Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas – Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Benjamin Willis and reappointed Kori Allen, Evelyn Cano, Richard Martinez, Joseph Muñiz, and Emma Faye Rudkin to the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities for terms set to expire on February 1, 2024. Additionally, the Governor named Richard Martinez as chair. The committee recommends changes in disability policies and programs, supports a network of committees on people with disabilities, issues awards to promote greater awareness, and promotes compliance with disability related laws.
Evelyn Cano of Pharr is co-owner of Grande Produce LTD and Cano & Sons Trucking. She is the parent of a self-advocate with autism and the co-founder and president of the Disability Chamber of Commerce-RGV, which is the fourth cross-disability chamber of commerce in the nation, and works on integrative employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Additionally, she serves on the board of Disability Rights Texas. Previously, she served on the board of AWARE RGV (Advocates Working to Provide Autism Resources and Education), as interim executive director of the Capable Kids Foundation in the Rio Grande Valley, and as a certified bilingual educator for McAllen ISD. She is a member of the Council of Parent Advocates Attorneys and a member of the International Museum of Arts & Sciences Education Committee. Cano received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Joseph Muñiz of Harlingen is a retired assistant library director for the City of Harlingen. He previously served as a board member of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Governing Board. He is a past member of the Texas Commission for the Blind and past vice presiding officer of the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services Council. Muniz received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Texas A&M University.
