Three new members are now part of the 2018-2019 Weslaco Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Joining current members are Superintendent of Weslaco ISD Priscilla Canales, Valley Trophies owner Travis McDaniel and South Texas College Mid Valley Campus Administrator Daniel Montez.

Canales’s service in the interest of public schools in both large and mid-size school systems spans to 1991. Through the years, her various positions in education includes teacher, mentor, educational specialist, assistant principal and principal, as well as executive director and assistant superintendent. Canales currently serves as the vice president elect for the Texas Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development. She also serves on the UIL Region 28 Executive Committee in addition to the UTRGV Leadership Advisory Committee. She is also active in both Rotary and Weslaco ISD’s mentoring program.   

McDaniel took over Valley Trophies in 2014. He is a graduate of Leadership Mid Valley Class XI and is also a Red Coat Ambassador for the Weslaco Chamber. McDaniel also serves as treasurer on Frontera Audubon’s board of directors. This will be the first full term for McDaniel, as he filled a slot that became vacant halfway through the last fiscal year.

In addition to being campus administrator, Montez has been serving STC Mid Valley since 2000 in a teaching position. He holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from UT Austin and a Master’s in Business Administration from UT Brownsville. 

Additional directors for the 2018-2019 year are:

Luis Reyes, Magic Valley Electric Co-Op, chair; Bobby Calvillo, Affordable Homes of South Texas, vice chair; Johnny Bautista, Friends Health Care, immediate past chair; Corina Rodriguez, Weslaco Regional Rehabilitation Hospital, treasurer; and Jerry Gonzalez, Texas National Bank, executive board member at large.

Also serving are Mari Aviles, Valley Grande Institute for Academic Studies; Dr. Rene Lopez, Knapp Medical Center; Carla McCaleb, McCaleb Funeral Home; Vangie Saenz, Inter National Bank; Daryl Smith, Smith Security Group; Gene Vaughan, Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano, LLP and Ruben Villanueva, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.