Team
Julia Grizzard, Executive Director and Founder
Julia Grizzard has worked for over fifteen years in education and policy. Most recently as the Executive Director of the Bexar County Education Coalition (BCEC), a coalition dedicated toward elevating the voices eighteen Bexar County area Independent School Districts.
Before founding BCEC, Julia served as the legislative director for Representative Diego Bernal while he was the vice-chair of the House Committee on Public Education. Julia coordinated Representative Bernal’s entire legislative agenda as well as researched, developed, and executed legislation pertaining to public education, higher education, tax reform, healthcare, immigration, and economic development. Additionally, Julia played a key role in developing a part of the comprehensive school finance legislation, House Bill 3, which systematically updated how public schools in Texas are funded. Julia also acted as a point of contact and resource to District 123’s educational institutions, state-wide education and policy advocacy organizations, and state agencies including the Texas Education Agency, Higher Education Coordinating Board, and Health and Human Services Commission.
Prior to her time at the state legislature, Julia spent a decade in curriculum development and implementation, teaching and training, and education management with The Princeton Review. While working for Princeton Review, she worked as a classroom teacher and private tutor, then managed High School Operations in Central Texas and, finally, joined the national content team as the National Director of College Readiness and Institutional Programs. In that final role she authored The Princeton Review’s College Handbook series and oversaw every product that Princeton Review carried to around fifty-thousand students every year in both High School and College Classrooms. Julia left The Princeton Review to take her skills and passion to ensure students have the resources, support, and opportunities necessary to go to and complete college into the public sector.
Julia grew up in San Antonio, attended Trinity University and Teachers College, Columbia for undergraduate and graduate studies respectively. In the rare event that she’s not reading the Texas education code or philosophizing about Texas education policy, she is spending time with her husband George and her sons Liam and Emerson.
Anita Fernandez, Consultant
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. A Graduate of Southwestern University with a B.A. in Latin American Studies and a focus in Anthropology. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, M.A. She has lived and studied in D.F., Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas, México. Anita has professional experience in state and local government, nonprofit management, education and the arts. During her time in the Texas Legislature as Chief of Staff for a Texas State Representative she led the Capitol and District offices and various community and policy initiatives, in the areas of Public Education, Transportation, Urban Affairs, Healthcare and Immigration. She was a pivotal contributor to the development of community and public affairs during her time at the Museo Alameda, the first formal Smithsonian affiliate in the U.S. and the official Latino Museum of Texas. While working in public education, she developed and implemented college readiness curriculum for the K – 12 grade levels.
For 15 years, she has served as the volunteer Project Administrator for the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) at San Antonio’s Great Debate Team, an international leadership experience for high school students. Anita is a member of the Board of Managers for University Health, Community First Health Plans, Texas Women in Trades founding Board Member, the Advisory Board for the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures, the Klebrg for Commissioner Advisory Council, as well as the Marianist Urban Students Program. Previously, she has served as the City Council District 1 Appointee for the San Antonio SA2020 Commission on Education as well as on the Board of Directors for the National Hispanic Institute and the San Antonio River Foundation.
In 2016 she was recognized as Southwestern University’s Distinguished Young Alumna. In 2018 she received the NHI’s Distinguished Alumna in Community Leadership Award and has been one of NHI’s Top 100 Emerging Latino Leaders. Most recently she has been recognized as part of the San Antonio Business Journal’s 2021 “40 under 40”.
Our Board
