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In the past five years\, Catherine Cuellar has moved 10 times\; attended funerals for her mother-in-law\, father-in-law\, and brother-in-law (all in the same year)\; and she got laid off twice &ndash\; but she&rsquo\;s still an optimist. Learn how her youth in Richardson ISD helped prepare her to serve as CEO of the Dallas Arts District\, a board member for Dallas Area Rapid Transit\, an advisor to the Dallas Mavericks\, and how she is now leading as Director of Communications\, Outreach\, and Marketing for the City of Dallas during COVID-19.\n\n
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December is our annual charity event for the Women in Leadership committee. \;Our speaker has selected the Richardson ISD Foundation\, which funds student scholarships\, professional development grants for teachers\, grants for programs to meet special needs\, grants for student experiences and program supplies. To donate\, click here: https://www.richardsonisdfoundation.org/give\n
\nCatherine Cuellar \;develops leaders\, strengthens communities and grows businesses through strategic communications\, social entrepreneurship\, and stakeholder engagement for global public\, private\, and nonprofit organizations in energy\, finance\, mobility\, health\, and media. She is a two-time TEDx speaker and award-winning journalist with experience at NPR affiliates in Los Angeles and Dallas and at The Dallas Morning News. She has spoken about smart cities and creative placemaking at conferences including South by Southwest\, the New Cities Summit\, ULI\, and Rail~Volution.
\nCuellar is Director of Communications\, Outreach and Marketing for the City of Dallas\; a board member for the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation and the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)\; an executive board member for the SMU Perkins School of Theology\; and a life member of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). Previously\, Cuellar served on the Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council (DMAC) and was Vice-Chair of the Public Affairs and Communications committee and representative for the transportation disadvantaged on the board of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. She led business development and corporate affairs as director of strategic partnerships for social enterprise RefillWise\, a pharmacy discount program which helped nonprofits leverage data to win more than $4 million in grants from public and private funders. Cuellar also served as executive director of the Dallas Arts District from 2013 to 2015. \;
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\nCuellar was a 2014 Next Generation Project Texas Fellow at The Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas-Austin\; was a 2011-2012 White House Fellows regional finalist\; graduated Leadership Women&rsquo\;s Leadership Texas in 2008\; and was one of the Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce'\;s &ldquo\;Five Outstanding Young Dallasites&rdquo\; in 2007. \;
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\nCatherine is an alumna of Rhodes College and J.J. Pearce High School in the Richardson ISD. She and her spouse Paul Williams live in Oak Cliff with their dog Pepper. \;