2012-2014 James Marshall Fellow

Dr. Angel Colón Rivera worked with the bipartisan, bicameral U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission) as SPSSI's 2012-2014 James Marshall Public Policy Fellow. 

Dr. Colón Rivera obtained his doctorate in Social/Community Psychology and joint bachelor's degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Colón RiveraAngel conducted research on a variety of social justice issues, including labor rights, immigration, and the psychological costs of home displacement. His professional interests include the use of scientific research for policy change at the institutional and systemic levels.

Dr. Colón Rivera has contributed to several policy initiatives in Puerto Rico, often supporting the efforts of the local psychological association’s policy committee. With a passion for community activism, he has advocated for many grassroots efforts, specifically those that involved student and faculty rights and the right for adequate housing for disenfranchised communities. He was also a member of the Two-Tiered Academic Labor Task Force. 

A SPSSI member since 2006, Dr. Colón Rivera has been awarded several fellowships. These include a joint policy fellowship with the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center and Nebraska Appleseed, as well as SPSSI's Dalmas A. Taylor Summer Minority Public Policy Fellowship.