Meet Our Panelists

Mr. Roland Toscano is an East Central graduate who has served all twenty-five years of his career in public education at East Central ISD as a bus driver, science teacher, coach, assistant principal, Heritage Middle School Principal, East Central High School Principal, and superintendent of schools. He graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with his Bachelor’s degree in 1997, and earned his Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Texas A&M Kingsville, in 2005.

Mr. Toscano is a visionary leader with an established record of mentoring and developing successful public school teachers and leaders. He is a constant learner who is dedicated to providing a strong foundation of education for all students. He serves on the TAS/MUS Board , the Go Public Steering Committee, chairs the Bexar County Superintendents' Committee, 2021 education chair for the United Way Campaign, serves as a board of director for the UP Partnership, and is involved in numerous educational leadership organizations across Texas.

On November 7, 2006, Judge Peter Sakai was elected with nearly 60% of the entire Bexar County vote to the 225^th District Court bench and was the highest vote-getter among the contested judicial races.  In 2010, 2014, and 2018, Judge Sakai has been unopposed for reelection for his second, third, and fourth term of office.  He is the first Asian-American to sit on a District Court bench in Bexar County.  Judge Sakai has served on the Board of the Texas Center for the Judiciary and the Board of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas.  In 2018, he was elected Local Administrative Judge of the District Courts of Bexar County. 

On July 21, 2020, he was recognized by the National Council for the Juvenile and Family Court Judges for the NCJFCJ 2020 Innovator of the Year Award.  Judge Sakai was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.  He received his Bachelor of Arts and Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas at Austin.  He has been a Chief Prosecutor for the D.A.’s Office and an experienced trial litigator. He was appointed Associate Judge of the 289^th District Court (Juvenile Court) and for 11 years was the Presiding Judge for the nationally renowned Bexar County Children’s Court.  Judge Sakai is widely recognized as a community leader and child advocate with numerous local, state, and national awards.

Reynaldo T. (Ray) Lopez, was elected to the 86th Texas Legislature on March 12th, 2019 to serve House District 125. District 125 encompasses much of San Antonio’s culturally diverse West and Northwest Sides. House District 125 includes the City of Leon Valley, three independent school districts, and prestigious institutions. District 125 has over 170,000 residents, many of whom are military or civil service employees.

In 2004, Representative Lopez was elected to the San Antonio City Council where he represented the people of Council District 6 for four consecutive terms until reaching his term limit. While on Council, Rep. Lopez helped to establish a paragon for senior care at the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior Center, paved the way for PreK-4-SA campuses across the city of San Antonio, and cast votes based upon his values, his goals for the City of San Antonio, and the interests of his constituents.

Rep. Lopez has received wide recognition for his professional and civic accomplishments including being named to AT&T's Leaders Council & Circle of Excellence. He was also inducted into the Harlandale Independent School District Hall of Fame for his lifelong work in education and community service. Representative Lopez currently sits on Defense and Veteran’s Affairs  County Affairs committees and has previously been appointed to and Juvenile Justice & Family Issues Committees where he tackled the difficult issues that affect veterans, children, and Texas families

Christine Yanas is the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., where she is responsible for the development of the organization’s public health policies & legislative agendas.

Chris is an experienced government relations professional with more than 15 years in healthcare public policy. She previously served as interim CEO and VP of operations & advocacy at Teaching Hospitals of Texas, where she advocated for the state’s teaching hospitals.

Jacob is the Senior Vice President and Community Reinvestment Manager at Broadway Bank.  Jacob works with executive leadership to provide oversight and direction on community needs in San Antonio, Austin, and the Hill Country.  Jacob manages bank efforts supporting affordable housing, economic development, education, and manages corporate philanthropic giving.  Prior to joining Broadway Bank, he spent 13 years at Frost Bank, with the last 10 years as Vice President and Community Development Officer managing community reinvestment efforts in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.   Additionally, he spent a year as Vice President of Frost Marketing, managing state-wide marketing programs and efforts in underserved market segments. 

Jacob holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio (’06), and is a graduate of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program.  Jacob currently serves on the board of directors for Communities In Schools of San Antonio (CISSA), the UTSA Alumni Association, and the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.  He also serves on the executive committee for Communittees In Schools of San Antonio, as board secretary, as well as the CISSA external relations committee.  Additionally, he serves on the advisory board for the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County Emerging Leaders Council (ELC), and is the vice chair of the United Way ELC professional development committee.  Jacob also serves on the executive committee and scholarship committee for the UTSA Alumni Association, and produces and guest hosts the official podcast of UTSA, the Birds Up Podcast.  He currently serves on Broadway Bank’s Donations Committee, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and chairs the Community Reinvestment Act Committee.

Jacob married his wife, Megan, in 2010 and they are the proud parents of 2 wonderful children, Tinsley and Liam.    He also serves as a music minister at Alamo City Church in San Antonio, TX.