Marilu Garza

Marilu Garza joined The Center as Chief Development Officer in May 2018. She leads The Center’s fundraising, marketing/public relations, and volunteer efforts. Originally from San Antonio, Marilu studied at the University of Texas at Austin, where she became the first person in the state of Texas to earn a degree in Bilingual Education. After years of working in education, Marilu decided to move into the development world. She has since served as Development Director at Memorial Assistance Ministries, Houston A+ Challenge, and Chinquapin Preparatory School for low-income students in Greater Houston. Throughout her career, Marilu has cultivated a passion for assisting those in underserved communities and is looking forward to working with everyone at The Center. Outside of The Center, Marilu serves on several community boards: The Association of Fundraising Professionals, Latin Women’s Initiative, TEACH, Latinas in Power and the American Leadership Forum. She chaired the National Philanthropy Day luncheon in November 2018 and was a 2019 Comcast Hispanic Hero Award Honoree and a 2020 recipient of the Houston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business in the Nonprofit Sector. She is often sought out to speak on different panels throughout the city and the state on a variety of philanthropic topics such as diversity and Board relations.