Dora G. Alcala’
Career Highlights: In 1990 Dora received a presidential appointment from President George H.W. Bush as the Deputy for Equal Opportunity for the United States Air Force at the Pentagon and attained the rank of Senior Executive.
Family Background: Dora was born in Del Rio, Texas. The daughter of Antonio & Elisa Gonzalez, first generation Mexican Americans. She is the eldest of six children. She was raised in a family of Migrant farm workers who worked very hard to make a living. As a young girl, Dora traveled to California with the family to work in the fields. When the work in California was over, they would travel back to Texas to pick the cotton fields. After all the migrants work was over, they would return to Del Rio in the middle of the school semester, happy to be back in school. Her father’s famous words still resonate: “If you don’t want to spend the rest of your lives working in the fields, you must never forget how hard it is to do manual labor. When we return home, you must always study hard and get the best education you can.”
Education: Dora has a Masters degree in Management from Webster University in St. Louis MI; a Bachelor of Arts degree (Cum Laude) from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, TX; and a Associate of Arts degree from Southwest Texas Jr. College in Uvalde, TX. She is also a graduate of Air University’s Academic Instructor’s School and later became the Director of the Center for Professional Development at Gunter AFB, Alabama.
Recognition & Awards: She is the recipient of the Governor of New Mexico’s Distinguished Public Service Award; received California’s Hispanic Woman of the year award presented by the Mexican-American Opportunity Foundation and the Washington, DC National Council of Hispanic Woman of the Year. She also received some of the highest awards during her career with the United States Air Force. In December 1988 she was featured on the cover of Hispanic Times Magazine and also received the Yellow Rose of Texas Award from Governor George W. Bush.
Appointments: Appointed By Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, the Governing Board of the Texas Department of Rural Affairs, The Regional Review Committee and the Board of Regents for the Texas State University System.
Personal: Dora is married to Alfonso, they have three daughters (Diane, Monica and Nora). In 1985, as an avid runner, she completed the Madrid Spain Marathon. In 2010, the City of Del Rio named the trail along the San Felipe Creek “Mayor Dora Alcala’ Hike & Bike Trail.
