Full Name
Frances Beatriz Gonzalez-Arvelo
Job Title
Executive President
Company
ISLACOOP
Speaker Bio
Frances Beatriz González Arvelo, the youngest daughter of Gloria Esther Arvelo Maldonado and José Orlando González Abreu. Married for 27 years with Luis G. Lorenzo Torres, the mother of Adriana Estefanía and Luis Fernando “Luife”, her two great life projects. Since 1992 she began working for Pueblo Supermarkets. Frances completed her bachelor’s degree (BBA) in Accounting from the Interamerican University in Arecibo Campus in May-1998.
In 1999, She began working for AT&T as an Accountant II and later rose through the ranks, payroll, taxes and general accounting supervisor until becoming the CFO’s Assistant. Ms. González completed her Master’s Degree (MBA) in E-Business from the University of Phoenix in December-2003. One of her greatest professional achievements was the collection of a $160 million debt from the Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC) to AT&T. She also worked on the relocation, which saved the company more than $3 million.
In March 2004, at the age of 29, she became President of Pueblocoop, which later change its name to ISLACOOP. During this time, she has achieved significant obstacles, one of the most significant being the independence from the parent company, Pueblo. We managed to increase our assets to $14 million. In spite of having gone through various situations, from the parent company bankruptcy thru atmospheric events such as Hurricanes Irma and María, the pandemic, and earthquakes, these are evidence of our level of resilience.
In 2003 our Credit Union was the first Cooperative in Puerto Rico who receive CDFI Funds, and Frances and her team were responsible for meeting all the requirements of the CDFI Fund. In 2021 our Credit Union received a $1,278,385 allocation from the Rapid Respond Program (RRP). This grant allowed for the update and implementation of the new Core Banking System. ISLACOOP was awarded a TA Grant from the CDFI Funds Technical Assistance Program. Additionally, in 2023 ISLACOOP received the Employee Related Practices Grant (ERP) with a $1.2 million award, which has allowed us to continue offering excellent financing opportunities to our members, one of her greatest passions.
Frances has served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Savings and Credit Commission of the Liga de Cooperativas de PR. She is a member of the Gender Committee of the Liga de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico.
She excels in providing cooperative education to young people from Capoeira and the Boys Scout of America. Ms. González has been recognized for upholding the fifth principle of inter-cooperative assistance by the Colleagues of the Puerto Rican Cooperative Movement.
In 1999, She began working for AT&T as an Accountant II and later rose through the ranks, payroll, taxes and general accounting supervisor until becoming the CFO’s Assistant. Ms. González completed her Master’s Degree (MBA) in E-Business from the University of Phoenix in December-2003. One of her greatest professional achievements was the collection of a $160 million debt from the Puerto Rico Telephone Company (PRTC) to AT&T. She also worked on the relocation, which saved the company more than $3 million.
In March 2004, at the age of 29, she became President of Pueblocoop, which later change its name to ISLACOOP. During this time, she has achieved significant obstacles, one of the most significant being the independence from the parent company, Pueblo. We managed to increase our assets to $14 million. In spite of having gone through various situations, from the parent company bankruptcy thru atmospheric events such as Hurricanes Irma and María, the pandemic, and earthquakes, these are evidence of our level of resilience.
In 2003 our Credit Union was the first Cooperative in Puerto Rico who receive CDFI Funds, and Frances and her team were responsible for meeting all the requirements of the CDFI Fund. In 2021 our Credit Union received a $1,278,385 allocation from the Rapid Respond Program (RRP). This grant allowed for the update and implementation of the new Core Banking System. ISLACOOP was awarded a TA Grant from the CDFI Funds Technical Assistance Program. Additionally, in 2023 ISLACOOP received the Employee Related Practices Grant (ERP) with a $1.2 million award, which has allowed us to continue offering excellent financing opportunities to our members, one of her greatest passions.
Frances has served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Savings and Credit Commission of the Liga de Cooperativas de PR. She is a member of the Gender Committee of the Liga de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico.
She excels in providing cooperative education to young people from Capoeira and the Boys Scout of America. Ms. González has been recognized for upholding the fifth principle of inter-cooperative assistance by the Colleagues of the Puerto Rican Cooperative Movement.
Speaking At
