Juan José Ossa

Juan José Ossa
Official portrait (2021)
Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency
In office
6 January 2021 – 11 March 2022
PresidentSebastián Piñera
Preceded byCristián Monckeberg
Succeeded byGiorgio Jackson
General Undersecretary of the Presidency
In office
1 January 2020 – 6 January 2021
Preceded byJuan Francisco Galli
Succeeded byMaximo Pávez
Undersecretary of Justice
In office
11 March 2018 – 1 January 2020
Preceded byNicolás Mena Letelier
Succeeded bySebastián Valenzuela Agüero
Personal details
Born (1979-09-12) 12 September 1979
PartyRenovación Nacional[1]
SpouseCarmen Lyon
ChildrenThree
Parent(s)Juan Luis Ossa
Lucía Santa Cruz[2]
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Juan José María Santa Cruz (born 12 September 1979) is a Chilean lawyer and politician. He served as the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency from 2021 to 2022.[3]

In 2018, he was appointed by Sebastián Piñera as Undersecretary of Justice[4] and in 2020 was appointed as General Undersecretariat of the Presidency.[5]

Early life and education

Ossa was born on September 12, 1979, in Santiago, Chile. He is the son of lawyer and former member of the Chamber of Deputies Juan Luis Ossa Bulnes and historian Lucía Santa Cruz Sutil.[6]

Ossa earned his law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and later completed a Master of Laws (LL.M.) at the London School of Economics and Political Science.[6]

Career

His professional career includes work as an associate lawyer at Carey y Cía. (2004–2006) and Bulnes, Pellegrini & Urrutia (2006–2007), as well as a period as a partner at Eyzaguirre, Burlé, Montes y Ossa Abogados (2017–2018).[6] He has also taught civil law at the Faculty of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.[6]

A member of National Renewal, Ossa served as National Director of the National Consumer Service (SERNAC) from 2012 to 2014.[6] Between 2014 and 2018, he was a member of the Disciplinary Tribunal of the National Professional Football Association (ANFP).[6]

During the second government of Sebastián Piñera (2018–2022), he held several senior government positions, including Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency, Undersecretary of Justice, and Undersecretary General of the Presidency.[6] He is a Director of the Centre for Public Policy at San Sebastián University.[6]

In 2023, Ossa was appointed as expert commissioner of the Constitutional Council.[7] Within the council, he serves as President of the Subcommittee on Political System, Constitutional Reform, and Form of State. His areas of expertise include consumer law, civil law, and competition law.[6]

Personal life

Ossa is married to Carmen Lyon, and they have three children.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Bajista, litigante y RN: Las huellas de Ossa, el subsecretario que negoció con los gendarmes" (in Spanish). La Tercera. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  2. ^ Ossandón, Josefa (11 April 2021). "Perfil: 20 cosas que tienes que saber de Juan José Ossa, el ministro RN de La Moneda" (in Spanish). Ex-Ante. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Juan José Ossa, ministro de la Segpres: "Nuestra evaluación sobre el rol del gobierno en la convención es más positiva que negativa"" (in Spanish). La Tercera. 16 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Quiénes son los subsecretarios que acompañarán a Sebastián Piñera en su gobierno" (in Spanish). Canal 13 (Chile). 11 March 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Juan José Ossa es nombrado como subsecretario general de la Presidencia y asume en 2020" (in Spanish). Canal 13 (Chile). 19 December 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Juan José Ossa Santa Cruz". Library of the National Congress of Chile (in Spanish). 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Los comisionados expertos Juan José Ossa (RN) y Gabriel Osorio (PS) abordan el trabajo de la comisión". Canal 13. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2025.