Diana Arévalo, 44, served in the Texas House for a single term. She now oversees state-level policy for the ALS Association. She’s running for the open Place 1 seat on the appraisal district board, where incumbent Naomi Elizabeth Miller declined to seek reelection.
Hear from the candidate
1. Please tell voters about yourself.
Born and raised in San Antonio, I earned an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University, a BBA from The University of Texas at San Antonio, and graduated from Incarnate Word High School. I am also a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University and the United Leaders Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics.
My public service and community involvement includes serving as a Texas State Representative, where I was named “Freshman of the Year” by the Legislative Study Group, serving as a member of the City of San Antonio Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women, a mentor with the LBJ Women’s Campaign School at The University of Texas at Austin, and a member of Firstmark Credit Union’s Education Grant Committee. I am also an active member of the Public Affairs Council. Today I work as a Managing Director of Advocacy for the ALS Association.
2. Briefly describe any professional experiences you’ve had that relate to the role of overseeing the appraisal district.
As a former Texas State Representative, I served on legislative committees responsible for reviewing public policy, hearing testimony, examining the impact of government programs, and holding agencies accountable to the people they serve.
My experience incudes advancing legislation that affect property rights and expanding exemptions.
During my time in the legislature, I was the coauthor of HB 570, which proposed a property-tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a first responder killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.
Furthermore, I voted for HB 455, which allowed a property owner to participate in an Appraisal Review Board protest hearing by telephone conference call—essentially making the protest process more accessible. It became law effective September 1, 2017.
I also voted for HB 1101, prevents a chief appraiser from requiring a 100% disabled veteran with a permanent total disability to repeatedly re-apply for their residence homestead ad valorem tax exemption. This bill was effective on January 1, 2018.
3. What do you believe the Bexar Central Appraisal District should be doing to make the property appraisal process more transparent to the public, or to improve customer service?
The property tax protest process makes it clear that taxpayers do not always enter the system on equal footing. Property owners who can afford to hire a professional to represent them often have someone who understands the process, knows what evidence to present, and can navigate deadlines and procedures on their behalf. The average homeowner may be trying to figure all of that out for the first time—and doing it alone.
Taxpayers should not need to hire someone just to feel confident navigating their appraisal district. The Bexar Central Appraisal District should make the protest process easier to understand and more accessible by providing clear information, better taxpayer education, responsive customer service, and meaningful assistance throughout the process. Whether someone owns one modest home or a portfolio of properties, every taxpayer should be able to understand their rights, make their case, and feel that they were treated fairly.
4. In recent years, some Texas appraisal districts have transformed an administrative role into more of a policy-making body, approving changes like less frequent appraisals and caps on the amount an appraisal can rise from year to year. What role do you think BCAD should take, if any, in trying to address additional property tax relief?
The Bexar Central Appraisal District should never promise property tax relief it does not have the authority to deliver. I will advocate for taxpayers, push for greater transparency, and support responsible reforms while being honest about what BCAD can—and cannot—do. The Board does not set the individual appraisal rates.
There are already exemptions and protections available to homeowners, but they only provide relief if people know about them and understand how to access them. I would prioritize stronger public education and outreach so homeowners understand the exemptions they may qualify for, important deadlines, and their rights in the appraisal and protest process.
5. Elected appraisal district positions were created to help build public trust in the appraisal process. How would you approach public outreach?
Public trust begins with accessibility. Too often, a homeowner’s first meaningful interaction with the appraisal district happens when they receive an appraisal notice they do not understand or when they are trying to protest their property value.
I would take BCAD into the community instead of expecting taxpayers to come to us. That means holding taxpayer education sessions in neighborhoods across Bexar County, partnering with county and city elected officials, neighborhood associations, chambers of commerce, community organizations, and providing information in both English and Spanish.
Outreach should also focus on helping homeowners understand the tools already available to them: exemptions they may qualify for, important deadlines, how to review their property record, how the protest process works, and what evidence they can present.
As an elected board member, I would also make myself accessible to the public and listen to taxpayers about their experiences with BCAD. Building trust requires more than transparency on paper. It requires meeting people where they are, explaining the process in plain language, listening when the system is not working, and making sure every taxpayer knows their rights.
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