Ada Monzón

Ada Monzón
Monzón on February 20, 2026
Born (1965-05-12) May 12, 1965
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Occupations
  • Meteorologist
  • Museum founder
AwardsForbes 50 over 50 2025

Ada Monzón (born May 12, 1965) is a Puerto Rican meteorologist and museum founder. She is the first woman meteorologist in Puerto Rico. She is also the founder of the EcoExploratorio: Museo de Ciencias de Puerto Rico, a science museum in Puerto Rico.

Biography

Monzon was born on May 12, 1965, in San Juan.[1] She has recounted that her mother, aunt, and grandmother were all STEM teachers, and from the age of 6, she knew she wanted to become a meteorologist. However, there were no universities in Puerto Rico which taught meteorology, and economic factors prohibited her from attending universities in the mainland US.[2] She therefore earned a bachelors' degree in mathematics, concentrating in physics, at the University of Puerto Rico.[3] She then received a NASA fellowship to study meteorology at Florida State University, where she was the only civilian. She subsequently worked at the Federal Aviation Administration and the Kennedy Space Center,[2] before moving back to Puerto Rico, where she became the island's first female meteorologist.[4][5] She worked as a professor at the University of Puerto Rico.[3]

She subsequently worked in private companies and local government before working at major news stations on Puerto Rico.[6] She became best known for her broadcasts on WAPA-TV[7], Univision Radio, and Noticias[8] in 2017 during Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, during which her broadcasts were viewed by more than 31,000,000 people. She also visited some of the most affected locations, where she provided support.[6] In 2019, she began working for NotiCentro.[9]

She is also the founder and president of the EcoExploratorio: Museum de Ciencias de Puerto Rico (transl. Museum of Science of Puerto Rico), which she established in 2010 as a nonprofit.[10] She was inspired by the California Academy of Sciences.[11]

The organization began by leasing a building in 2014.[12] Land was leased for a new building in 2019 and construction began in 2021 through a grant from the United States Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.[13] Monzon re-opened the museum in 2025, featuring funds from Goya and FirstBank and rooms themed around bioluminescent bays and natural disasters.[11]

She was named to the Forbes 50 over 50 in 2025 in the Innovation section.[14] She has been named by Forbes,[8] ArabiaWeather,[15] The Washington Post,[16] the Royal Meteorological Society,[17] and The Weather Channel as one of the most influential female meteorologists of all time.[18] She is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Women's Activism NYC". Women's Activism NYC, a project of the New York City Department of Records. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  2. 1 2 "Fly Women: An Interview with JetBlue's Ada Monzon". www.3blmedia.com. 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  3. 1 2 "Caribbean Water Resources Summit" (PDF). U.S. Department of Defense.
  4. ↑ Melazzo, Florencia García (2025-07-30). ""Todavía estoy incrédula": Ada Monzón es reconocida por Forbes en su lista "50 Over 50″". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  5. ↑ "Puerto Rico's first woman meteorologist reflects on Hurricane Maria | Latest Weather Clips". Fox Weather. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  6. 1 2 Feliciano, Manuel Crespo. "Beloved scientist Ada Monzón warned millions of 'monster' Hurricane Maria, addressed 'great suffering' with education, outreach in storm's wake". AccuWeather.
  7. ↑ "Puerto Rico Tracking Melissa For Potential Impacts | Latest Weather Clips". Fox Weather. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  8. 1 2 Shepherd, Marshall. "Four Women Who Changed The Field Of Meteorology". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Ada Monzón será la nueva meteoróloga de Noticentro al Amanecer". El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  10. ↑ Kantrow-Vázquez, Michelle (2019-07-11). "P.R. Convention Center district officials update on $112M in projects underway - News is My Business". Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  11. 1 2 Journal, Enrique Muchacho, The News (2025-09-19). "Ada Monzón Inaugurates Science Museum Reopening in Plaza las América". WJournal PR. Retrieved 2026-07-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Guzmán, Por Sandra Torres (2025-04-29). "EcoExploratorio: El museo que conecta a miles con la ciencia". Primera Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  13. ↑ Kantrow-Vázquez, Michelle (2021-09-17). "US Economic Dev't Admin. grants $16M to EcoExploratorio project - News is My Business". Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  14. ↑ McGrath, Maggie. "50 Over 50: Innovation". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  15. ↑ "Women who left their mark in the field of meteorology". ArabiaWeather. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  16. ↑ Jeromin, Kerrin; Bolinger, Becky; Patel, Kasha (2022-03-08). "Perspective | Celebrate Women's History Month with six inspiring women in atmospheric sciences". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  17. 1 2 "Ten influential women in weather and climate - past and present". Royal Meteorological Society. 2026-03-08. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  18. ↑ 3 Wild Weather Women Who Changed History Forever. Retrieved 2026-07-20 – via Weather Channel.
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