Linda Chavez-Thompson Bio

Linda Chavez-Thompson is a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Texas.

Official Website: http://texansforlinda.com

Bio from Website: Linda Chavez-Thompson knows the meaning of sacrifice and the importance of family. Born in Lorenzo, Texas, the third of eight children in a migrant family, Linda had to drop out of school after the ninth grade to work with her parents in the cotton fields to help provide for the family.

Leaving school was a difficult decision for Linda, who never lost her thirst for knowledge and interest in civic involvement. Teaching herself to read and write Spanish, she secured herself a job as bilingual secretary for the Construction Laborers? Union in Lubbock. After moving to San Antonio, she worked her way up the ranks of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, eventually rising to the position of Texas State Director. In an election by her peers from across the country, Chavez-Thompson was chosen to serve as the Executive Vice President of the national AFL-CIO ? the first woman and the first person of color to hold that position.

A nationally recognized speaker, Chavez-Thompson has traveled the globe sharing her ideas on the importance of everyday workers to our economic success. What was once a controversial approach, Chavez-Thompson?s views today are considered conventional wisdom ? that when workers are able to provide for and look after their families, they become more productive economic contributors and all Americans benefit. In her personal life, Chavez Thompson is a reflection of the power of the American Dream ? rising from the cotton fields of West Texas, to a career as a national labor leader and raising two children who now have families of their own.

In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton appointed Chavez-Thompson to serve on his Race Advisory Board, as well as on the President?s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. In 2004, at the American Association of People with Disabilities? (AAPD) Leadership Gala, Chavez-Thompson was honored with an award named after her ?recognizing her lifelong commitment to those with disabilities within the labor movement. Today, Linda serves as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee.

As the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, Chavez-Thompson has devoted her campaign to increasing economic opportunities through education ? speaking out about the importance of early literacy, parental involvement, and the need to make a college education affordable for all families.