Chandra Villanueva oversees Every Texan’s policy and advocacy work. She joined Every Texan in 2010 and focused on school finance and education policy ranging from early education to higher education access and success. Prior to joining Every Texan, Chandra was the manager of Advocacy and Public Policy with the Women’s Prison Association (WPA) in New York City. At WPA, she educated formerly incarcerated women on the legislative process and researched options for pregnant women in the criminal justice system. Chandra has also served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center with placements in Tucson, Arizona and Washington, DC. Chandra earned a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Policy areas: School Finance, Pre-K, Bilingual Education
Where to find me during session: The Legislative Reference Library
My surprising hobby: Circus things, including the trapeze!
Texas is responsible for educating nearly 5.4 million school-age children. However, our school finance system leaves nearly 4.3% — or 262,000 students — unfunded, which is nearly equivalent to the entire
