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About

Our History

""San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the U.S." said Cristina Martinez, one of the most successful Lesbian Latina entrepreneurs in Texas. So, in October 2007, she started working to establish an LGBT Chamber of Commerce in San Antonio. By April 2008, Martinez had invited over 40 LGBT community activists, business owners, and other members of the community to a roundtable discussion aimed at creating the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
That meeting transitioned into a Steering/Advisory Committee that began identifying and nominating persons with the necessary skills to create the charter board of directors. That Steering/Advisory Committee included Charles 'Chad' Rembacki, Rodolfo 'Rudy' Lozano, Antonia Padilla, Anel Flores, Nelda Hernandez, Dee Smith, Gary Tapp, Cristina Martinez, Roberto Candelaria, Robert Vargas, and Javier A. Flores, many of whom are now either members of the Chamber's Board Directors or Advisory Board. The Steering/Advisory Committee went on to form the Charter Board of Directors in May 2008.

In June 2008, the charter Board of directors and Advisors began meeting and elected its first slate of officers and began creating the foundations of the Chamber. The first committees created were Membership, Media Relations & Marketing (including a Website Subcommittee), and Programs & Events. The Membership Committee reviewed other LGBT chambers of commerce nationwide to develop membership levels, benefits, dues, and standard operations procedures (SOPs). Directors and Advisors quickly reached consensus on embracing available technology and green development by envisioning an interactive website as the hub of Chamber administration.

While Membership began designing membership levels and benefits, Media Relations & Marketing began introducing the Chamber to San Antonio with press releases on its creation and development and creating the website, and Programs & Events began shaping the regular activities of the Chamber. The Chamber held its inaugural event, its signature monthly 4th Friday Mix & Mingle, on September 28 at which the Chamber introduced membership information and started taking applications.
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handshake Our Mission

The San Antonio LGBT Chamber exists to amplify the voices and contributions of LGBTQIA+ owned and allied businesses in the city of San Antonio through economic empowerment, community collaboration, and education and outreach.

binoculars Our Future

Welcome to the future of the San Antonio LGBT Community, where LGBT and LGBT-allied business owners, professionals, and consumers can direct our economic power - approximately $4 billion a year - to support the businesses that support the LGBT community.

Executive Director

Executive Board

Luis Vazquez

Luis Vázquez

Luis Vazquez currently serves as the Executive Director of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the Chamber, Luis led the communications and marketing initiatives at the Texas Diversity Council. In 2010, Luis founded Grow with Me Portraits, an established school and event photography business.

As a millennial leader, Luis has demonstrated and sustained commitment to the pursuit of diversity, equity and inclusion in the community and the workplace. Luis became a graduate of the DiversityFIRST Certification Program, giving him the opportunity to work with DEI champions across the country.

Justin Munoz

Justin Munoz
Board President

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Justin is an experienced project manager with expertise in marketing, public relations, event planning, and fundraising. Since moving to San Antonio in 2018, he is now partnership manager and strategist for the strategic communications and marketing department at Trinity University, Justin is responsible for managing cross-campus relationships and liaise with partners to solve issues, communicate needs and create synergy. Prior to his work at Trinity, Justin spent six years at Texas A&M – Kingsville working in alumni affairs, annual giving, and marketing, focusing on student and alumni participation. He holds an MBA from Texas A&M University – Kingsville, and a bachelor’s degree in communication students from the University of Texas at Austin. In his spare time, Justin is a cycling instructor, personal trainer, and fitness professional. He is ready to “lift” San Antonio to new heights.

Scott Swank

Scott Swank
Treasurer

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Scott is currently the branch manager at Generations Federal Credit union. He has been in the financial industry for the past twenty years. Scott specializes in Small Business development and entrepreneurial development. Prior to joining the San Antonio LBGT Chamber, Scott served as Chamber board president for the Page/Lake Powell Chamber of Commerce, Founded the Page/Lake Powell Hub 501-C3, established the Page/Lake Powell Visitor center and served on the Coconino Community College Foundation Board. A native to Dayton, Ohio, Scott relocated to San Antonio when he was 10 years old with his family to Kelly Air Force Base. Scott is an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan and in his spare time loves to travel. He looks forward to helping further the LBGTQA+ community to new heights and acknowledgement throughout San Antonio and the surrounding areas.

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Antonio González
Vice President

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Antonio is a veteran with over 23 years of military service and he is currently an Associate Director with United HealthCare and serves on multiple ERG committees including the Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) committee. One of his goals is to reach out to the LGBTQ+ military members across all three local installations {Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) Fort Sam, JBSA Lackland, & JBSA Randolph} and provide them a safe space to grow their entrepreneurial goals. He has always been behind the scenes while serving in the military for 14 out of the 17 years of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) Law and its’ appeal. However, now being able to fully engage our LGBTQ+ military community members by providing them with the education, dignity, inclusion, and sense of belonging that wasn’t afforded to him during his time in service, this mission is extremely important to him. He and his husband are parents to seven children and three grandchildren. As proud products of those who also stand tall after the Supreme Courts overturn the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which did not allow same-sex marriages to be recognized for federal benefits to include beneficiaries and dependents, he and his husband have dedicated their lives to giving back and ensuring that same-sex married couples understand their options and know their rights. He is genuinely here to assist and aid our LGBTQ+ community to the future and beyond with dignity and respect.

