Harlingen CISD

Place 5 - EXP 2027
Email Dr. Nolan Perez

Dr. Nolan Perez has been serving on the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District Board of Trustees since 2010. He is the CEO of Texas Digestive Specialists with offices in Harlingen, Brownsville and McAllen. He is married to Sandy Perez, and they have two children— Nolan and Natalie, both graduates of HCISD.

Dr. Perez grew up in the Rio Grande Valley where he graduated from Port Isabel High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a Medical Doctorate from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. After medical school, Dr. Perez served in the United States Navy as a Medical Corps Officer and received the Navy Commendation and Navy Achievement Medals. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen and fellowship training in Gastroenterology at Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center. He is board certified in Gastroenterology and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Perez has a passion for education and community service. He was appointed to The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Greg Abbott in March 2019 and was reappointed to a six-year term in April 2021. He is the Chairman of the Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management Committee and also serves on the Board for Lease of University Lands.

Dr. Perez is a member of The Holdsworth Center Governing Board; Philosophical Society of Texas; Texas Business Leadership Council; and Expert Panelist for the Texas Medical Board.

Dr. Perez has previously served on many other boards including Texas Woman’s University Board of Regents, The University of Texas Foundation Board; The University of Texas at Austin Development Board; The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Development Board; Lone Star National Bank Board of Directors; Rio Grande Valley Angel Network; The University of Texas at Austin College of Education Foundation Advisory Council; Educate Texas Committee; The Texas Lyceum, FIRST in Texas Foundation; Humanities Texas Board; Texas Foundation for Innovative Communities Board; and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Football Feasibility Committee.

In 2019, Dr. Perez was part of the team recognized as Board of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Place 7 - EXP 2028
Email Eladio Jaimez

Eladio Jaimez is a native of Harlingen and worked for the Valley Morning Star for 12 years as a sportswriter, where he recorded many of our HCISD student-athletes’ achievements and successes.

Over the years, Mr. Jaimez developed many great relationships with coaches, parents and public officials that shared the same vision for Harlingen and the Rio Grande Valley. In 2008, he and the Valley Morning Star teamed up with the Harlingen Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to establish the RGV All-Star Sports Awards, which recognized Valley athletes and coaches for their work during the school year. The annual banquet still honors student-athletes across the Valley today and is known as the All-Valley Sports Awards Banquet.

Mr. Jaimez was nominated for the Texas High School Coaches Association Putt Powell Sportswriter of the Year Award twice (2011, 2016) and also earned an APME Sports Writing award for his reporting in 2011.

In 2012,  Mr. Jaimez joined Texas State Technical College where he worked as a Communications Specialists in the Communication and Creative Services department. His duties included the marketing and promotion of TSTC’s high-valued technical programs.

In 2015, Mr. Jaimez joined AEP Texas as a Communications Consultant where the company’s culture encourages and fosters community involvement.

Mr. Jaimez attended Harlingen High School and later the University of Texas-Pan American, where he studied journalism.

In 2019, Mr. Jaimez was part of the team recognized as Board of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Place 1- EXP 2026 
Email Dr. Gina Cano-Monreal

Gina Cano-Monreal is a native of Harlingen, Texas. She graduated from Harlingen High School in 1992 and went on to St. Mary’s University and Chaminade University to complete her Bachelor of Science in Biology. She earned her Master of Science with a concentration in Virology from The University of Texas at San Antonio and her Doctorate in Microbiology and Immunology from St. Louis University School of Medicine.

During her graduate studies, Dr. Cano-Monreal was active in scientific research, earning National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association grants to fund her virology research leading to multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals. She was also active in teaching at St. Louis University’s School of Nursing. She returned to Harlingen to raise her family and continued her teaching career in the Biology Department at Texas State Technical College. Through collaboration with colleagues, she has continued to publish articles and book chapters on mentoring and online learning best practices and present at national conferences. She is now the statewide Vice President for Online Learning at TSTC. 

Dr. Cano-Monreal has served the community as a member of Harlingen’s Community Improvement Board, member and President of the Junior League of Harlingen, advisor and President-elect for the Lower Valley Cotillion Club, member of the Family Crisis Center Advisory Committee, and most recently as a member of the National Charity League Rio Grande Valley Chapter. She has served HCISD as a community member on the 2013-2014 Strategic Planning Committee, a mentor in the Heroes for Harlingen program, and as a graduate of the Community Ambassador program.

Dr. Cano-Monreal is the daughter of Omar and Mary Bertha Cano. She is married to David Monreal, and they are the proud parents of Maya Belen, a sophomore at Harlingen School of Health Professions and Marcus Adrian, a 6th grader at Gutierrez Middle School.

Place 2- EXP 2026
Email Ricky Leal

Ricky Leal is a lifelong Harlingen resident. He is Senior Vice President and member of the Executive Management Team at First Community Bank, where he has served since 2005. He is married to Natalie Simmons Leal, and they have three children –Ashlyn, Dylan, and Andrew- all HCISD students. 

