Puerto Rico Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff of Puerto Rico (Spanish: Secretario de la Gobernación de Puerto Rico) is the highest-ranking officer in the executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico after the governor and the secretary of state. The Chief of Staff leads the Secretariat of Governance and is charged with managing and overseeing almost all executive agencies while assisting and advising the governor.

The current Chief of Staff is William Villafañe who oversees the 17th Cabinet of Puerto Rico since January 2, 2017.

The duties of the Chief of Staff vary greatly from one administration to another, and in fact, there is no legal requirement that the Governor even fill or create the position. Nevertheless, one of the first acts undertaken by a new Governor once he is sworn in, is to issue an executive order proclaiming a new Chief of Staff. This order also establishes the Chief of Staff's duties and responsibilities as the Governor sees fit. This proclamation is done by virtue of the executive powers vested upon the Governor by Article IV of the Constitution and Law No. 104 of 1956 which include the faculty to appoint officers and to delegate functions.

The duties and responsibilities are both managerial and advisory and typically include the following:

Both the Constitution of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican law usually ascribe all executive offices to either the Governor or the Office of the Governor. The Governor then issues an executive order proclaiming the delegation of the management and oversight of such executive offices onto the Chief of Staff. This proclamation is done in virtue of the executive powers vested upon the Governor by Law No. 104 of 1956 which include the faculty to delegate functions.