AVANCE (ah-vahn-ceh) is proud to announce that Texas Senate President Pro Tem Leticia Van de Putte (District 26, Bexar County) will appoint AVANCE’s President and CEO, Richard J. Noriega, the Texas Commissioner of Early Education during her time as Governor for the Day this Saturday May 4th, 2013.
Thanks to this symbolic appointment, Texans will be offered an important declaration regarding the state of Early Childhood Education in Texas. As Texas Commissioner of Early Education, Noriega plans to announce operational and policy initiatives aimed at increasing the enrollment of young children (zero to three) in high quality early learning programs.

(From L to R) Melissa Noriega, Governor Leticia Van de Putte and Former Representative Richard Noriega pose at the State Capitol in Austin.
Senator Van de Putte was elected by her colleagues to serve as President Pro Tem of the Senate for the 83rd Legislative Session, making her third in the line of succession for the governorship. In the event that the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are out of state at the same time, the President Pro Tem serves as Governor. Per tradition, every President Pro Tem gets to serve at least one day as Governor, including an official swearing-in ceremony.
For over five consecutive terms, Noriega served at the Texas House of Representatives and since 1980 he has also served on the National Guard and Army Reserves. AVANCE has grown significantly under Noriega’s Leadership, which landed the organization on Hispanic Business Magazine’s Top 25 nonprofits five years in a row and named Noriega as one of their Top 100 Influential Hispanics in the United States.
“I am honored to have Governor Van de Putte appoint me to this critical position. She recognizes that early childhood education is the key to Texas’s future. ” Noriega explains.
Governor Van de Putte and Former Representative Noriega have worked together as author and co-author on the Texas Dream Act during the 77th Texas Legislative Session.
















Throughout the month of February, families enrolled in the adult and early education programs with AVANCE-San Antonio have been visiting the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo to practice and implement the new skills they are learning in their classes while also alleviating the common stresses they face as parents.
Brenda Tierranegra, an AVANCE-San Antonio Early Head Start Parent, was reassured that reading to her child is critical when her son saw a sheep, pointed and said, “Mommy look, like in the book.”

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, long-time AVANCE supporter also joined in the celebration and presented an award to Mayor Castro and the Contreras-Martinez family.





