Carlos Rios-Santiago joined Mott in 2018 as a program assistant and was promoted to associate program officer in 2019. He is responsible for grantmaking in the Strengthening Civic Space and Special Initiatives program areas. As a student, he studied economics and public policy and has a keen interest in fiscal policy, data management and econometrics. He earned both a bachelor’s degree in economics and master’s in public policy from Michigan State University.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rios-Santiago has called Michigan home since he was 10 years old and is bilingual in English and Spanish. He enjoys cooking and is an avid video gamer.