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Luis Fortuño, Esq., National Committeeman

Luis Fortuño is a partner at Correa, Collazo, Herrero, Jiménez & Fortuño since 1998 specializing in corporate finance, real estate and general corporate counseling. Having practiced law since 1985, he entered public service in 1993 after being appointed by the Governor as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and President of the Hotel Development Corporation. He became Puerto Rico’s first Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce the following year. As such, Mr. Fortuño served on numerous government boards of directors, including the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico. He returned to the private practice of law early in 1997.

As Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, Mr. Fortuño was tasked with the development and implementation of large-scale reforms of Puerto Rico’s tax, labor, corporate and commercial codes, aimed at facilitating business growth and job creation, reducing bureaucracy, and providing tax justice for all. Some of these initiatives included the adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, the revamping of the General Corporations Law, an aggressive investment package to jumpstart the tourism industry, and the largest tax cut in Puerto Rico’s history. At the time of Fortuño’s departure from public service, Puerto Rico’s unemployment rate had reached its lowest level in over a generation.

Fortuño was named 1996 Man of the Year by Caribbean Business, 1995 Public Servant of the Year by the Marketing Industry and Distribution of Food and Beverage Products Association of Puerto Rico, 1994 Public Servant of the Year by the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce, and 1994 Distinguished Executive by the Sales and Marketing Executives Association of Ponce and the Southern Region of Puerto Rico. He served on numerous boards of directors, including: the Ana G. Méndez University System and the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the Urban Land Institute.

Fortuño was recently re-elected by the Republican Party of Puerto Rico’s General Assembly to continue serving as National Committeeman, a position he has held since 2001. In 1996, he served on the Platform Committee at the Republican National Convention, where he participated as a member of the Platform Committee and was successful in including the support for self-determination and eventual statehood for Puerto Rico in the Party Platform.

On November 9, 2003, Luis Fortuño became the official candidate for Puerto Rico’s only seat in Congress for the New Progressive Party, after obtaining an overwhelming 62% of the votes in a four-way race in the party primary.

Mr. Fortuño earned a bachelor’s degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and obtained his Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Virginia Law School. He is married to attorney Lucé Vela and has three children.