Mayor Jeff Bauknight has appointed Victoria Housing Authority board member Raquel Garza to serve as chairwoman. The Victoria Housing Authority board provides housing for low-income families through its public housing program and voucher program. Garza will be sworn in Feb. 18 at the board’s next meeting. Garza is an economic development specialist with the Victoria Economic Development Corporation. She has also served as a member of the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission’s Economic Development Advisory Committee, Gulf Bend Center’s collaborative partnership panel, VISD’s Career Tech Education Advisory Committee and Victoria County’s Family 1st Advisory Committee. Her experience in workforce development and economic development will help the board to crafts it strategic plan and facilities assessment. Garza earned her master’s degree in organizational development from the University of the Incarnate Word.
Mayor Jeff Bauknight has appointed Cynthia Staley to the Victoria Housing Authority board. She will be sworn in Feb. 18 at the board’s next meeting. Staley is the president and executive director of Golden Crescent Habitat for Humanity, and she has more than 20 years of experience in affordable housing. She has served on the board of directors of Texas Habitat for Humanity, the executive task force of Habitat for Humanity International and the City of Victoria Planning Commission. She earned her master’s degree in theological studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.