I understand Canutillo. I grew up in a family that valued hard work and believed the road to success is education. After the death of my father and my mother’s disability, I realized quickly that education is the best way to become an effective contributor to my family and my community.  From my humble upbringing in Canutillo, my family instilled in me a culture of high expectations that led to public service and a business degree from UTEP.  

The deep-rooted desire to serve my community began as a child, when family friends asked me to volunteer in a political campaign.  I embarked on my own campaign in 2002, when I was elected the youngest-ever member to the Canutillo Independent School District Board of Trustees. I am serving my fourth term on the Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees, where I have served as President, Vice President and Secretary. My work in Canutillo has garnered many honors and awards, including historic gains in student achievement and state-recognized progress. In fact, Canutillo today is the only district in the region that has achieved an A rating from the Texas Education Agency in back-to-back years. The District also boasts one of the few high schools in the region to earn the Blue Ribbon designation from the U.S. Department of Education – the most prestigious award given to a public school. I’m especially proud of the A-B Honor Roll distinction the District received from the Educational Results Partnership for our efforts to close achievement gaps and create high-performing schools – the only El Paso district to get such honor. As well as our efforts to close the digital divide lead us to create Canutillo Connect, a one-to-one distribution of laptops and widespread connectivity for all students in the District.  

In 2011, my work as a school trustee earned me a spot in the prestigious Leadership TASB -- a program from the Texas Association of School Boards aimed at training promising leaders in our community. I am proud to represent Canutillo on several local, state and national boards. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the National School Board Association, where I also serve as Chair of the National Hispanic Council and as Secretary of the National School Board Action Center. Just recently, I was nominated to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas Association of School Boards, the state’s largest public-education advocacy and support organization which I currently serve as the Region 19 Representative on the TASB Board of Directors. Other leadership positions I hold include being a member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. Previously, I also served as president of the Mexican American School Board Association and the Far West Texas School Board Association.

 I also am a founding member of CAFÉ, Canutillo Alumni Foundation for Education, which has raised more than $150,000 in scholarships for Canutillo graduates.