FEATURED: District 5 McAllen City Commissioner Víctor “Seby” Haddad helped introduce the “El Salvador Bicenterio” at the McAllen International Airport, which ran from Wednesday, September 15, 2021 through Wednesday, November 10, 2021. The collection of 16 carefully curated photographs depicted traditions, people, food customs and styles, and breathtaking views and landmarks in El Salvador.
Photograph Courtesy MCALLEN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FACEBOOK
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Valley demographics, transportation, water usage trends to be among key presentations during Festival of Facts on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 hosted by Futuro RGV at the McAllen Public Library
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]
“It’s time to recognize the Rio Grande Valley as a rising borderland metropolis”.
So says the headline for a major article by The Kinder Institute for Urban Research, a multidisciplinary think tank housed at Rice University in Houston, which was published on Wednesday, June 15, 2022.
“When compared to other border conurbations (an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of one or more cities), the Rio Grande Valley remains overlooked mainly because it lacks a large central city and because of how the Census Bureau classifies metropolitan statistical areas,” notes the article, coauthored by Rodney Gómez, Luis Guajardo, and Edna Ely-Ledesma.
“However, the binational population clustered along the Rio Grande Valley includes an estimated 2.67 million people (1.29 million in the (four-county) Rio Grande Valley and 1.38 million across the Rio Grande Valley in Mexico), surpassing the El Paso-Juárez binational conurbation in total population. This makes the RGV the second-largest border conurbation with Mexico (only San Diego-Tijuana is bigger).”
https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/2022/06/15/rio-grande-valley-rising-metropolis
On Tuesday, July 19, 2022, eight renowned experts on demographics (socioeconomic information expressed statistically, such as employment, birth rates, and more) – as well other major foundations of the South Texas economy, including agriculture, transportation, international bridges and water, will be featured speakers during FuturoRGV’s Festival of Facts at the McAllen Public Library from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The McAllen Public Library is located at 4001 North 23rd Street.
Futuro RGV, formerly known as Futuro McAllen, began as an advocacy citizen group in 1999 for quality-of-life issues that were in danger of being side-tracked due to the tremendous growth taking place in McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley, according to its website.
Futuro is a Spanish word for future.
Festival of Facts will be delivered in the following way:
• Each speaker will have about 10 minutes to present their facts on the issue; and
• Any speaker’s PowerPoint presentation will be emailed to any attendee who provides a legible email on the registration sheet or a business card.
However, the speakers will not take questions or comments from the audience during the two-hour session in order to provide the time for their respective introductions and setting up of PowerPoint presentations.
A PowerPoint is a presentation created on software from Microsoft that allows users to add audio, visual and audio/visual features to a presentation. It is considered to be a multimedia technology and also acts as a tool for collaboration and content sharing.
The Festival of Facts on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 is the second of a two-part event organized by Futuro RGV as part of its commitment to increasing an educated citizenry.
On Tuesday, July 13, 2022, the first Festival of Facts was also held at the McAllen Public Library.
“These forums are designed to inform the public and candidates prior to the Fall 2022 elections about relevant data points on 16 important issues that affect us in the RGV,” explained Futuro RGV President Nedra Kinerk. “Speakers present information on an issue on which they have research data – versus opinions or rumors that may be circulating.”
Prior to the beginning of the upcoming Tuesday, July 19, 2022 event, interested individuals – including mainstream and social media journalists – will have the opportunity to meet with the speakers during a pre-event mixer from 5:19 pm to 5:50 pm.
“The mixer is to set the tone for the forum and to ensure attendees are in their seats and ready to start promptly at 6 pm,” said Kinerk. “The mixer also gives the audience the opportunity to know the speakers and better appreciate their information.”
Individuals interested in the upcoming Festival of Facts forums may contact Kinerk at [email protected] or Rhonda Salinas at [email protected]
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Scheduled to participate and deliver their respective insights and their latest information will be (this list is in alphabetical order, not by order of appearance):
Frank Almaraz
CEO
Workforce Solutions
Hidalgo County
Topic: Workforce Solutions and Trends
Born and raised in McAllen, Frank Almaraz graduated from UT-Pan American with an accounting degree. Austin then became his home for the next 20 years. Becoming a certified public account and working first for the state and then as Internal Audit Director for the Texas Workforce Commission, he jumped when he had the opportunity to return home to the Valley.
Almaraz took over as Chief Executive Officer for Workforce Solutions in 2012, and now leads 30 people on this large board which covers Willacy, Hidalgo, and Starr counties.
Texas Workforce Solutions is comprised of the Texas Workforce Commission and a statewide network of 28 Workforce Development Boards (Boards) for regional planning and service delivery, their contracted service providers and community partners, and the TWC unemployment benefits Tele-Centers.
