After several years of civic engagement and serving our community, I am now running to be your next City Commissioner for District 3 in May of 2025.
Please see below for details on why I decided to run for office, on my education, experience, community involvement, and priorities.
Education
Baylor University
BBA in Economics 2007
Graduated with 3.7/4.0 gpa overall
4.0/4.0 gpa in major (top 10% of class)
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Service:
First Collegiate Chapter of Habitat for Humanity
-Public Relations Chair
International Honor Society
-Member
Hispanic Student Association
-Member
Baylor Business Women
-Member
Awards:
Recipient of Baylor Student Foundation Scholarship
Received Edward Jones New Venture Marketing Award
Intern Marketing Award - Enterprise Rent-a-Car
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Intro
Thank you for viewing my page. I’m Denise Chavez.
I am running to be your next City Commissioner for District 3 in May 2025.
I was born and raised in Brownsville. I moved back home in 2008 to raise a family in my hometown and to give back to my community.
I have been civically engaged ever since then serving in non-profits that help those in need and that uplift those working towards a better life right here in our community.
Our City has made great strides since I moved back here. However, I think there is still a lot left to do to help meet the needs of ALL of our citizens and to improve the quality of life for all who call Brownsville home.
I hope that you will take the time to learn more about me and my qualifications to offer the stewardship that Brownsville needs.
My commitment to the City is evident in all the time I have dedicated to it over the years through volunteerism.
My prior leadership roles, education, and work experience are aligned with the skills to understand what the City needs and execute solutions.
Through my professional career, I have had the pleasure of working with many cities and public entities.
I can tell you with certainty that our city is unlike any other with its own zoo, its own water and electricity utility, with aerospace company, a major seaport, and bridges that enable international commerce.
It’s a vibrant city that is rich in culture and historical significance. It’s a great place to raise a family with its many parks and recreational opportunities.
I’ll be in your neighborhood soon and look forward to meeting you and answering any questions that you might have.
Work Experience
Work Experience - College
Waitress
Telemarketer
Customer Service Representative
Baylor University Development
-Student Work-Study - alumni donation
Hankamer School of Business
-Student Work-Study
Enterprise Rent-a-Car
-Intern
Work Experience - Professional
Worked in Construction/Energy Industry since 2007
-Schneider Electric
-Trane Technologies, Inc.
-Helped public entities to develop economical infrastructure projects to fund needed improvements and streamline operations
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-Helped public entities to save energy and water and thus taxpayers dollars
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-Sold and managed large infrastructure projects for school districts, cities, counties, and institutions of higher education
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-Worked with state entities to secure grants and funding for local public entities
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-Trained in building operations (electrical, HVAC, lighting, building envelope, and water infrastructure)
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-Informed public entities on new requirements for buildings and codes
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-Worked on making the most of school district and city budgets
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-Negotiated contracts and managed subcontractors for infrastructure projects
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-Managed and helped to develop projects that include water, wastewater, renewables, water meters, lighting, and building envelope improvements
Community Involvement
Community Involvement
Valley Environmental Coalition - (advocated for conservation of our local resources and recycling)
-Board Member
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Sombrero Festival
-Assistant Vice President Marketing
Zonta Club - (international organization that helps women and girls in our community
-Board Member
-Committee member to serve at Good Neighbor Settlement House
Rotary Club International
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-Secretary 2011
-President 2018, 2021-2023
-Speaker Chair - current
-Scholarship Committee Member, awarded $16,000 this year to Brownsville students
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Some examples of work done through Rotary:
-Helped during Covid, got volunteers to deliver food to those who didn’t have transportation
-Supported United Way and the GPZ
-Supported Big Heroes, raising funds through socials
-Worked on backpack and food project for homeless Bisd Kids
-Ran drive for veterans’ pantry through social
-Gave turkey meals to families
-Supported BARCC with volunteers
Toastmasters
-Member
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Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas
-Member
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Texas Democratic Party
-Elected to State Democratic Executive Committee Chairwoman Senate District 27
Cameron County Democratic Party
-Treasurer
-Precinct Chair 100, 88
Cameron County Elections
-Served as Election Judge and Clerk
St. Mary’s Catholic School
-Style Show Committee
St. Joseph Academy
-PAWS Moms’ Service Committee
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Other
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Volunteer for career fairs and present to At-Risk youth at school districts such as BISD
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Priorities
Priorities to address in our community:
Special Needs Individuals
-Making our city more accessible and improving the quality of life of our special needs individuals by improving access to information, resources, and community spaces.
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Elderly Populations
-Making our city more accessible and improving the quality of life of the elderly by improving access to healthcare and resources and to elder friendly activities.
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Low Income Residents
-Those with low-income status, particularly our students could use better transportation and access to work opportunities.
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Transportation
-We need lower bus fares and better logistics management to make public transportation more affordable and easier to use to get people to work, to school, and to where they need to go to run daily errands.
Efficient and low cost transportation enables people to go to school, to acquire skills, and to go to work and thus become more productive citizens. This in turn contributes to more sustainable and equitable economic growth.
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Infrastructure
-Well maintained and managed city buildings enable the city to lower its own cost of operations, eliminate waste, and enable revenue generation while allowing it to better serve its residents. There are many untapped sources of savings and revenue streams throughout the city that we need to hone in and take action on.
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Homelessness
-The homeless population has grown. It must be addressed in a manner that doesn't burden the city, but provides help with basic needs and mental health support, especially for veterans. There are grant opportunities that we can take advantage of and if executed correctly those can help address the needs of those most vulnerable as our city grows.
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Homeless Pets
-Our shelter staff works tirelessly to help homeless pets, and we need to support them in implementing programs and strategies to alleviate the burden on the city while saving as many pets as we can.
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First Responders - Emergency Services
-Our first responders are essential as our city grows and brings in more industry and serves a bigger population. We need to plan adequately to ensure that we are able to serve emergency and non-emergency needs effectively. In doing this, we need to support first responders with the right resources, tools, and adequate compensation commensurate to their work.
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Drainage
-Drainage is a huge issue for our community. While there may be entities other than the city involved, it does not mean that we cannot continue to press for solutions and collaborate to find a solution for a problem that burdens our citizens and lowers our quality of life. I stand ready to work across public sectors to find an adequate solution.
