Senior Associate
Frederick Vélez III Burgos is a native of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico with a unique blend of experience thanks to his work in Congress, electoral campaigns, and non-profits.
After starting in the office as an intern from the Córdova Fernós Congressional Internship Program, Frederick spent six years working as the Scheduler and New Media Coordinator for Rep. José E. Serrano. His time in Congress gave him priceless insight to both Washington, D.C. and heavily Latino areas of New York City.
After working in Congress, Frederick became the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. This experience allowed him to learn about how non-profits operate while helping young Latino students obtain internships in Congress.
His experience is not limited to Washington, DC. In 2012, he worked in his first campaign as the Regional Get Out the Vote Lead for the Obama campaign in Hillsborough County, FL. He also assisted the campaign’s Hispanic Vote Director in launching the only Hispanic office in the state and helped build out the Hispanic program in strategic areas of Central FL.
Three years later, Frederick successfully led efforts in Puerto Rico to decrease the number of petitions independent candidates would need to qualify for the ballot, resulting in a change in law by the island’s electoral commission. This change directly led to the election of the first Senator not affiliated to a party in the island’s history.
During the 2016 cycle, he served as the deputy of Que Vote Mi Gente – a Puerto Rican Get Out The Vote campaign that increased the electoral participation of the Puerto Rican community by 6% – resulting in the election of Latinos all across the ballot, including the first Puerto Rican to represent Florida in Congress. He led the canvass efforts for the campaign, developed programs while supporting media efforts and serving as a media surrogate.
In the 2018 midterm elections, he worked as the Director of the Respeta Mi Gente campaign that knocked on over 350,000 doors across five counties in Central Florida. The campaign helped elect candidates at the state, local and federal level – including the first Latina elected to the Orange County School Board.
Frederick lives in Miami, FL and holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Puerto Rico.