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Barbara J. Herz is a native of Austin and has her B.A. in Education from the University of Texas and her M.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Houston. A retired teacher and community champion, she is known as an effective fundraiser with a primary focus to help families, youth and children to have a voice in the community. She is currently a member of both the UTMB National Laboratory Committee and the UTMB Health System Advisory Board, and Temple B’nai Israel, where she served as President of the Board of Trustees. She is also a former member of the Board of Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services, first chair of the City of Galveston’s Board on Families, Children and Youth and a former chair of the Women’s Conference for the Galveston County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Herz is a member of the Galveston Historical Foundation, the Junior League of Galveston and is a founding member and the first president of The Ronald McDonald House in Galveston. She received the Henry Cohen Humanitarian Award and the Governor’s Yellow Rose of Texas award for her work in building the House. She also received the 2015 Galveston Historical Society’s Steel Oleander Award as the city of Galveston’s outstanding female community leader and was selected by the Galveston County Daily News as the 2020 Galveston County Citizen of the Year.

Herz resides in Galveston with her husband Irwin Max “Buddy” Herz, Jr. They have two adult children.