February 16, 2021 • 67 mins
This episode was recorded on September 28, 2020.
In this episode, higher education policy specialist Linda Battles talks with her good friend and former colleague Myra Leo about a long career in public service and her role as a Regional Director for Western Governors University. The two also tell some of the most endearing stories about their shared mentor Chairwoman Irma Rangel - the first Mexican-American female legislator in the Texas Legislature.
Learn more at: https://www.wgu.edu/
Show your support for the Pink Granite Podcast and join our Leader Circle by visiting us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/pinkgranite or by visiting PinkGranite.org
Follow us on Social Media:
Instagram @PinkGraniteTX
Facebook @PinkGraniteTX
Twitter @PinkGraniteTX
LinkedIn: Pink Granite
Season 2 of the Pink Granite Podcast is generously sponsored by:
Davis Kaufman
Public Blueprint
Thank you for listening!
Guest: Linda Battles
Host: Myra Leo
Editing: Amy Whited
Music: "Only the Brave Run Wild" Sounds Like Sander
Voice Talent: Sarah Keats
Executive Producer: Amy Whited
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Myra Leo (00:25):
Hi, this is Myra. Leo.
And I'm so delighted to be here,Linda, and I need to thank you
for the opportunity to introduceyou on this podcast. As you
know, I am a Principal at HuschBlackwell Strategies. I just
started that new job, March 1,leaving a 23 year career at K &
L Gates Law Firm. Prior to that,I was with the City of San
(00:49):
Antonio. And prior to that Iworked for the first
Mexican-American woman electedto the legislature, Irma Rangel
and that's where that's whereour true story begins. It's
under her leadership and herguidance. And again, I'm just so
happy to be here and be part ofthis. And so I know that you and
I go back many, many years. Andreally, it was I think, gosh, I
(01:15):
don't even know how many yearsit's been 1994, perhaps I hired
your older sister when I wasChief of Staff, for Chairwoman,
Irma Rangel, And when I wasleaving, you came in, your
sister actually recommended youand you were hired immediately.
(01:36):
So there's a lot of greatstories and all of this. And I
want to move forward and giveyou the opportunity to introduce
yourself. And let's talk aboutyour many lives in the business
world government and everythingthat has come from that. So I'm
going to go ahead and let youtell us a little bit about
yourself. Perhaps going back tothose first moments with
(02:00):
Chairwoman Rangel.
Linda Battles (02:04):
Well, thank you, Myra. I'm so excited to be here
and to see your face. I thinkthe last time you and I saw each
other was for lunch in Februaryprior to the COVID outbreak. And
so we've texted each other andtalk to each other on the phone
but have not seen your beautifulface. So I was so excited to see
(02:26):
you and to have thisconversation with you and to
relive some of our old memoriesof one of our fondest fondest
mentors, and trailblazers inTexas. But yes, you and I have
known each other for years, Iwould about myself before I get
(02:47):
into how I got started at theCapitol I was raised in El Paso,
Texas. I moved here to Austin toattend the University of Texas
at Austin, where I earned abachelor's degree in and
actually worked in the at theAustin State Hospital for a bit.
Myra Leo (03:13):
Something I didn't know about you.
Linda Battles (03:14):
Yeah. That that was where I got my start. And I
was at the time I was lookingfor a job that would pay me more
than minimum wage and gave mesome nice health insurance. And
that's when lo and behold, mysister received that call from
(03:35):
you and and I really credit mystart at the Capitol to you
because had not reached out tomy sister I never would have
known about the opportunity. Andworking for Irma really opened
the door for me. And I've mycareer has just moved forward
(03:56):
ever since to bigger and betterthings. I started with Irma as a
legislative assistant in 1994.
And you were moving on at thetime as her chief of staff.
Myra Leo (04:12):
To the City of San Antonio, with federal state and
local government affairs and wehad to leave Chairwoman Rangel
with good people and when youwalked in the door and she was
just taking it you know takenwith you and she because she
(04:32):
knew your older sister lawyerAna. You were family immediately
and I think you felt the sameway at the time.
Linda Battles (04:40):
I did. She put me at ease right away. We we
probably talked for a good 20minutes. But she asked me
certain questions like okay, youdon't live in my district
because she had a thing aboutnot hiring constituents. She
just didn't want to be placed inany kind of conflict of
interest, right? So she was realcareful about that. And she
(05:02):
asked if I spoke Spanish becauseher district was primarily
Spanish speaking and I needed tobe able to communicate
effectively. And then sheoffered me the job. And I was
stunned because I had zeroCapitol experience. And I asked
her, I said, so it doesn'tmatter that I don't have any
(05:24):
experience? And she said,"Honey, if, if all of us waited
to give opportunities toHispanic women, based solely on
their previous experience, howdo you think we'd increase
diversity here at the Capitol?"And of course, at the time,
Hispanic women were few and farbetween.
Myra Leo (05:44):
Well, she was the first one, Mexican American
woman elected to thelegislature. And there's some
just some fabulous storiesassociated with her. But one of
the things when she first gothere, she said, members would
come up to her, they'd want toknow what a Mexican-American
woman looked like that thatwasn't at home and pregnant. You
(06:04):
know how bold she was. And shespoke loudly. But we were both
just so honored to have theseexperiences with her. So I'll
let you continue Linda, withyour storyline.
Linda Battles (06:14):
Well, and before I do, let me tell you that she
was such an influence on me andwhat I thought that I can do in
my career, because when growingup in El Paso, you see, you
know, you are basically you arenot a minority, you are part of
the majority growing up in aborder town. And I didn't think
(06:38):
I was different until I moved toAustin. And before that, I think
there was a expectation forpeople like women like me, too.
Yes, get your education, but getmarried, have children. And I
(06:59):
think that that was theexpectation that was there for
me. And it wasn't until Istarted working for Irma that I
realized that I could do morethan just that. Not that there's
anything wrong with it, okay.
But I wasn't pigeon holed to anyone way of being as a Hispanic
woman. And Irma was a singlewoman who got engaged twice,
(07:27):
didn't actually ever getmarried, but didn't have
children. And that was a firstrole model that I had that
here's a woman who's smart,independent, influential in
state government makingsignificant policy on the state
(07:47):
level. And I was inspired bythat, and I think heavily
influenced my decisions in mylifetime, so I, I learned a
lot.
Myra Leo (08:04):
You worked for her how many years because I did nine
years, and I think I was thelongest I have to say.
Linda Battles (08:10):
I think you were because I worked for her for six
years from I started as alegislative aide in 94. And in
95, she promoted me to be herchief of staff and legislative
director. And then I did thatfor another five years. You'll
recall that she was diagnosedwith inflammatory breast cancer,
(08:33):
and it was the year 2000. Andbecause I'm so loyal, and and
committed to was committed toher and I've had a pattern of
that in terms of my loyalty tomy employer, I mean, I think we
all are very, very loyal to anextent and I was looking to
(08:58):
potentially make a transitionbut didn't want to do that
without her blessing. And I'llnever forget after working with
her, and you know, seeing her gothrough treatments, which was a
really hard thing to do. Ithought there's I will be
committed to her until you know,she she's ready for me to move
(09:21):
on. And I remember the last dayof this posting of a job opening
at the Texas Higher EducationCoordinating Board had come up
and they were going to close itat five so I must have been
talking to her at about noonthat day. And and I just brought
this up this posting up and andshe knew I had always wanted to
(09:41):
go work at the Higher EdCoordinating Board. And she I
told her about the job postingand she said well have you
applied I said no, I'm committedto you and I'm here to you know,
to serve you and your yourdistrict and she said nope.
Finish everything that you'redoing go apply. Get that
application in, hand deliver itnow and get it in. And sure
(10:04):
enough, fast forward. I, I gotthe job as an assistant
director.
Myra Leo (10:09):
How long were you there Linda with the
Coordinating Board, because youwere there for while?
