10/29/2025
When Representation Meets Reality
Throughout my career, I’ve often been “the first” or “the only” one who looked like me in leadership spaces. As a gay Puerto Rican physician and executive, I’ve carried that responsibility with pride — leading teams, shaping policy, and pushing for systems that serve everyone more equitably.
But there’s another side to that story that’s not often spoken aloud. Earlier this year, despite a strong track record and measurable impact, I was quietly replaced — my role wasn’t eliminated. One day I was the face of transformative initiatives; the next, I was out, without real explanation.
It’s an experience many leaders of color will recognize: being celebrated as a “DEI win” when optics are useful, only to find support disappear when power dynamics shift. It’s painful, yes — but also clarifying. It exposes the gap between representation and true inclusion.
DEI can’t just live in press releases or recruitment goals. It has to live in succession planning, in who gets trusted with authority, and in how organizations treat leaders when they’re no longer convenient symbols.
I share this not out of bitterness, but out of honesty. Too many of us carry these experiences quietly, questioning ourselves instead of the systems. Naming it is part of healing — and part of making space for change.
I remain deeply committed to the work: advancing forensic psychiatry and access to mental health resources, building equitable systems, and mentoring the next generation of diverse leaders.
If you’ve walked a similar path, know this: you are not alone, and your value should and will never be defined by someone else’s failure to see it.
🖤🌈✊🏽
