H.R. No. 1444

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Anna Michele Bobadilla of The University of Texas at Arlington has been recognized as a Mujer Legendaria by the Ford Motor Company for her contributions to her community; and

WHEREAS, A Dallas native and Grand Prairie resident, Michele Bobadilla serves the university as senior associate vice president for outreach services and community engagement, and she is also the assistant provost for Hispanic student success; she graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University and went on to complete her master's degree in elementary education at East Texas State University; and

WHEREAS, This civic-minded Texan has championed access to education for well over three decades, serving on state councils, working with national boards, and volunteering for organizations offering opportunities for growth and lifelong learning; in cooperation with the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and community partners, she established the Society of 100 Endowed Scholars' Fund, and as chair of the Stars on the Rise Scholarship Program, she helped raise nearly $5 million in 2012 to provide substantial grants for more than 270 students; she has further served as chair of the advisory council for the Foundation for the Education of Young Women, and she has co-chaired the scholarship program of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, In addition, Ms. Bobadilla has worked with the Hispanic 100 to promote Latina educational and employment opportunities, and while serving on the board of the Dallas Concilio, she was instrumental in the creation of Psyched Out About Math and Science, a program for sixth-grade girls; she also founded University Crossroads, a partnership among North Texas institutions that promotes college readiness, and she has served as vice chair of the national LULAC Education Commission; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, Ms. Bobadilla has greatly benefited the wider community through her service on boards and committees for dozens of organizations, among them the North Texas Navidad en el Barrio Foundation, the Greater Dallas Mental Health Association, the Dallas Commission for International Cultural Affairs, the Dallas Committee for Racial Healing and Understanding, and the Hispanic Leadership Forum; and

WHEREAS, Ms. Bobadilla is the recipient of myriad accolades; selected as a 2012 Woman of Distinction by the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, she has been accorded the 2011 Martha H. Salmon Leadership Award by the Southwestern Regional College Board, the 2010 Ultimate Latina--Community Service Award by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the national Raymond Telles Award for Excellence in Education by LULAC; she was inducted into the national LULAC Women's Hall of Fame in 2002, and that same year, UT-Arlington president Robert E. Witt established the Michele Bobadilla Bridge to Excellence Scholarship in her honor; and

WHEREAS, Through her tireless efforts in behalf of education, Michele Bobadilla has made a lasting, positive difference in the lives of innumerable young people, and her wide-ranging accomplishments indeed merit special recognition; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate Anna Michele Bobadilla on her selection as a Mujer Legendaria by the Ford Motor Company and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Ms. Bobadilla as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

Anchia

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 1444 was adopted by the House on April 24, 2013, by a non-record vote.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House