Texas Workforce Solutions’ mission statement is to provide job seekers with the skills, and business with the talent, they need to be successful. Furthermore, Texas Workforce Solution is guided by three key strategic Imperatives:
• Understand the needs of the business community to ensure a demand-driven system;
• Prepare a job-ready workforce and foster external partnerships that promote educational and skill attainment, and;
• Build strategic partnerships to leverage resources for it’s customers.
Manuel Cruz
Executive Director
Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council
Topic: Public Transportation Utilization Trends
Manuel “Manny” Cruz has extensive background with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, having served as Director of Public Safety for the LRGVD before being selected as its executive director.
Born and raised in Weslaco, he is graduate of Weslaco High School, and soon after, joined the U.S. Navy, stationed in Leemore, California for 10 years. He did three tours of duty to the Persian Gulf.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council is a voluntary association of cities, counties and public educational institutions and school districts in the Rio Grande Valley.
Based in Weslaco, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council is a member of the Texas Association of Regional Councils.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council promotes and encourages cooperation among local units of government in order to improve the region’s health, safety, and general welfare and to plan for future development.
Roberto Haddad
Vice President
Counsel for Government Affairs and Policy
Doctor Hospital at Renaissance Health System
Topic: Valley Birth Rates and Trends
Roberto Haddad is an experienced attorney with a wide-ranging background in governmental affairs and relations, federal and state legislative process, advocacy, legal research, analysis and writing, public policy analysis and development, litigation, contracts, and health care law and policy. He has proven strengths in organizational, interpersonal, and analytical skills with an ability to manage a multitude of duties and issues of complex subject matter in a fast-moving and demanding environment, and with an impressive record of success.
He is a graduate of St. Edward’s University in Austin with a BBA in Accounting and Business Administration and earned his Juris Doctor in Law from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Before coming to Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health System, Haddad’s previous professional experiences include serving as: Legislative Counsel for U.S. Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, and Chief Legal and Company Affairs Officer for Arjuna Solutions, LLC, both in Washington, D.C.; and as Law Clerk for the Honorable Ricardo H. Hinojosa, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas-McAllen Division.
Dr. Sai Mullapudi
Research Associate IV
Business Economic Research
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Topic: Trends of the 2020 Census
Sai Mullapudi is a Business Economic Research Associate IV, with Data and Information Systems Center (DISC) under the Department of Economic Development, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg. DISC is a Census Information Center and State Data Center affiliate that provides a full range of data and research services including Census data, maps, big data, GIS services, economic impact analysis, EB5 studies, Texas Enterprise Fund studies and marketing research services to businesses, economic development organizations, elected officials, and individuals.
Mullapudi currently serves on the national census information center steering committee. He served as the chair of the national census information center steering committee in 2008 and 2009. He has been on several national panels advocating the data of Latino population and colored communities. He was also on the McAllen EB5 advisory board and Easter Seals Data advisory team.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Science and Information Technology from the University of Texas-Pan American, a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Andhra University, and Diploma in Systems Management from National Institute of Information Technology.
Francisco Partida, C.M.
Special Project Manager
Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
Topic: Airport Traffic Trends
Francisco Partida is an aviation professional with more than 17 years of experience in the industry, seven of which have been in airport management. Strategic planning, developing and managing the air service, marketing, advertising and public relations annual strategies, growing aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue, as well as airside and landside project management. Provide support to the executive team and filling the role of Acting Assistant Director or Director when necessary.
He has extensive experience in corporate aviation across the Americas and the Caribbean in both single pilot and multi-crew environments. He helps in maintaining compliance and continuously interpreting domestic and international regulations issued by the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S., the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) in Mexico, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) worldwide.
Matt Ruszczak
Senior Vice President
Economic Development
COSTEP
Topic: International Bridges – Commercial & Non-Commercial Traffic
In his role with COSTEP – the Council for Economic Progress – Ruszczak helps market the vibrant binational Rio South Texas Region to Mobility Industry investors from around the world.
COSTEP, the Council for Economic Progress, forges new pathways for regional prosperity through a variety of economic development initiatives. These initiatives work in concert with COSTEP’s historic educational mission, helping families flourish through efforts that include helping fund millions of dollars in scholarships and providing free financial literacy education programs. Throughout the organization’s 49-year history, COSTEP’s one goal has been to help local residents provide a better life for themselves and their families.
His previous professional successes include serving as Executive Director, Rio South Texas Economic Council, where he supported economic development efforts across deep South Texas as well as promoting the Rio South Texas regional on an international scale.
Before that, Ruszczak was Chapter Relations & Development Manager for the Texas Restaurant Association, who helped strengthen 23 TRA chapters throughout the state and building value for the more than 14,000 members of that Austin-based organization.
