How long have you worked in economic development?

With current position and previous nonprofit experience a total of 3 years.

How did you enter the economic development profession?

Community service and running a nonprofit.

What is your favorite thing about working in economic development?

Seeing the results and impact from our efforts.

Tell us about the community or organization you represent.

Southside First represents the entire Southside of San Antonio. Over 135 sq miles with over 500,000 people, it is the largest economic region in the 7th largest state in the US. The diversity is vast in many ways, including high-tech businesses to the lowest wages paid in the city. While we have the biggest opportunities for recruiting new businesses, we also have the biggest challenges in San Antonio. Low High School and College graduation rates, high drop-out rates, and the largest amount of low-paying jobs.

The gap between young people's graduation and being able to fill the increasing number of high-paying, high-tech, science, and aerospace jobs is widening. We also have language challenges with many non-English speaking citizens and a digital divide with a lack of internet connectivity and/or computer access.

We are a fairly new organization with some funding from the city and other nonprofits. With a small workforce we're positioning ourselves for growth to have the largest strategic impact possible with the limited resources we currently have.

What makes your community a great place for business and people to thrive? If you don’t represent a community, how do you help economic development organizations succeed?

San Antonio's arts and cultural strengths are unparalleled. We have a rich cultural history and authenticity and are a home to amenities that allow tourists and residents to explore the city's past with the Alamo and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Texas, which is also located on the Southside.

Every year, Mexican American culture is celebrated with 11 days of Fiesta. San Antonio was also named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy with its vibrant culinary scene, being just one of two US cities with this distinction.

The city has long and deep ties with the military and is home to the largest joint base in the US DoD., Joint Base San Antonio, which contributes $18.7 billion in gross domestic product (2017). The military presence in San Antonio provides a strong pool of talent and robust military medicine operations that reinforces the city's bioscience strengths.

Our diverse economic base is supplemented by an exceptional ecosystem of industry assets supporting information technology, mobility, sustainable energy, and corporate services.

The city is expanding access to education and training opportunities to promote economic mobility for San Antonio workers with the $200 million Ready to Work initiative.

We have a thriving network of higher education institutions from the five Alamo Colleges district campuses to the University of Texas at San Antonio, a newly minted Carnegie R1 doctoral university.

The city is the 7th largest US city by population and has the unique distinction of being a city where the majority of citizens are minorities.*

Tell us about your favorite place/thing to do in your community.

There are many different things to do in San Antonio, and I love all of them. The Riverwalk is always a favorite. Visiting all five missions and exploring different restaurants and shopping districts is also enjoyable. My favorites are museums, the Botanical Garden, Zoo, and amusements like Fiesta Texas and Sea World.

If you had a message to those considering a career in economic development, what would it be and why should they enter the field?

If you are even considering it, I would recommend looking into it. Pretty much everything fits under the economic development umbrella, so there is a vast exposure to many different things. You'll never be bored!

Share your favorite quote or the best piece of advice that has helped to guide your professional development.

You can never go wrong if you approach everything with a heart for service and a desire to help others.

What does economic development mean to you?

Providing economic development leadership to the community, starting with community leaders, large and small businesses, education institutions, city leaders, and influencers. Since there are so many organizations assisting and providing resources and education, the key in our community is to get everyone working together with high levels of communication and cooperation to serve the community best.