José D. Soto Rivera is the Special Advisor for Puerto Rico at Bread for the World. He empowers faith-based leaders and community representatives to advocate for international and domestic food policy and oversees community engagement and development activities. He was the executive director of ACOMERPR where he created a food distribution network consisting of 130 community organizations distributing 168,000 meals annually, constructed five multigenerational community gardens with nutritional programming in impoverished regions of Puerto Rico, and propelled the creation of the first dedicated food security think tank on the archipelago. Mr. Soto has consulted for Accenture Federal Services, the Puerto Rico Information & Technology Services, the Puerto Rican Government (2017-2019), and the Jordanian Minister of Entrepreneurship (2019). He has developed public policy and overseen the implementation of multi-million-dollar projects for economic development, public health, and sustainability throughout his career and is deeply devoted to the development of Puerto Rico’s communities. Follow José and his work on LinkedIn and Instagram.