FEATURED: Maricela “Mari” De León, MPA, CPM, whose extensive public service credentials also include more than 20 years of professional experience in the Texas Legislature, higher education, and economic development, on Friday, August 1, 2025, was selected Interim Director, Rio Grande Valley LEAD (Linking Economic and Academic Development). She succeeds Dr. Marcos Silva, the former RGV LEAD Executive Director. RGV LEAD (pronounced “/li?d/” and rhymes with “feed”) is a nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Weslaco, linking employers to support both opportunities for students and economic development.
Photograph Courtesy RIO GRANDE VALLEY LEAD
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Maricela “Mari” De León, MPA, CPM, with more than 20 years experience in the Texas Legislature, higher education, and economic development, selected Interim Director, Rio Grande Valley LEAD (Linking Economic and Academic Development)
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]
Maricela “Mari” De León, MPA, CPM, whose extensive public service credentials also include more than 20 years of professional experience in the Texas Legislature, higher education, and economic development, on Friday, August 1, 2025, was selected Interim Director, Rio Grande Valley LEAD (Linking Economic and Academic Development).
She succeeds Dr. Marcos Silva, the former RGV LEAD Executive Director.
“I was asked by my fellow board members to assume this administrative leadership role with RGV LEAD because our previous executive director, Dr. Marcos Silva, did such an exceptional job with us – and his outstanding other professional and personal achievements have opened tremendous other opportunities for him,” De León said. “I, too, am honored to follow in Dr. Silva’s footsteps – if only for a few months – in order for our Board of Directors to interview who are sure to be first-class candidates for this vital position.”
De León is President, Board of Directors, RGV LEAD.
RGV LEAD (prounounced “/li?d/” and rhymes with “feed”) is a nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Weslaco, linking employers to support both opportunities for students and economic development, according to its website.
De León, whose worked for a combined 15 years as a legislative staff member with then-Rep. Aaron Peña of Edinburg and then-Rep. Gilbert Peña of Houston (no relation to Aaron Peña), was appointed to the interim executive position by the Board of Directors of RGV LEAD.
From 2003 through 2017, De León served in various roles in the Texas House of Representatives, including as a legislative aide, executive assistant, chief committee clerk, and chief-of-staff.
While working with Rep. Aaron Peña, one of the many major legislative measures in which she was directly involved was helping promote the University of Texas Regional Academic Health Center, which had three major campuses in Edinburg, Harlingen, and Brownsville.
https://www.rgv-life.com/2009/12/rep-aaron-penas-news-under-dome-2009.html
The Regional Academic Health Center served as the foundation for the creation of the UTRGV School of Medicine, and are now part of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.
She also worked with the Texas State Technical College System, which has a major campus in Harlingen, on its legislative agenda.
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public, two-year institution with multiple campuses across Texas. It focuses on providing technical education and training to meet the state's workforce needs, with an emphasis on hands-on learning and collaboration with businesses and industries. TSTC was established in 1965 as the James Connally Technical Institute (JCTI) of Texas A&M University. The college is known for its outcomes-based funding model, where its funding is tied to students finding employment after graduation.
De León holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance and a Masters of Public Administration, both from the University of Texas-Pan American (now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley).
Her thesis for her Master of Public Administration was “Is Texas Measuring Up to Federal Expectations? An Examination of the No Child Left Behind Legislation on Texas Region One Education Service Center District Schools”.
The UTRGV Master of Public Administration (MPA) program prepares students for leadership roles in government and non-profit organizations. It offers both a traditional and an accelerated online format. The program focuses on public policy analysis, grant writing, and administration, equipping students with skills applicable to local government management, non-profit administration, and political and public administration research.
In addition, De León holds the professional designation of Texas Certified Public Manager (CPM), which means she has completed a nationally accredited, comprehensive management development program designed to enhance their leadership and management skills within the public service sector. CPMs work in federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as in some non-profit organizations with a public purpose. The program focuses on improving individual and organizational performance through the application of best practices and theory to practical management challenges.
The Texas Certified Public Manager program (CPM), offered by UTRGV Professional Education & Workforce Development, is a seven-track program spread over a 12-14-month period. It is accredited by the National Certified Public Manager Consortium and is cooperatively offered through the William P. Hobby Center for Public Service of Texas State University.
https://www.utrgv.edu/ce/programs/leadership-and-management/certified-public-manager/index.htm
According to the RGV LEAD:
• RGV LEAD provides engagement opportunities that help students develop soft skills and increase their awareness of regional industry demands. It offers professional development opportunities for educational leaders on labor market information and works with postsecondary institutions and industry to engage K–12 students in career pathways.