Mark Vega, P.E.
General Manager
McAllen Public Utility
Topic: Water Usage Statistics and Trends
Mark Vega is the full-time General Manager of the McAllen Public Utilities.
Born and raised in McAllen, he received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University – Kingsville. He worked for a private civil engineering firm for nearly four years prior to entering the public sector. He began with McAllen Public Utility in 2003 and has served as General Manager since 2014.
The Board of Trustees of the McAllen Public Utility was created February 2, 1945 to oversee all aspects of water and sewer for the City of McAllen. The board consists of four members elected at large by place, in a citywide election for four-year terms and one ex-officio member appointed by the mayor.
Dr. Samuel D. Zapata
Assistant Professor and
Extension Economist-Management
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Center
Topic: Agricultural Trends
Dr. Samuel D. Zapata is an Assistant Professor and Extension Economist-Management located at the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center in Weslaco serving the 20-county area of the South Extension District.
Zapata develops and coordinates Extension educational programs and applied research related to Farm Management and Marketing by providing technical expertise and educational materials for producers, Extension agents, specialists, clientele, and organizations.
His education includes a Ph.D. – Applied Economics from Clemson University and a Master of Science in Applied Economics and Statistics from Clemson University, which is located in Clemson, South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Zamorano Pan American Agricultural University in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is a unique education agency that provides programs, tools and resources on a local and statewide level that teach people improved agriculture and food production, advanced health practices, environmental protection, economic and youth programs. With 250 county offices serving Texans in all 254 counties, county Extension Agents serve families, youth, communities and businesses throughout the state.
Futuro RGV events are usually free and open to the public, thanks in large part to financial support provided by key sponsors to cover the costs of the public affairs gatherings organized by the group.
“Our sponsors have been very important in helping Futuro RGV provide these services,” Kinerk gratefully emphasized.
The 2022 Sponsors for Futuro RGV are, in alphabetical order:
AT&T;
Clark Chevrolet;
CopyZone;
CrazyStupidLive;
DHR Health;
Ernie Williams;
Frost Banking Investments Insurance;
IBC Bank;
L&F Distributors;
Rhodes Enterprises, Inc.;
Rio Bank;
Sam Garcia Architect;
UVMS – Upper Valley Mail Service, LLC; and
Valley Land Title Co.
All of the leaders and members of Futuro RGV are volunteers, and they each pay annual dues of $20 to help support the group’s mission and vision.
“Member dues to support this work is also very important. Member dues have remained $20 per year since its founding in 1999,” she said. “We welcome $20 dues from all who support our informational programs – check, cash, or credit card.”
Futuro RGV is videotaping the two Festival of Facts presentations to be later broadcast on the Futuro RGV Facebook page, website, and social media.
These presentations will be the basis for questions at the Futuro Rio Grande Valley Candidate Forums in September 2022 for the General Elections in November 2022.
Former Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, McAllen Police Chief Víctor Rodríguez, five other experts in education, law enforcement, immigration, and the economy were featured in Futuro RGV’s Festival of Facts on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at McAllen Public Library
During the Tuesday, July 12, 2022 Festival of Facts presentations, the following speakers and their respective topics were featured (this list is in alphabetical order, not by order of appearance):
Jessica Bolter
Associate Policy Analyst
Migration Policy Institute
Topics: Migrant Flows, Patterns and Trends
Jessica Bolter is an Associate Policy Analyst with the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at MPI. Her research focuses on migration patterns at the U.S.-Mexico border, extracontinental migration in the Americas, immigration enforcement, and asylum and refugee issues.
She has interned with MPI, the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, the Ohio Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs, and the Center for Democracy in the Americas. Ms. Bolter holds a bachelor’s degree in American studies and Spanish area studies from Kenyon College, where she focused on relations between the United States and Latin America.
Former Rep. Verónica Gonzáles
Senior Vice President
Government and Community Relations
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Topic: Growing and Keeping Talent in the Rio Grande Valley
Verónica Gonzáles is a recognized leader in the public and private sectors, having more than 20 years of experience in negotiating and advocating to obtain results – as an attorney, mediator, legislator, fundraiser and now working in government and community relations for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Also for more than 20 years, Gonzáles practiced law in the Rio Grande Valley. During those years, she was recognized as a Super Lawyer four times by the Texas Super Lawyers and was named one of “30 Extraordinary Women in Law” by the Texas Lawyer. In 2004, Gonzáles was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, where she served four terms, two of which, she was the Chairwoman of the Border and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee
Dr. Daniel King
Executive Director
Region One Education Service Center
Topics: Public, Charter & Private School Enrollment; and
High School Graduation Rates and Students’ Next Steps
The Region One ESC Board of Directors voted unanimously to select Dr. Daniel P. King as the new Executive Director of the Region One Education Service Center in a regular called board meeting in late April; his first day was May 2, 2022.
