Marta Elsa Fernández Pabellón

Marta Elsa has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Puerto Rico since June 2017. She volunteers and is part of the Board of Directors of Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos, the first shelter for survivors of domestic violence and their children. Additionally, she collaborates as part of the Board of the Gender Equity Observatory.

From January 2013 to December 2016, she held the position of Administrator of the Socioeconomic Development Administration of the Family (ADSEF), one of the components of the Department of the Family. In this role, she was responsible for administering, directing, and implementing public policy and federal programs such as Nutritional Assistance (PAN), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); as well as sub-programs: Food Distribution, Child Care Provider Assistance, and the Economic and Social Rehabilitation Program (PRES).

From October 2008 to January 2011 and from January to December 2012, she served as Executive Director of the Strategic Planning Division at ADSEF. Her work focused on coordinating and supervising the monitoring and evaluation tasks of the Plans and Programs Unit regarding the implementation and development of nutritional assistance and financial aid programs.

In 2011, she offered her consulting services on gender equity matters at the Office of Court Administration with the purpose of establishing a formal program aimed at ensuring the continuity and coherence of all efforts made to reaffirm the public policy of gender equity within the Judicial Branch.

She held the position of Undersecretary of the Department of the Family from 2001 to 2008. Previously, she served as Executive Officer of the Department of Social Development of the Municipality of San Juan, coordinating the work of the Department’s programmatic areas. She worked with the Office for the Integral Development of Women (ODIM) of said Municipality as a Consultant on Women and Work Issues, as well as other areas related to gender discrimination in employment and violence against women.

She was responsible for the direction and coordination of community projects in public housing and other special projects developed by the Celia and Harris Bunker Home Institute, aimed at addressing the needs of families, youth, and children. She directed the Affirmative Action Unit at the Commission for Women’s Affairs, where she worked for eight (8) years. During this time, she collaborated in the development of public policies favorable to gender equity and the defense of women’s rights in our country.

As part of her volunteer work, she was a founder and is a member of the Puerto Rican Organization of Working Women (OPMT). She has collaborated with Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer, a coalition of non-profit organizations for the prevention and intervention against gender-based violence.

She pursued a master’s degree in Social Planning and earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.