Sila María Calderon

As the first woman elected to the office of Governor of Puerto Rico, Sila Maria Calderon has broken the Latin stereotype that most women belong at home. Elected mayor of the island's capital city, San Juan, in November 1995, Calderon ran the city and helped developed the city's infrastructure and tourism industry. In November 2000, Calderon, running under the Popular Democratic Party (or known as the PPD in its Spanish acronym) won the governorship after two decades of rule by the opposition party that favors making the island the 51st state of the United States. Calderon, who has three children from her first marriage, daughter Sila Mari, son Francisco Xavier and daughter María Elena González Calderón, continues to be a mother in addition to her responsibilities as governor. In becoming the first woman to become Governor of Puerto Rico, Calderon has appointed both of her daughters to take over the role of First Lady.