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Houston Northeast CDC
MEET THE BOARD
Our Board Members
Our dedicated board members, Crystal Smith and Maria Montes Villarreal, are committed to the mission of Houston North East CDC. Their dedication and leadership help drive our efforts to enhance and empower our community.
Crystal Smith
Crystal graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University and in 2015 with a Master of Business Administration from Texas Southern University.
During her college career, she worked as a financial planner, financial analyst, and loan officer. After college, she mostly worked her career as a senior accountant, however, she has relocated multiple times within the gulf coast region to work at a few different fabrication and petrochemical plants as a cost analyst.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, working out, doing outdoor activities with her daughter Chandler and spending time with her family.
Maria Montes Villarreal
Maria Del Pilar Montes Villarreal is a native Houstonian. She served as Harris County's first Director for the Office of Boards and Commissions from 2021 to 2023. Villarreal also served as Director of Boards and Commissions for the City of Houston from July 2018 to September 2021. Under her tenure, she worked closely with Mayor Turner and Council Member Abbie Kamin to create the Women’s Commission.
Villareal is a KIPP alumna who graduated from Hollins University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston-Downtown. Villarreal received the Rising Star Award from the Houston League of Women Voters in 2014 and is a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum, Class LIII.