Marissa Jiménez

Marissa Jiménez Santoni was born February 18, 1979, in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.[1] She was raised by her mother, Martiza Santoni and her maternal grandparents, Emilio and Awilda.[1] She attended Escuela Segunda Unidad de Río Arriba and later Luz América Calderón high school in Carolina.[1] Jiménez was interested in politics at a young age and joined the youth New Progressive Party as an adolescent and at 14, she was elected a municipal vice president.[1] At 18 years old, she was a college official and she voted for the first time in the 1998 Puerto Rican status referendum.[1] She completed a B.Ed. with a concentration preschool and primary education.[1] She earned a M.B.A., magna cum laude, with a speciality in management and human resources from the Ana G. Méndez University.[1]

Jiménez was an election commissioner in 2000, 2008, and 2016 and an election coordinator in 2004 in Carolina Precinct 107.[1] She was director of the Carolina region of get out the vote.[1] Jiménez is a member of the Organización de Servidores Públicos.[1] Jiménez worked in the private sector in client services.[1] In the public sector, she was a special advisor to the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico from 2009 to 2010.[1] She worked in customer service for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority from 2012 to 2016.[1] At the Puerto Rico Administración de Compensación por Accidentes Automovilísticos, she has served in various roles including regional director, executive advisor, and manager of operations.[1]

In the general election on November 3, 2020, Jiménez was elected senator for district VIII.[1] She assumed the office on January 2, 2021.[1] She has advocated for women's rights.[2]

Jiménez is married to Juan Valentín Nieves and they have three children.[1] They are members of the Bautista Luz de Salvación church in Carolina, Puerto Rico.[1]