Children’s Medical Center names Regina Montoya senior vice president and general counsel

by Staff of Children's Medical Center

Children's Medical Center has named Regina Montoya senior vice president and general counsel. In her role at Children's, Montoya will oversee several major departments, including legal affairs, governance, governmental relation/advocacy, and community relations.

Montoya volunteered at Children's during college, which was her introduction to the non-profit community. Now returning to Children's, Montoya brings a wide range of legal and governmental experience, as well as a strong record of community and public service.

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1979, she became one of the first Latinas to earn a partnership with a major law firm in the United States and, in 2007, was named the Latina Lawyer of the Year by the Hispanic National Bar Association. In 2008, Montoya received the La Luz Achievement Award from the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association and the Pioneer for Justice Award from the Los Angeles-based Mexican American Bar Foundation.

In 1993, Montoya served in the White House as an assistant to the president and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. In 1998, she was nominated by the president to serve as a U.S. Representative to the 53rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Most recently, she was the chief executive officer of the New America Alliance, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the economic advancement of the American Latino community.

“Children’s is fortunate to have attracted a national leader like Regina at this challenging crossroads in American health care,” said Christopher J. Durovich, president and CEO. “It is absolutely essential that we ensure the best care available for all children –- a mission that has been at the heart of Children’s Medical Center for the past 90-plus years. Regina’s unique combination of legal and community expertise adds exponentially to our ability to deliver on our mission to make life better for children.”

Montoya has been recognized by numerous publications for her achievements, including Hispanic Enterprise magazine, where she was named as one of the Top 20 Leading Latinas in Business; Hispanic Business magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the US; and Hispanic magazine, which presented her the Latina Excellence Award for Leadership.

Montoya received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College, where she is a Trustee Emerita, and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She also has served as vice president and elected director of the Harvard University Alumni Association. Montoya is a former award-winning television commentator, and is currently working on a book about the importance of incorporating Latinas into the economic, political and social fabric of America. She is married to Paul Coggins, Rhodes Scholar, novelist and former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Their daughter, Jessica Montoya Coggins, is a recent graduate of Harvard College.