Biography

Rafael Anchía represents financial institutions and public and private funds in a variety of transactions involving, among other things, senior and subordinated debt and equity, domestic and international syndications and distressed debt acquisitions and sales. He also maintains an active public finance practice.

Rafael is also involved in community affairs and public service having been elected twice to the Dallas ISD board of trustees and is currently serving in his ninth term in the Texas Legislature representing a western corridor of Dallas County, which includes the cities of Dallas, Farmers Branch and Irving. He has been consistently recognized for his public service, and Texas Monthly, Thomson Reuters, has named him one of the "10 Best Legislators," (2007-2008) along with "Rookie of the Year" (2005-2006) and the “Bull of the Brazos" (2017-2018). Rafael serves as Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations and Economic Development and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC), the largest and oldest Latino legislative caucus in the United States.

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  • Spain-Texas Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors
  • NALEO Education Fund Board, Past Chairman
  • Education is Freedom, Board Secretary
  • SMU Clements Center for Southwest Studies Advisory Board
  • Leadership Dallas Alumni Association
  • Dallas Assembly
  • Oak Cliff Lions Club
  • Cahn Fellowship, Harvard Kennedy School, 2014
  • Recipient of the Dallas Bar Association's 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Award
  • Appointed by President Obama to be a member of the national Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, 2011
  • "Ohtli" Award, the highest award given by the government of Mexico to acknowledge the contributions the recipients have made to help empower Mexican and Mexican-American communities in the United States, 2011
  • Latino Leaders Maestro Award for Leadership, 2010
  • American Jewish Committee's Institute of Human Relations Award, 2009
  • Texas Lawyer's Extraordinary Minority in Texas Law, 2009
  • MALDEF's Matt Garcia Public Service Award, 2009
  • Aspen Institute - Rodel Fellow, 2007
  • Flemming Institute Fellow, 2006
  • JCPA/JCRC Institute for Hispanic American Leadership, 2005
  • LULAC National "Man of the Year," 2005
  • British-American Project Delegate, 2003
  • Broad Foundation Fellow, 2003
  • American Marshall Memorial Fellow, 2001

Education

B.A., Southern Methodist University, 1990, cum laude

J.D., Tulane University Law School, 1993

Clerkships

Southern Methodist University in Spain, Madrid, 1989

Languages

Spanish

Admissions

Texas