The Fire Chief

Long before I found this career in the public sphere, I was just a kid at the University of Houston trying to figure out what would come next.

I’d grown up in government housing in the Rio Grande Valley, so coming to college served as a shock. Very early, I had to learn to be resourceful. When my student loan filing got lost — back then, it was all documented on paper, so that could happen — I ended up trading work as a handyman for a place to stay while an emergency loan came through. What a way to start.

With housing situated, I dove into political science with a minor in psychology and gratefully found some mentors to guide my studies. Professors like Tatcho Mindiola and Lorenzo Cano were critical to my development and offered a first look at Hispanics serving in academia. Dr. Mindiola would show us around the city and ask, “Why not you?”

All I knew was poverty, but I started asking: “Why not me?” Soon, that led to more questions: What did this person or that person do to reach their level of success? How do I get there? The answer I settled on: great education and a lot of hard work to separate yourself from the pack.

Making Houston Home

My intentions had been to go back home after college, but I fell in love with the big city. I’d been working at the district attorney’s office when, on a whim, I decided to sign up to be a firefighter. When I got accepted into the Houston Fire Department, I found a real sense of family, something that had been missing as a kid. Suddenly, I had somewhere I could spend Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays.

My education set me apart, so I continued to invest in it. I joined the U.S. Coast Guard and took night classes to earn a master’s degree in crisis, emergency and disaster management — and, later, in homeland security. I would serve 21 years in the Coast Guard, working during major events like hurricanes Katrina and Maria, before retiring as a commander.

Meanwhile, at the Houston Fire Department, over my 24 years of service, I climbed to the rank of assistant chief of homeland security and planning. I helped coordinate events like the NCAA finals, presidential visits and marathons.

I retired from the department but not from working life. I’ve been Houston’s emergency management coordinator and acting director for Mayor John Whitmire’s (’75, J.D. ’80) Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

Then, just last year, I was honored to step into a new role, appointed by the mayor to be chief of the Houston Fire Department. It’s an unbelievable honor to be the 37th chief of the department since 1895, when it became non-volunteer.

I came in prepared because of everything that had come before. My days as a young firefighter learning my way. My time in New Orleans and Puerto Rico, working through devastation; it’s still a little hard to wrap my head around. My long days working for the City of Houston to ensure the safety and success of a wide range of events. My education.

Compassionate Leadership

Today, I count my experience growing up poor in the Rio Grande as a major blessing, too. Without those challenges, I’d have never found the empathy required to understand what people go through in their most challenging times. It created in me a passion for taking care of people from all walks of life, and for communicating with them effectively.

I’m grateful to have the support of Mayor Whitmire, a guy who understands the compassion inherent in great leadership, particularly during trying times.

I’m incredibly grateful for those formative years on campus at UH, which ended up serving as the foundation for my career. They allowed me to see a bigger world and meet people striving to reach greater heights. I can draw a straight line from UH to the rest of my career.

Without an education from UH, I don’t think I’d have been noticed among the 5,000 candidates at the Coast Guard’s Officer Candidate School. Without the Coast Guard, I’d have never gotten the chance to earn my master’s. That education led to the leadership roles I’ve been able to step into later in my career.

It brings me pride to say I’m an alumnus of a school that has only gotten better and more distinguished since I attended. People don’t always recognize the opportunities that a big school presents for people from humble, small-town beginnings. I’m forever grateful. Go Coogs.