Linda Battles (10:14):
Yes, I was there for 19 years up until April of
this year. And I've worked invarious positions started off as
the assistant director, soserving as a liaison to the
Coordinating Board to thelegislature and the governor's
office. And in 2014 is when Iwas introduced to my second
(10:39):
mentor. So Irma was my firstmentor. And then Dr. Raymond
Paredes. This was my secondmentor. And he also originally
from El Paso, Texas.
Myra Leo (10:50):
Such a big, big network from El Paso, I have met
so many folks, and a lot of themare in government as well. But
yes, El Paso and Austin, Texas.
Linda Battles (11:01):
We're everywhere.
And it's wonderful to see,although at some point, I wish
some of us would return to ElPaso and bring the wealth of
education and knowledge andexperience to to the city and
support the local economy there.
(11:24):
But yes, so 19 years at theCoordinating Board working in
various positions and workingunder initially under Dr. Don
Brown, who was the the firstcommissioner of higher education
in Texas, and he stepped down in2004. And then Raymond Peredes,
(11:45):
this was hired by our board. Andhe started and, of course, he
and I hit it off right away,being from El Paso and also
being to time undergrads aregraduates of UT Austin. But he
immediately at the time, I onlyhad my bachelor's degree in
psychology, and he sat me downand said, what are your career
(12:09):
goals? And I said, Well, I wantto continue working in higher
education and on policy. I said,ultimately, I think I'd like to
work at an institution of highereducation to round out my
knowledge and. And he said,Well, if you're going to be in
higher ed, you need to get ahigher credential. You need to
(12:32):
bring that credibility. And sohe encouraged me to apply to the
LBJ School at UT. And it waswonderful because I had a letter
recommendation from him as thesitting commissioner of higher
education. I had a letter ofrecommendation from Don Brown,
the previous Commissioner, whoI'd worked with, and then also
(12:55):
Dr. Kenneth Ashworth, who was alongest standing for higher
education. He served for 24years. And he and I had worked
closely together when Irma wasthe chair of the house Higher
Education Committee, and I wasworking for her. So it was
wonderful to have the support ofthose three commissioners very
(13:17):
influential in their own right.
Myra Leo (13:22):
Working, you know, with with the board, because
those are given tutorialappointments. Right? You have to
meander a great deal dealingwith with board members. And
that's that can always be achallenge too. So not only with
with those commissioners andyour associates, but the board
play a pivotal role.
Linda Battles (13:41):
And that's a very good point. And yes, I was I
served as the board liaisonfrom, for most of my time at the
Coordinating Board and establishthe such great relationships
with them, and to this day, havestrong relationships with many
of them. But it was just awonderful experience to really
(14:08):
move up the ranks at the highered Coordinating Board, getting,
you know, more responsibilitiesover time learning every aspect
of the agency and highereducation policy.
Myra Leo (14:21):
And I think that ties back to the legislature because
unless you're in the businessthat we're in, myself, I finally
say I grew up at the Capitolhaving started a senate
messenger and then going on towork with Representative Rangel
and everything that ensued afterthat. But the tie into the Texas
Legislature, YouTube, we'resurrounded by all of that and
(14:44):
and, and taking it to theCoordinating Board and knowing
the ties because it wasChairwoman Rangel and higher
education that established a lotof the new things. The top 10%
different things that affectcolleges and universities and so
That tie in was was such a, itjust seemed like such a great
alignment for you going from thelegislature to the Coordinating
(15:08):
Board, and then where you sitnow with the Western Governors
University.
Linda Battles (15:13):
Yes, thank you for letting letting us know
where I'm at now. I am atWestern Governors University,
which is a nonprofit, onlineprivate institution. We have a
state affiliate here in Texascalled the WGU Texas that was
(15:35):
actually created by the governorin 2011. And our mission is to
change lives for the better byproviding pathways to
opportunity. And one of thethings that I love about WVU,
Texas is that the majority ofour students come from one or
(15:55):
more underserved populations.
And my passion for servingunderserved populations really
stemmed from my experienceworking with Irma when she was
chair of the house HigherEducation Committee, and that
was her primary focus. And oneof the pieces of legislation
that I'm most proud of that Iworked on with her is the top
(16:17):
10% law, which was House Bill588, which she filed in
collaboration with SenatorGonzalo Bonds Barrientos, who
was a senator for Austin, andshe worked with Hispanic
academia, from UT Austin fromUniversity of Houston. And they
(16:38):
came together to devise thebill. And this really was, was
created in response to adecision by the US Fifth Circuit
Court that dismantledaffirmative action in higher
education.
Myra Leo (17:01):
What, I got excited about myself being from South
Texas, actually, right, youknow, in the same general area,
where am I was from, in SouthTexas, you know, for me, I went
to rural High School. So theapplication of this law was was
very important that the top 10%from little bitty South Texas,
(17:25):
someone was going to come to ourhad the opportunity to come to
the University. So it to me itwas it was an incredible
opportunity for rural America,rural Texas let me say, to
participate,
Linda Battles (17:39):
Right. And that's exactly what the results showed
is that you had more studentswho are graduating who are
graduating in the top 10% oftheir class, regardless of where
that high school was located.
We're we're automaticallyadmitted into the state's public
universities. And that wouldinclude our flagship
(18:01):
institutions of UT Austin, andTexas A&M. So you started to see
much more high school feeders,feeding into these two tier one
institutions that you didn't seebefore. And that included rural
students, it included diversestudents, because the state of
(18:22):
Texas is predominantly is stillvery much segregated. And so you
see that opportunity across thestate. So I'm pleased that it's
it's, it's stayed, it has stayedpretty much in existence, since
it was passed, except for UTAustin.
Myra Leo (18:47):
I love where you're going with this. You're the
closing the digital divide isessentially what you're saying,
Linda and I, again, being fromrural Texas, I appreciate that
so very much. And I do want toask you a little bit
specifically about maybe perhapswhat you're working on with WGU,
which I believe, like you said,it's online. Is it and I did
(19:09):
want to ask you this question,is it? Is it mostly adult
learners? Or is there a mix?
What does that look like?
Linda Battles (19:18):
So the average age of our students is about 36.
And the reason being is thewhole purpose of why WGU is
created. We were created back in1997 by 19, governors of the
western states to really expandaccess to higher education,
(19:42):
particularly for working adults.
adults who work full time whohave families who really the
traditional brick and mortarinstitution doesn't work for.
And so since we also offer acompetency based learning model,
which really caters to the adultlearner, because they can bring
(20:06):
past knowledge and experienceinto the classroom to
demonstrate mastery of courses,as opposed to us measuring seat
time.
Myra Leo (20:21):
And so if I may ask, what kind of courses are y'all
offering? Is it? Do you have anurse program? What does that
look like?
Linda Battles (20:29):
So we are we have four colleges. We have College
of Health, which includesnursing. We have the colleges,
the College of IT, College ofBusiness, and College of
Teaching, and we offer over 60programs across those colleges.
(20:49):
And each of those are competencybased. They're also we also do
what's called skills mapping,which makes our degree programs
relevant to workforce demands.
Because our faculty work closelywith business and industry to
ensure that we are embeddingthose skills in our courses and
(21:10):
degree programs. So we've gotreally great outcomes in terms
of work, workforce relevance.
And our graduates, for example,are prepared for the workforce.
And we get wonderful feedbackfrom employers who hire our
(21:31):
graduates who have highsatisfaction rates. Sometimes we
get 96-97% of employees who aresurveyed, are highly satisfied
with our graduates and say thatthey will hire graduates again.
So I, in this role as regionaldirector, I was hired in April
(21:55):
as regional director. And that'swhere I left the Coordinating
Board to, to come here, whichwas a really interesting time
because it was the middle of thepandemic.
Myra Leo (22:04):
Yes, I know the feeling I did the same thing.
Linda Battles (22:08):
Yes. So I really didn't get to meet my team in
person. I've really interactedwith them once in person. And
it's been working from home thiswhole time. But it's been
wonderful, because I've learnedso much. Two and a half months
(22:29):
after I was hired as regionaldirector, my boss who was
Regional Vice President andChancellor for WVU, Texas, ended
up getting another job and so heleft and but that gave me an
opportunity. I was asked to stepup in an interim role as acting
(22:51):
regional vice president so I'vebeen doing those roles since and
been learning a lot and I loveit.
