Cecile Montañez

Vice President of Development & Events

Cecile brings over a decade of experience from public and nonprofit sectors, including business management and operations, budget management for multiple million-dollar campaigns, events, communications, and fundraising.

Before joining the South Texas Business Partnership, Cecile worked in Texas A&M University’s Office of the President as an Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives. Alongside faculty and staff, Cecile helped to secure $20 million for critical initiatives for South San Antonio and Bexar County. Among these initiatives is constructing the first nationally recognized Educare School in Texas to address the childcare desert in South San Antonio and Bexar County and serve as a workforce development pipeline for those in the early childhood education field.

In addition, Cecile secured $300K from Congressman Joaquin Castro’s Community Project Fund in support of the Autism Mobile Assessment Bus and Learning Environment (AMABLE). She assisted with the successful submission of a $10 million proposal to construct multipurpose athletic facilities at A&M-San Antonio for South San Antonio to address and support the mental and physical well-being of South Bexar County residents.

Before joining the A&M-SA team, Cecile led the development efforts of the Archdiocese of San Antonio for nearly a decade, raising a total of more than $40 million from events, appeals, and grants to provide social, educational, and outreach services to more than 300,000 people in San Antonio and throughout the surrounding 19 counties. These services include financial support for St. Peter’s-St. Joseph’s Children’s Home, Seton Home, Guadalupe Home, Counseling Services, St. Stephen’s Food and Clothing Closet, Financial Wellness and Care Programs for the elderly, Income Tax Assistance, Hospital and Incarcerated Programs, and educational scholarships for youth and college programs. Cecile also provided grant acquisition support to the entities of the archdiocese, worked with more than 150 volunteers and 167 church locations, as well as the business managers, pastors, and various boards across the diocese.

Cecile is a native of La Feria, Texas, and is a first-generation college graduate. Cecile holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications – Public Relations, a Minor in Business Administration, and a Minor in Nonprofit Leadership and Management from the University of Texas-San Antonio. In addition, Cecile is in her second year of graduate school, studying for a master’s in business administration at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. She is also a certified Nonprofit Professional with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals San Antonio Chapter, and a Board Member of the Cleft Strong nonprofit organization works to promote a healthy understanding of cleft lip/palate and other craniofacial conditions. 

Cecile enjoys spending time with her family, working with the youth, singing in the church choir, reading, and exercising. Cecile’s husband and children give her the strength and confidence to live up to her passion for serving, loving, and improving our community.