Dr. Gilberto Velez

Dr. Gilberto Velez grew up in Puerto Rico. He earned his Medical Doctor Degree at Universidad Central del Este and a Master in Public Health from University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas. After graduation and training, he practice his career both, clinically and academics. Education has been his passion right after his ministerial vocation.

He taught at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico (Metropolitan Campus), and University of Puerto Rico (Carolina Campus). He has served as a former member of the Commission for Christian Higher Education for the Assemblies of God and former Board member of the Latin American Bible Institute of the Gulf Latin American District of the Assemblies of God. Dr. Velez retired from his medical career after he resigned from the Laredo State Center as their Director for Clinical Services in 1996, to continue with his ministerial vocation.

Currently Dr. Velez is the Senior Pastor at Iglesia Cristiana Misericordia A/G a mega-church located in Laredo, Texas. He serves as:

· Chairman of the Board for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference - the largest Latino Evangelical Christian organization in U.S.A. and Puerto Rico. This organization represents more than 16 millions of Latino Evangelical and more than 20,000 churches from different denominations in USA and Puerto Rico.

· President for the Latino Mega Churches Association

· Board Member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE)

· Member of the Board of Trustees for Oral Roberts University

· Member of the Advisory Board for the Brennan Center for Justice of the New York University- School of Law.

· Member of the Advisory Board for Asociacion Evangelistica del Hermano Pablo. Dr. Velez is married to Zulma Velez, M.D., M.P.H. and has 2 children, Samuel 20 and Andrew 19.