Governor Greg Abbott appointed two new commissioners, Mary Lopez Dale of Cedar Park and Mike Hernandez of Abilene, to the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) in place of outgoing Commissioners Eliseo “Al” Cantu, Jr. of Corpus Christi and Dan Moran of Houston whose terms have expired.
“On behalf of the entire TVC, I welcome our new commissioners, Ms. Dale and Mr. Hernandez. Their knowledge and experience will be beneficial to our agency,” said TVC Executive Director Thomas Palladino.
Dale serves as general counsel for Family Hospital Systems and Family Emergency Room. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Fifth Circuit of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. She continues to serve her community as a member of the Board of Directors for the Austin Community College Foundation and the Leander Education for Excellence Foundation, and is a current member and former Post Commander of American Legion Post 911. She was honorably discharged from the United States Army Reserves and the United States Army at the rank of Captain.
Hernandez is retired from the Texas Workforce Commission. He is active in his community as a board member for Abilene Habitat for Humanity and the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Heritage Committee and is the Chapter Adjutant for the Military Order of the Purple Heart 1937. In June, he was recognized by the Abilene Chamber of Commerce as Abilene’s 2019 Outstanding Citizen of the Year. He is a Vietnam War Veteran and was medically retired from the United States Marine Corps due to his combat injuries.
Read the Governor’s confirmation of the new commissioners at Governor’s appointments.
Palladino continued with a fond farewell to outgoing members Cantu, an Army veteran, and Moran, a Marine veteran. “Former Chairman Cantu served on the commission since 2007 and Commissioner Moran served since 2011. Commissioners Cantu and Moran have made a significant impact on the direction, policy and procedures of all the programs within the Texas Veterans Commission and I sincerely thank them for their dedicated service to our nation, Texas veterans and their families. They are true patriots and it was an honor to serve with them,” said Palladino.
“Our terms have come to an end and it is bittersweet to leave the agency after working with you all for so long. During our terms, we’ve seen the agency accomplish so much,” said Cantu. “Most importantly, we’ve become the Texas Model, setting the bar high when it comes to serving veterans. Other states wish to emulate our agency.”
Learn about all Commission members at Commissioners.