Nilda Pedrosa was an American politician and the acting United States Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the United States Department of State, from September 28, 2020, until a few days before her death in January 2021. She was formerly a policy advocate and the Assistant Dean for Development & External Affairs at Florida International University College of Law.
Nilda Rodriguez Pedrosa was born and raised in Miami. She was born at Mercy Hospital to a Cuban American father and a Puerto Rican mother. She graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in 1992. She went on to study at Miami Dade College and Florida International University (FIU), obtaining a bachelor's degree in sociology and anthropology in 1996. Subsequently, she attended New England Law Boston, earning a Juris Doctor with honors in 1999.
She was also a prominent member of the Cuban-American lobby and was an active member of Cuba Democracy Advocates. She was one of the staff members responsible for working on Cuba policy issues in both the US Senate and the US House of Representatives.