Cordova named Teach for America RGV board chair

MISSION, Texas – Teach For America Rio Grande Valley has announced the appointment of Deborah Cordova as its new board chair. 

Cordova, an attorney and a founding partner of Walsh, McGurk, Cordova, & Nixon Attorneys at Law. She has been a member of the TFA RGV advisory board for the past five years.

Ana D. González, TFA Rio Grande Valley’s executive director, said that with a distinguished career in law and a deep commitment to community service, Cordova brings a wealth of experience and a passion for education to her new leadership role.

“We are incredibly grateful for Deborah’s five years of board membership and are thrilled to have her transition to leading our board,” González said. “Her dedication to our students and the community continues to be invaluable as we pursue our mission to expand educational opportunities for all children in the Rio Grande Valley.”

A native of Mission, Texas, Cordova returned to the Rio Grande Valley after graduating from St. Mary’s University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in Accounting and a law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. 

As a partner in the Walsh, McGurk, Cordova, & Nixon law firm, Cordova has represented various clients in real estate transactions, foreclosures, collections, business entities, estate planning, and probate. 

Licensed to practice law in Texas, Cordova was recognized as a Texas Rising Star from 2007 to 2015. In addition to her legal practice, Cordova has held leadership roles in the community, including serving as President of the Hidalgo County Bar Association and the Hidalgo County Young Lawyers Association.

There are currently 220 active TFA corps members and alumni currently living and working across the Valley. Cordova said the group provides training and support to their network of leaders as they pursue a vision of an excellent and equitable education for all children. Working inside and outside of the classroom, Cordova said, the network includes teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations.

“To ensure a thriving Rio Grande Valley, we must equip our local schools with the talent and resources to provide an excellent education to all students. Every day, we see how education acts as a powerful catalyst, guiding our students toward a future of economic mobility and expanded opportunities” Cordova said.

“I am proud to step into the role of board chair for the Teach For America Rio Grande Valley Advisory Board and honored to continue to work alongside an organization that is a critical source of local talent at all levels of our educational system.”

Cordova added: “Through our collective efforts with each other and the community, we will drive individual opportunity for students and regional growth and prosperity for all of us.”

Cordova devotes a lot of time to public service. She is a Leadership McAllen Class XXVI graduate, past chair of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership Chamber of Commerce, and a volunteer for local organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Mission and the Foundation at Mission Regional Medical Center. She also serves as secretary of Mission Economic Development Corporation.

Teach For America Rio Grande Valley is based in the Center for Education and Economic Development in Mission.

About Teach For America Rio Grande Valley

Founded in 1991, Teach For America Rio Grande Valley (TFA-RGV) works in partnership communities across the Rio Grande Valley to expand educational opportunities for children. TFA-RGV recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders who make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today, Teach For America Rio Grande Valley is a force of over 250 alumni and corps members working throughout the region in pursuit of profound systemic change. From classrooms to school districts to the social and private sector, they are reimagining education to realize the day when every child in the Valley has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network.

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