Biography
Mr. Rodríguez-Ema concentrates his practice in government affairs, corporate law, and securities matters. Mr. Rodríguez-Ema also works on infrastructure and privatization projects. During the last two decades, he worked on all major privatization endeavors conducted by the government of Puerto Rico, including the sale of Puerto Rico Telephone Company.
He is the former Chief of Staff under Governor Luis Fortuño's administration. In that capacity Mr. Rodríguez-Ema helped draft and execute comprehensive legislation to deal with Puerto Rico's economic crisis, coordinated the state budget (over $28 billion), and actively ushered and lobbied all budgetary and economic crisis legislation through the Legislative Assembly. During his tenure the number of government agencies was reduced (through consolidations) and he implemented major cuts in contracts and services to reduce a $3 billion deficit while avoiding a bond-rating downgrade. He also served as the Governor’s main spokesperson on all relevant issues as well as liaison with the House Speaker and Senate President and was in charge of the day-to-day supervision of all government agencies (over 120 of them).
From 2011 to 2012, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico (GDB). From 1993 to 1998, during Governor Pedro Rosselló’s administration, he served as President of the GDB, where he managed a 400-employee institution as well as its subsidiaries, and participated in several high-profile government boards. During his tenure at the GDB, he was also Chairman of the government’s Privatization Committee which oversaw the disposition and sale of several major government-owned assets, such as the Puerto Rico Maritime Shipping Authority (Navieras). After leaving the GDB, Marcos joined Empresas Fonalledas as Director of New Business Development. In that capacity, he undertook the planning and execution of several major strategic projects for the company, including shopping centers, office buildings, and condominiums.
Before joining McConnell Valdés, he worked as Senior Counsel at a major law firm in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he had established a strategic business consulting firm called PREDCO LLC, which provided clients valuable insight and financial, business and legal advice into the ever changing and challenging business cycles in Puerto Rico.
He began his legal career in the corporate and banking division of a major law firm in San Juan, focusing on complex financial and real estate transactions for banking clients, including Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Nova Scotia (now Scotiabank). He then worked in Drexel Burnham Lambert-Puerto Rico as Senior Vice President of their Corporate and Municipal Finance division, responsible for structuring and executing a variety of public and private transactions. He went on to manage the investment banking unit of Chase Securities Puerto Rico.
Mr. Rodríguez-Ema is a member of the Executive Committee of the Puerto Rico chapter of the Republican Party and is a Special Advisor to its Chairwoman, Hon. Jenniffer González-Colón, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico.
He has devoted significant time and his professional expertise to several not-for-profit organizations, including the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, United Way of Puerto Rico, Patronato del Palacio de Santa Catalina and Casa Grande Interactive.
Practices
News & Publications
News
- McV NewsAugust 21, 2019
- McV NewsSeptember 11, 2018
- McV NewsJuly 27, 2017
- McV NewsApril 7, 2017
Publications
- An McV Government Affairs AlertSeptember 8, 2021
- An McV Government Affairs AlertAugust 16, 2021
- An McV Recovery Financing AlertAugust 12, 2021
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMay 24, 2021
- An McV Corporate AlertApril 13, 2021
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 17, 2021
- An McV Government Affairs AlertFebruary 9, 2021
- An McV Corporate AlertJanuary 19, 2021
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJanuary 12, 2021
- An McV Government Affairs AlertDecember 8, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertNovember 17, 2020
- November 13, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertOctober 30, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertOctober 3, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertSeptember 14, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertAugust 21, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertAugust 4, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJuly 24, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJuly 22, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJuly 17, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 10, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 9, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 9, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 8, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 8, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 7, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertJuly 7, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJuly 1, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJune 15, 2020
- An McV Emergency Task Force AlertJune 5, 2020
- An McV PROMESA Task Force AlertJune 1, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMay 25, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMay 5, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMay 2, 2020
- An McV Corporate & Tax AlertApril 28, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertApril 15, 2020
- An McV Corporate AlertApril 14, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertApril 13, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertApril 8, 2020
- An McV Emergency Task Force AlertApril 6, 2020
- An McV Emergency Task Force AlertApril 1, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 31, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 30, 2020
- An McV Health Care AlertMarch 30, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 27, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 26, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 25, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertMarch 23, 2020
- McV Hospitality Practice Team AlertMarch 15, 2020
- An McV Recovery Financing Practice GroupFebruary 5, 2020
- An McV Government Affairs AlertNovember 6, 2019
- An McV PROMESA Task Force AlertSeptember 30, 2019
- An McV Recovery Financing Practice Team AlertAugust 29, 2019
- An McV Government Affairs AlertAugust 7, 2019
- An McV Government Affairs AlertAugust 5, 2019
- An McV Government Affairs AlertAugust 2, 2019
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJuly 26, 2019
- May 30, 2019
- An McV Recovery Financing Practice Team AlertMarch 1, 2019
- An McV PROMESA Task Force AlertFebruary 19, 2019
- Puerto Rico P3 Authority Issues Request for Public Comments on Transformation of the Electric SystemAn McV Infrastructure & Public-Private Partnerships Practice Team AlertFebruary 4, 2019
- An McV Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships Practice Team AlertDecember 19, 2018
- An McV Infrastructure and Private-Public Partnerships AlertNovember 1, 2018
- An McV Recovery Financing Practice Team AlertSeptember 14, 2018
- An McV Corporate & Health Care AlertJune 20, 2018
- An McV Government Affairs & Financial Institutions Practice Team AlertJune 14, 2018
- An McV Government Affairs AlertApril 2, 2018
- An Energy & Government Affairs AlertMarch 13, 2018
- An McV Government Affairs AlertFebruary 14, 2018
- An McV Government Affairs and Energy AlertJanuary 23, 2018
- An McV Government Affairs AlertJanuary 15, 2018
- An McV Corporate AlertDecember 28, 2017
- An McV Corporate AlertDecember 27, 2017
- An McV Government Affairs & Tax AlertDecember 19, 2017
- An McV Corporate AlertNovember 30, 2017
- An McV Corporate AlertNovember 29, 2017
- An McV Government Affairs AlertNovember 17, 2017
- An McV Government Affairs AlertNovember 8, 2017
- An McV Government Affairs AlertNovember 1, 2017
- An McV AlertOctober 12, 2017
- McV NewsOctober 4, 2017
- An McV Tax AlertJuly 19, 2017
- An McV Corporate AlertMay 26, 2017
- An McV Bankruptcy & Debt Restructuring AlertMay 5, 2017
Chairman, Business Development Committee
Leader, Government Affairs & Public Policy Practice Team
Bar Admissions
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
- District of Columbia
Education
B.S.F.S., with honors, Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service, 1979
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center, 1982