supporting others. Adamaris has also gained experience through internships and employment in the computer science and cybersecurity field. She is eager to apply her skills and collaborate with CPRI members to contribute to the organization's goals and mission as an administrative assistant.
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ANA ROLON | EVENTS
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MARIA PEREZ | EVENTS
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A MESSAGE FROM FORMER PRESIDENT MARIEL OCASIO:
As you may well know, our organization was founded in 1957 and since then it has been transformed to meet the challenges of our communities in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia; and these past years were no exception.
We also re-organized our Board of Directors and appointed an interim Board of Directors to lead the transformation efforts, and in November 2018 we resumed the nominations and elections process and appointed the official Board of Directors.
Our headquarters was relocated from Washington, DC to Virginia to better serve our Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia communities. We also recovered our Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Exemption under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501 (c) (3). We added Puerto Rico as a new service area and registered the organization to do business in Puerto Rico. Furthermore, we have registered to do business in Puerto Rico and have received our Puerto Rico Tax Exemption authorization, in order to better support the recovery efforts of the Island.
Hurricane María brought a new unity and focus of Puerto Ricans around the world. Hurricane María inspired us to do things differently to provide emergency relief, help in recovery efforts and support efforts to make our beloved Puerto Rico become resilient to future catastrophic events.
We collected food, water, solar radios/flashlights, emergency medical kits and supplies to provide emergency relief for those critically affected by Hurricane María in Puerto Rico. Our first collection effort produced two 28-foot truckloads of donated goods that were turned over to the EMD Sales Warehouse for subsequent delivery to needy families in Puerto Rico. In addition, we provided support to Bolsas de Amor para Puerto Rico, EMD Sales, United for Puerto Rico – DMV, Friends of Puerto Rico and many other organizations providing emergency relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. With the generous donations of Wilma and Jorge Cuebas and the logistical support of Elda Devarie and Miriam and Tomás Esterrich, our Puerto Rican needy children were able to receive Beanie Babies as Christmas gifts.
We also entered in a collaboration agreement with Oasis for Hope, Inc., an organization led by Alberto Pérez-Pietri, who is drilling water wells to provide potable water to rural communities that have been affected by Hurricane María and who are impacted by water rationing during the dry season (February to June) in Puerto Rico. A fund-raising event, led by Carmen Alicia Morales and her family, brought in over $9,000.00 in donations, which successfully met her goals to provide funds for the drilling of one water well for the Círculo de Puerto – Oasis for Hope Project.
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Last, but not least, our membership continues to increase, and our fundraising events continue to be great successes, which demonstrate the strong desire of many Puerto Ricans and friends to share in Puerto Rico cultural events with music, food and fellowship, while helping raise funds for our charity activities.
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The members of the Board of Directors are committed to make the Círculo de Puerto Rico a viable organization in which we can come together for “Charity-Community-Culture-Collaboration-Connections” activities.
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Respectfully,
Mariel Ocasio
President 2017- March 2024
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