From Community to Civic Leadership: My Conversation With Austin’s Next Hispanic Leaders

Today I had the honor of spending time at the Texas State Capitol with the Hispanic Austin Leadership class from the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. It was their first full program day, and the theme was civic engagement. Thank you, Monica, for inviting me, and thank you, Ricardo Zavala of Dove Springs Proud, for sharing the conversation with me.

Our topic was From Community to Civic Leadership: Turning Service Into Impact. Being back at the Capitol made it personal. My leadership started in public service, in a welfare-to-work GED program that led to an entry-level job in Texas state government under Governor Ann Richards. From there I served Governor George W. Bush, then the White House, then the U.S. Treasury. Nobody handed me any of it.

I was asked how I learned that my voice belonged at the table.

Many of us grew up being taught to work hard, keep our heads down and serve. That’s a gift. But no one taught us how power works or that we could be the ones making decisions. I had to learn that on the job.

Here’s what I shared with this class:

Your voice matters, so use it. Our community has a voice in what happens in Austin and beyond. Staying quiet doesn’t protect us. It just leaves the decisions to someone else.

Earn the seat with results. A seat at the table comes from credibility, and credibility comes from delivering. Do the work. Then speak up.

Get in rooms that stretch you. If everyone around you thinks like you, you’re not growing. Find the circles where you’re the different voice. Stay grounded in who you are and where you come from, and stay in those rooms long enough to learn.

We closed by challenging every leader in the room to take one concrete civic action in the next 90 days. Not someday. Ninety days.

As a thank-you, each member of the cohort received a signed copy of Lost Girl. I left more encouraged than when I walked in. This room is already doing the work.

Where you start does not determine where you finish. Other people don’t determine your future. You do.

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