Deborah Gray Marino
2024 Community Service Award
Deborah Gray Marino is a San Antonio native and true Texan to her core. Debbie, as she is familiarly known, was influenced by her parents early on to honor faith, family, and hard work. Driven by those values, she strives to apply them daily in her personal and professional life. Debbie is Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations for SWBC, a diversified national financial services company. She oversees the company’s community and charitable engagements, strategizes business development to maximize return, and leads SWBC’s civic and public policy involvement at local, state, and national levels.
Debbie has been a part of the SWBC team since 2006 and under her leadership, SWBC established a system and culture of community engagement that aligns with the company’s mission and core values of integrity, service, and commitment. With 2,400 employees across all 50 states, she developed the SWBC Cares Community Involvement Committee (CIC). Some of those activities include events with United Way, American Heart Association, Credit Union for Kids, Meals on Wheels, Wish for Our Heroes, Chanukah on the River, and Catholic Charities.
In addition to leading philanthropic efforts and cultivating corporate culture, Debbie also was instrumental in the formation of the SWBC Political Action Committee (SWBCPAC). The SWBCPAC's mission is to ensure that SWBC has a voice during the legislative process. This involvement in our political process helps ensure SWBC remains competitive, productive, and profitable.
Being a first-generation Hispanic college graduate, she eagerly began her charity and public policy involvement right after graduation by volunteering for the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee. There, she was soon after hired full time in the Marketing Department to help San Antonio host the U.S. Olympic Festival-’93 and bid for the NCAA Men’s & Women’s Final Four. She transitioned her skills when asked to serve as campaign manager for Robert Marbut, Jr. Debbie went on to serve as Chief of Staff to Councilman Marbut. She continued her career at Kaufman & Associates, Inc. where she served as the Manager of Client and Governmental Relations.
Throughout Debbie’s career, she has given her time back to the community by serving on numerous boards and foundations. In 2019, Debbie was appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to serve on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Prior to Debbie’s appointment to the TABC board, Governor Abbott had appointed her to serve on the Texas Commission on the Arts as well as The Texas Health Services Authority Board. Additional civic and community work include:
- Remember the Alamo Advisory Board
- Greater:SATX Executive Board Member
- San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Affairs Committee – Chair & Vice Chair
- Accountability Policy Advisory Committee for the Texas Commission of Education – Member
- FBI Infragard – Executive Committee Member
- San Antonio City Charter Review Committee – Mayoral Appointee
- San Antonio Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women – District 8 Appointee
- United States Olympic Committee – Diversity Committee
- United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County – Board of Directors
- Woman United – Chair
- Witte Museum – Board of Trustees & Executive Committee
- Spurs Silver & Black Give Back (now Spurs Give) – Committee Member
- American Heart Association South Texas Chapter – Development Board
- PTA and ROTC Northside Independent School District – working committees
She received the 2022 Women’s Leadership Award from the San Antonio Business Journal for her drive, willingness to help others, making San Antonio a better place and leading the way for future generations.
Debbie is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Debbie and her husband, Charlie, live in San Antonio and are blessed with two children.
The Chabad Center is honored to present to Debbie its 2024 Distinguished Community service Award.