Nine Latino leaders, balanced across party, geography, and gender, will guide the state’s only foundation devoted solely to nonpartisan research on Texas Hispanics

DALLAS, Texas. The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation (the “TXHPF” or the “Foundation”) today announced a reconstituted board of directors and a new strategic direction for the years ahead. Meeting in Dallas on September 3, the TXHPF seated a governing board of nine accomplished Latino leaders and adopted a plan to expand its research, strengthen its independence, and secure a permanent academic home.

Founded in 2019, the Foundation is the only institution devoted solely to nonpartisan, methodologically rigorous research on Texas Hispanics. In partnership with Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, it has produced recurring statewide surveys on Hispanic political, economic, and social attitudes. Nearly 40 percent of Texans are Hispanic, and Latino Texans are the largest population group and the fastest-growing share of the electorate.

Governance and executive leadership

The Foundation confirmed the separation of board and executive leadership. Regina Montoya, a nationally respected attorney, former White House staffer, and civic leader, serves as Chairman of the Board. Jason Villalba, the TXHPF’s founder, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Mark P. Jones, a Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute, continues to lead the Foundation’s research.

Four new directors

The Board welcomed four nationally recognized leaders, chosen to reflect balance across party, geography, and gender:

Justice Eva Guzman. Former Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. Justice Guzman brings statewide judicial standing and deep relationships across the Texas bar.

Massey Villarreal. Houston business leader and former national chair of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Massey embodies the Hispanic business community and has a national political ad business network.

Dr. Juliet Villarreal García. Founding president of the University of Texas at Brownsville, an architect of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Villarreal Garcia is a 2022 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The Hon. Pete Gallego. Former United States Congressman and longtime Texas state legislator from West Texas. Congressman Gallego extends the Board’s reach into the border region and West Texas.

They join five continuing directors: Chairman Regina Montoya; the Hon. Hope Andrade, former Texas Secretary of State; the Hon. Leticia Van de Putte, former Texas State Senator; Robert A. Estrada, a longtime leader in Texas public finance and civic life; and President and CEO Jason Villalba, former three-term member of the Texas Legislature. The Foundation also recognized the service of two departing directors, Elizabeth Lorenz and Trey Newton, who, along with David Cabrales and Victor Leal, will continue to support the mission as members of the Foundation’s Board of Advisors.

A new direction

With the new board in place, the Foundation adopted a strategic framework built on four priorities: a reconstituted, bipartisan board; a professional fundraising operation; a deepened research partnership with the Baker Institute; and, over the next three to five years, the pursuit of an endowed, named institute on a private Texas university campus. Together, the priorities are designed to carry the Foundation’s nonpartisan research to a larger audience and to secure its work for the long term. “Providing our elected officials and policy makers with accurate, robust, and non-political data and information on Texas Latinos is our North Star,” said Jason Villalba, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This board gives us the standing, the reach, and the credibility to do that work at the level the moment demands. We are building an institution that will outlast any one of us.”

“What unites these leaders is a shared belief in honest, nonpartisan research and in service to Texas,” said Regina Montoya, Chairman of the Board. “We are proud to guide the Foundation into its next chapter, and grateful to the directors whose service brought us to this point.”

About the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation
The Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2019 and based in Dallas. In partnership with Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, the Foundation conducts and publishes rigorous, nonpartisan research on the political, economic, and social attitudes of Texas Hispanics. Learn more at txhpf.org.

Media contact:
Aneeka Tansen, Chief of Communications
[email protected] | 469-607-8735