About Us
About Us
The Foundation for a Better Puerto Rico is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2014. Recognizing the significant challenges Puerto Rico faces, we are committed to supporting those working on meaningful solutions. Our primary focus has been on the island of Culebra, home to a community of 1,400 residents.
Our Impact
In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico, requiring us to shift our focus to the rebuilding of Culebra. Two of our most significant projects were the rebuilding of the Culebra Health Campus, ensuring continued access to essential healthcare services, and the restoration of Flamenco Beach’s infrastructure, which was vital to the island’s tourism-driven economy.
In 2019, a series of earthquakes in Puerto Rico’s southern region had a traumatic impact on the affected communities. In response, we partnered with The Center for Mind-Body Medicine to introduce a community-based healing and resiliency program to help residents recover.
In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges, particularly food insecurity. Through our community partnerships, we worked to distribute food and essential supplies to the people of Culebra during a time of severe health and economic hardship.
Current Initiatives
Today, we are focused on three major initiatives to ensure Culebra’s long-term sustainability and resilience. First, we are working to secure the future of Abbie’s School, Culebra’s only private school, as its Director approaches retirement. This multi-year effort included the acquisition of the school’s facilities in 2024, and for 2025, our priority is the recruitment of a new Director to ensure a smooth transition in leadership.
Second, we are working alongside the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Mujeres de Islas to provide solar and battery systems to approximately 150 low-income families in Culebra. This initiative is part of the Department of Energy’s Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund Program, and we expect to begin installing systems in early 2025.
Third, we continue to support Culebra’s local economy and cultural programs. We are assisting the island’s fishermen in the formation of the Association Pesquera de Culebra, a cooperative designed to strengthen the local fishing industry. Additionally, we remain committed to Música Pa’ Culebra, a remarkable program bringing music education and performance opportunities back to the children of Culebra.
Our Vision
We believe that Culebra’s journey toward sustainability and a high quality of life can serve as a model for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. By fostering resilience, education, and economic opportunities, we hope to inspire similar efforts across the region.
Your Support Matters
Your contribution is more important than ever. Donations are immediately allocated to support essential human needs in Culebra and beyond. Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient Puerto Rico.
Our Board
Dennis Rivera
Dennis Rivera is President of RC Consulting Group, LLC. He is the former Chair of SEIU Healthcare, the healthcare division of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Launched in June of 2007, SEIU Healthcare unites over 1.1 million nurses and healthcare workers in an effort to provide the highest quality healthcare to every patient, heal our nation’s broken healthcare system and bring hope of better jobs and better lives to millions of caregivers throughout the U.S. Modern Healthcare, the industry’s foremost publication, ranked Dennis Rivera sixth on its list of the “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare.”
As President of 1199SEIU from 1989 to 2007, Rivera oversaw dramatic growth in union membership within the healthcare sector. His knowledge of hospital systems and his desire to improve the quality of patient care helped transform the state of labor-management relationships in New York. With Rivera’s guidance, healthcare workers emerged on the national stage as a united, passionate voice for working families on a host of social issues, including healthcare access and affordability, economic justice, immigration rights and the Iraq War.
Born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico in 1950, Rivera attended the University of Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1977 to work as a union representative.
Theresa Bischoff
Theresa (Terry) Bischoff is currently a Partner with RC Consulting Group, LLC, focused on strategic consulting for healthcare and other not-for-profit organizations.
From January 2004 to September 2010, Ms. Bischoff served as Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross in Greater New York. It is the largest Red Cross chapter in the country, covering the five boroughs of New York City as well as Putnam, Rockland, Orange and Sullivan Counties.
From 1984 to 2004, Ms. Bischoff was at NYU Medical Center where she served as President for the last six years of her tenure. An advocate of healthcare on the national, state, and local levels, she has held many other positions, including Chair of the Greater New York Hospital Association and Chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents 125 accredited medical school and 400 major teaching hospitals.
She also serves on the Boards of Mutual of America Capital Management, IDB Bank of New York, Foundation for a Better Puerto Rico and Help USA.
Ms. Bischoff is a graduate of the University of Connecticut where she earned a B.S. in Accounting. She also holds an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business and is a CPA.
Eduardo Bhatia
Mr. Bhatia is an attorney, advocate and expert on fiscal matters and public policy with over 25 years of experience championing government / democracy reforms and public and private coalitions to achieve fiscally responsible policy targets, economic development, quality education and renewable energy goals. He is currently a John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor and visiting lecturer in public and international affairs at Princeton University. He is also the Chairman of the Board of HITN, the largest not-for-profit Spanish speaking television station in the United States whose mission is to advance the educational, cultural and socio-economic aspirations of U.S Hispanics through the development and distribution of quality and authentic content, on-air, online and on the ground.
