| About Ed Garza | | Print | |
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Edward D. Garza attended the University of Texas at Austin, studying Business Administration for two years before transferring to Texas A&M University where he earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (1992) and a Master of Science in Land Development (1994). In 2004 Garza was given the Distinguished Alumni Award by the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. Currently, Garza holds the position of Principal for the global planning, design, and management firm AECOM. Garza has expanded the market base in Texas for two of AECOM’s operating companies, TCB and EDAW, specializing in planning, design, public policy and land development. In his role with AECOM, Garza has brought vision and strategic planning to downtowns, master planned communities, urban villages, waterfronts, neighborhoods and transportation networks throughout the state of Texas. Mr. Garza is also President and CEO for the Urban One 30 Group, Inc., an urban real estate development company based in San Antonio. The focus of the Urban One 30 Group is comprehensive community revitalization with focus on residential, commercial, mixed-use, education and recreation. Garza has also held adjunct professor positions at the University of Texas at San Antonio and St. Mary’s University. Garza has served on numerous corporate and governing boards including the San Antonio Historic Design and Review Board, CPS Energy, San Antonio Water Systems, City South Management Authority, National League of Cities, Fannie Mae Advisory Board, NALEO, and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. Garza served eights years as an elected public official. In 2001 at the age of 32, Garza became San Antonio’s youngest mayor in modern times. He served the maximum, two terms as Mayor of San Antonio and prior to that served two terms as a City Council representative. Garza was elected in an unprecedented fashion by garnering a cross-section of political, geographic and socio-economic support; based on his platform of sustainable economic growth, modernization of the city’s governance structure and balance growth for the city’s under-invested southern sector. The hallmark of Garza’s administration for economic development and balanced growth was the successful partnership with the state of Texas, in luring Toyota to invest over a billion dollars in a new manufacturing facility in south San Antonio. The combination of Toyota’s (5,000 plus) high paying jobs and a new Texas A&M University campus will become the economic drivers in Garza’s urban regeneration vision for San Antonio’s long neglected southern sector, today known as City South. Garza has received numerous awards and citations. He has been featured in Texas Monthly, Urban Land Magazine, and CNN and listed in Hispanic Business magazine as a “most influential” Hispanic leader. Garza has testified before Congress and given presentations and key note speeches to groups such as National Security Agency, U.S. Embassy’s International Initiative (Argentina, China and Mexico), International Rotary, Urban Land Institute, and American Institute of Architects, National League of Cities, International Downtown Association, and International Council of Shopping Centers. Garza is married to Anna Laura and members of St. Paul Catholic Church. The Garza’s are active members in the Jefferson - Woodlawn Lake neighborhood and have devoted time and resources to various charitable organizations including the Cancer Therapy and Research Center and San Antonio Children’s Shelter. |