Background
Puerto Rico poverty has increased, and transformation opportunities have diminished throughout the last decade. The Department of Education has faced great challenges that have resulted in low student academic achievement. Hurricane Maria’s landfall on September of 2017 was the second most expensive natural disaster in the history of the United States of America; an event that also worsened the conditions of the Puerto Rico education system islandwide. As a measure to respond with determination and resilience, the Educational Reform Law was approved on March 29th of 2018. This new implementation plan gave the opportunity to develop a new vision that focuses in the students, teachers, families and communities.
Other jurisdictions have foundations that provide support to public schools. These organizations and PREF serve as community facilitators; involved in supporting local education, teachers, students, families and communities. Puerto Rico Education Foundation is born on 2017 with the purpose of supporting the strengthening of the educational agency and its transformation for the improvement of student performance.
Structure and Governance
PREF is a donating foundation that also manages its own projects, mini grants and support for initiatives related to our mission, vision and principles. Grants are usually restricted and destined to be used for the objectives specified in the donation application. The policy is specific for the concession of the subventions that are included in each donation. We give priority to initiatives that can have a more broad and long-term impact towards Puerto Rico education.
Enid Marie Reyes
PR Education Foundation
Executive Director
On September 4, 2018, Enid Marie Reyes began serving as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Education Foundation (PREF). PREF is a non-profit organization founded on November 15, 2017; dedicated to providing resources for the strengthening, strategic innovation and transformation of the education in Puerto Rico. She is an energetic, results-oriented community and business leader whose life’s mission is to: “Move communities forward one step at a time.”
Before her work at PREF, Ms. Reyes developed an Asset-Based Community Development Model, providing education, leadership skills and tools to help low-income communities become self-sustained. This model was piloted at Lake Pointe Church for the Lake Rockwall Estates community and other neighborhoods throughout Texas. Moreover, she formed community coalitions to get things done and improve communication with police department, city government, Rockwall Independent School District, faith-based and community organizations as well as helped many organizations throughout Texas do the same through her consulting business. Ms. Reyes was licensed as a Baptist minister on 2009.
Ms. Reyes’ passion to provide resources to the low-income population led her to found and launch the Grace Clinic, a 501c3, Rockwall, TX. Also, she authored an instructional manual for the Professional Women’s Alliance (Rockwall Chamber of Commerce) Mentoring Program.
Ms. Reyes was awarded the 2013-2014 Diversity Leadership Award by the Rockwall Independent School District; is a certified facilitator for Franklin Covey’s 7 Habits for Highly Effective Families, studied communications and non-profit business management, is an avid competitive sailor and a mother of three adult children.
Board of Directors
David Bogaty
CEO WorldNet
Alejandro Ballester
President of Ballester Hermanos, Inc.
Jonathan González
Secretary
Cofounder & CEO Raincoat