Myra Leo (22:57):
Well, you you know how to meander best I'm telling
you, having, you know, been inthe legislature, obviously, with
with the chairwoman and going tothe Coordinating Board and
serving in those capacitieswhere you have to deal with the
gubernatorial appointments anddealing with, you know, really
the task at hand of highereducation. And you know, the
(23:19):
goals that are set by theCoordinating Board, and it's a
huge challenge to educate ourpopulation, and to provide
options for them, whether it'sonline or or restructuring to
accommodate the adult learnersand all those things. So I do
have a pretty big question foryou. If you had to take a look
(23:39):
at yourself, say 20 years ago,or even more, would you have
done anything differently? Iknow that I've got my own
perspective on this. You know, Ithink I would worry less,
perhaps. But I want to ask you,what would you tell yourself if
you were just starting out 30years ago? What, what are your
(24:02):
impressions at this point?
Because it's an important answerto because anyone listening to
this, and hopefully there'll belots of people listening to
this. It's good to know how tothink at a vulnerable time in
our lives, we I think we tend toput a lot of pressure on
ourselves and looking back now Iwish I hadn't hadn't done that
to myself. So it sounds it's asincere question here. And I'd
(24:25):
love to hear what you have to
Linda Battles (24:28):
Yeah, and I I've actually thought about this say.
because I've noticed how I have,over the years become much more
confident in my ability and whoI am as a Hispanic woman. So I
would say that just don't be sodown on yourself. Don't be so
(24:51):
hard on yourself. Believe inyourself. have the confidence
that you need to get out of yourcomfort zone. Because when you
get out of your comfort zone,that's when you grow, that's
when you are able to learn andlearn from your mistakes, don't
beat yourself up over the headfor your for mistakes, learn
(25:14):
from them, and help them to makeyou better. And so for me, I,
that's always been my problemgrowing up, not having that self
confidence to really grow. And Ihad wonderful mentors who
believed in me, and who reallypicked me up and encouraged me
(25:39):
and empowered me. And so they'rethe ones that gave me the trust
and responsibility with greaterwith greater roles within their
purview. And that's what helpedme grow. So I would say that I
would also say, don't be quickto judge for quickly. You know,
(26:07):
don't don't sweat the smallstuff, you know, it's and just
live every life, being grateful.
Myra Leo (26:15):
Well, Linda because I know, I know you so well. And
you and I have had wonderful,wonderful conversations,
discussions about our faith, itplays an important role in both
our lives. And I think we'rereally committed to that, and
knowing God, and I really likeyou to talk just a little bit
about that. Because you and Ihave engaged many times and
(26:36):
those moments of a great anxietyof the great unknown, of feeling
alone, perhaps, and not knowingwhat to do, but I we share a
commonality in our strong beliefin God. So I'd like to share a
little bit about that.
Linda Battles (26:53):
Yes, I appreciate the question. Because you know,
working in state government,you're always real careful about
separation of state and church.
And so but now that I'm I metWGU, I just feel much more open
about it. But I've grown in thelast five years in terms of my
faith, I've always had faith, Ijust have been more deliberate
(27:15):
about learning more. And so Iput God first. And every day,
every day that I wake up, I dosomething I read, or listen to
something that helps educate meon how to be more. Really, like
one of God's children.
Myra Leo (27:44):
Centered.
Linda Battles (27:48):
And it's been quite a journey to learn more
about my spirituality, and howto apply it in my everyday life.
And I've found that I'm lessanxious, I'm less worried about
things I catch myself if I'm notbeing positive or saying
(28:18):
something positive or reachingout to others in need. So for
me, one of the things that helpsme is if I'm going through a
tough time, personally, I trynot to focus on that. And
instead I ask God, how can I bea blessing to somebody else who
you know is in need, and I knowthat my needs will be taken care
(28:42):
of. But I need to be used inways to help others. And so
that's my key to success is havefaith. You know, forgive, be
quick to forgive, be grateful,be grateful for every blessing.
Don't look back and try not tolook too far into the future and
(29:04):
get yourself worried aboutthings that are beyond your
control. And just have havefaith.
Myra Leo (29:10):
Well, Linda, I've always seen you have a real
truly, you're a person ofmission. And I think that when
you look at life, and you wakeup in the morning and it's not
about you like you said it'sabout serving others and I think
that is just such a strongconnection to to Irma as well.
(29:31):
She was a person of great faithprayed a rosary every night very
few people knew that it prayrosary. At the same time being
ostracized by the CatholicChurch for for supporting or
excommunicated, rather, forsupporting pro choice issues.
But she was very dedicated andcommitted and she knew God and I
(29:54):
just think that we You and Ihave learned so much from her
leadership. But I think The wordthat comes to mind for me every
day is it's about mission. Andthat's what you have done. And I
want to tell you also that,which I appreciate greatly,
because you don't necessarilysee this in, in everyone.
(30:15):
Because some of us are stillevolving. I, you know, I'll have
to say that about some folks tobe nice and kind here. But the
fact is that you have alwaysbeen accessible. And in your
positions, you know, again,going from a legislative office,
where you have people likelobbyists like me coming in
knocking on the door trying toget through, you were always
(30:37):
very open and generous,accessible, you went on to the
Coordinating Board, and younever skipped a beat in, in,
when, when folks needed a job orneeded advice. You've always
just been there with an opendoor. And that's a rarity in
this life. I certainlyappreciate those when I call
(30:58):
them that they take the time tovisit that they take this on,
how are you. And so I too, havehave a list of folks looking for
jobs. Again, you and I are veryaligned in mission. And so I
want to thank you for alwaysdoing that. And being that that
you haven't forgotten where youcame from, which was another
(31:19):
Irma Rangel motto, don't everforget who you are, where you
came from.
Linda Battles (31:53):
It's the mission that really motivates me and the
mission of WGU Texas, themission of the higher ed
Coordinating Board, and even asmission is really what develops
my passion and loyalty. I amalso a very transparent person,
(32:16):
I like to share information, Ithink that information is power.
And I think that it empowers usall to know what's going on to
have those connections,networking is so important. So
that's the other piece of advicethat I would give young women
(32:38):
entering higher education orstate government, or any kind of
public policy position isnetworking and information are
key. Because it's who you know,and what you know. That's why I
try to do as much as I can forothers and opening doors.
Because it's so important to dothat. I've always felt very
(33:06):
strongly that any help that wasgiven to me, I have to then give
back to others who are comingbehind me. And so it's for you,
Myra, I want to I want to takethis opportunity to thank you
for being my mentor as well. Andfor You're such You're so savvy
(33:30):
when it comes to people andconnecting and networking and
the strategy that you have interms of trying to get your
legislative priorities throughthe process. You know, people
who you can rely on and younurture you establish genuine
(33:53):
relationships with these folkswho can help you and they
genuinely want to help you.
Because you build that trust.
And I, I, you've you'vedemonstrated that to me. And
I've learned that over theyears, you've got to build that
trust, build thoserelationships, to be able to
(34:13):
rely on those relationships tohelp get things done.
Myra Leo (34:17):
Well, and thank you so much, Linda, but I'm going to go
back to mission and beingauthentic. I think if you're
true to who you are, and it'syou're not carrying an agenda of
sorts is about what's presentedto you and how we manage it and
the gifts were given along theway. I feel very blessed in my
(34:39):
life. I wake up every day and Ithank God for this wonderful job
as a lobbyist of all things butit's a great it's a great life
and has allowed me to meanderthe legislature and really
become close to a lot of folksas a staffer. You know, I fought
I often say I grew up at theCapitol Starting out as a senate
(35:01):
messenger, many moons ago, but Iagain going back to knowing how
to meander, right I call it thata lot. But in the same aspect of
your your life story youmeandered over here, and now
you're at WGA, we all have suchunique stories to share. But I
think being true to self beingauthentic being about mission,
(35:25):
you know, you can cut out a lotof things. And that ego, you
know, sort of put it aside andget get to work. I think as
women, we do that really well,we do it. So sometimes it hurts
us because we're about gettingthe work done, and not thinking
through things and men thing,not all men, but a lot of them
(35:46):
think very differently. And sowe get the job done is what I
want to say, and but I haveestablished a lot of great
friends. And again, I'm reallyhappy. What I do every day, and
I'm very grateful for gratitude.