Mr. Leal is a graduate of Harlingen High School and Texas A&M University. He obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from Touro University International and is also a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Prior to joining First Community Bank, he served five years active duty in the United States Air Force, specializing in missiles & munitions maintenance and separating at the rank of Captain. 

Mr. Leal is also a board member for the Independent Bankers Association of Texas and a Director for Loaves & Fishes of the RGV. In 2011, he was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the State’s Product Development & Small Business Incubator Board where he served for five years. In 2015, he was appointed to the Nation’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Community Bank Advisory Council where he served for three years. Other past service includes Board Chairman of the Valley International Airport Board of Directors, Chairman of the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce, Harlingen Economic Development Corporation Board, and President of the Rotary Club of Harlingen.

During the 2022-2023 school year, he took part in the HCISD ambassador program.

Place 4 - EXP 2027
Email Dr. Bobby Muñiz

Meet Dr. Bobby Muñiz: A Champion for Education and Wellness

Dr. Bobby Muñiz has proudly served as a dedicated member of the Harlingen CISD Board of Trustees since June 2014. His leadership was further recognized in 2016 when he was selected by the Texas Association of School Boards to participate in the prestigious Leadership TASB Class of 2017.

A proud product of Harlingen, Dr. Muñiz was born and raised in this vibrant community. He began his academic journey at Treasure Hills Elementary and Coakley Middle School before graduating with the Harlingen High School Class of 1992. His dedication to education continued as he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University in 1998.

Dr. Muñiz’s professional path took him across the country, from Fort Worth, TX, to Columbus, OH, where he honed skills in workflow management and leadership while working for companies like Kroger Manufacturing and Abbott Laboratories. These experiences laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for systems that drive consistent results.

In 2002, Dr. Muñiz earned his MBA from St. Mary’s University, but his ultimate calling led him to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at Texas Southern University in Houston. While at TSU, he met his wife, Amy, who has been by his side as they built a life grounded in family and service. Together, they are proud parents to four amazing children—Sophia Amor, John Robert, Patrick Robert, and Ariel—who fill their home with music, dancing, and plenty of group hugs.

Today, Dr. Muñiz wears many hats. He is not only a committed school board leader but also a pharmacist specializing in functional medicine. As the founder of Hormone Secrets, he is passionate about helping men and women achieve hormonal balance and reclaim their vitality. He is also the owner and Head Coach of Training For Warriors Harlingen, where he inspires others to prioritize health and wellness.

In 2019, Dr. Muñiz’s commitment to excellence in education was celebrated when the Harlingen CISD Board of Trustees was named Board of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators.

With his deep roots in Harlingen and a steadfast dedication to the well-being of his community, Dr. Muñiz continues to inspire positive change both in education and in health.

Place 6 - EXP 2027
Email Dr. Belinda Reininger

Dr. Belinda Reininger has been serving on the Harlingen Consolidated Independent School Board of Trustees since May 2018. She is the Regional Dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Brownsville and Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Reininger and her husband Kenneth, a graduate of Harlingen High School, have lived in Harlingen since 2001 and have three children, Kenneth, Korynne, and Kennedy.

Dr. Reininger has multiple degrees from the University of Texas. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Education. She also completed a Master of Public Health and a Doctor of Public Health from the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health in Houston. Dr. Reininger has been working in higher education and public health for over 28 years. She has over 100 scientific publications and has been invited to present her scientific research in Mexico, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa and extensively in the United States.

In 2016, she was awarded a UT Regent's Outstanding Teaching award. This award is the University’s premier teaching award honoring outstanding teachers from across the system. She is proud of this award because it represents her dedication to and collaboration with students from the Valley. 

Dr. Reininger has a passion for public service. She has served as a leader in multiple organizations that are improving education and health in the Rio Grande Valley. She has served on the advisory board for the Harlingen School of Health Professions since the school opened. She is an active member of two organizations that support young women’s education and character development. Dr. Reininger is the director of the Summer Science Internship program for high school students that places students with university researchers to conduct scientific experiments during the summer.

In 2019, Dr. Reininger was part of the team recognized as Board of the Year by the Texas Association of School Administrators.

Place 3 - EXP 2028
Email Rebekah Herrmann Batot

Rebekah Herrmann Batot is a native of Harlingen, attending Travis Elementary, Vernon Jr. High, and graduating from Harlingen High School South. She went on to graduate from Texas Tech University with both her undergraduate and law degrees. She is a qualified mediator and has a Certificate in Healthcare Law from Cornell. 

She began her career with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, primarily representing victims of domestic violence, then opened her own practice before joining Valley Baptist Health System as their Compliance and Privacy Officer. She continues in this role, as well as serving as the Central Region Group Lead for Tenet Healthcare.

She is currently the Chair of the board of the Legacy Foundation and a current and founding member of the board of the Cameron County Judicial Commission on Mental Health. She has previously served as the President of Junior League of Harlingen, Chair of the Board of the Family Crisis Center, and Secretary of the Cameron County Bar Association. She served on HCISD’s Safety Committee from 2022-2024, and in the HCISD Ambassador Program from 2023 to 2025. 

She is married to Adam Batot and they are the proud parents of James and Jacob, who are current HCISD students.