Eva Cruz

Born and raised in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Dr. Cruz was the first woman to graduate with a B.S. in Electronics Engineering degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, graduated at the top of her class (Summa Cum Laude), before being awarded a research assistantship to pursue graduate studies at Virginia Tech. There she completed a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Mining and Minerals Engineering, working in R&D projects related to optimization algorithms and advanced process controls. She also holds an MBA from the University of Florida, along with multiple industry certifications.

With over 20 years of corporate and academic experience, including multiple Fortune 100 companies, her career led her to leadership roles applying advanced data analytics, AI/machine learning, and risk management in critical business applications in financial services, banking, and energy. Her professional experience combines expertise in advanced quantitative techniques—grounded in statistics, engineering, econometrics, finance, and machine learning— with process design and improvement methodologies. She is a proven leader in the hiring, formation, and development of high-performing teams at several U.S. financial institutions, including Trust, Bank of America, Fannie Mae, American Express, Ally Financial, and TD Bank.

Currently, she owns and manages a consulting and advisory services business to help organizations build their predictive analytics and decision support capabilities. She is a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

She has joined and volunteered at multiple nonprofit organizations focused on advancing women and girls’ participation in STEM careers such as Girls in Tech Atlanta, Women in Technology, and Women in Analytics. In 2022, she formed a 501(c)(3) private foundation, named the Cruz Morel Foundation, to help fund programs in the Dominican Republic focused on education for youth from low-income communities. Since then, her organization has sponsored coding classes and vocational careers for young girls through the Mariposa DR Foundation.

In her personal life, she describes herself as a voracious reader, with a passion for learning about most subjects, a passionate advocate for gender and racial equity in education and wealth-building opportunities, as well as animal welfare/animal rescue. She enjoys travel and long-distance walks, completing recently a section of the Way of St James in Spain.