Profile
Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) represents the 21st Senatorial District. The second highest-ranking Texas state senator, she also is the highest-ranking woman and Hispanic senator and the highest-ranking senator for Bexar County and the border region. In 2004 she was re-elected with 79 percent of the district-wide vote, her sixth landslide victory in which she carried all counties in the large and diverse district—something no one else ever has accomplished.
In 2007 Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst re-appointed Senator Zaffirini Chair of the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and a member of the Senate’s Education, Health and Human Services, and Administration Committees. Senator Zaffirini is the first Hispanic woman senator in Texas and to serve as President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate and as Governor for a Day. She has served three consecutive terms as Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, seven terms on the Appropriations Conference Committee, seven terms on the Senate Committee on Finance, and ten terms on the Senate Committee on Education.
Senator Zaffirini's legendary work ethic is reflected in her 100 percent perfect attendance in the Texas Senate since 1987, except for breaking quorum deliberately to prevent an untimely redistricting that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (2006) violated the Voting Rights Act and disenfranchised voters in SD 21. Continuing her unique career-long 100 percent voting record since 1987, Senator Judith Zaffirini cast her 38,530th consecutive vote in 2007. She has sponsored and passed 581 bills and 51 substantive resolutions and co-sponsored and passed another 278 bills. Her legislative priorities include improving public education, higher education and health and human services.
Senator Zaffirini has received more than 560 awards and honors for her legislative, public service, and professional work, including 100 in communications. She most recently received the Mirabeau B. Lamar Medal for championing excellence in higher education and the 2007 Leadership Award from the Arc of Texas for outstanding support and advocacy for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She also won six awards in the 2006-07 Press Women of Texas Communications Contest.She is the namesake of United ISD's Senator Judith Zaffirini Elementary School, Laredo Community College's Senator Judith Zaffirini Library, Lake Casa Blanca International State Park's Senator Judith Zaffirini Road, and the Judith Zaffirini Program in Edinburg that focuses on fighting drug addiction. What's more, Texas Monthly named her one of the "10 Best Legislators" for 1997, 2001, and 2005, and The University of Texas at Austin named her a Distinguished Alumna in 2003. Interestingly, she was named "Mister South Texas" by the Washington's Birthday Celebration Association and an honorary nun, "Sister Judith," by the Sisters of Mercy and Me
rcy Ministries.
Dr. Zaffirini is an award-winning communications specialist with 13 years of teaching experience, including at the college and university levels. Through her business, Zaffirini Communications, she provides professional communication services, including consulting, workshops and seminars, one-on-one coaching, keynote addresses, and writing. A distinguished communicator, educator, and leader, she holds B.S., M.A., and PhD degrees from The University of Texas at Austin, each with a 3.9 grade-point average. The South Texas Press Association honored Senator Zaffirini for her distinguished career in journalism and public service, and the Texas Public Relations Association awarded her Best of Texas Awards for her Governor for a Day event and her publication, 20 Dozen Tips for Better Communication and Leadership Skills. The Texas Press Women recognized her communications expertise repeatedly with national, state, and local awards for her publications, speeches, and public relations campaigns, including annual statewide first-place awards.
A lector at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and member of the Texas Philosophical Society and of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, her professional memberships include the Texas Press Women, Texas Public Relations Association, International Communication Association, Speech Communication Association, and Association for Borderlands Studies. Judith and Carlos Zaffirini have been married for 42 years and have a 25-year-old son, Carlos Jr., a graduate of the UT McCombs School of Business and the UT School of Law.
