VIA Airport Board

Dedicated to being the best

Board Members

Harlingen City Code, Article II, Chapter 8, Section 8.86
Valley International Airport Board has seven board members who serve three year terms. The Mayor appoints two members and the City Commission appoints five members (each City Commissioner is entitled to make one appointment)

Ricardo "Ricky" Leal, Chairman

Ricky Leal is Senior Vice President/Commercial Lending of the Stuart Place – Harlingen banking center of First Community Bank, N.A. He is a lifelong resident of Harlingen, graduating from Harlingen High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science – Political Science degree from Texas A&M University, Master of Business Administration degree from Touro University International and completed the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University – Dallas. He joined the bank in 2005 after 5 years active duty in the United States Air Force as a Missile & Munitions Maintenance Officer, separating at the rank of Captain. Mr. Leal has a passion for community and volunteerism. He currently serves as Board President – Loaves & Fishes of the RGV, appointed by Governor Rick Perry as Finance Chair –Texas Product Development & Business Fund and Board Chair-Elect for the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce. Past service includes President of the Rotary Club of Harlingen, President of the RGV Algodon Club, Chairman of the Harlingen Industrial Foundation and Chairman of the Leadership Harlingen Steering Committee. He is married to Natalie Simmons Leal of Harlingen and has three children.

Vicki Moore, Board Member

Vicki Moore is executive vice president for Vantex Holding Corp. in Dallas. She played a significant role in the expansion and redesign of Centennial Fine Wine & Spirits stores, and has been named Retailer of the Year by Beverage Dynamics Magazine and Market Watch Magazine. She was also a director of the Texas Package Store Association and served on its legislative committee.

Julie Ezell-Perez, Board Member

Julie Ezell-Perez is a partner in the law firm of Ezell & Ezell, PLLC. She practices in the areas of wills, estate planning, estate and guardianship administration, real estate law, family law and general civil practice. She has been active in her community by serving as a former chairperson of Leadership Harlingen, several terms on the board of directors of the Harlingen Rotary Club and Junior League, and as a counselor to Rotary Youth Exchange students.

Col. Christopher S. Dowling, Board Member

President
Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
Marine Military Academy, 320 Iwo Jima Blvd, Harlingen, TX 78550

Colonel Christopher Dowling, U.S. Marine Corps (ret) is the President of the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas. Chris entered the Marine Corps in December 1984 and enjoyed serving 34 years in various assignments and commands around the globe. Chris has a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies, and a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration. Chris is current member of the Harlingen Rotary, and they attend St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Chris and his wife Karen reside in Harlingen and have two grown boys.

He was appointed by Mayor Chris Boswell in July of 2021 to serve on the Harlingen Airport Board, and his term will expire February 2026.

Tito Resendez, Board Member

Mr. Tito Resendez is the owner of the local State Farm Insurance Agency in Harlingen, Texas. He is very actively involved in both his community and his industry. He has served on the local, state and national levels of many insurance associations and is presently the Texas delegate of the National Hispanic Agents Network (NHAN). Mr. Resendez has represented State Farm for almost 20 years and is ranked among the top 50 of 18,000 agents in America. He is a lifetime member of the company’s prestigious President’s Club and Chairman’s Circle winner becoming the first agent to do so south of Austin.

Mr. Resendez and his wife Diana are the founders of the Tito and Diana Resendez Foundation. The Foundation has awarded their Victory in Academics (VIA) scholarship to 23 graduating Harlingen seniors over the last 3 years totaling $23,000 to date. Mr. Resendez has served on various HCISD committees, most recently as the chair of the Technology committee supporting the 2010 HCISD Bond as well as the 2011 Ninth Grade Academy design committee. He has the served on many boards including the Planning and Zoning Board, Calvary Christian School PFTA board and is an active member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church.

Juan Longoria, Board Member

Juan Longoria is a Global Care Operations Director at T-Mobile and the Co-Chair of their& Latino Employee Resource Group. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Western Governors University and followed up with a Master of Science in Management & Leadership shortly after. Mr. Longoria is also a philanthropist and serves as the Executive Director and Founder of REVJLO Charities. Their mission is to remove obstacles to opportunity in the Rio Grande Valley. As a result of his leadership, REVJLO has provided $100K in scholarships and has assisted over 500 families in South Texas. In addition to REVJLO, he also serves the Harlingen community through his membership in the Harlingen Masonic Lodge 1132. For his efforts, Mr. Longoria was recently featured as a contributing author and spotlight in the Hispanic Stars Rising Volume II by Claudia Romo Edelmen.

Alejandro Gallaga, Board Member

Alejandro Gallaga is the Founder and Managing Partner of The Law Offices of Alejandro Gallaga, PLLC., which he founded in 2018. Having been born and raised in Harlingen, after earning his Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, he returned to Harlingen to begin his legal career. He currently owns and operates his own law firm in Harlingen, Texas, primarily focusing on Family Law, Criminal Law, Real Estate, Estate Planning, and Probate. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Texas Tech University, earning his degree in Philosophy with a Specialization in Legal Studies in 2014. He lives in Harlingen with his wife, Dr. Selina Garces Gallaga, and as a lifelong resident, he intends to commit to serving the community encompassing the people of Harlingen and South Texas.

Board Meetings

The Board meets the third Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Airport Terminal Building, Third Floor Airport Conference Room, Harlingen, TX. If you should have any questions, please call Celina at the Airport Administration at (956) 430-8600 or email: celina@flythevalley.com.