Moraima De Hoyos Ruperto

Doctor Moraima De Hoyos-Ruperto is a Professor at the School of Business Administration (BA) of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez (UPRM). She obtained a doctoral degree in Management at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, a Master's degree in Business Administration, and her Bachelor's in Accounting and Finance from UPRM. Dr. De Hoyos-Ruperto has been a faculty member since 2005, serving as a researcher and Principal Investigator (PI). She has also been the Director of the Business and Economic Development Center (BEDC) since 2019, which is an University Center of the Economic Development Administration (EDA) in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In her role, she has attracted additional granted projects for the BEDC, such as the Small Business Incubators and Accelerators Program in the (ÁREA-E), Capital Semilla, a project offering capital funds up to $5,000 to small and medium businesses, and PR Innova, which aims to train and mentor entrepreneurs with expansion ideas or innovative concepts, as well as a division to assist non-profit organizations in overcoming administrative challenges (NPO-SIED). Dr. De Hoyos-Ruperto was a member of the Board of Directors of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) for several years and a founding member of the advisory board (Think Tank) of "Echar Pa' Lante," a national community initiative since its inception in 2012, as well as other related national entrepreneurial committees. As co-founder of the UPRM E-ship Network, she has led the strengthening, development, and support of entrepreneurial ecosystems in Puerto Rico. The UPRM E-ship Network is a community comprising students and professors at UPRM, as well as emerging entrepreneurs from different parts of Puerto Rico, committed to creating collaboration and networking opportunities among innovative minds. This community consists of over 125 individuals available to support developing companies across various segments. These individuals are also open to creating strategic connections to promote economic development. Dr. De Hoyos-Ruperto has served as the coordinator of the annual national forum of entrepreneurial education for faculty in Puerto Rico since 2017, providing practical tools to educators to develop skills and knowledge on topics related to innovation and entrepreneurship education. Dr. De Hoyos-Ruperto was recognized as an Entrepreneurial Ambassador and Pillar of Entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico
by the Puerto Rico Technoeconomic Corridor and Echar Pa' lante, respectively.