About the South Texas Literacy Coalition

Literacy is our Passion!

We seek to impact the lives of families and children from our community through the transformation power of literacy.  With over 35 member and organizations involved in the STLC, we are exponentially growing and striving to serve as a voice for the literacy community. 

Our Mission

To enhance and enrich the quality of life of our region with literacy outreach programming through community partnerships that lead to more literate communities. 

Little girl sitting on the floor and reading books in library

Our Vision


We believe reading to be the foundation for all future learning. Our vision is to inspire a community of lifelong readers. 

  • Serving as a leader in the community by creating awareness for the issue of literacy.
  • Advocating for awareness, funding, and support for a more literate population.
  • Increasing family involvement in literacy activities.
  • Engaging with volunteers and local organizations to expand our public presence.
  • Creating and implementing quality programs and annual events to address key literacy issues. 
  • Collecting data on the literacy challenges facing groups in the Region One Education Service area to prioritize our goals. 

STLC History

The South Texas Literacy Coalition was established during the 2007 Hispanic Engineering Science Technology Conference (HESTEC) week as a means to address rates of illiteracy across Region One – from Laredo to Brownsville. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) convened a meeting during the conference with affiliates from The University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley (formerly The University of Texas – Pan American), South Texas College, Texas State Technical College, The University of Texas – Brownsville, Avance – Rio Grande Valley, Texas Migrant Council and representatives of U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Salomon Ortiz (D-TX) to institute the purpose of this reading initiative. 

Meet Our Board

Dahlia Guerra,
President-Elect

Kendra de la Garza,
President

Rocio Villalobos,
Vice-President

Joshua Benavidez,
Secretary

Maria Elena Ovalle,
Treasurer

Illiana Villalobos,
Board Member

Sylvia Sanchez-Garza,
Board Member

Kataelynn Renteria,
Board Member

Marco Treviño,
Board Member

Karen Rodriguez,
Intern/Program Associate

Dr. Ida Acuña- Garza
Interim CEO