Mr. Bhatia grew up in Puerto Rico with his mother -a Puerto Rican political science professor- and his father – an economist from India and partition war survivor- who instilled in him core values of honest public service, opportunity for all, diversity, and civil rights.
As a public servant, Bhatia served as President of the Senate of Puerto Rico (2013-2017). In this capacity, he worked directly with former US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Moody’s Investors Service, S&P, and Fitch Group, bondholders, and labor groups to design solutions in anticipation of a $72 billion default, the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. He reformed and secured an open market for the island’s energy sector to end the fully oil-dependent, inefficient state-owned monopoly of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, and co-authored sweeping bipartisan legislation mandating an orderly transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050. He is also a leader in the efforts to reform the broken public education system of Puerto Rico. Previously as the Director of Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (2005-08), he was primarily responsible for articulating the local government’s policy positions to the US Congress, The White House, federal agencies, state offices and national organizations.
Mr. Bhatia is known for his analytical mind, a quest for data to sort real solutions, and finding common ground amongst conflicting positions. He is a former president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), former president of the Council of State Governments (CSG-East), and a former member of the United States Senate Presidents’ Forum. He successfully promoted public/private partnerships and prioritized climate change discussions among policymakers, businesses, and academia from the 50 states and territories. At the international level, Bhatia served as president of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas (COPA) (2016-18), leading dialogues between legislators from every country in the Western Hemisphere on cooperation, democracy, economic growth, social justice, and gender equality.
Bhatia holds a B.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University (1986), served at the Woodrow Wilson School Advisory Council, and became Princeton University’s 2018 Commencement (“Baccalaureate”) keynote speaker. His speech delivered a forceful message on the urgency of a “National Honor Code” to protect and strengthen democracy. A J.D. from Stanford Law School (1990), Bhatia co-founded the Stanford Law and Policy Review. He was a Fulbright Scholar (1986-87) in Chile and a federal law clerk to the Hon. Judge Levin Campbell in the US Federal Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston (1990-91). He is admitted to practice law in Florida, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Supreme Court.
Bhatia has testified before the US Congress, the United Nations, and multiple forums on subjects of his expertise. He has been interviewed by CNN, Christiane Amanpour, Anderson Cooper, Greta Van Susteren, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Bond Buyer, Univision, Telemundo, among others. He commutes between San Juan, Puerto Rico and Princeton, New Jersey.
Betsy Gotbaum
Betsy Gotbaum has had a distinguished career in New York City’s public and private sectors. She became involved in civic affairs in the 1970’s while serving on the staff of former Mayor John Lindsay as Assistant for Women’s Issues and Assistant for Education. She continued her work in education with Mayor Abraham Beame.
In the late 1970’s she was recruited to run the New York Police Foundation. In 1990, she was appointed the first female Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation by Mayor David Dinkins. After leaving the Parks Department in 1994 she became President of the New York Historical Society.
Ms. Gotbaum served as the New York City Public Advocate from 2002 to 2009. She was the third woman elected to a citywide post in New York City’s history She is currently the Executive Director of Citizens Union.
Corrie Lefebvre
Corrie is the Senior Individual Giving Officer in the Department of Chemistry at MIT. In this role, Corrie is responsible for funding the department’s highest philanthropic priorities. She was also part of the closure of the MIT Better World Campaign which closed at $6.24B to help the people of MIT tackle humanity’s urgent global challenges. Since arriving at MIT, the Department of Chemistry has had three record-breaking years for fundraising. Before joining MIT, Corrie worked at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, where she was the Senior Associate Director of Leadership and Parent Giving. Before her time at Wheaton, she also served as an Associate Director of Reunion, Class, and Leadership Giving at Brown University and a Senior Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions at Bentley University. Corrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religious Studies from St. Michael’s College and a Master of Education from Northeastern University. Corrie has two young girls, a husband, and a golden retriever named Murray.
Keyla Torres
Keyla is an entrepreneur and jewelry designer from San Juan, Puerto Rico. With over 15 years of experience since successfully launching her jewelry line & e-commerce shop, Kei Jewelry. She is in charge of conceptualizing and transforming creative ideas into wearable art and has strong understanding of materials, gemstones, and metalworking processes, resulting in high-quality and visually appealing designs.
With her background in Communications and Advertising, she is a results-driven creative who works on developing and implementing strategic branding initiatives and managing social media platforms for local clients in a variety of industries. Focused on building brand awareness, engaging audiences, and driving business growth through effective branding and social media strategies.
Keyla has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications with a Major in Advertising from Sacred Heart University in Puerto Rico.
We hope that Culebra’s experience in becoming a sustainable community with the highest quality of life will become a model that others will want to replicate in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
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