Gloria Santillan Casas
Organizations
School Board Trustee, La Feria Independent School District, Texas Association of School Boards
Location
La Feria, Texas
Biography
Gloria Santillan Casas beganher public service career as an outreach worker in Brownsville in the late 1960s, and she became involved in politics by block walking for first Latino county judge candidate Ray Ramon. She moved to La Feria, Texas in 1977 and became a school board trustee for La Feria ISD in 1994. Her community work has included educating Latinos in her community about the political process and how it can benefit them. She has served as a board member on the Texas Association of School Boards and has represented Texas on TASB’s behalf in Washington.
Audio Clips
Interviewed by Jennifer R. Nájera on December 7, 2022 in La Feria, Texas
Gloria Casas speaks about working as a center manager in her early twenties, helping women on public assistance. She traces her interest in public service to that job.
Casas talks about interpreting for her mother and other women from her community when she was a girl, shielding them from case worker racism. She also shares a story about being inspired by a teacher when she was in middle school.
Casas recounts running her first campaign running for school board, going door to door, learning about her community, and confounding the expectations of those in power.
Digital Archive
Photo of Gloria Casas as an elementary school student in Harlingen, Texas.
Casas is sworn in as a La Feria School Trustee in 1994.
Re-election campaign poster.
Photo showing Casas as a participant in the Summer Leadership Program for the the Texas Association of School Boards.
Casas Re-election campaign poster, 2003.
Award given to Casas from the Mexican American School Board Members Association.