LINK Houston is excited to welcome Gabe Cazares as our new Executive Director. Gabe brings to LINK Houston years of experience leading advocacy and legislative efforts for disability rights and most recently led the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities at the City of Houston. As a proud Texan, a queer, disabled Latino, and a self-described policy wonk, Gabe is well poised to advance LINK’s mission toward a robust and equitable transportation network so that all people can reach opportunity.
As the Director of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities for the City of Houston, Gabe oversaw the accessible and timely delivery of city services, programs, and activities for over 215,000 Houstonians with disabilities. In his prior role, Gabe served as the Manager of Government Affairs at the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore, Maryland. There, he was responsible for monitoring, drafting, and shepherding legislation and regulations that impact blind Americans through the federal legislative and rule-making process.
Gabe holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Spanish minor from Texas State University and currently serves as a presidentially appointed Private Citizen Commissioner on the U.S. AbilityOne Commission: An Independent Federal Agency. He is committed to disability, LGBTQ, and immigrant justice work and prioritizes intersectional movements that center the voices of queer, disabled, and immigrant people of color. Gabe and his partner, Derin Dacey, enjoy being civically engaged, craft beer, and spoiling their 5-year-old rescue dog, Sam.
We are thrilled to welcome Gabe and look forward to working with him to advance equity and climate justice for all people in our region.