Carmelo J. Ríos-Santiago was born on May 21, 1973, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He attended the American Military Academy in Guaynabo and later graduated from the Florida Air Academy in Melbourne, Florida, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Ríos began his college education at Valencia Community College, earning an Associate’s degree in Economics. After receiving an athletic scholarship, he transferred to Bethune-Cookman University, where he played NCAA Division I baseball and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics. In 1995, he enrolled at the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico School of Law, where he held several student leadership positions, including President of the Student Council, and became a founding member of the local Delta Theta Phi law fraternity chapter. He earned his Juris Doctor in 1998 and also studied International Law at the Complutense University of Madrid through a program sponsored by the Ortega y Gasset Foundation in Toledo, Spain. Ríos began his legal career as an attorney and legal advisor to the Commissioner of Municipal Affairs and later served as Director of the Legal Division of the Puerto Rico State Insurance Fund Corporation. In 2001, he established his own law firm specializing in administrative, civil, and criminal law, representing municipalities and the International Longshoremen’s Association. His political career began in 1999 when he was elected to the Guaynabo Municipal Legislative Assembly and selected as Majority Leader. In 2004, he was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico representing the District of Bayamón, becoming one of the youngest senators of his class. Since then, he has held numerous leadership positions, including Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Whip, and chair or member of several key legislative committees. Ríos has also held prominent leadership roles at the national level. In 2018, he was elected President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), representing more than 600 Hispanic state legislators throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has served in leadership roles with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, and The Council of State Governments (CSG). In November 2024, Ríos was elected to his sixth term as Senator for the District of Bayamón and was subsequently selected by his colleagues to serve as President Pro Tempore of the Senate of Puerto Rico. He currently chairs the Committee on Federal Relations. In August 2025, Ríos was elected by the CSG East Executive Committee to serve as the 2026 National Vice Chair of The Council of State Governments, placing him on a leadership path expected to culminate in 2028 as Chair of the nonpartisan organization representing all three branches of government across U.S. states and territories and Canadian provinces.