Ricardo J. Llerandi Cruz is a Puerto Rican politician who served as

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 w ...

in 2019. Llerandi is affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP). He was elected to the

Puerto Rico House of Representatives The House of Representatives of Puerto Rico () is the lower house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the bicameral territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The House, together with the Senate, control the legislative branch of the go ...

in 2012 to represent

District 14 A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

. After being reelected in 2016 in that election, he resigned to lead the Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company. Llerandi resigned his position as Chief of Staff on July 23, 2019 following his involvement in the

Telegramgate Telegramgate, also known as Chatgate or RickyLeaks, was a political scandal involving Ricardo Rosselló, then Governor of Puerto Rico, which began on July 8, 2019, with the leak of hundreds of pages of a group chat on the messaging application ...

scandal. Before entering politics, Llerandi worked as an accountant, notary, and civil attorney in the field of medical malpractices.

Early years and studies

Ricardo Llerandi was born and raised in

Arecibo, Puerto Rico Arecibo (; ) is a Arecibo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado, Puerto Rico, Utuado and Ciales, Puerto Rico, Ciale ...

. He completed his primary studies at the Colegio San Felipe, where he was part of the basketball, volleyball, and track and field teams. Llerandi was part of the Board of Honor and President of his class. He graduated from Trina Padilla High School where he was recognized for having one of the nation's highest scores on the

College Board The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an asso ...

test. Llerandi completed a bachelor's degree in Business Management at the

University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo The University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo (UPRA or UPR Arecibo) is a public college in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. It is part of the University of Puerto Rico. UPR-Arecibo was previously the (CRA, 'Arecibo Regional College') and (CUTA, 'Arecibo Techn ...

. He worked as an accountant for several years while also studying at law school. Llerandi completed his

juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

Interamerican University of Puerto Rico School of Law The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, Faculty of Law () is the school of law of the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, a private co-educational corporation accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Commissi ...

in 2006. He worked as a notary and civil attorney with a focus on medical malpractices.

Politics and public service

Llerandi was elected to the

at the 2012 general election. He was elected to represent

. Llerandi was reelected in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

. However, a month after the election, Llerandi announced his resignation in order to lead the Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company. In January 2019, Governor

Ricardo Rosselló Ricardo Antonio Rosselló Nevares (; born March 7, 1979) is an American former politician, businessman, neurobiologist and educator. He served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 2017 until his resignation in 2019. In 2021, he returned to active ...

appointed Llerandi as

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

. After his resignation in October 2019 he returned to his private practice as a lawyer and consultant.

References

External links

Ricardo Llerandi profile
from PR House of Representatives {{DEFAULTSORT:Llerandi, Ricardo Living people Chiefs of staff of Puerto Rico New Progressive Party members of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico People from Arecibo, Puerto Rico Year of birth missing (living people) Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni Puerto Rican accountants American notaries 21st-century Puerto Rican lawyers 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico