15 Notable alumni of University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez
Updated: June 17, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez is 1509st in the world, 1st in North America, and 366st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 15 notable alumni from University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Lilo D. Pozzo
chemical engineering teacher
chemical engineer
materials scientist
university teacher
Lilo Danielle Pozzo is an American chemical engineer who is a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Washington. Her research considers the development, measurement and control of molecular self-assembly. She is interested in the realization of materials for energy storage and conversion. Pozzo serves on the editorial board of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Digital Discovery.
+ show more
2. Perza Rodríguez
1957-. (aged 69)
politician
Perza Rodríguez Quiñones is a Puerto Rican politician and former mayor of Cabo Rojo. Rodríguez is affiliated with the New Progressive Party (PNP) and served as mayor from 2007 to 2013.
+ show more
3. Luz Arce Ferrer
politician
Luz Zenaida "Lucy" Arce Ferrer, is a Puerto Rican politician. She served as a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1996 till 2013.
4. Carmen Cantor
1968-. (aged 58)
diplomat
Carmen Gloria Cantor is an American diplomat who served as the U.S. assistant secretary of the interior for insular affairs from 2022 to 2025. She previously served as the United States ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia.
+ show more
5. Enrique Méndez Jr
1931-2024 (aged 93)
military personnel
Major General Enrique Méndez Jr. Grau was a United States Army officer who was also the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. He was also the Dean and President of the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico....
+ show more
6. César Benito Cabrera
1947-. (aged 79)
diplomat
César Benito Cabrera was the former United States Ambassador to the island nations of Mauritius and the Seychelles, both located in the Indian Ocean. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on June 6, 2006. His appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 13, 2006. Ambassador Cabrera arrived in Port Louis on October 20, 2006, and presented...
+ show more
7. Francisco Zayas Seijo
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Francisco R. Zayas Seijo, also known as Ico, is a former member of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and mayor of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. During his 4-year mayoral term, Zayas Seijo established the Mariana Suárez de Longo Library and Historical Archive of Ponce, the Museo del Autonomismo Puertorriqueño, the Centro Ponceño de Autismo (English: Ponce Center...
+ show more
8. Salvador E. Felices
1923-1987 (aged 64)
military officer
Major General Salvador Enrique Felices was the first Puerto Rican to reach the rank of major general in the United States Air Force. In 1957, he participated in "Operation Power Flite", the first round-the-world nonstop flight by a jet airplane.
+ show more
9. Bobby Ramírez Kurtz
1959-. (aged 67)
politician
Roberto "Bobby" Ramírez Kurtz is a Puerto Rican politician and the former mayor of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He is affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and served as mayor from 2013 to 2021. He assumed office after beating incumbent Perza Rodrígues Quiñones in the 2012 general election. Rodríguez, a member of the New Progressive Party (PNP), became mayor...
+ show more
10. Miguel Hernández Agosto
1927-2016 (aged 89)
politician
Miguel Hernández Agosto was a Puerto Rican politician whose service in government spanned several generations. Affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party (PPD), he started his political career as a Cabinet member, but eventually became a Senator at-large. Hernández Agosto served as President of the Senate of Puerto Rico for 12 years (1981-1993).
+ show more
11. Lester Martínez López
1955-. (aged 71)
physician
researcher
military personnel
executive
Lester Martínez López is an American government official and former Army general who served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs from March 2023 to October 2024. While in the United States Army, Martínez López was the first Hispanic to head the Army Medical and Research Command at Fort Detrick, Maryland. His responsibilities included overseeing the Army Medical...
+ show more
12. Ernesto Irizarry Salvá
politician
Ernesto Irizarry Salvá is a Puerto Rican educator, politician and former mayor of Utuado. Irizarry is affiliated with the Popular Democratic Party and has served as mayor from 2013 to 2021. Earned a Bachelor of Agriculture from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. When elected Mayor of Utuado in 2012, he was the youngest elected official in Puerto Rico....
+ show more
13. José Ignacio de Márquez
1793-1880 (aged 87)
lawyer
politician
José Ignacio de Márquez Barreto was a Colombian statesman, lawyer and professor, who first served as Vice President of the Republic of the New Granada after being sworn in by congress in 1832, and under the presidency of Francisco de Paula Santander, and subsequently was elected President of the Republic of the New Granada for the presidential term of 1837...
+ show more
14. Antonio Fas Alzamora
1948-. (aged 78)
politician
Antonio "Tony" J. Fas Alzamora is a Puerto Rican politician and Senator. As of 31 December 2011, he was the longest-serving legislator in the history of Puerto Rico, having served in ten Legislative Assemblies, one House of Representatives (from 1977 to 1980), and nine Senates (since 1980).
+ show more
15. Waded Cruzado
1960-. (aged 66)
Waded Cruzado is a Puerto Rican professor of Spanish language and Spanish literature. She served as Interim President of New Mexico State University from 2008 to 2009, the 12th President of Montana State University from 2010 to 2025, and since 2025 has served as the 5th President of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
+ show more