10/05/2026
As a classically trained musician and concert pianist, she has devoted her life to promoting the value of the creative and liberal arts in education and to empowering our community through the beauty and power of the Arts.
She has served in a variety of administrative roles at UTPA/UTRGV, including Chair of Music, dean of Arts and Humanities, and Assistant Vice President of Public Art. She is most proud of being the founder of the nationally renowned Mariachi Aztl6n and of receiving the Ohtli Award in 2021, the highest honor bestowed by the Government of Mexico to individuals or organizations that have worked to empower the Mexican diaspora and helped to ''open the path'' for new Mexican American and Hispanic generations in the cultural arts and education. In 2023, she honored by the State of Texas House of Representatives for her work in advancing and promoting the Hispanic culture through music.
Dahlia recently retired from the University and created the South Texas Music and Cultural Arts Foundation to preserve, promote and celebrate the cultural heritage of the Rio Grande Valley. The foundation also raises scholarship funds for students.
Throughout the years, many of the UTPA/UTRGV mariachi alumni have gone on to become doctors, lawyers and other business professionals, and a good number have become music educators in the public schools, directing their own outstanding mariachi programs. Her goal is to spark creativity and build lasting connections with community participants and nonprofit organizations through impactful and inclusive arts initiatives, and to enhance the lives of individuals for South Texas through initiatives that celebrate cultural richness.