He has served 42 years in public education with experience at all levels, including 20 years as a superintendent in both small and large Region One area school districts, retiring in 2019 from PSJA ISD.
Most recently, King has been involved in transforming leadership teams in areas of organizational performance, leadership development, and executive coaching. His selection as the regional service center’s educational leader was approved by Mike Morath, Texas Commissioner of Education, who commended King’s leadership and experience: “Dr. Danny King is a proven educational leader. I am both encouraged and excited by the ESC 1 Board of Director’s decision to appoint him as the region’s next Executive Director.”
Paul R. Rodríguez
Member
Board of Trustees
South Texas College
Topics: Dual Enrollment/Early College High School Trends
Since 2000, the Dual Credit Programs at South Texas College has served 118,000 high school students at 70 high school partners, saving families more than $280 million in tuition.
Paul R. Rodríguez is President and CEO of Valley Land Title Company, which provides title insurance products and services to facilitate real estate transactions. With offices in McAllen, Mission, Edinburg and Weslaco, the company has a staff with more than 250 years of combined experience in all aspects of the title industry, including abstractors, title examiners, tax personnel, escrow officers, real estate attorneys and support staff.
As the STC District 3 board trustee, he represents South McAllen, Southwest Pharr, Hidalgo, Sharyland, Southeast Mission, and Granjeño. He was appointed in August 2021, and has gone on to win reelection, including in May 2022, where he was reelected to another six-year term.
Rodríguez formerly served as Chair and Secretary of the seven-member STC Board of Trustees.
He currently serves as a member of STC’s Education and Workforce Development Committee as a member of the Finance, Audit, and Human Resources Committee.
Víctor Rodríguez
Chief of Police
City of McAllen
Topic: Crime Statistics and Trends
Now in his 22nd year as Chief, Víctor Rodríguez previously worked in Brownsville for 16 years as Chief, then worked for Governor George W. Bush in Austin before taking the position in McAllen.
He also takes an active role with the local Crime Stoppers, which has become a strong advocate for the department.
Rodríguez is a member of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Criminal Justice Advisory Committee and McAllen Crime Stoppers, past director of the South Texas Inter-Governmental Drug Task Force. He is also a past member of the Cameron County Drug Enforcement Task Force Board of Governors, Texas Interstate Compact Committee, Brownsville Crime Stoppers and Association of Paroling Authorities International.
Rodríguez is past chairman of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Texas Automobile Theft Prevention Authority. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas Pan American and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program.
Dr. Ricardo Solis
President
South Texas College
Topic: Higher Education Statistics
Ricardo Solis, Ph.D., is President of South Texas College and previously served as President of Laredo College, Laredo, Texas; Executive Dean for Academic, Professional, and Technical Education at Gateway Community College; and Maricopa Community Colleges, in Phoenix, Arizona.
Solis earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration – Community College Leadership from The University of Texas at Austin; a Master of Business Administration in International Management from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California; and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
Founded in 1993, South Texas College offers more than 127 degree and certificate options, including associate degrees in a variety of liberal art, social science, business, math, science, technology, advanced manufacturing, and allied health fields of study.
Additionally, South Texas College is the only community college in the State of Texas to offer five baccalaureate degrees. South Texas College has a faculty and staff of more than 2,200 to serve the college’s five campuses, two higher education centers, and one virtual campus.
Matt Ruszczak
Senior Vice President
Economic Development
COSTEP
Topic: Sales Tax Receipts
In his role with COSTEP – the Council for Economic Progress – Ruszczak helps market the vibrant binational Rio South Texas Region to Mobility Industry investors from around the world.
COSTEP, the Council for Economic Progress, forges new pathways for regional prosperity through a variety of economic development initiatives. These initiatives work in concert with COSTEP’s historic educational mission, helping families flourish through efforts that include helping fund millions of dollars in scholarships and providing free financial literacy education programs. Throughout the organization’s 49-year history, COSTEP’s one goal has been to help local residents provide a better life for themselves and their families.
His previous professional successes include serving as Executive Director, Rio South Texas Economic Council, where he supported economic development efforts across deep South Texas as well as promoting the Rio South Texas regional on an international scale.
Before that, Ruszczak was Chapter Relations & Development Manager for the Texas Restaurant Association, who helped strengthen 23 TRA chapters throughout the state and building value for the more than 14,000 members of that Austin-based organization.
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For more on this and other Texas legislative news stories that affect the Rio Grande Valley metropolitan region, please log on to Titans of the Texas Legislature (TitansoftheTexasLegislature.com).