And again, I want to thank youfor allowing me to participate
and be part of this. This was ait's an honor to be visiting
(36:07):
with you, Linda and be part ofthis podcast. And I just want to
simply Thank you very much.
Linda Battles (36:16):
Well, thank you for participating as well. And
thank you, Pink Granite for theplatform, too. And it's just a
great opportunity to shareexperiences, to share the
history of, you know, working atthe Capitol as a Hispanic woman.
(36:40):
And some of the, we didn't getto share some of the stories of
working at the Capitol. But youknow, we started when prior to,
you know, 9-11, you know, whenthe Capitol was much more
accessible. And things werevery, very different. You know,
(37:03):
I know, I've worked under I'veworked under four governors. So
beginning in governor Richards,last term. And then under
Governor Bush, Perry, and nowAbbott, and I've worked 13
consecutive sessions. So if I'vedone that many consecutive
(37:25):
sessions, you're you've got somany more years ahead of me.
Myra Leo (37:30):
I want to hear a story I think that you know about,
what was it, Governor Bush atthe time? I want you to share
that.
Linda Battles (37:38):
Yeah, no, I think it's such an it's so a
characteristic of Irma and whoshe was the, you know, even
though she was what, 52. She hada big presence and a big
personality. So one time when Iwas working for her, this must
(38:01):
have been right before the 1997session. And, you know, we
parked right around the CapitolBuilding. So we were able to,
you know, prior to 9-11, youknow, parked on there, and we
were unloading her car becauseshe would take us to Sam's, if
you remember to buy us all kindsof goodies because we would stay
(38:23):
late, you know, during thesession, and we we needed some
sustenance. So there we areunpacking her car. And here
comes George Bush, GovernorGeorge Bush and two DPS
troopers, one on each side,escorting him somewhere. And so
(38:45):
of course, he came across Irmashe, you know, introduced me and
another staff member who is withher. And so she says, So
Governor, she said, "Can weexpect you to sign a bill this
session that would create astate personal income tax?"
(39:06):
Because, you know, Irma had beenpushing that for many, many
years, and she thought it wasthe fairest way to do it in lieu
of property taxes. And so heresponded in Spanish and said
"sobre mi cuerpo muerto," whichmeans in English means over my
(39:27):
dead body. Without hesitation,she responded and in English, I
guess the DPS troopers wouldhear. She said she said it with
a smile. She said "Governor, becareful what you ask for." And
oh my gosh, we were likeeverybody started laughing
(39:47):
because it was just so right onand she wasn't shy about saying
anything. And she was just soquick witted. It just, that's
that was her and she she had somuch fun, she was tough. And she
expected all of her staff towork twice as hard as anybody
(40:07):
else to stay as late later thananybody else. Turn in high
quality, accurate work. I mean,she she was tough in terms of
her training. And all of us whoreceived that training have gone
on to do, you know, amazing,have amazing careers. And we all
look back and said it was theIrmal Rangel training that we
(40:31):
had.
Myra Leo (40:31):
We are referred to as Irma's girls and we do refer to
her as mother. Yes. And youknow, we take the the annual
trek to the state cemetery, youwant to share that story?
Linda Battles (40:42):
Oh, yeah. So. So, you know, Irma was diagnosed
with inflammatory breast cancerand what January early February
of 2000. And she even though shewas able to lick that it came
(41:04):
back as ovarian cancer. And sothat second time, when it came
back, she realized that sheneeded to start taking care of
her final resting arrangements.
And so she had me and you andother close friends, join her at
the state cemetery to pick out aplot. And she was very
(41:33):
particular about where shewanted to be laid to rest. And
so we all walked out. And we, wehelped her find this really nice
place, and that she called theMexican Hill, because other
Hispanic legislators had been,had picked out their plots there
or had already been buriedthere. And so when she finally
(41:58):
selected her plot, we broke outa bottle of champagne, and
glasses, and we did a toast inher honor. And she, I remember,
she commented saying that shewanted to have a nice bench
there so that when people comevisit, they have somewhere nice
to sit under this big, lovelytree. And they can see the
(42:21):
beautiful water there with thesmall creek that's there. And so
sure enough, after her passing,and she did pass away in the
middle of the 2003 session inMarch, and I was already at the
Coordinating Board. And Iremember, you know, the day that
(42:45):
she went into the hospital thatthe day passed, she had all
kinds of legislators coming tovisit and pay, you know, their
respects and and it was just awonderful turnout to have so
many people who loved her.
Myra Leo (43:03):
We had a lot of actually dignitaries in terms of
of members of the legislature, Ithink, I think Governor Perry
even was there and I it was OurLady of Guadalupe church on East
Seventh Street. And I rememberthe priest is a good friend
actually saying, when he talkedabout her, he had all these
(43:25):
accolades, of course, but healso said she could have been
the first pope was justfantastic. I'll never forget her
giving money as well to to thechurch and saying, you know, I
don't know how much money itwas, could have been a minimum
of 500 or more, who knows. Butshe looked at the priests and
(43:45):
she said, Now this is for thechildren. Make sure it gets to
the kids. Yeah, that's who shewas. And that is part of I
think, our what we know today,Linda, but especially you I
think you've really taken a lotof what you learned with her
throughout your work. And, and,and again, shared a lot of that
(44:10):
with others in terms of herleadership, and you've taken
those tenants and you use themvery wisely throughout your
career. We've learned a lot fromher, all of us, her girls,
there's so many stories, I'dlove to delve into all it would
take days just to get throughand I think we'd have a lot of
(44:30):
folks laughing and crying. Yeah.
And it just a lot of fun thingsbut again, I just want to thank
you for this opportunity andpink granite and I don't know if
you have anything to finalwords, Linda at this point to
share with us.
Linda Battles (44:48):
Well, I just want to say how appreciative I am of
the opportunities that I've hadover my career and You know,
learning from Irma, like yousaid, I learned about how
important access to highereducation is for students for
(45:11):
all students, regardless ofwhere they live, their
geographical location, theirsocioeconomic status, the color
of their skin. talent, we knowwhat, which is what we say at
WGU, talent is universal, butopportunity is not. And so
(45:31):
making sure that we expandaccess to higher education is so
critical. And I carried thatfrom Irma, then to the
Coordinating Board where, youknow, Dr. Beredes, this taught
me that access and success areso important because access
without success is notopportunity. So just because we
(45:54):
can get underserved studentsinto higher education isn't
enough. We need to do everythingthat we can to make sure that
they graduate and earn theircredential. Which brings me to
WGU Texas, which is why I amjust loving every bit of work
that I'm doing with WGU Texasand expanding that to online
(46:17):
education, which knows noboundaries and the fact and I
can tell you that the people atWGU Texas and WGU, nationally,
are very special people. Theyall think about the students.
We, the students are the centerof everything that we do. And
(46:38):
that's how I have felt my entirecareer, my entire 25 years of
higher education, and highereducation policy. It's always
been about the students andputting them first and the fact
that WGU does not have, youknow, facilities to worry about,
does not have to does not engagein research does not, you know,
(47:02):
have football teams, they don'thave these other distractions,
that we're just focused onlearning and making sure that
students are getting theeducation that they deserve. And
so I just feel like I've comefull circle in my career ending,
you know, I hope it's not theend, I hope that I will continue
(47:26):
serving these students,particularly those who are
underrepresented. Like I said,75% of students at WGU are from
one or more of the underservedpopulations, which includes
first generation students, lowincome students of color, rural
students, and the military. Sowe're very proud of, of our
(47:50):
outcomes again, and I'm just sopassionate about expanding the
knowledge of all Texans of WGUexas, particularly during this
ime of, of this COVID-19andemic, we're a great
(48:10):
pportunity to come back rescalepskill, if you have some
ollege, no degree, you know,oming back and getting that
egree. It's so important, ande want to be part of the
conomic recovery in Texas. Weant to improve lives and and
hat's, that's where I'm just sohrilled to be where I'm at, and
(48:32):
ery grateful. Once again, Ihink when we show gratitude for
verything in in our lives, Ihink that's the key to
appiness. And I can tell youhat I'm a very happy person.
