Tejano Voices Interviewees - By Region

DeLeón, Gloria - Austin/McAllen (Interview date: 2/2/1998)

Ms. De León was born December 16, 1952, in McAllen, Texas. She is Executive Vice-President for Programs at the National Hispanic Institute (NHI). She holds an undergraduate degree in social work from the University of Texas-Pan American and an honorary Ph.D. in human letters from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas. Ms. De León also holds numerous awards including the Human Relations Award from the National Association of College Admissions Counselors and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from UT Pan American.

Guerra, René - Edinburg (Interview date: 6/17/1998)

Guerra was born May 14, 1945, in Edinburg, Texas. He is a graduate of Pan American University (1969) and The University of Texas School of Law (1975). He has served as District Attorney in Hidalgo County since his election in 1982.

Montalvo, Leo - McAllen (Interview date: 12/20/1997)

Montalvo was born in Caderrayta Jiménez, Nuevo León (Mexico), on June 9, 1943, and immigrated to the U.S. at age nine. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1966 and from The University of Texas School of Law in 1981, after which he established a law practice in McAllen, Texas. Montalvo was elected McAllen city commissioner in 1983 and McAllen mayor in 1997. He is the first Mexican American mayor of McAllen.

Salinas III, Juan - Hidalgo County/La Joya (Interview date: 6/18/1998)

Born in 1969, Mr. Salinas graduated from Texas A & M University in 1991. He is County Clerk for Hidalgo County, Texas. He was municipal judge for the City of La Joya, Texas, 1991-1992, Administrative Assistant in the Hidalgo County Judge's Office, 1991-1996, and was the Comptroller's Regional Representative for John Sharp, Texas State Comptroller of Public Accounts. He is the Director in charge of Region VIII of the County and District Clerks' Association of Texas and was selected County Clerk of the year for the southern region of the state in 2000.

Santos, Ofelia - Edinburg (Interview date: 6/17/1998)

Ms. de los Santos was born in 1948 in Edinburg, Texas. She is a graduate of Pan American University (1982) and the University of Houston law school. She served with Valley Interfaith from 1983 to 1986, was elected to the Edinburg City Council in 1994 (re-elected 1996 and 1999) and maintains a private law practice in Edinburg.

Yáñez, Linda - Edinburg (Interview date: 1/14/1998)

Born November 30, 1948. Linda Reyna Yáñez is the first Hispanic woman to serve on a Texas appeals court. She taught at Harvard Law School and served on and chaired numerous committees and boards for the State Bar Associations in Texas, Illinois, and Massachusetts. She was Regional Counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund in Chicago, Illinois. Judge Yáñez currently serves on the 13th Court of Appeals for the state of Texas.