I am Alberto Luera. I am a native of South Texas and spent practically all of my life on the Texas Mexican border. Ethnically, I am deemed a Mexican American. Culturally and politically, I am a Chicano. Since my graduation from college in 1969, I have spent all of my professional life in the non profit sector with an emphasis in social service, advocacy activities, community development, economic empowerment and political education. My career spanned 36 years and took me throughout Texas, the Southwestern and Southeastern U. S. I retired in 2005 and am visually disabled with 98 percent vision loss. During my 36 years of active community work, I was involved in all faces of non profit work including being a staff member, a program planner, and was an executive director for 24 years. I also served in various board of director capacities including board member, secretary, treasurer and chairman for various non profit corporations that I was involved with.