Myra Leo (48:46):
I agree. Thank you so much, Linda again, and pink
granite. Excited to be here andexcited to know what the future
holds. Thank you.
Linda Battles (48:55):
Thank you.
Hi, this is Myra. Leo.
And I'm so delighted to be here,Linda, and I need to thank you
for the opportunity to introduceyou on this podcast. As you
know, I am a Principal at HuschBlackwell Strategies. I just
started that new job, March 1,leaving a 23 year career at K &
L Gates Law Firm. Prior to that,I was with the City of San
(00:49):
Antonio. And prior to that Iworked for the first
Mexican-American woman electedto the legislature, Irma Rangel
and that's where that's whereour true story begins. It's
under her leadership and herguidance. And again, I'm just so
happy to be here and be part ofthis. And so I know that you and
I go back many, many years. Andreally, it was I think, gosh, I
(01:15):
don't even know how many yearsit's been 1994, perhaps I hired
your older sister when I wasChief of Staff, for Chairwoman,
Irma Rangel, And when I wasleaving, you came in, your
sister actually recommended youand you were hired immediately.
(01:36):
So there's a lot of greatstories and all of this. And I
want to move forward and giveyou the opportunity to introduce
yourself. And let's talk aboutyour many lives in the business
world government and everythingthat has come from that. So I'm
going to go ahead and let youtell us a little bit about
yourself. Perhaps going back tothose first moments with
(02:00):
Chairwoman Rangel.
Linda Battles (02:04):
Well, thank you, Myra. I'm so excited to be here
and to see your face. I thinkthe last time you and I saw each
other was for lunch in Februaryprior to the COVID outbreak. And
so we've texted each other andtalk to each other on the phone
but have not seen your beautifulface. So I was so excited to see
(02:26):
you and to have thisconversation with you and to
relive some of our old memoriesof one of our fondest fondest
mentors, and trailblazers inTexas. But yes, you and I have
known each other for years, Iwould about myself before I get
(02:47):
into how I got started at theCapitol I was raised in El Paso,
Texas. I moved here to Austin toattend the University of Texas
at Austin, where I earned abachelor's degree in and
actually worked in the at theAustin State Hospital for a bit.
Myra Leo (03:13):
Something I didn't know about you.
Linda Battles (03:14):
Yeah. That that was where I got my start. And I
was at the time I was lookingfor a job that would pay me more
than minimum wage and gave mesome nice health insurance. And
that's when lo and behold, mysister received that call from
(03:35):
you and and I really credit mystart at the Capitol to you
because had not reached out tomy sister I never would have
known about the opportunity. Andworking for Irma really opened
the door for me. And I've mycareer has just moved forward
(03:56):
ever since to bigger and betterthings. I started with Irma as a
legislative assistant in 1994.
And you were moving on at thetime as her chief of staff.
Myra Leo (04:12):
To the City of San Antonio, with federal state and
local government affairs and wehad to leave Chairwoman Rangel
with good people and when youwalked in the door and she was
just taking it you know takenwith you and she because she
(04:32):
knew your older sister lawyerAna. You were family immediately
and I think you felt the sameway at the time.
Linda Battles (04:40):
I did. She put me at ease right away. We we
probably talked for a good 20minutes. But she asked me
certain questions like okay, youdon't live in my district
because she had a thing aboutnot hiring constituents. She
just didn't want to be placed inany kind of conflict of
interest, right? So she was realcareful about that. And she
(05:02):
asked if I spoke Spanish becauseher district was primarily
Spanish speaking and I needed tobe able to communicate
effectively. And then sheoffered me the job. And I was
stunned because I had zeroCapitol experience. And I asked
her, I said, so it doesn'tmatter that I don't have any
(05:24):
experience? And she said,"Honey, if, if all of us waited
to give opportunities toHispanic women, based solely on
their previous experience, howdo you think we'd increase
diversity here at the Capitol?"And of course, at the time,
Hispanic women were few and farbetween.
Myra Leo (05:44):
Well, she was the first one, Mexican American
woman elected to thelegislature. And there's some
just some fabulous storiesassociated with her. But one of
the things when she first gothere, she said, members would
come up to her, they'd want toknow what a Mexican-American
woman looked like that thatwasn't at home and pregnant. You
(06:04):
know how bold she was. And shespoke loudly. But we were both
just so honored to have theseexperiences with her. So I'll
let you continue Linda, withyour storyline.
Linda Battles (06:14):
Well, and before I do, let me tell you that she
was such an influence on me andwhat I thought that I can do in
my career, because when growingup in El Paso, you see, you
know, you are basically you arenot a minority, you are part of
the majority growing up in aborder town. And I didn't think
(06:38):
I was different until I moved toAustin. And before that, I think
there was a expectation forpeople like women like me, too.
Yes, get your education, but getmarried, have children. And I
(06:59):
think that that was theexpectation that was there for
me. And it wasn't until Istarted working for Irma that I
realized that I could do morethan just that. Not that there's
anything wrong with it, okay.
But I wasn't pigeon holed to anyone way of being as a Hispanic
woman. And Irma was a singlewoman who got engaged twice,
(07:27):
didn't actually ever getmarried, but didn't have
children. And that was a firstrole model that I had that
here's a woman who's smart,independent, influential in
state government makingsignificant policy on the state
(07:47):
level. And I was inspired bythat, and I think heavily
influenced my decisions in mylifetime, so I, I learned a
lot.
Myra Leo (08:04):
You worked for her how many years because I did nine
years, and I think I was thelongest I have to say.
Linda Battles (08:10):
I think you were because I worked for her for six
years from I started as alegislative aide in 94. And in
95, she promoted me to be herchief of staff and legislative
director. And then I did thatfor another five years. You'll
recall that she was diagnosedwith inflammatory breast cancer,
(08:33):
and it was the year 2000. Andbecause I'm so loyal, and and
committed to was committed toher and I've had a pattern of
that in terms of my loyalty tomy employer, I mean, I think we
all are very, very loyal to anextent and I was looking to
(08:58):
potentially make a transitionbut didn't want to do that
without her blessing. And I'llnever forget after working with
her, and you know, seeing her gothrough treatments, which was a
really hard thing to do. Ithought there's I will be
committed to her until you know,she she's ready for me to move
(09:21):
on. And I remember the last dayof this posting of a job opening
at the Texas Higher EducationCoordinating Board had come up
and they were going to close itat five so I must have been
talking to her at about noonthat day. And and I just brought
this up this posting up and andshe knew I had always wanted to
(09:41):
go work at the Higher EdCoordinating Board. And she I
told her about the job postingand she said well have you
applied I said no, I'm committedto you and I'm here to you know,
to serve you and your yourdistrict and she said nope.
Finish everything that you'redoing go apply. Get that
application in, hand deliver itnow and get it in. And sure
(10:04):
enough, fast forward. I, I gotthe job as an assistant
director.
Myra Leo (10:09):
How long were you there Linda with the
Coordinating Board, because youwere there for while?
Linda Battles (10:14):
Yes, I was there for 19 years up until April of
this year. And I've worked invarious positions started off as
the assistant director, soserving as a liaison to the
Coordinating Board to thelegislature and the governor's
office. And in 2014 is when Iwas introduced to my second
(10:39):
mentor. So Irma was my firstmentor. And then Dr. Raymond
Paredes. This was my secondmentor. And he also originally
from El Paso, Texas.
Myra Leo (10:50):
Such a big, big network from El Paso, I have met
so many folks, and a lot of themare in government as well. But
yes, El Paso and Austin, Texas.
Linda Battles (11:01):
We're everywhere.
And it's wonderful to see,although at some point, I wish
some of us would return to ElPaso and bring the wealth of
education and knowledge andexperience to to the city and
support the local economy there.