Justin Lockhart

Justin Lockhart
Secretary

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Justin is an applied behavioral scientist-practitioner and doctoral candidate at The University of Texas at San Antonio. His background is in mental health counseling, with experience in hospital, private practice, higher education, and publicly-funded integrated health settings. Justin currently works in high-acuity behavioral health as an adolescent therapist with San Antonio Behavioral Healthcare Hospital. As Secretary of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Justin integrates his knowledge as a healthcare professional and scholarly researcher to support LGBTQ+ owned and operated businesses in prioritizing the health and well-being of their employees in order to maximize their impact in the San Antonio community. Justin earned a B.A. in Psychology with Distinction from Hendrix College. He also holds a M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Texas at Tyler and is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in Texas (supervised by Kevin Milligan, PhD, LPC-S). In addition to serving on the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Justin is also a board member and president-elect of the Texas Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling.

Board of Directors

Kanetra Hights

Kanetra (KiKi) Hights
Education & Supplier Diversity Committee Chair

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Kanetra Michalle Hights, also known as Kiki, is the Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for C.H. Guenther & Son. She has spent over 13 years in the field of implementing DEI programs in organizations with over 10,000 employees and is an advocate to driving success, engaging employees, ensuring that inclusion and equity are implemented in every part of the business, and creating a profitable diversity return on investment. During this time Kanetra also spent years dedicating her career to non-profits such as the National Diversity Council and Goodwill Central Texas to further increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion for underrepresented groups and creating movements for change in the community. Currently at C.H. Guenther & Son, Kanetra oversees the DEI department including all DEI training, Employee Resource Groups, Leadership Team Advising, all International location DEI initiatives, and the Supplier Diversity Program. Kanetra has an extensive Learning & Development background. She is a certified DDI facilitator, Diversity Professional, Diversity Facilitator with several organizations such as Korn Ferry and SDMS 360, and an Instructional Designer with courses such as Generational Differences, Leadership Skills for new and emerging leaders, and Leading Diverse Teams. Kanetra also specializes in facilitating diversity related movie and television discussion groups. Kanetra received a Double Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Dramatic Media from Texas Lutheran University, then returned and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and is a certified teacher for 8 th – 12 th grade for Speech, Debate and Theatre. Kanetra lives in San Antonio and in her spare time enjoys travelling with friends and family, going on random road trips, reading, writing, and watching football.

Ron Kraft

Ron Kraft
At Large

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Ron Kraft is a multi-award-winning, high-impact, change management and communications executive with a proven track record of combining vision, strategy, and execution to successfully achieve a variety of business outcomes. He has worked with equal fluency for Fortune 500, small businesses, arts organizations, and many for- and not-for-profit entities. #leader #empath #changeevangelis

MarkAnthony Ball

MarkAnthony Ball
Public Relations Committee
Chair

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Coming Soon!

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Alexandrea (Alex) Rodríguez
Community Engagement Committee Chair

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A seasoned DEI practitioner and consultant, first-generation graduate Alex Rodriguez brings her years of civil rights activism, engagement, and community outreach and development into the forefront of her work. In collaboration with organizations and businesses alike, Alex ensures company leadership, in facilitation with both stakeholders and employees, work to establish a culture built on diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices. A Texas native and legislative analyst working in local politics, Alex is no stranger to navigating challenging dialogue and working with organizations and individuals with diverse perspectives and lived experiences. She has provided DEI training and implemented committee initiatives to varying organizations and political campaigns, most recently including works with campaign volunteers supporting former Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke as well as Congressman Greg Casar. Alex proudly shares her perspective and lived experiences as an openly Queer, first-generation Mexican American facing many paths of adversity. With her lived experiences in tow, she now works alongside varying groups to ensure they understand the impact of every step made through this journey. Alex Rodriguez is a Texas State University alumnus, holding degrees in Political Science, Administrative Law, and Business Management. Rodriguez is a published author, public speaker, and workshop leader. Rodriguez currently serves as the Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at San Antonio Zoo where she leads an award-winning DEI program and works alongside Executive and community leaders to make the zoo a zoo for all. Alex currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Red Cross Greater San Antonio chapter as well as the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, where she serves as the Chair of the Community Relations Committee. Additionally, she serves on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion committees for the Association of Zoo’s and Aquariums, SATX SHRM, and is a member of the Texas Diversity Council.
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