Live Oak City Council Member (2021–present) A 12th-generation Texan, Dr. Erin Perez brings deep local roots to her work as a public servant, clinician, author, and educator. She is a board-certified adult and geriatric nurse practitioner specializing in hospice and palliative care and holds three degrees from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In 2020, she was named National Hospice and Palliative Care Advanced Certified Nurse Practitioner of the Year. Dr. Perez has held leadership positions in state, national, and international organizations. She is Chair for the Texas Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Advisory Council. Currently, she leads Team Texas as one of six states selected by the National State Academy of State Health Policy (NASHP) for their new national Serious Illness Institute. Mentorship is central to her leadership. She created the hashtag #nursesparty to raise awareness of the need for nurses to help shape policy and continues to mentor nurses with a memorable challenge: “Stop renting our profession and start owning it.” As she explained in a 2022 Texas Nursing interview, “One in forty-four voters is a nurse. . . . It’s not about political parties, it’s about the nursing party.” Elected to the Live Oak City Council in 2021, Dr. Perez carries that same conviction into local government. Her leadership demonstrates that nurses do not have to wait for national office to influence policy—they can begin where they live, using their expertise and trusted voices to create change from the community level up.