The Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville (HACB) consists of five members and one of the members must be a resident of the Public Housing Program or Housing Choice Voucher Program. The Board Members are appointed by the Mayor of the City of Brownsville. It is the responsibility of the Board to interpret the policies that govern the HACB, which are subject to the mandates and limits set by State and Federal laws, and to chart the direction of the agency and ensure sound fiscal management. The Board holds their regular meetings on the fourth Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Rosa Allala Board Room at 24 Elm Street. Special meetings may be scheduled to meet particular deadlines or to ensure a quorum is present to conduct business.
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Board Chairman
Commissioner
Mr. Eduardo Garduno
With over twelve years of experience in taxation, Eduardo is the proud owner of Garduño Tax & Associates, a boutique accounting services firm that provides customized solutions to business owners and individual taxpayers. His services include business bookkeeping, payroll, tax accounting and consulting. Eduardo is a creative and critical thinker with sound judgment and strategic decision-making abilities.
Eduardo was born in Brownsville, Texas, but spent most of his life in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Having a background in the cultures of both countries gives him the unique skill set for his international client base. Every year, he attends conferences sponsored by the Board of Enrolled Agents, through which he is able to keep up with the latest news in the accounting world, as well as learn about new software available to enhance record-keeping. As a dedicated resident of Brownsville, Texas, he is also passionate about community growth. Eduardo donates his time to local boards and organizations. He holds leadership positions on the Brownsville Housing Authority, Brownsville Housing Finance Corporation and is a director at the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce.
Eduardo earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from the University of Texas-Brownsville. He is a practicing Enrolled Agent.
In his spare time, Eduardo enjoys spending time with his loving wife and two daughters, Ana Regina and Emilia Paola.
Board Vice-Chairman
Commissioner
Mr. Jesse Miller
Board Member
Commissioner
Ms. Wendy De Leon
Board Member
Commissioner
Mr. Michael Seifert
Michael Seifert has lived in Texas border communities since 1989, when he came to the Rio Grande Valley as a Roman Catholic priest. He met the ACLU when the organization offered to advocate for the US citizen members of his parish, who, have been born by midwives, were being denied passports by the State Department (a rule created to address supposed fraud by some of the midwives). Along the border, a citizen without a passport cannot cross back and forth into Mexico, meaning that there can be no visits to a physician, or to a grandmother, or to the funeral of a loved one.
After 24 years of service as a priest, Seifert married in 2009 and took up the responsibilities as the Network Weaver for the Rio Grande Valley Equal Voice Network. The Network shaped collective impact efforts on behalf of more than sixty community-based organizations, and effectively brought the voice of the poorest of Texans to the tables of decision makers.
In 2017, Seifert accepted the position of Policy and Advocacy Strategist for the ACLU of Texas, working out of the Brownsville office. The position allows him to continue to advocate for border communities at a time when national and state politics are willing to deny those residents basic rights enjoyed by the rest of Americans.
He and his wife, Dr. Marsha Griffin, live in a home just a half a mile from the border. In the morning, they enjoy the sounds of the birds that migrate freely, north, and south, without passports, high above the border wall.
Board Member
Resident Commissioner
Mrs. Laura Villarreal
In June of 1990, Mrs. Laura Villarreal became a Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville (HACB) resident at the Buena Vida Development and immediately joined the Buena Vida Resident Association. She currently serves as president of the Poinsettia Gardens at Boca Chica (PGBC) Resident Association and the Resident Advisory Board (RAB), actively represents the HACB residents, and participates in all projects led by the HACB. In 2016, Mrs. Villarreal was recognized as a community liaison and as an actively engaged resident in the Buena Vida Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant. She is also an active member of the Club de Oro, an HACB initiative that supports and provides activities for senior residents; and a founder of the Club de Oro Saturday Breakfasts. Mrs. Villarreal is very proud of being the first HACB resident to become a US Citizen under the HACB partnership with Proyecto Juan Diego.