• For more than 30 years, RGV LEAD has partnered with school districts across the Rio Grande Valley, serving as a connector between education and industry. While the public and private sectors often meet people’s needs, gaps still exist — spaces where individuals lack the support necessary to lead productive lives. RGV LEAD helps bridge those gaps by uniting regional governments, businesses, philanthropies, and communities to create opportunities and transform lives.
• As the project manager for regional joint ventures, RGV LEAD collaborates with entrepreneurs, businesses, and community organizations to design initiatives that leverage the strengths of both private and public sectors. These partnerships are aimed at driving economic development and expanding opportunities for upward mobility for families across the Rio Grande Valley.
The members of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board for RGV LEAD, are:
- Maricela “Mari” De León, MPA, CPM, President, Executive Board, of Edinburg;
- Dr. Esmeralda Adame, Vice President, Executive Board, of Mission;
- Justice Ysmael Fonseca, Member, Executive Board, of Edinburg;
- Adriana Sarmiento, Member, Executive Board, of McAllen;
- Anabelle Cardona, Member, Executive Board, of Weslaco;
- Eloy Garza, Member, Executive Board, of Pharr;
- Jonathan Medina, Member, Executive Board, of Brownsville;
- Dr. Viviana Espinosa, Member, Executive Board, of Harlingen;
- Francisco Almaraz, Board Member, of McAllen;
- Dr. Daniel King, Board Member, of Edinburg;
- Kristina Leal, P.E., CFM, Board Member, of McAllen;
- Leonardo Treviño, Board Member,of Edinburg;
- Krista Chapa, P.E., CFM, Board Member, of La Feria;
- Ricardo Peña, Board Member,of Harlingen;
- Leo Sáenz, Board Member, of McAllen;
- Dr. Cynthia Walls, Board Member, of Edinburg;
- Mario Barragán, Board Member, of Laredo;
- Carlos Garza, Board Member, of Edinburg;
- Rhonda Salinas, Board Member, of McAllen;
- Noemí Perales, Advisory Board Member, of Edinburg;
- Manny Vela, Board Member, of Harlingen;
- Dr. Norma L. Salaiz, Advisory Board Member,of Edinburg; and
- Dr. Narcisco García, Advisory Board Member, of Edcouch-Elsa.
Partners providing support for RGV LEAD are:
- RGV LNG – Rio Grande LNG;
- Texas Gas Service – A Division of ONE Gas Service;
- Titan Fuel – Transforming Fuel Services;• University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – UT Health Rio Grande Valley;
- McAllen Economic Development Corporation;
- South Texas College Foundation;
- Texas Regional Bank;
- Texas State Technical College;
- Edinburg Economic Development Corporation;
- LJ Francis for State Board of Education;
- Texas National Bank; and
- Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation.
The longtime and successful efforts of RGV LEAD were honored on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, by the Texas House of Representatives, through House Resolution 144 authored by Rep. Ryan Guillén, R-Rio Grande City.
That resolution follows:
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The 30th anniversary of Rio Grande Valley Linking Economic and Academic Development is being celebrated at an event on November 10, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception in 1992, RGV LEAD has fostered a fruitful partnership between education and industry, promoting college and career readiness in order to build a highly skilled workforce for the region; the organization was established as Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley by Patricia G. Bubb, who went on to serve as executive director of RGV LEAD for nearly three decades; initially funded by a federal grant, it is now supported by stakeholders across the Rio Grande Valley; and
WHEREAS, RGV LEAD develops and manages collaborative projects that unite the efforts of educators and employers to help students set and reach their college and professional goals; the organization's initiatives encourage area youth to pursue studies geared toward employment in high-demand fields; moreover, RGV LEAD strives to increase the number of high school graduates who are fully prepared for further education and the attainment of such necessary qualifications as degrees, certificates, and licenses; and
WHEREAS, In the three decades since its establishment, RGV LEAD has helped countless young Texans develop the knowledge and skills necessary to build successful careers, and the organization is indeed deserving of recognition for its invaluable contributions to the Rio Grande Valley; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby honor Rio Grande Valley Linking Economic and Academic Development on its 30th anniversary and extend to all those associated with the organization sincere best wishes for continued success with their important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for RGV LEAD as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
Additional information about the organization is available by scrolling RGV LEAD in the Internet search bar, including:
https://texasborderbusiness.com/advancing-college-and-career-readiness-across-the-rio-grande-valley/
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