We’re excited to feature State Representative Josey Garcia, who herself spent time in foster care, as our keynote speaker. Representative Garcia has committed her life to serving others, her lived-experiences guiding her quest for solutions to increase opportunities for all Texans. Josey spent her early years bouncing from one foster home to another. By the time she reached high school, she had attended 13 schools and lived with various families.

At the age of 16, she signed up for the Delay Enlistment Program, securing her place in the U.S. Air Force, serving in deployments to Cameroon, Africa and Iraq, where she served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. After Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Representative Garcia was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in 2001. Here she would retire after 20 years of a military career. An active member of her westside community, Josey made San Antonio, Texas her forever home.