At 29, five months pregnant, Eileen M. Vélez-Vega was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma. She had chemotherapy while she was pregnant, and her daughter was born that December, healthy, with a lot of hair. Years later she became the first woman to lead Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works in its 105 years.
She grew up in Sabana Grande writing letters to NASA and NOAA for posters, fundraised her way to Space Camp, and became the first engineer in her family. When the governor's office asked for her résumé in November 2020, she said no. Her husband told her she was ready, even though she did not feel ready. She tells us what four years of public scrutiny after Hurricanes Maria and Fiona required, why she chose honesty over looking like she knew everything, and why she always saves the cancer story for last.
▶️ Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HNE2Iv7Smy4
CHAPTERS
00:00 Chemo while pregnant
00:26 What if the hardest thing you ever rebuilt was yourself
01:36 Meet Eileen M. Vélez-Vega
02:56 Growing up in Sabana Grande
03:39 Letters to NASA and Space Camp
04:29 The first engineer in the family
05:22 The call from the governor's office
07:39 Diallo Wallace and the Space Camp Hall of Fame
09:49 Never underestimate your network
12:25 Saying yes before you feel ready
14:18 An aviation engineer at heart
15:09 Why she said no
16:55 The first, but not the last
17:36 The best and the worst job of her career
19:09 Leading through public and media resistance
20:27 Who is this girl
21:09 Listening in the field
22:12 Telling the public when the plan changes
23:45 What she is building now
24:45 Her daughter, and daring to dream
26:29 Where to find Eileen
27:01 The story she always tells last
28:13 The relapse and a stem cell transplant
29:16 Everything is different after cancer
31:15 Esther 4:14
31:38 Not perfect, but the life you were supposed to have
WHAT YOU'LL TAKE AWAY
A good leader cannot pretend to know it all, so she went to the experts, then to the field.
Say your aspiration out loud. She told a colleague she would be Secretary of Transportation, and that colleague made the call.
In your career, you can be replaced. With your family, you cannot."
ABOUT EILEEN M. VÉLEZ-VEGA
Eileen M. Vélez-Vega is a professional engineer and Strategic Infrastructure Director at Kimley-Horn Puerto Rico. From 2021 to 2024 she served as Puerto Rico's Secretary of Transportation and Public Works, the first woman to hold the post, leading recovery work after Hurricanes Maria and Fiona. An aviation engineer by training, she is a member of the Space Camp Hall of Fame class of 2024 and speaks to cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers about life after a stem cell transplant.
Eileen on LinkedIn
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PRODUCTION CREDITS
Hosted and executive produced by April Chavez.
Video production by Manlee J. Chavez.
Music by Steve Stuntz.
Guest agreements and disclaimer: drivenlivin.com/guest-agreements
