Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Elba Garcia
Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County Commissioner for District 4, embodies a new breed of 21st-century professional women. A distinguished public service leader with two doctorate degrees, she is also a wife, mother and dentist who operated her own private practice for most of her 35-year career. She is a role model for girls and women of all walks of life.
Prior to becoming the first Latina elected to the Dallas County Commissioners Court in 2010, she served on the Dallas City Council from 2001 to 2009. During her tenure, council members unanimously selected her to serve as Dallas Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. Her love for the community — and the desire to establish the District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit — inspired her to run for commissioner.
Commissioner Garcia is known for problem solving, consistently advocating for government transparency, better services and a higher quality of life. This is reflected in her myriad public service responsibilities. At Dallas County, she chairs the Criminal Justice Advisory Board, DWI Task Force, Facilities Management Committee, North Texas Behavioral Health Authority and New Life Opportunities and is a board member of the Continuous Improvement Steering Committee and Public Employee Benefits Corporation. Within the community, she serves on the advisory board of Methodist Dallas Medical Center and the boards of Safer Dallas Better Dallas and Prairie View A&M’s College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology.
In her free time, Commissioner Garcia enjoys reading the news, traveling to new places and trying different foods — though Haribo gummy bears and homegrown chili peppers never get old. She recharges through daily exercise, time with her two dogs, and family nights and dinners.
