The team that makes our museum possible

Committed to History

Our Dedication to Preserve and Share Puerto Rico’s History

Our board of directors and collaborators work tirelessly to make the museum a space that shares knowledge and fosters appreciation for Puerto Rico’s rich and extensive biodiversity and natural history.

Our Museum

Become a Volunteer Today!

Join the museum’s team and contribute to the well-being of our archipelago, our communities, and the legacy of natural history in Puerto Rico!

More Information

Group of four women looking at a large wall display about prehistoric marine animals, including a diagram of a prehistoric whale skeleton and various informational text.

- Assist in setting up exhibits.
- Participate in collecting and handling samples.
- Organize materials in the museum library.
- Support the implementation of guided tours.
- Contribute your academic expertise to the museum's programming.
- Assist in developing community events.
- Development of transferable skills and experiences
- Opportunities to build professional networks
- Possibility of obtaining a letter of recommendation
- Recognition on MHNPR Volunteer Day
- There will be snacks available!
- Must be at least 18 years old.
- Coordinate the volunteering experience with museum staff.
- Be available and committed to volunteering for a minimum of one hour per week.
- Have your own transportation to get to the museum and its activities.

I'm Interested!

Board of Directors, Resources & Collaborators

Maribel Ramirez

Business Entrepreneur
President & Founder, Natural History and Conservation Museum of Puerto Rico
She is the visionary founder of Puerto Rico’s first Natural History and Conservation Museum, dedicated to uniting education, sustainability, and cultural identity to inspire future generations.
Dr. Jorge Vélez Juarbe

Paleontologist
Vice President & Co-Founder, Natural History and Conservation Museum of Puerto Rico
Associate Curator of Marine Mammals at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, is a Puerto Rican paleontologist whose research has led to over 30 new species discoveries and 50 scientific publications.
Dr. Hernán Santos

Geologist
Board Member / Collaborator & Co-Founder, Natural History and Conservation Museum of Puerto Rico
An associate dean and geology professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, he researches paleontology and Caribbean geology, focusing on Cretaceous to Miocene biostratigraphy and Puerto Rico’s fossil record.
Dr. Michael González Cruz

Board Secretary-Natural History and Conservation Museum of Puerto Rico
A Sociologist and Professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, he holds a Ph.D. from Binghamton University and focuses his research on the relationships between environment, society, and culture in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
Maximo Torres Nazario

Founder, Principal Benefactor & Strategic Advisor
Serial Enterpreneur in the energy sector. Provides strategic guidance to the Board of Directors and executive team while supporting the Museum’s institutional growth through financial contributions, partnership development, fundraising, and the project management development of exhibitions, educational programs, and major initiatives.
Anthony Martir Perez

Project Director
As a Ph.D. candidate in Biology at UPR Río Piedras with a focus on aquatic ecosystems, Anthony brings his research expertise to museum operations. He directs the conceptualization and content development for the Islas Vivas exhibition while managing broader curatorial responsibilities.
Yareliz M. Quintana Almodóvar

Program Administrator
Yareliz holds a bachelor degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico of Aguadilla and oversee program compliance and implementation. She has undergraduate research background in Marine coastal sciences at University of Delaware School of Marine Science and Policy and Monterey Bay Regional Ocean Science Research in California.
Valeria Vargas Marfisi

Coordinadora de Colecciones y Experiencias al Visitante
Geóloga graduada de la Universidad de Puerto Rico Mayagüez, estudiando una maestría en ciencias marinas.
Valeria cuenta con experiencia práctica en trabajo de campo costero, monitoreo geológico y sedimentos y minerales de laboratorio. Actualmente realizando una investigación de tesis sobre la producción de carbonato de coral mesofótico y las dinámicas de sedimentos de arrecifes.
Luis Espada Rivera

Colaborador
Posee una maestría en Geología de la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Mayagüez, con especialización en sedimentos de playas de Puerto Rico. Luis fue el geólogo principal en el desarrollo de la exhibición de sedimentos de la sala Tierra Dinámica y ha colaborado en iniciativas educativas sobre la historia natural de Puerto Rico junto a Deborah Martorell, TeleOnce y plataformas digitales del museo. Trabaja en el Programa Sea Grant como Extensionista marino.
Jose R. Almodóvar Rivera

Collaborator
A biologist with a Master Degree in Botany. He is a Laboratory instructor of Electronic Microscopy and Scientifc Instrumentation who teach advance scientific photography for biologists at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
He is well known for his work on carnivorous plants and scientifc photography. Jose collaborates with nature related pictures and helps reviews Biology related exhibit designs.
Dr. Elvin A. González Perez

Colaborador
Profesor del Departamento de Humanidades de la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Aguadilla. Como museólogo, se especializa en el manejo de colecciones y el montaje de exhibiciones de arte y arqueología, contando con una amplia trayectoria en investigación curatorial en diversas instituciones museísticas de la zona metropolitana. Actualmente, imparte cursos de museología digital global y ofrece asesoría a múltiples organizaciones en gestión cultural, artes gráficas y estudio de audiencias.
Zorali De Feria Alvarez

Collaborator
Zorali has a bachelor's degree in Art Theory from the University of Mayagüez Campus, a M.A. in Museology from Seton Hall University (NJ) and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico.
Zorali advises the museum on collections registrar, exhibition coordinator and museum management,
José M. Pérez Irizarry

Collaborator
Geologist and Scientific Coordinator from Sept 2025-July 2026. Currently pursuing a master degree in Hidrology in Chicago, Illinois.
José continues to collaborate on geology related exhibits curation. Jose helped curated Tierra Dinámica exhibits under the supervisión of Dr. Pablo Llerandi.
Eduardo J. Cruz

Collaborator
A Geologist working on his master degree on fethered dinasaurs in China, he has participated in paleontological expeditions across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, contributed to research on Mesozoic birds and Caribbean paleofauna, and collaborates with the Field Museum of Chicago and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Emilia Quiñones-Otal, PhD

Associate Professor
Museum Advisory
An associate professor and director of the Humanities Department at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, with a Ph.D. in Art History and over 16 years of experience curating contemporary art and contributing to international publications.