Carmen Yulín Cruz: ‘Leadership for a New Democracy’

Carmen Yulín Cruz—the former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who came to national prominence in 2017 as an outspoken advocate for federal support to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria—will deliver a Presidential Colloquium on “Leadership for a New Democracy” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 28.

The virtual event, presented in collaboration with Smith’s upcoming Year on Democracies, is open to the public at no charge, and no tickets are required. Members of the campus community are invited to participate via Zoom; members of the general public may join via a livestream on Smith’s Facebook page. 

About Carmen Yulín Cruz

Carmen Yulín Cruz is the former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the author of “El Poder está en la Calle (Power is in the Street).”

Cruz was elected San Juan’s mayor in 2012, defeating a 12-year incumbent, and came to national prominence in 2017 as an outspoken advocate for federal support to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Educated at Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked in the private and public sectors in Puerto Rico and the United States, including an appointment at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a four-year term in the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico.

She is the recipient of awards from numerous humanitarian organizations, including the Martin Luther King Center and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute. In 2018, Time magazine named her to its list of 100 Most Influential People. She is currently a distinguished fellow at the Harriet L. Weissman and Paul M. Weissman Center for Leadership at Mount Holyoke College.

About Smith’s Presidential Colloquium Series

The Presidential Colloquium regularly features influential thought leaders in a wide range of fields—from poets and writers to economists and policy experts—to share their expertise, offer insights and inspire discourse on key social, political and global topics that call for our attention. Lectures are free and open to the public.

The final event in this year’s Presidential Colloquia series is a May 5 talk by scholar/activist Jennifer Ho. This virtual event is open to the public at no charge; details and registration information are available online. 

Photograph by Joanna Chattman