State Rep. Gina Hinojosa

Born December 8, 1973 in McAllen, Texas, Rep. Hinojosa is the daughter of former Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. She was raised in Brownsville and spent summers with her grandparents in Mission. A graduate of Homer Hanna High School in 1992, she attended one semester at the University of Texas School of Law, where she met her husband, attorney John Donisi, before transferring to George Washington.

Rep. Hinojosa began her career as a civil rights and labor lawyer representing members of unions including the Communications Workers of America (in which she remains a dues-paying member) and worked for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. In 2005, she was part of the legal team that sued U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on money-laundering charges. She has also worked part-time for Catholic Charities USA, Texas Rural Legal Aid, and the Equal Justice Center. In November 2012, after her son’s elementary school was threatened with closure, she was elected to the Austin ISD School Board, and in January 2015 was elected Board President by her fellow trustees.

For the 89th Legislative Session, Rep. Hinojosa serves on the House Committees on Land & Resource Management and Public Education. She and her husband, attorney John Donisi, live in Austin with their two sons, Matteo and Pablo.