Rep. Ortega, Evelina "Lina"

Biography

First elected in 2016, Representative Evelina “Lina” Ortega is currently serving her fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives. Lina serves on the Appropriations Committee, and two Appropriations subcommittees: Article III (Education) and Strategic Fiscal Review and the Land & Resource Management Committee

A lifelong resident of District 77 in El Paso, she graduated from El Paso High School (fondly known as the Lady on the Hill) and then attended the University of Texas at El Paso before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and a minor in Economics. In her desire to help others, she continued her education and received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence at the University Of Texas School Of Law.

Lina has had a distinguished legal career. She began as a Texas Assistant Attorney General in the Law Enforcement Division and then became an Assistant Federal Public Defender in El Paso. After several years of service, she then joined an El Paso law firm and began 30 years of private practice. She has dedicated her career to helping people from all walks of life who have experienced a tragedy or misfortune or who have been wronged in their personal or professional lives. She has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer, one of the Best Lawyers in America, and as a Preeminent Woman Lawyer.

Lina has been active in community service all her life. She assisted Judge Edward Marquez as one of the Attorneys Pro Tem with the Court of Inquiry that brought to light state funding inequities for El Paso. She served on the board of directors of Family Services of El Paso. She is past president of the Women’s Bar Association and the El Paso County Trial Lawyers Association. She was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to the State Board of Disciplinary Appeals. Most recently, she was chair of the El Paso County Ethics Commission.

Lina is married and has two adult daughters. Her husband is a university professor. One of her daughters is a teacher and the other is completing her residency program as a physician. She is also the proud grandmother of Agustin, Elias, and Esmie.