(11:24):
But yes, so 19 years at theCoordinating Board working in
various positions and workingunder initially under Dr. Don
Brown, who was the the firstcommissioner of higher education
in Texas, and he stepped down in2004. And then Raymond Peredes,
(11:45):
this was hired by our board. Andhe started and, of course, he
and I hit it off right away,being from El Paso and also
being to time undergrads aregraduates of UT Austin. But he
immediately at the time, I onlyhad my bachelor's degree in
psychology, and he sat me downand said, what are your career
(12:09):
goals? And I said, Well, I wantto continue working in higher
education and on policy. I said,ultimately, I think I'd like to
work at an institution of highereducation to round out my
knowledge and. And he said,Well, if you're going to be in
higher ed, you need to get ahigher credential. You need to
(12:32):
bring that credibility. And sohe encouraged me to apply to the
LBJ School at UT. And it waswonderful because I had a letter
recommendation from him as thesitting commissioner of higher
education. I had a letter ofrecommendation from Don Brown,
the previous Commissioner, whoI'd worked with, and then also
(12:55):
Dr. Kenneth Ashworth, who was alongest standing for higher
education. He served for 24years. And he and I had worked
closely together when Irma wasthe chair of the house Higher
Education Committee, and I wasworking for her. So it was
wonderful to have the support ofthose three commissioners very
(13:17):
influential in their own right.
Myra Leo (13:22):
Working, you know, with with the board, because
those are given tutorialappointments. Right? You have to
meander a great deal dealingwith with board members. And
that's that can always be achallenge too. So not only with
with those commissioners andyour associates, but the board
play a pivotal role.
Linda Battles (13:41):
And that's a very good point. And yes, I was I
served as the board liaisonfrom, for most of my time at the
Coordinating Board and establishthe such great relationships
with them, and to this day, havestrong relationships with many
of them. But it was just awonderful experience to really
(14:08):
move up the ranks at the highered Coordinating Board, getting,
you know, more responsibilitiesover time learning every aspect
of the agency and highereducation policy.
Myra Leo (14:21):
And I think that ties back to the legislature because
unless you're in the businessthat we're in, myself, I finally
say I grew up at the Capitolhaving started a senate
messenger and then going on towork with Representative Rangel
and everything that ensued afterthat. But the tie into the Texas
Legislature, YouTube, we'resurrounded by all of that and
(14:44):
and, and taking it to theCoordinating Board and knowing
the ties because it wasChairwoman Rangel and higher
education that established a lotof the new things. The top 10%
different things that affectcolleges and universities and so
That tie in was was such a, itjust seemed like such a great
alignment for you going from thelegislature to the Coordinating
(15:08):
Board, and then where you sitnow with the Western Governors
University.
Linda Battles (15:13):
Yes, thank you for letting letting us know
where I'm at now. I am atWestern Governors University,
which is a nonprofit, onlineprivate institution. We have a
state affiliate here in Texascalled the WGU Texas that was
(15:35):
actually created by the governorin 2011. And our mission is to
change lives for the better byproviding pathways to
opportunity. And one of thethings that I love about WVU,
Texas is that the majority ofour students come from one or
(15:55):
more underserved populations.
And my passion for servingunderserved populations really
stemmed from my experienceworking with Irma when she was
chair of the house HigherEducation Committee, and that
was her primary focus. And oneof the pieces of legislation
that I'm most proud of that Iworked on with her is the top
(16:17):
10% law, which was House Bill588, which she filed in
collaboration with SenatorGonzalo Bonds Barrientos, who
was a senator for Austin, andshe worked with Hispanic
academia, from UT Austin fromUniversity of Houston. And they
(16:38):
came together to devise thebill. And this really was, was
created in response to adecision by the US Fifth Circuit
Court that dismantledaffirmative action in higher
education.
Myra Leo (17:01):
What, I got excited about myself being from South
Texas, actually, right, youknow, in the same general area,
where am I was from, in SouthTexas, you know, for me, I went
to rural High School. So theapplication of this law was was
very important that the top 10%from little bitty South Texas,
(17:25):
someone was going to come to ourhad the opportunity to come to
the University. So it to me itwas it was an incredible
opportunity for rural America,rural Texas let me say, to
participate,
Linda Battles (17:39):
Right. And that's exactly what the results showed
is that you had more studentswho are graduating who are
graduating in the top 10% oftheir class, regardless of where
that high school was located.
We're we're automaticallyadmitted into the state's public
universities. And that wouldinclude our flagship
(18:01):
institutions of UT Austin, andTexas A&M. So you started to see
much more high school feeders,feeding into these two tier one
institutions that you didn't seebefore. And that included rural
students, it included diversestudents, because the state of
(18:22):
Texas is predominantly is stillvery much segregated. And so you
see that opportunity across thestate. So I'm pleased that it's
it's, it's stayed, it has stayedpretty much in existence, since
it was passed, except for UTAustin.
Myra Leo (18:47):
I love where you're going with this. You're the
closing the digital divide isessentially what you're saying,
Linda and I, again, being fromrural Texas, I appreciate that
so very much. And I do want toask you a little bit
specifically about maybe perhapswhat you're working on with WGU,
which I believe, like you said,it's online. Is it and I did
(19:09):
want to ask you this question,is it? Is it mostly adult
learners? Or is there a mix?
What does that look like?
Linda Battles (19:18):
So the average age of our students is about 36.
And the reason being is thewhole purpose of why WGU is
created. We were created back in1997 by 19, governors of the
western states to really expandaccess to higher education,
(19:42):
particularly for working adults.
adults who work full time whohave families who really the
traditional brick and mortarinstitution doesn't work for.
And so since we also offer acompetency based learning model,
which really caters to the adultlearner, because they can bring
(20:06):
past knowledge and experienceinto the classroom to
demonstrate mastery of courses,as opposed to us measuring seat
time.
Myra Leo (20:21):
And so if I may ask, what kind of courses are y'all
offering? Is it? Do you have anurse program? What does that
look like?
Linda Battles (20:29):
So we are we have four colleges. We have College
of Health, which includesnursing. We have the colleges,
the College of IT, College ofBusiness, and College of
Teaching, and we offer over 60programs across those colleges.
(20:49):
And each of those are competencybased. They're also we also do
what's called skills mapping,which makes our degree programs
relevant to workforce demands.
Because our faculty work closelywith business and industry to
ensure that we are embeddingthose skills in our courses and
(21:10):
degree programs. So we've gotreally great outcomes in terms
of work, workforce relevance.
And our graduates, for example,are prepared for the workforce.
And we get wonderful feedbackfrom employers who hire our
(21:31):
graduates who have highsatisfaction rates. Sometimes we
get 96-97% of employees who aresurveyed, are highly satisfied
with our graduates and say thatthey will hire graduates again.
So I, in this role as regionaldirector, I was hired in April
(21:55):
as regional director. And that'swhere I left the Coordinating
Board to, to come here, whichwas a really interesting time
because it was the middle of thepandemic.
Myra Leo (22:04):
Yes, I know the feeling I did the same thing.
Linda Battles (22:08):
Yes. So I really didn't get to meet my team in
person. I've really interactedwith them once in person. And
it's been working from home thiswhole time. But it's been
wonderful, because I've learnedso much. Two and a half months
(22:29):
after I was hired as regionaldirector, my boss who was
Regional Vice President andChancellor for WVU, Texas, ended
up getting another job and so heleft and but that gave me an
opportunity. I was asked to stepup in an interim role as acting
(22:51):
regional vice president so I'vebeen doing those roles since and
been learning a lot and I loveit.
Myra Leo (22:57):
Well, you you know how to meander best I'm telling
you, having, you know, been inthe legislature, obviously, with
with the chairwoman and going tothe Coordinating Board and
serving in those capacitieswhere you have to deal with the
gubernatorial appointments anddealing with, you know, really
the task at hand of highereducation. And you know, the
(23:19):
goals that are set by theCoordinating Board, and it's a
huge challenge to educate ourpopulation, and to provide
options for them, whether it'sonline or or restructuring to
accommodate the adult learnersand all those things. So I do
have a pretty big question foryou. If you had to take a look
(23:39):
at yourself, say 20 years ago,or even more, would you have
done anything differently? Iknow that I've got my own
perspective on this. You know, Ithink I would worry less,
perhaps. But I want to ask you,what would you tell yourself if
you were just starting out 30years ago? What, what are your
(24:02):
impressions at this point?
