By: Garcia H.R. No. 776

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Women's History Month is held each March to celebrate the myriad accomplishments of women in every field and every facet of our society, and this observance provides a fitting opportunity to recognize Bexar County women who have made a significant positive impact in the community; and

WHEREAS, Lucy Adame-Clark is the first Latina and the first woman elected as Bexar County clerk; in this role, she also serves as the Bexar County treasurer, as a member of the Bexar County Bail Bond Board, and as chair of the Records Management Committee; she was employed for many years by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, and her work in the Criminal Investigation Division encompassed numerous high-profile cases; and

WHEREAS, Pamela Espurvoa Allen is the founder and president of Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach, as well as the special needs ministry director and consultant for Summit Christian Center; she serves as a champion for parents trying to navigate the special education process to obtain the services their children require; in addition, she advocates for refugees and assisted in facilitating the participation of refugee children in the Head Start program; and

WHEREAS, Judge Mary Lou Alvarez presides over the 45th District Court; recently, she published an activity book to educate children about the county and the judicial system; before taking the bench, she spent the majority of her career at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, representing victims of domestic violence; and

WHEREAS, The recipient of the 2020 Bexar County Pioneer Award, the Honorable Stephanie Boyd, is presiding judge of the 187th Judicial District Court; she is a member of the Order of Barristers and a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a prestigious charitable organization; previously, she served as president of the San Antonio Black Lawyers Association and held a seat on the board of Youth Transitioning into Adulthood, a program for those aging out of the foster care system; and

WHEREAS, Following 19 years of service with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, Kathryn "Kat" Brown was elected as Bexar County constable for Precinct 4; she attained the rank of sergeant and was active in community relations; as a survivor of ovarian and breast cancer, she has advocated for cancer awareness and supported community engagement projects; and

WHEREAS, Beverly Watts Davis has served the community in a variety of capacities, including as executive director of San Antonio Fighting Back; she has shared her expertise as a member of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development National Advisory Committee, and the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, among other organizations; moreover, she is a founder and former chair of the board of the Women's Chamber of Commerce of Texas; and

WHEREAS, Janie Martinez Gonzalez is the CEO of Webhead, a firm that provides cybersecurity solutions to clients across the nation; she founded the company while she was still in college; in early 2023, she was appointed as chair of the CPS Energy Board of Trustees; she joined the board in 2019 and previously served as vice chair of the utility; in addition, she has chaired the board's Technology & Resilience and Personnel Committees; and

WHEREAS, The first openly gay judge elected in Bexar County, the Honorable Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, presides over County Court 13, the Reflejo Court; she and her wife, Dr. Stacy Speedlin Gonzalez, championed the passage of House Bill 3529 in 2019, which paved the way for this court to provide a holistic, public health approach for first-time domestic violence offenders who struggle with substance abuse; and

WHEREAS, Melissa Cabello Havrda has represented District 6 on the San Antonio City Council since 2019; she chairs the Public Safety Committee and Municipal Courts Advisory Committee, and she also serves on several other committees and as vice chair of the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization; in addition, she is a member of the board of the San Antonio Education Partnership and the Investments Subcommittee of the San Antonio Fire and Police Pension Fund Board of Trustees; and

WHEREAS, Judge Yolanda Huff presides over Bexar County Court 12, the designated Misdemeanor Mental Health Specialty Court; during her career in private practice, she specialized in juvenile and family law; she has twice served as president of the San Antonio Black Lawyers Association, and she has shared her expertise on the boards of such organizations as Youth Transitioning Into Adulthood, for foster children exiting the system, and the Children's Court Ad Litem Association; and

WHEREAS, Born in Nigeria, Pastor Shetigho Nakpodia was ordained in 1994 and served as a traveling evangelist for a decade; she then purchased an old, dilapidated house of worship in a troubled neighborhood on San Antonio's East Side to establish Redeemer's Praise Church as a place of refuge as well as spiritual guidance; devoted to serving the unsheltered and impoverished, she provides meals to those who attend worship services, prayer meetings, and Bible study; she and her volunteers also travel the city to deliver food and clothing; and

WHEREAS, Philanthropist Kymberly Rapier Verette and her husband, Glenn Verette, have donated millions of dollars to help the most vulnerable residents in the area; their generosity has benefited numerous charitable organizations, among them SAM Ministries, the city's largest provider of services to the homeless, Boysville, a home for children in crisis, Morgan's Wonderland, a special-needs theme park, and Communities in Schools of San Antonio, a program for at-risk youth; and

WHEREAS, Francine Romero serves as vice chair of CPS Energy, San Antonio's electric and gas utility; a professor at The University of Texas at San Antonio College for Health, Community and Policy, she is chair of the Department of Public Administration; her long record of public service includes tenures as a zoning commissioner and as vice chair of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation advisory board; a former chair of the San Antonio Conservation Advisory Board, she worked with the mayor in 2020 to identify an alternative funding mechanism for the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program; and

WHEREAS, For nearly a decade, Marion Thomas has served as CEO and executive director of Blessed Angels Community Center; she and her husband dipped into their savings as they entered retirement to establish the nonprofit emergency food bank, which serves senior citizens, veterans, the homeless, and families in need, partnering with such organizations as the San Antonio Food Bank and the National Veterans Outreach Program of the American GI Forum; and

WHEREAS, Yolanda Valenzuela is the founder and CEO of Alamo City Consultants, a company that helps nonprofit agencies improve systems and organizational development; as vice president of programs and operations for Child Advocates San Antonio, she dramatically increased the number of volunteers, and she went on to work with CASA at the state level; and

WHEREAS, Since 2019, Leticia Vazquez has served Bexar County residents as constable for Precinct 2; she brought to her role more than a quarter century of experience as a deputy in the county sheriff's office; after serving as a detention officer; she worked on patrol with the S.C.O.R.E. unit; she holds certification as a master peace officer; and

WHEREAS, These exceptional women have demonstrated a deep commitment to Bexar County, and through their tireless endeavors on behalf of their fellow citizens, they have set an example of civic engagement to which others may aspire; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas Legislature hereby honor Lucy Adame-Clark, Pamela Espurvoa Allen, Mary Lou Alvarez, Stephanie Boyd, Kathryn Brown, Beverly Watts Davis, Janie Martinez Gonzalez, Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez, Melissa Cabello Havrda, Yolanda Huff, Shetigho Nakpodia, Kymberly Rapier, Francine Romero, Marion Thomas, Yolanda Valenzuela, and Leticia Vazquez for their contributions to Bexar County on the occasion of Women's History Month 2023 and extend to them sincere best wishes for the future; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared for these civic leaders as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.