Ray De Los Santos, Jr.

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Personal Information

Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Ray De Los Santos, Jr. graduated from Brighton Park Baptist School in 1997 and as many members of his family, he joined the United States armed forces. He was trained as a Maintenance Data Systems Analyst for the United States Air Force and in April 1999 he arrived at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri where he was initially assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing. In early 2001, his diligence was rewarded when he was selected to be a member of the prestigious 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron which was tasked to conduct testing of the B2 Stealth Bomber - at the time, the most costly ($1.2 billion each) and technologically advanced aircraft in any military fleet.

While in the Air Force, De Los Santos completed an Associate of Arts Degree with honors at State Fair Community College and was subsequently honorably discharged from active duty in November 2002 with various decorations, medals, and numerous letters of appreciation. After separating from the Air Force, he anxiously embarked upon a new chapter as a full-time student at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (TAMUCC). Following his January 2003 arrival at TAMUCC, he vigorously pursued his education, completing 60 hours and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 17 months. While striving towards his BA at TAMUCC, he was active in several organizations to include the Corpus Christi Literacy Council, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, the Political Science Club, and the Texas Air National Guard.

Upon graduating from TAMUCC, he was eager to commence employment within the realm of public service and took a position as an Evidence Technician with the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory in Corpus Christi, Texas. At DPS, he was an integral part of the criminal justice system which ensured the highest level of criminal evidence processing, analysis, approved destruction, and accountability. After meeting the challenges at DPS, in 2005 he accepted a public service position with U.S. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, Representative for the Fifteenth Congressional District of Texas.

As a Field Representative for a Senior Member of Congress, he worked with nine Coastal Bend counties with responsibilities including but not limited to assisting in the development and direct implementation of the Member's strategic plan and outlining methods and goals in relation to successful outreach, projects, grants, and constituent casework. Additionally, he routinely met with state and local elected officials, local, state and federal agencies, non-profit and private sector executives, College Board Members and Presidents, ISD Board Members and Superintendents, and City Managers to ensure the effective execution of the Congressman's strategic plan.

In September 2008, De Los Santos was asked by the City of Alice to be the City Manager of a robust town of 19,010 persons whose economy is largely based on the petroleum industry. As the City Manager, he serves as the chief operations officer of a city government with 240 employees and oversees the day-to-day operations of the City.