Marta Elsa has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico since June 2017. She also volunteers as a member 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 with the Fundación de Mujeres en Puerto Rico (FMnPR) and the Observatorio de Equidad de Género.
From January 2013 to December 2016, she served as the Administrator of the Administration for Socioeconomic Development of the Family (ADSEF), a component of the Department of Family Affairs. In this position, she was responsible for managing, directing, and implementing public policy and federal programs such as the Nutritional Assistance Program (PAN), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), as well as subprograms like Food Distribution, Child Care Assistance, and the Economic and Social Rehabilitation Program (PRES).
From October 2008 to January 2011, and from January to December 2012, she was the Executive Director of the Strategic Planning Division at ADSEF. In this role, she coordinated and supervised monitoring and evaluation tasks for the Plans and Programs Unit regarding the implementation and development of nutritional assistance and economic aid programs.
In 2011, she provided consulting services on gender equity issues to the Office of Court Administration, aiming to establish a formal program to ensure the continuity and coherence of efforts to reinforce gender equity public policy in the Judicial Branch.
She served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Family Affairs from 2001 to 2008. Previously, she worked as the Executive Officer for the Department of Social Development of the Municipality of San Juan, coordinating the work of the programmatic areas of the department. She also worked with the Office for the Integral Development of Women (ODIM) in the Municipality as a Consultant on Women and Work Issues, as well as other areas related to gender discrimination in employment and violence against women.
Marta Elsa directed and coordinated community projects in public housing and other special projects developed by the Celia and Harris Bunker Housing Institute, aimed at addressing the needs of families, youth, and children. She also led the Affirmative Action Unit at the Commission for Women’s Affairs, where she worked for eight years. During this time, she contributed to the development of public policies in favor of gender equity and the defense of women’s rights in Puerto Rico.
As part of her volunteer work, she was a founding member and continues to be involved with the Puerto Rican Organization of Working Women (OPMT). She has collaborated with the Peace for Women Coordinator, a coalition of nonprofit organizations working to prevent and intervene in gender-based violence.
She completed her master’s studies in Social Planning and earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