Because it's an important answerto because anyone listening to
this, and hopefully there'll belots of people listening to
this. It's good to know how tothink at a vulnerable time in
our lives, we I think we tend toput a lot of pressure on
ourselves and looking back now Iwish I hadn't hadn't done that
to myself. So it sounds it's asincere question here. And I'd
(24:25):
love to hear what you have to
Linda Battles (24:28):
Yeah, and I I've actually thought about this say.
because I've noticed how I have,over the years become much more
confident in my ability and whoI am as a Hispanic woman. So I
would say that just don't be sodown on yourself. Don't be so
(24:51):
hard on yourself. Believe inyourself. have the confidence
that you need to get out of yourcomfort zone. Because when you
get out of your comfort zone,that's when you grow, that's
when you are able to learn andlearn from your mistakes, don't
beat yourself up over the headfor your for mistakes, learn
(25:14):
from them, and help them to makeyou better. And so for me, I,
that's always been my problemgrowing up, not having that self
confidence to really grow. And Ihad wonderful mentors who
believed in me, and who reallypicked me up and encouraged me
(25:39):
and empowered me. And so they'rethe ones that gave me the trust
and responsibility with greaterwith greater roles within their
purview. And that's what helpedme grow. So I would say that I
would also say, don't be quickto judge for quickly. You know,
(26:07):
don't don't sweat the smallstuff, you know, it's and just
live every life, being grateful.
Myra Leo (26:15):
Well, Linda because I know, I know you so well. And
you and I have had wonderful,wonderful conversations,
discussions about our faith, itplays an important role in both
our lives. And I think we'rereally committed to that, and
knowing God, and I really likeyou to talk just a little bit
about that. Because you and Ihave engaged many times and
(26:36):
those moments of a great anxietyof the great unknown, of feeling
alone, perhaps, and not knowingwhat to do, but I we share a
commonality in our strong beliefin God. So I'd like to share a
little bit about that.
Linda Battles (26:53):
Yes, I appreciate the question. Because you know,
working in state government,you're always real careful about
separation of state and church.
And so but now that I'm I metWGU, I just feel much more open
about it. But I've grown in thelast five years in terms of my
faith, I've always had faith, Ijust have been more deliberate
(27:15):
about learning more. And so Iput God first. And every day,
every day that I wake up, I dosomething I read, or listen to
something that helps educate meon how to be more. Really, like
one of God's children.
Myra Leo (27:44):
Centered.
Linda Battles (27:48):
And it's been quite a journey to learn more
about my spirituality, and howto apply it in my everyday life.
And I've found that I'm lessanxious, I'm less worried about
things I catch myself if I'm notbeing positive or saying
(28:18):
something positive or reachingout to others in need. So for
me, one of the things that helpsme is if I'm going through a
tough time, personally, I trynot to focus on that. And
instead I ask God, how can I bea blessing to somebody else who
you know is in need, and I knowthat my needs will be taken care
(28:42):
of. But I need to be used inways to help others. And so
that's my key to success is havefaith. You know, forgive, be
quick to forgive, be grateful,be grateful for every blessing.
Don't look back and try not tolook too far into the future and
(29:04):
get yourself worried aboutthings that are beyond your
control. And just have havefaith.
Myra Leo (29:10):
Well, Linda, I've always seen you have a real
truly, you're a person ofmission. And I think that when
you look at life, and you wakeup in the morning and it's not
about you like you said it'sabout serving others and I think
that is just such a strongconnection to to Irma as well.
(29:31):
She was a person of great faithprayed a rosary every night very
few people knew that it prayrosary. At the same time being
ostracized by the CatholicChurch for for supporting or
excommunicated, rather, forsupporting pro choice issues.
But she was very dedicated andcommitted and she knew God and I
(29:54):
just think that we You and Ihave learned so much from her
leadership. But I think The wordthat comes to mind for me every
day is it's about mission. Andthat's what you have done. And I
want to tell you also that,which I appreciate greatly,
because you don't necessarilysee this in, in everyone.
(30:15):
Because some of us are stillevolving. I, you know, I'll have
to say that about some folks tobe nice and kind here. But the
fact is that you have alwaysbeen accessible. And in your
positions, you know, again,going from a legislative office,
where you have people likelobbyists like me coming in
knocking on the door trying toget through, you were always
(30:37):
very open and generous,accessible, you went on to the
Coordinating Board, and younever skipped a beat in, in,
when, when folks needed a job orneeded advice. You've always
just been there with an opendoor. And that's a rarity in
this life. I certainlyappreciate those when I call
(30:58):
them that they take the time tovisit that they take this on,
how are you. And so I too, havehave a list of folks looking for
jobs. Again, you and I are veryaligned in mission. And so I
want to thank you for alwaysdoing that. And being that that
you haven't forgotten where youcame from, which was another
(31:19):
Irma Rangel motto, don't everforget who you are, where you
came from.
Linda Battles (31:53):
It's the mission that really motivates me and the
mission of WGU Texas, themission of the higher ed
Coordinating Board, and even asmission is really what develops
my passion and loyalty. I amalso a very transparent person,
(32:16):
I like to share information, Ithink that information is power.
And I think that it empowers usall to know what's going on to
have those connections,networking is so important. So
that's the other piece of advicethat I would give young women
(32:38):
entering higher education orstate government, or any kind of
public policy position isnetworking and information are
key. Because it's who you know,and what you know. That's why I
try to do as much as I can forothers and opening doors.
Because it's so important to dothat. I've always felt very
(33:06):
strongly that any help that wasgiven to me, I have to then give
back to others who are comingbehind me. And so it's for you,
Myra, I want to I want to takethis opportunity to thank you
for being my mentor as well. Andfor You're such You're so savvy
(33:30):
when it comes to people andconnecting and networking and
the strategy that you have interms of trying to get your
legislative priorities throughthe process. You know, people
who you can rely on and younurture you establish genuine
(33:53):
relationships with these folkswho can help you and they
genuinely want to help you.
Because you build that trust.
And I, I, you've you'vedemonstrated that to me. And
I've learned that over theyears, you've got to build that
trust, build thoserelationships, to be able to
(34:13):
rely on those relationships tohelp get things done.
Myra Leo (34:17):
Well, and thank you so much, Linda, but I'm going to go
back to mission and beingauthentic. I think if you're
true to who you are, and it'syou're not carrying an agenda of
sorts is about what's presentedto you and how we manage it and
the gifts were given along theway. I feel very blessed in my
(34:39):
life. I wake up every day and Ithank God for this wonderful job
as a lobbyist of all things butit's a great it's a great life
and has allowed me to meanderthe legislature and really
become close to a lot of folksas a staffer. You know, I fought
I often say I grew up at theCapitol Starting out as a senate
(35:01):
messenger, many moons ago, but Iagain going back to knowing how
to meander, right I call it thata lot. But in the same aspect of
your your life story youmeandered over here, and now
you're at WGA, we all have suchunique stories to share. But I
think being true to self beingauthentic being about mission,
(35:25):
you know, you can cut out a lotof things. And that ego, you
know, sort of put it aside andget get to work. I think as
women, we do that really well,we do it. So sometimes it hurts
us because we're about gettingthe work done, and not thinking
through things and men thing,not all men, but a lot of them
(35:46):
think very differently. And sowe get the job done is what I
want to say, and but I haveestablished a lot of great
friends. And again, I'm reallyhappy. What I do every day, and
I'm very grateful for gratitude.
And again, I want to thank youfor allowing me to participate
and be part of this. This was ait's an honor to be visiting
(36:07):
with you, Linda and be part ofthis podcast. And I just want to
simply Thank you very much.
