Raquel Valdez Sanchez Email & Phone Number

My core focus has been to act as a corporate strategist, marketing guru and housing and small business advocate. Currently I am responsible for the growth and development of the non-profit economic development organization Business & Community Lenders of Texas. I hold a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at San Antonio in Management and Marketing and have over 17 years of experience in the field of community & economic development. I have a passion for product development, implementation and service delivery. As Chief Operating Officer at BCL of Texas I have developed my organization's Community Development and Entrepreneurship programs in the Austin and Dallas markets. I am responsible for generating a $3million operating budget for the organization and continue to share my passion and knowledge through several hundred hours per year of direct services to expanding businesses, start-ups, non-profits, homeowners and low-income families. I recently completed the Georgetown University New Strategies program and also the Opportunity Fellows Program, through Opportunity Finance Network, a national network of Community Development Financial Institutions. I am a graduate of Leadership Texas’s Power Pipeline and Texas Public Policy and Civic Engagement program for Latina leaders. I currently serve as Secretary and Program Service Chair for the Dream Come True Foundation, Board member of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Board member of Caritas of Austin. Locally I am a 5th generation Austinite and volunteer my time to a number of organizations and show my 3 year old son the importance of community engagement.

Listed skills include Public Relations, Strategic Planning, Leadership, Marketing Strategy, and 46 others.