The 30-year-old, seventh in the SB5 100 metres breaststroke at London 2012, polled 201 of the 931 votes cast during the election held in the Toronto 2015 Athletes Village between August 5 and 13 to coincide with the Parapan American Games which are due to finish tomorrow.

Rodriquez will replace Brazilian sprinter Terezinha Guilhermina, who was elected to the Executive Board four years ago in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Mexican powerlifter Perla Barcenas was just four votes behind Rodriquez. 

Other candidates included Canada's five-times T11 1500m Paralympic medallist jason Dunkerley, Argentinian 7-a-side footballer Rodrigo Lugrin, Chilean wheelchair tennis player Francisca Mardones and Ecuadoran table tennis player Paul Polo.

Rodriquez, who grew up in Cuba, developed a rare condition known as arterial venus malformation in her spine when she was 13.

Shortly afterwards her family moved to the United States.  

"I would like to thank the athletes, they have trust me to represent them in the Americas Paralympic Committee," Rodriguez, an architecture graduate from Florida International University, said.

"It is a great honour for me to serve in the committee and be an ambassador for the Paralympic Movement.

"I want to contribute to the development of the sport and its recognition in the region."

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