Ruth Villarreal: Mission

Ruth Villarreal, a mother of three and businesswoman from Sharyland, began her first term on the South Texas Independent School District (STISD) board of directors with her appointment in November 2020.

After graduating from Mount Carmel Catholic High School in Houston, Villarreal pursued her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Houston College of Architecture.

After earning her degree, Villarreal worked with ROFDW Architects in McAllen from 1999-2000. She then worked with ERO International (formerly TAG International) in McAllen from 2000-2002 and Drewry Martin Architects in Sharyland from 2002-2004.

Her professional endeavors in architecture eventually led her to a different career path in insurance, an industry she says offered her a significant opportunity to provide assistance and support to our community in times of need. She launched her career as an insurance agent and later became the owner of her own insurance agency – Ruth Villarreal Insurance – where she has led a successful team for over 16 years.

Her company has a long history of collaborating with La Joya ISD on many events and activities, and she looks forward to her involvement in the STISD community moving forward. Villarreal believes that “Education - Quality Education – is the ‘cornerstone’ for a better Rio Grande Valley for us all…especially for our children,” and she intends to work tirelessly as a member of the board to achieve the organization’s goals. “These difficult COVID times have put all of us to the test, and I look forward to working with STISD to continue safely providing the best for our students, staff, employees and their families.”

An architect at heart, Villarreal likens the role of a school board to an architect’s role in the improvement of a community. “Architecture has always been of particular interest to me. What better way to improve a community than to design and build a better community! But building a better community goes far beyond the design and construction of new or improved structures. Building a better community follows many of the same steps as building a better building. It is a team effort – a team of qualified, talented and hard-working men and women – who research, study, create and build a truly functional and successful outcome (or building.) I intend to be an integral part of the STISD team and build an even better STISD that will be the ‘foundation’ of a better Rio Grande Valley for us all!”

Villarreal and her husband, Everardo “Ever” Villarreal, have three school age children – David, Sofia and Valeria.