Linda Battles (36:16):
Well, thank you for participating as well. And
thank you, Pink Granite for theplatform, too. And it's just a
great opportunity to shareexperiences, to share the
history of, you know, working atthe Capitol as a Hispanic woman.
(36:40):
And some of the, we didn't getto share some of the stories of
working at the Capitol. But youknow, we started when prior to,
you know, 9-11, you know, whenthe Capitol was much more
accessible. And things werevery, very different. You know,
(37:03):
I know, I've worked under I'veworked under four governors. So
beginning in governor Richards,last term. And then under
Governor Bush, Perry, and nowAbbott, and I've worked 13
consecutive sessions. So if I'vedone that many consecutive
(37:25):
sessions, you're you've got somany more years ahead of me.
Myra Leo (37:30):
I want to hear a story I think that you know about,
what was it, Governor Bush atthe time? I want you to share
that.
Linda Battles (37:38):
Yeah, no, I think it's such an it's so a
characteristic of Irma and whoshe was the, you know, even
though she was what, 52. She hada big presence and a big
personality. So one time when Iwas working for her, this must
(38:01):
have been right before the 1997session. And, you know, we
parked right around the CapitolBuilding. So we were able to,
you know, prior to 9-11, youknow, parked on there, and we
were unloading her car becauseshe would take us to Sam's, if
you remember to buy us all kindsof goodies because we would stay
(38:23):
late, you know, during thesession, and we we needed some
sustenance. So there we areunpacking her car. And here
comes George Bush, GovernorGeorge Bush and two DPS
troopers, one on each side,escorting him somewhere. And so
(38:45):
of course, he came across Irmashe, you know, introduced me and
another staff member who is withher. And so she says, So
Governor, she said, "Can weexpect you to sign a bill this
session that would create astate personal income tax?"
(39:06):
Because, you know, Irma had beenpushing that for many, many
years, and she thought it wasthe fairest way to do it in lieu
of property taxes. And so heresponded in Spanish and said
"sobre mi cuerpo muerto," whichmeans in English means over my
(39:27):
dead body. Without hesitation,she responded and in English, I
guess the DPS troopers wouldhear. She said she said it with
a smile. She said "Governor, becareful what you ask for." And
oh my gosh, we were likeeverybody started laughing
(39:47):
because it was just so right onand she wasn't shy about saying
anything. And she was just soquick witted. It just, that's
that was her and she she had somuch fun, she was tough. And she
expected all of her staff towork twice as hard as anybody
(40:07):
else to stay as late later thananybody else. Turn in high
quality, accurate work. I mean,she she was tough in terms of
her training. And all of us whoreceived that training have gone
on to do, you know, amazing,have amazing careers. And we all
look back and said it was theIrmal Rangel training that we
(40:31):
had.
Myra Leo (40:31):
We are referred to as Irma's girls and we do refer to
her as mother. Yes. And youknow, we take the the annual
trek to the state cemetery, youwant to share that story?
Linda Battles (40:42):
Oh, yeah. So. So, you know, Irma was diagnosed
with inflammatory breast cancerand what January early February
of 2000. And she even though shewas able to lick that it came
(41:04):
back as ovarian cancer. And sothat second time, when it came
back, she realized that sheneeded to start taking care of
her final resting arrangements.
And so she had me and you andother close friends, join her at
the state cemetery to pick out aplot. And she was very
(41:33):
particular about where shewanted to be laid to rest. And
so we all walked out. And we, wehelped her find this really nice
place, and that she called theMexican Hill, because other
Hispanic legislators had been,had picked out their plots there
or had already been buriedthere. And so when she finally
(41:58):
selected her plot, we broke outa bottle of champagne, and
glasses, and we did a toast inher honor. And she, I remember,
she commented saying that shewanted to have a nice bench
there so that when people comevisit, they have somewhere nice
to sit under this big, lovelytree. And they can see the
(42:21):
beautiful water there with thesmall creek that's there. And so
sure enough, after her passing,and she did pass away in the
middle of the 2003 session inMarch, and I was already at the
Coordinating Board. And Iremember, you know, the day that
(42:45):
she went into the hospital thatthe day passed, she had all
kinds of legislators coming tovisit and pay, you know, their
respects and and it was just awonderful turnout to have so
many people who loved her.
Myra Leo (43:03):
We had a lot of actually dignitaries in terms of
of members of the legislature, Ithink, I think Governor Perry
even was there and I it was OurLady of Guadalupe church on East
Seventh Street. And I rememberthe priest is a good friend
actually saying, when he talkedabout her, he had all these
(43:25):
accolades, of course, but healso said she could have been
the first pope was justfantastic. I'll never forget her
giving money as well to to thechurch and saying, you know, I
don't know how much money itwas, could have been a minimum
of 500 or more, who knows. Butshe looked at the priests and
(43:45):
she said, Now this is for thechildren. Make sure it gets to
the kids. Yeah, that's who shewas. And that is part of I
think, our what we know today,Linda, but especially you I
think you've really taken a lotof what you learned with her
throughout your work. And, and,and again, shared a lot of that
(44:10):
with others in terms of herleadership, and you've taken
those tenants and you use themvery wisely throughout your
career. We've learned a lot fromher, all of us, her girls,
there's so many stories, I'dlove to delve into all it would
take days just to get throughand I think we'd have a lot of
(44:30):
folks laughing and crying. Yeah.
And it just a lot of fun thingsbut again, I just want to thank
you for this opportunity andpink granite and I don't know if
you have anything to finalwords, Linda at this point to
share with us.
Linda Battles (44:48):
Well, I just want to say how appreciative I am of
the opportunities that I've hadover my career and You know,
learning from Irma, like yousaid, I learned about how
important access to highereducation is for students for
(45:11):
all students, regardless ofwhere they live, their
geographical location, theirsocioeconomic status, the color
of their skin. talent, we knowwhat, which is what we say at
WGU, talent is universal, butopportunity is not. And so
(45:31):
making sure that we expandaccess to higher education is so
critical. And I carried thatfrom Irma, then to the
Coordinating Board where, youknow, Dr. Beredes, this taught
me that access and success areso important because access
without success is notopportunity. So just because we
(45:54):
can get underserved studentsinto higher education isn't
enough. We need to do everythingthat we can to make sure that
they graduate and earn theircredential. Which brings me to
WGU Texas, which is why I amjust loving every bit of work
that I'm doing with WGU Texasand expanding that to online
(46:17):
education, which knows noboundaries and the fact and I
can tell you that the people atWGU Texas and WGU, nationally,
are very special people. Theyall think about the students.
We, the students are the centerof everything that we do. And
(46:38):
that's how I have felt my entirecareer, my entire 25 years of
higher education, and highereducation policy. It's always
been about the students andputting them first and the fact
that WGU does not have, youknow, facilities to worry about,
does not have to does not engagein research does not, you know,
(47:02):
have football teams, they don'thave these other distractions,
that we're just focused onlearning and making sure that
students are getting theeducation that they deserve. And
so I just feel like I've comefull circle in my career ending,
you know, I hope it's not theend, I hope that I will continue
(47:26):
serving these students,particularly those who are
underrepresented. Like I said,75% of students at WGU are from
one or more of the underservedpopulations, which includes
first generation students, lowincome students of color, rural
students, and the military. Sowe're very proud of, of our
(47:50):
outcomes again, and I'm just sopassionate about expanding the
knowledge of all Texans of WGUexas, particularly during this
ime of, of this COVID-19andemic, we're a great
(48:10):
pportunity to come back rescalepskill, if you have some
ollege, no degree, you know,oming back and getting that
egree. It's so important, ande want to be part of the
conomic recovery in Texas. Weant to improve lives and and
hat's, that's where I'm just sohrilled to be where I'm at, and
(48:32):
ery grateful. Once again, Ihink when we show gratitude for
verything in in our lives, Ihink that's the key to
appiness. And I can tell youhat I'm a very happy person.
Myra Leo (48:46):
I agree. Thank you so much, Linda again, and pink
granite. Excited to be here andexcited to know what the future
holds. Thank you.
Linda Battles (48:55):
Thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!