Coda Rayo-Garza serves as Every Texan’s Director of Research and Data. She is a fronteriza born and raised in Laredo, Texas. Coda has worked in the nonprofit and government sectors in various roles and is also a former Lecturer of Political Science. A first-generation college graduate and daughter of immigrants, Coda earned her M.A. in Political Science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a B.A. in Philosophy from Texas State University. She is also a current PhD student in Applied Demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her areas of expertise include racial, ethnic, gender, and poverty disparities, especially along border areas. Coda currently serves on the Board of Directors for Communicare Health Centers, Blue Horizon Texas, and Fiesta Wishes (which she co-founded). Coda is also co-authoring a book through Polity Press titled Latinos in the US: Diversity and Change. When she is not working, Coda is spending time with her children and partner, likely at a local park or library.
Where to find me during session: Crunching numbers and defending survey data
My surprising hobby: I play the drums
On December 13th, the Texas Finance Commission announced eight grantees for the Texas Financial Education Endowment (TFEE)’s inaugural round of grants totaling $250,000. TFEE, the first state-administered funding source for broad
By Anthony Vincent LeClair The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s latest KIDS COUNT policy report, The First Eight Years: Building a Foundation for Lifetime Success shines a light on our nation’s troubling
The Southern Education Foundation’s new report, A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South and Nation, brings attention to the fact that 48 percent of all school children across
It was Stacey Pogue’s great idea first to get trained as Certified Application Counselors (CACs) under the oversight of a US Department of HHS-approved entity. What better way to contribute
AUSTIN, TEXAS—The Center for Public Policy Priorities’ Frances Deviney, senior research associate and Texas KIDS COUNT director, made the following statement about today’s release of the American Community Survey: “Today’s
AUSTIN, TEXAS—The Center for Public Policy Priorities’ Anne Dunkelberg, associate director and senior health policy analyst, made the following statement about today’s release of the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey:
Despite Texas elected officials’ current—and regrettable!—decision to exclude the poorest uninsured adult Texans from coverage in 2014, there are some important Medicaid changes afoot here for 2014. In fact, all
Nationally renowned social justice lawyer and communicator Ann Beeson takes the CPPP helm on Sept. 3. AUSTIN, TEXAS—The Center for Public Policy Priorities’ Board of Directors and staff are pleased
By Jeanie Donovan For many of the five million school children in Texas, returning to the classroom this week means more than just a new teacher and a new grade.
On November 1, four million Texans will see a cut in their food assistance benefits when a temporary boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food
