Governor announces new Cabinet positions, including energy czar

As energy czar, Josué Colón Ortiz, left, will lead a specialized team empowered by law to coordinate with federal and state agencies. The role aims to protect the interests of the people of Puerto Rico and to hold LUMA, as well as any government contractors who fail to meet their obligations, accountable. (Facebook via Governor Jenniffer González Colón)

By The Star Staff

Gov. Jenniffer González Colón announced Wednesday the appointment of Josué Colón Ortiz as the energy czar who will oversee those responsible for the energy sector and to gather data to replace LUMA Energy as the private operator of the island’s electric power transmission & distribution network.

In addition to his role as energy czar, Colón Ortiz was also appointed as director of the Public-Private Partnerships Authority (P3A).

As energy czar, the engineer will lead a specialized team empowered by law to coordinate with federal and state agencies. The role aims to protect the interests of the people of Puerto Rico and to hold LUMA, as well as any government contractors who fail to meet their obligations, accountable. Legislation to formalize the position will be filed in the Legislature at a later date.

Colón Ortiz, who previously led the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) under previous Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia, will oversee the energy sector and coordinate with various agencies on the task of replacing LUMA Energy.

Maricarmen Zapata Acosta, also an engineer, will take over as executive director at PREPA, Colón Ortiz’s former position, and will join the Working Committee for the Energy Transformation of Puerto Rico.

Also on Wednesday, Francisco Quiñones Rivera was appointed as the head of the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation (DCR by its initials in Spanish), bringing with him 29 years of experience in public service, primarily in public safety.

Within La Fortaleza, the governor appointed Hiram Torres Montalvo as secretary of public affairs and Lourdes Gómez Torres as director of the Governor’s Appointments Office.

Quiñones Rivera, the nominee for DCR secretary, currently is the confidential legal advisor to the island public safety secretary and an instructor at the Puerto Rico Police Academy, teaching on subjects such as corruption, human rights, civil rights, use of force, domestic violence, and sexual crimes. He is also a graduate of the Citizens Academy Program of the FBI and DEA, giving him professional connections within both federal law enforcement agencies. He has been a member of the Judicial Appointments Commission of the Puerto Rico Bar Association and a delegate of the Puerto Rican Judiciary Association.

He previously spent 12 years serving as a superior judge in a criminal courtroom, handling cases related to the correctional population. He began his public service career in 1996 as assistant legal advisor to the governor in public safety, and also spent 10 years as assistant Prosecutor II in the Department of Justice, working closely with various prison institutions.

A licensed electrical engineer, Zapata Acosta retired from PREPA after more than 30 years of service. At the time of her retirement in 2019, she was head of the Planning and Studies Division.

Returning to PREPA in October 2021, she rejoined the team to lend her extensive technical and administrative knowledge for the benefit of transforming Puerto Rico’s electrical system. Upon her return, the Lajas native was appointed deputy executive director of operations, becoming the first woman to hold that position at the public utility and earning recognition as a distinguished engineer for her contributions during that tenure.