Dr. Dominique Rivera-Rojas, IEM’s Director of Critical Infrastructure, brings a wealth of experience in managing federal funds and disaster recovery programs. Dominique, a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Innovation and Strategy and a DoD Certified Program Manager, has over 20 years of experience managing multi-million-dollar federally funded programs, including contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants. Her expertise spans various domains, including grant management, strategy development, risk mitigation, and emergency response coordination. 

With extensive expertise as a Senior Advisor to Recipients (Grantees) and Pass-Thru Entities (PTEs), Dominique is recognized for developing strategies that maximize program outcomes while implementing lean measures. Dominique excels in developing project schedules, controlling budgets and spending plans, ensuring compliance with policy and program requirements, and mitigating risks through monitoring and reporting. As the founder of StratTema LLC, a professional services firm, Dominique leads a team of experts specializing in State and Federal Funds Program Management, Compliance, and Monitoring. 

A former United States Air Force Acquisitions Officer, Dominique managed and helped develop the requirements for customized Integrated Digital Environments (IDEs) designed to support military personnel by streamlining organizational and business processes across the Command Center. During her tenure, she also served as Program Manager for a Major Defense Acquisition Program (ACAT I), overseeing the Tactical Data Networks (TDN) platform program portfolio of $330M; airborne information-distribution data links which enable combat aircraft fighters like the F-22 and F-35 to share a common battlespace picture over both legacy and modernized data links (IFDL, MADL, and Link 16).  

After her military career, Dominique worked in the Federal Government. One of her most transformative experiences was serving as the Public Affairs Director for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Caribbean Health Care System. Here, she developed and managed the Communications & Media Campaign, Outreach, and Marketing Strategy, and served as Lead in the Crisis Management Team for a healthcare system with over 64,000 enrolled Veterans throughout Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  

As a local from Puerto Rico, Dominique’s diversity in her career and her wealth of knowledge in Federal Programs and Grants enabled her to best contribute to the island’s Emergency response and coordination for federal and local support after Hurricane Maria passed. Her skill set and ability to network and coordinate with key federal agencies like FEMA led to her designation as the State Planner for Hurricane Maria.   

Over the past decade, Dominique has been able to leverage her experience, providing direct support to her island of Puerto Rico in disaster response and recovery areas, working with the Department of Defense (DoD) and FEMA. Her expertise includes FEMA Public Assistance (PA), Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). Most recently, she has served as a Senior Disaster and Recovery Advisor, providing technical assistance and strategic support to state emergency response agencies, including key roles with the Puerto Rico National Guard and the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety.