René Vargas Martínez, Esq. serves as Vice President for the Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands Network at Inclusiv. He is responsible for leading the development and implementation of all programs, services, and new initiatives for ninety five state insured cooperativas and federal credit unions, including Spanish-language adaptation, regulatory compliance, and addressing the unique market needs of each region. Starting in 2018, Mr. Vargas Martínez led Inclusiv’s CDFI Initiative in Puerto Rico, providing technical assistance to credit unions in preparing and submitting applications for CDFI Fund certification. The success of this initiative has enabled credit unions across the island to access millions of dollars in community development investments, strengthening their lending capacity. Before his time at Inclusiv, Mr. Vargas Martínez served as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Puerto Rico, where he oversaw the operations of financial aid, admissions, medical services, cultural affairs, student advocacy, and athletics offices. Prior to that, he was Director of the Student Ombudsperson Office at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus, where he mediated high-profile student conflicts and investigated and resolved hundreds of student claims related to academic, disciplinary, housing, and legal matters. Mr. Vargas Martínez also has practical experience in the cooperative sector, with over eight years of experience as a teller and loan officer at federal credit unions. During his time at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, he served on the University of Puerto Rico Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2012 and held other prominent student leadership roles, advocating for lower tuition costs to expand access to higher education for middle-class students and underserved communities. Mr. Vargas Martínez holds a bachelor’s degree in History and a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. He was admitted to the practice of law in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in 2014.