New executive director of Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation named
By The Star Staff
Carlos Olivencia Gayá, chairman of the Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation board of directors, announced on Tuesday the appointment of researcher Javier Alemán Iglesias as executive director of the foundation.
“We are proud that this outstanding Puerto Rican researcher and historian is assuming the reins of our Foundation,” Olivencia Gayá said in a written statement. “We know that Javier Alemán will strengthen our objectives of continuing to be not only the center of documentation, study, dissemination and education on the values, philosophy and thought of Luis Muñoz Marín, but also a meeting point for the discussion of issues based on our social, economic, cultural and natural history of the twentieth century to the present.”
Alemán Iglesias holds a doctorate degree in American history from Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR). In his career he has stood out for directing his research toward economic models, mainly those of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean between the 18th and 20th centuries.
For the new executive director, the Foundation “constitutes the most important historical archive of the twentieth century in Puerto Rico and we aspire to become an epicenter of community and educational dialogues necessary in the country.”
“In the same way, we want to create creative spaces that integrate the new generations, where not only history is learned, but also serve as a vehicle to promote conservation and appreciation for our nature and environment,” added Alemán Iglesias.
Prior to his appointment, Alemán Iglesias served as executive director of the Jesús T. Piñero Library and Social Research Center and was director of the journal Ámbito de Encuentros at Ana G. Méndez University.