Team

Omar J. Marrero obtained a B.B.A. with a double major in Accounting and Finance as well as a Minor in French from the University of Dayton (Ohio). He earned a Juris Doctor from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico and an L.L.M. in Corporate Law from New York University (NYU).  Marrero is admitted to practice in Puerto Rico and New York. He also studied at the Université du Québec and at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 

During his professional career spanning over two decades, Marrero has worked with local and international banks, academia, law firms, and has also served in the Government as head of several principal government agencies.  As a transactional and regulatory attorney, Marrero concentrated his practice in the areas of corporate and securities law, corporate and public finance, real estate, and secured transactions, public-private partnerships, and infrastructure as well as government affairs.   Moreover, for seven years he was an adjunct professor at the Inter American University School of Law of Puerto Rico, teaching corporate law courses.

Marrero started his public service career in 2012 when he was appointed Secretary of the Department of Consumers Affairs of Puerto Rico (DACO, by Its Spanish acronym) under the administration of former Governor Luis Fortuño, wherein he prioritized the Integration of Information technology to Improve the delivery of services creating the first online platform and the first DACO mobile app, both of which allowed consumers to file their complaints electronically for the first time in DACO’s history.  After returning to private practice, he rejoined the Government in 2017 when he was appointed by then Governor Ricardo Rosselló to serve as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA), Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Conventions District Authority (PRCDA), and Executive Director of Puerto Rico Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A). In such endeavors, Marrero prioritized capital investments by reactivating the capital programs at the PRPA with major public and private projects; oversaw as the partnering government entity the development and construction of T-Mobile District and other projects at the Convention Center; and jumpstarted an ambitious priority projects pipeline at the P3A including maritime transportation, airports, cruise ship ports, tollroads and energy projects, among others.  He also served as one of the founding and organizational members of the board of directors of the Puerto Rico Destination Marketing Organization, Discover Puerto Rico, and as the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA).  

After the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Marrero acted as the Governor’s Authorized Representative (GAR) before FEMA and the first Executive Director of the Central Office of Recovery and Reconstruction (COR3), spearheading the development of the first disaster funding request to the U.S. Federal Government and the establishment of the centralized oversight authority to oversee and coordinate all disaster funding to be received by the Puerto Rico government. After Implementing robust internal controls and achieving FEMA’s removal of the 270 manual drawdown process Implemented after the 2017 Hurricanes, Marrero was appointed in 2019 Chief Financial Officer of the Government of Puerto Rico and Executive Director of the Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority (AAFAF, by its spanish acronym). In such capacity, Marrero has represented the Government of Puerto Rico before the Federal Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) and has been instrumental in Puerto Rico's government debt restructuring efforts; particularly, with respect to the plan of adjustment of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which represents the largest municipal restructuring in history.  In addition, as CEO of AAFAF, Marrero has co-lead the strategy, management, disbursement and oversight of federal funds that Puerto Rico received through the CARES Act and ARP Act, positioning Puerto Rico as one of the top jurisdictions In the effective and compliant deployment of pandemic funding for the benefit of our residents.    

In July 2021, Marrero was appointed by Governor Pedro Pierluisi as Secretary of State and four months later was confirmed by the Legislative Assembly becoming the 31st Secretary of State of Puerto Rico.  In such capacity, Marrero heads one of the most important government agencies, which in addition to certain major administrative duties, is also responsible for the cultural, political, and economic relations between Puerto Rico and foreign countries, as well as with other jurisdictions within the U.S.  He also fulfills the role of Lieutenant Governor serving as acting governor when the Governor is out of the jurisdiction. In such regard, he continues to focus on fiscal responsibility, public-private partnerships, economic development, tourism, disaster management and international and federal affairs.