Estrella Escobar has forged a distinguished career in public service, higher education and institutional relations, establishing herself as a key figure on the binational border. Most recently, she served as Senior Chief of Staff in the Office of the Mayor of El Paso, Texas, from 2021 until the conclusion of Mayor Oscar Leeser’s term in 2025. During this period, Escobar was the mayor’s principal policy advisor, responsible for coordinating his strategic agenda and liaising with key stakeholders at the local, state, national and international levels – with a special emphasis on ties with Mexico. Under her leadership, she managed relationships with elected officials, department leaders, the business community, and spearheaded the administration’s communications, public relations and crisis management strategies in a city with more than 7,000 employees and a budget in excess of $1 billion.
Prior to joining city government, Estrella Escobar spent nearly two decades at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), an institution recognized as a top-ranked Carnegie research university. In her role as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor and Associate Vice President for External Relations and Communications, Escobar contributed significantly to the executive operation of the university. She oversaw the External Relations Division, leading strategies for communications, institutional branding, government relations and community outreach programs. Her work included coordinating key events such as graduation ceremonies, legislative hearings and official functions. In addition, she represented UTEP in international affairs, serving as protocol officer and responsible for ties with Mexico.
Estrella Escobar brings over 25 years of experience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with expertise in public policy, strategic communications, higher education, government relations, and crisis management. Throughout her career, she has focused on building connections between communities, fostering binational dialogue, and strengthening institutions through strategic partnerships.
Her government and political consulting roles include serving in the administration of Mayor Carlos M. Ramirez, working as spokesperson and director of special projects for the 34th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and later as a director at the government affairs firm Public Strategies Washington, Inc. in Washington, D.C.
Equally notable is her commitment to community service. She currently serves on the Governing Board of The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus, the Board of Directors of the Centro Cultural Mexicano Paso del Norte, and the Communications Advisory Committee of the Texas Bar Foundation. Over the years, she has also served on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and its Executive Committee, the Texas Lyceum, the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, Children at Risk, and the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research (FOBESSI). She has also been President of The Executive Forum and the Club Botón Rojo, and has contributed to advisory boards including the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs and the UT System Global Initiatives Advisory Board.
Escobar has participated in prestigious international programs, such as the International Exchange Program sponsored by Rotary International in Brazil and the Hispanic Leaders Program organized by the Embassy of Spain and the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Santander, Spain.
An honors graduate in Political Science from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Escobar is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Proudly identifying as a citizen of the border region, she has dedicated her career to promoting understanding and cooperation between binational communities.
She currently serves as Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Wannamaker Management Corporation, a management consortium specializing in immigration law with operations in the U.S., Mexico, and Colombia.