Veronica Chapa Gorczynski is the President of the East End District, a geographic area serving approximately 16 square miles east of downtown Houston. The District’s services include public safety programs, an award-winning graffiti abatement program, maintenance of major thoroughfares, and disposal of illegally dumped trash. The District’s grant-funded capital program focuses on connecting neighborhoods and business to transit and resulted in $31 million in improvements through 2017, with an additional $46.3 million in new investments during her current tenure.
A native of the Rio Grande Valley, educational and job opportunities have taken Veronica to live in San Antonio, New Orleans, Washington DC, Austin, and now Houston. She has worked in government, non-profit organizations, and education efforts—always focusing on ways to help the community gain resources and investment. In 2010, she was recruited by Mayor Annise Parker to join the administration as a Deputy Director of the Housing & Community Development Department to assist in an organizational turnaround and deploy almost half a billion dollars of federal investment throughout Houston.
A respected community development professional in Houston for over a decade, Veronica is a senior fellow with the American Leadership Forum, a former board member of the Latin Women’s Initiative, a member of Leadership Houston Class 30, a former Commissioner of the Houston Housing Authority, and a former board member of the UH Friends of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. Veronica is currently serving as Chairperson of Memorial Park Conservancy. She is a jointly-appointed (Houston & Harris County) Chairperson with the Gulf Coast Rail District, and Board Member of the Transportation Advisory Group – Houston Region.
In 2019, Veronica was honored by Houston Woman Magazine as one of Houston’s Top 50 influential women. In 2020, she was invited to join the prestigious Texas Lyceum. In 2021, Veronica was honored as Top 30 Influential Woman in Houston. When not working, she enjoys volunteering on projects aimed at improving community engagement and spending time with her husband John and young son, Diego.
