Superintendent

Dr. Jesus H. Chavez serves as the Superintendent for the Brownsville Independent School District.

He was born in Brownsville, Texas, and raised in the Southmost area. He attended Cromack Elementary, Faulk Intermediate, Brownsville High School, and Porter High School; public schools where his teachers, administrators, and other school staff are credited with making a significant difference in his life and helping him become a teacher, administrator, and superintendent.

After graduating from Porter High School in 1976, Dr. Chavez attended Texas Southmost College, where he graduated in 1977, and transferred to The University of Texas, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Teaching in 1979, summa cum laude. Dr. Chavez received his master’s degree and Mid-Management Administrative Certificate at Pan American Brownsville in 1981.

Dr. Chavez moved to Austin in 1983 to pursue his studies for his doctorate. He received his doctorate in 1989 from The University of Texas with a concentration in special education administration and his Superintendent Certification. Dr. Chavez’s dissertation was on school finance, his lifelong interest.

He has worked in Brownsville as a teacher and assistant principal from 1979 to 1983, in Round Rock as a central office administrator from 1984 to 1995, and in three districts as Superintendent: Harlingen CISD from 1995 to 2001, Corpus Christi ISD from 2001 to 2006, and Round Rock ISD from 2006 to 2013.

In 2014, Dr. Chavez was hired by Texas State University as an adjunct professor, where he taught school finance and supervised principal and superintendent certification candidates. He remained with Texas State University until 2017.

Dr. Chavez worked for the Holdsworth Center, a Charles Butt organization focused on leadership training, during its inaugural year from 2017 to 2018. Most recently, Dr. Chavez has served as the Executive Director of South Texas Association of Schools, a non-profit advocacy organization focused on school finance advocacy, and as a consultant to school districts and educational organizations. He believes in putting children first in any decision, continuous organizational improvement, teamwork, and treating everyone fairly and respectfully.

Dr. Chavez is married to Martha Ruth Chavez, a Porter High School graduate. They have two grown children, Jesse and Jaime.