Dianne T. Mendoza, Ph.D.

Vice President Office of Diversity and Federal Compliance, DBE Liaison Officer 

VIA Metropolitan Transit

Dr. Dianne T. Mendoza is the Director of Equal Employment and Business Opportunity Programs and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Liaison Office (DBELO) at VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to her work with DBE and minority, small businesses, she has administrative oversight for VIA’s EEO, Diversity and Title VI programs. Pervious to this appointment, Dr. Mendoza served as the Vice President of Business and Community Development for the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) in Austin, Texas. She was part of the Capital Metro’s All Systems Go Project Team that implemented commuter rail in the Austin region. In 2009, she was one of twenty-six transportation professionals selected nationwide to participate in the Leadership Class of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Upon graduation, she was named as the 2009 Leadership APTA representative to APTA’s prestigious Diversity Council.     

Mendoza’s professional experience spans a lengthy career in administration and supervision of programs and staff in state and local government, education, tourism, advertising and marketing, and economic and community development. Capitalizing on this past experience, she is in the process of implementing a new program, VIA IDEA, a program promoting VIA’s commitment to business/supplier diversity. Previously, as Vice President of Business and Community Development at Capital Metro, Dr. Mendoza was responsible for the administration and supervision of all Capital Metro’s business development (including DBE, Retail Sales and Transit Advertising), customer service and community outreach programs. Prior to her employment at Capital Metro, she held the position of President/COO of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Austin/Travis County. In addition, previous work included serving as the Executive Director of the Maverick County Development Corporation, a private, non-profit economic development organization in Eagle Pass, Texas. During Governor Ann Richards administration, Mendoza served the State of Texas Department of Commerce as the first Hispanic travel director in the nation. While at the state Department of Commerce, Mendoza provided the leadership for on the most visionary and most awarded state advertising and marketing campaigns, "Texas. It’s Like a While Other Country,” developed in partnership with the GDS&M Advertising Agency.   

Known for her public-private partnership styles, Mendoza is regarded as an outstanding community volunteer. Recently, she was named to the Board of Directors of the South Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (SCTRCA) in San Antonio. Mendoza served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Austin Area Urban League and as a former Board Member for the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the United Way Capital Area. Other appointments to boards and commissions included serving as a member of the City of Austin Mayor’s Mobility Task Force and Public Safety Task Force.   

Mendoza is one of the co-founders of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Leadership Laredo, Hispanic Austin Leadership (HAL) and the TAMACC EDF’s flagship program, "Rules of Engagement: A Leadership Institute” (RELI). She is a member of the national organization, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) and the founder of the local Austin Chapter. At VIA, she was recently named as one of the chapter’s Informal Advisors.   

Mendoza is an alumnus of both the Leadership Texas and Leadership America programs and has been recognized by numerous local, state, and national commerce, trade and Hispanic organizations. In 2006 she was honored by Leadership Texas as one of three statewide finalists for the "Cathy” Leadership Award. Most recently, she received the distinction of being named by the Girl Scouts of Central Texas as one of eight 2010 Women of Distinction from across a 15 county area. She is a native of Laredo, Texas. Mendoza received her doctorate at the University of Texas in Austin. She has one daughter, Dina Uribe Cruz.