I was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the U.S. in 1983. In 1993, I graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College with a B.S. in Marine Transportation

I attended the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, earning a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies in 2008. I was deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2009 to support the ARMY 304th Sustainment Brigade, managing and distributing fuel across Iraq to support U.S. and allied forces.

The highlight of my Naval Career was being Captain of a US Warship. I Commanded the Fast Frigate USS BOONE in June 2010 and led the ship to win the Battle Efficiency award. I am the first Dominican and Afro-Latino to command a U.S. Naval Warship.

I completed my tour on BOONE in December 2011. I assumed Command of Afloat Training Group Mayport in Jacksonville, in charge of training all Naval vessels in South East U.S. I was the first Latino to lead that organization.

In 2016, I was blessed with Command of Naval Base San Diego (NBSD), the second-largest Naval Base in the U.S., and was the first Hispanic/Afro-Latino to lead the installation. With the support of an extraordinary team, I led the base in winning the Commander in Chief Installation Excellence Award in 2019.

I am a certified Resilience Building Leadership Professional (RBLP) Trainer dedicated to helping organizations create senior leaders that can build resilient teams, facilitate team learning, and support organizational learning.

Today, I serve as the Association of Naval Services Officers (ANSO) President. ANSO conducts recruitment and outreach within America’s underserved communities, directly supports Hispanic/Latino(a) members in their decision to remain in their respective services, and provides mentoring and professional development. I am also a member of the board of directors for Hispanics Inspiring Student Performance and Achievement (HISPA). I love talking to students about the possibilities they have here in the US and all the benefits of pursuing a military career.

My most fun job is being CEO of The Road Eagle LLC. I rent motorcycles to like-minded people and manage an online blog for bikers. I am also a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Coach, Motorcycle Safety Instructor, and an Iron Butt Association (The World’s Toughest Motorcycle Riders) long-distance and endurance motorcyclist.

A lifelong learner, I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Capital Development from the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and expect to complete that by 2025.