Early Life, Education and Career
Rodriguez was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, but was raised and received his education in San Antonio, Texas. When Ciro Rodriguez was young, his mother died suddenly and he dropped out of school. After working at a gas station for a year, he decided to go back to school and attended two different summer schools to catch up. He graduated with his entering class from Harlandale High School and then briefly attended San Antonio College, but subsequently graduated from St. Mary’s University with a B.A. in Political Science. He received his Master of Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University.
From 1975 to 1987, he served as a board member of the Harlandale Independent School District, working as an educational consultant for the Intercultural Development Research Association and serving as a caseworker with the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. From 1987 to 1996, he taught at Our Lady of the Lake University's Worden School of Social Service, the oldest school of Social Work in Texas.
After leaving Congress in January 2005, he joined with his former chief of staff, Jeff Mendelsohn, to create Rio Strategy Group LLC, a boutique government relations firm to assist clients at the local, state and national levels.
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