President
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
Dr. Viviana M. Abreu-Hernández has a deep appreciation for the state as the structure that will support needed social change. Originally from Quebradillas in northwestern Puerto Rico, Viviana ventured from her small town to attend University of Puerto Rico San Juan, and then went on to Purdue University. From her experiences came a deep understanding of social injustice and the need for purposeful interventions to transform oppressive structures. Through her work, she has always been devoted to building a more just society, in which everyone has the same opportunities. Always a nerd, Viviana is a researcher, scientist, advocate, and teacher.
Viviana has a long history of serving populations that are often overlooked in policymaking. Her career has focused on critically examining the systems that reproduce racial and social inequities, while advocating for and implementing policies that improve professional, economic, and social opportunities for working families.
Viviana comes to MassBudget from Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) in Worcester, where she served as Vice President of External Affairs. In her role, she oversaw the development, communications, community engagement, grants, and government relations departments. Fueled by her passion for advocating for the population QCC serves, she developed strategic partnerships with governmental agencies, elected officials, corporations, community and faith-based organizations, grantors, and funders.
Prior to QCC, Viviana served as Research Director for the 1199 SEIU League Training and Upgrading Fund in New York City. In collaboration with higher education institutions, she developed training and educational programs that responded to the occupational shortages of the healthcare industry. Viviana also led advocacy efforts to improve career and academic readiness, and college access for nontraditional and underrepresented populations in the higher education system. Prior to this position, Viviana served as Puerto Rico’s Commissioner of Higher Education. In this role, she provided guidance to the legislative and executive branches, promoted legislation and implemented regulations that enhanced the quality of the institutions and the programs they offered. At the end of her tenure, she was recognized by Banco Santander’s Universia for her work and significant contributions to improving Puerto Rico’s higher education system. Viviana is an active member of the Worcester community. She is on the Board of Directors of the Worcester Public Library Foundation and is Co-chair of the YWCA’s Tribute to Women Planning Committee. She is also an active member of the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts, the Latino Empowerment and Organizing Network (LEON), The Forum, and PEAS (Pursuit of Equity Accountability and Success, Latinx Students in Massachusetts Schools).
She has taught courses in political science at both the University of Puerto Rico and Purdue University. At Purdue, she was the proud recipient of two teaching awards. She has published numerous articles on topics such as international relations, peace studies, and higher education public policy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Puerto Rico and earned a master’s degree and a PhD in political science at Purdue University. Her most important job to date has been raising her son, Rodrigo.
