SAN ANTONIO –At its November meeting, the Port San Antonio Board of Directors selected its newest slate of officers. The full board is comprised of 11 members appointed by each City of San Antonio councilmember, including the Mayor. They serve on a voluntary basis and provide extensive private- and public-sector expertise as the Port advances its mission. In 2015, the Port established a goal to create 5,000 new jobs by 2020, with a particular focus in the aerospace, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, defense and logistics sectors. Officer elections are held annually and terms last one calendar year.

Victoria Garcia will serve a second term as Board Chair—a role she first assumed in 2017.  She is appointed by City Council District 4 and has been a board member since 2009. She previously served as Secretary-Treasurer in 2012, and as Vice-Chair in 2016. As Board Chair, Garcia will also head the organization’s Governance Committee, which is comprised of all officers as well as the chairs of the Performance Oversight and Strategic Planning committees. Garcia is Managing Partner of Bracewell LLP’s San Antonio office, where she specializes in labor & employment law and immigration. Garcia also serves on the Board of Directors for Texas Public Radio, the Board of Trustees for the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County, the Board of Directors for the Free Trade Alliance San Antonio and the Western District of Texas Admissions and Disciplinary Committee. Garcia holds a law degree and Master’s of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. She also earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Victor Landa is the new Board Vice-Chair.  An appointee of City Council District 6, he has served on the board since 2007. He previously served as Secretary in 2017. He will also chair the Board''s Strategic Planning Committee in 2018. Landa has more than 35 years of experience in journalism, television and community work. His extensive media experience includes work as a photojournalist, editor, writer, producer, news anchor, assignments editor and news director. He has also authored hundreds of opinion pieces for the San Antonio Express-News as well as the newspaper''s Spanish-language weekly, Conexión. Landa''s television experience includes working for CBS, Univisión and Telemundo affiliates. He also served as the Central Region Director for the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and as Policy Director at its sister organization, the William C. Velásquez Institute. He is presently the Editor/Founder of NewsTaco, an online curated news service, as well as the Latino daily, a bi-weekly email newsletter, and is host of the Dieciocho Podcast.

Juan F. Solis, III is the new Board Secretary.  Solis is a Vice President for BB&T, specializing in work with small businesses. He has also had extensive professional experience as an advertising executive, specializing in marketing to the Hispanic community. His public service career began as District 5 Councilmember for the City of San Antonio in 1992, a position he held five years. In 1999 he was elected as Texas State Representative for District 124, serving one term. Solis’ public sector experience also includes serving as a tri-chair of the Initial Base Adjustment Strategy Committee (IBASC), formed in 1995 to develop a community response plan as Kelly Air Force Base began closure and ownership of the large property transitioned to the redevelopment organization that is today Port San Antonio. Solis is a graduate of Central Catholic High School, Sam Houston State University and the John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Program at Harvard University. Currently, Solis is also a board member of Southside First, Launch SA, Workforce Solutions Alamo and the Sam Houston State University Alumni board of Directors.

Bill Mock is the new Board Treasurer.  An appointee of City Council District 9, Mock has been a member of the Board since 2016. He has held key leadership positions over a career spanning the military and public sectors. In 2015 he retired from the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. During his 21-year tenure with the organization, he held the positions of Executive Vice President, Director of Military Affairs, Vice President of Small Business/Area Business Councils, Vice President of Economic Development and Vice President of Membership. He led important civic and business initiatives on behalf of the chamber, including the creation of BioMed SA and Pathways to a Great City. He also played a key role in efforts that brought the 24th Air Force to San Antonio. Prior to his career with the Chamber, Mock served in the U.S Air Force for 30 years, retiring with the rank of Colonel. He maintains organizational ties with the Department of Defense, including a four-year tour as the Honorary Commander of the 67th Cyber Wing and a four-year tour with the Air Force Space Command''s Commanders Advisory Group at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado—parent command of 24th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.  Mock currently serves as a member of the Air Combat Command Commanders Advisory Group at Langley Air Force Base—parent command of 25th Air Force, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland—and as Honorary Commander of 25th Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Mock is also a current board member of the Military and Veteran Community Collaborative (MVCC), a local nonprofit providing support to organizations and agencies serving military personnel, veterans and their family members in the San Antonio region.

Chris Alderete will Chair the Performance Oversight Committee. In that capacity, she will also be a member of the Board’s Governance Committee. An appointee of City Council District 7, Alderete has been a member of the board since 2008. She previously served as Secretary-Treasurer in 2014, as Vice Chair in 2015 and as Treasurer in 2017. Over the past year, she also headed a special board subcommittee overseeing activities and partnerships commemorating the 100th anniversary of Kelly Field. Alderete began her 35-year health care career at Christus Santa Rosa and obtained her certification from the Texas Home and Community Support Service Agency (HCSSA) as a Home Health Care Administrator. Alderete chaired the 2000 Census Complete Count Committee and the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women on behalf of then San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza. In 2012 she co-chaired the San Antonio Bond Committee on Streets, Bridges and Sidewalks. And in 2017 she served on the city’s Drainage and Flood Control Bond Committee. She is the former President of the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame and continues to serve on the organization’s board of directors. Likewise, she was the former Chair and continues to serve on the board of OASIS—a national organization that promotes successful aging through lifelong learning, health programs and volunteering. She previously served as Board Chair of SAMM Ministries, where she oversaw the acquisition and development of a transitional shelter for homeless families. Currently she serves on the board of the University of Texas Health Science Center’s Cancer Therapy and Research Center (CTRC). Her other current board positions include The Heritage at Westover Hills—an assisted living and memory care center—as well as Las Misiones—the organization that helps restore the San Antonio missions, which have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.