Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico


The Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico is the highest-ranking officer in the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico after the governor and the secretary of state. The Chief of Staff leads the Secretariat of Governance and is charged with managing and overseeing almost all executive agencies while assisting and advising the governor.
The chief of staff is a political appointee for the Governor of Puerto Rico who does not require Senate confirmation, and who serves at the pleasure of the governor. While it is not a legally required role, since the position was officially established in 1986, all governors since Rafael Hernández Colón have appointed a chief of staff.
The Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico serves as the Governor’s principal aide in directing the executive branch of government and is regarded as the Governor’s main policy advisor. The most important responsibility of the position is to ensure compliance with the Governor’s public policy agenda across all agencies.
The office coordinates the work of agency heads to guarantee the effective implementation of governmental priorities and advises the Governor on administrative, legislative, and policy matters. The Chief of Staff also oversees the preparation of executive orders, legislation, and official memoranda. In addition, the position plays a central role in crisis management and emergency response, assists in the planning and coordination of actions during natural disasters and other emergencies, and may represent the Governor in official activities and meetings with federal entities, municipal governments, and private sector organizations, while monitoring the performance of agencies in the execution of infrastructure projects, social programs, and economic initiatives.

Duties and responsibilities

The duties of the chief of staff vary greatly from one administration to another, and in fact, there is no legal requirement that the governor even fill or create the position. Nevertheless, one of the first acts undertaken by a new governor once he or she is sworn in, is to issue an executive order appointing a new chief of staff. This order also establishes the chief of staff's duties and responsibilities as the governor sees fit. This proclamation is done by virtue of the executive powers vested upon the governor by Article IV of the Constitution and Law No. 104 of 1956, which include the faculty to appoint officers and to delegate functions.
The duties and responsibilities are both managerial and advisory and typically include the following:

Agencies overseen

Both the Constitution of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican law usually ascribe all executive offices to either the Governor or the Office of the Governor. The Governor then issues an executive order proclaiming the delegation of the management and oversight of such executive offices onto the chief of staff. This proclamation is done in virtue of the executive powers vested upon the Governor by which include the faculty to delegate functions.
The agencies overseen by the Chief of Staff include all the executive departments of the government of Puerto Rico and almost all executive offices created either through an executive order or by law.
As the Department of State is headed by the Secretary of State—who holds a higher constitutional rank than the Chief of Staff and frequently serves as Acting Governor—Chiefs of Staff, as a matter of courtesy and deference, generally refrain from exercising the same degree of oversight over that Department as they do with others.
The agencies overseen by the Chief of Staff include the following: