Andrea Barefield

Andrea Barefield is the Executive Director of the Texas Brazos Trail Region – part of the Texas Heritage Trails Program.  Before joining the Texas Brazos Trail Region, Andrea was the Main Street Manager for City Center Waco, cultivating and growing a sense of community in Downtown Waco through historic preservation, economic development, and place making. 

Andrea was elected to serve on the Waco City Council representing District 1 in 2018, and is currently Mayor Pro Tem.  She serves on the MPO board, the Airport Advisory board, and she continues her love for working with young people by serving as Council Liaison for the Waco Youth Council. She is coaching them in civic leadership training and helping them cultivate special projects. She is an active civic and community leader serving in national, state and local organizations.

Andrea has a Public Relations degree from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas, where she met husband Elijah, and they have been happily married for 17 years.  They have two beautiful sons, Drew and Jaxon.

Lourdes Castro Ramirez

Lourdes Castro Ramírez is the current President of the University Health System Foundation which is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the people of San Antonio and South Texas.

Previously, Castro Ramírez served as an appointee in President Barack Obama’s Administration as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary leading the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Public and Indian Housing. From April 2009 to March 2015, Castro Ramírez led the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) as the President/CEO.  Under her leadership, SAHA expanded affordable housing, and became known for its innovations in education, workforce development and neighborhood revitalization.

Castro Ramírez received both her Master’s in Urban Planning and Bachelor’s in Political Science and Chicano/a Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She also completed an executive finance course at Harvard Business School. Castro Ramírez is an active civic and community leader serving in national, state and local organizations.

Castro Ramírez is married to Jorge and together they have three children: Jorge, Nicolás, and Natalia. She and her husband coordinate an annual Kick Childhood Cancer Soccer Camp in memory of their son Nicolás, who lost his battle to cancer at the age of 11, and in support of childhood cancer research and services for children and their families.