Cristal Retana Lule

Cristal Retana’s personal mission is to ensure equitable access to opportunities and resources so everyone can have an overall better quality of life. Her career has been dedicated to advocacy through public policy, establishing strategic partnerships, and bringing forward innovative solutions to reimagine systems and engage in hard conversations on the issues that face our communities.

Cristal Retana Lule joined Children’s Health in January 2018 and serves as Vice President of Community Relations overseeing community outreach efforts with a focus on local and regional public policy. Through this work, she has participated in a number of initiatives and coalitions to help ensure Children’s Health has a voice when it comes to the quality of life of children and families.

Cristal is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to attend a higher education institution. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Government from Texas Woman’s University. She began her career in public policy as a legislative staffer in the Texas Senate in 2009 and since then has held several key positions with a number of elected officials at the state and local level. She has been involved in government/community affairs professionally for over fifteen years.Cristal also served as Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Farmers Branch from 2019 to 2022, the first person of color to ever hold this role.

She has been recognized with nominations to several leadership organizations and service awards including Dallas Assembly, International Women’s Forum, Leadership North Texas, Leadership Texas and was the recipient of the Dallas League of Women Voter’s Volunteer of the Year and SWJC Audrey Kaplan Inspiring Women award in 2024, and the 2023 DFW Hispanic 100 Emerging Latina Leader Award, Altrusa 2023 Women of Today award, and the La Cima Young Professional of the Year Award in 2022, among others. She has held leadership roles across several organizations including DFW Hispanic 100, Metrocrest Services, Dallas Friday Group is the current chair-elect for the Hispanic Woman’s Network of Texas. She was also just named the 2025 Texas Woman’s Foundation Young Leader Award recipient and Dallas Business Journal’s 2025 40 Under 40.

In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, mentoring, and spending time with her husband Eric, her two children, and her family who still reside in the DFW area.

Based in: Dallas, TX
Organization: Children’s Health
Position: vice president, community and government relations
Speaking topics: imposter ayndrome, identity, emotional intelligence, xareers in public service, legislative process, campaigning & elections, advocacy & organizing, leadership as a woman in government, public policy in action, supporting women in government
Audience preferences: all
In-person or virtual: both
Speaking format: all
Speaker fee: none

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Page last updated 4:11 PM, November 21, 2025