Vanessa is a staunch conservative and member of the Republican Party. She worked as a congressional staffer in 2016 for the Texas 27th Congressional District, US House Representatives for nearly three years.  Vanessa successfully helped lead the fight to re-elect Texas Senator Ted Cruz as his field director for the South-Central Region in the 2018 midterm election. Additionally, she previously served Texas Governor Greg Abbott as his appointee for the Council for Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Prevention. This position is especially meaningful to her as a survivor of open-heart surgery.Vanessa remains active in politics and served as a secretary, outreach coordinator and Precinct 21 chair of the Victoria GOP. She is a county and state delegate for the Republican Party of Texas and was a member of the Victoria County Republican Women’s Organization and the Texas Federation of Republican Women (TFRW). Hicks-Callaway even ran for state office for the Texas House of Representatives, 30th District in 2020.Vanessa Hicks-Callaway perfectly represents a commitment to service as evidenced by a long career of putting her life on the line for others. Her 26 years of honorable service in the U.S. Army as a supply sergeant and later as an intelligence officer included two separate deployments to combat zones which earned her the Bronze Star Medal. Hicks-Callaway pursued her bachelor’s degree from SHSU in political science with a minor in military science while serving in the Army Reserves as a military police officer. During this time, she also worked as a correctional officer in a maximum-security prison that housed death row inmates. She then continued her education by earning her master’s in human resources management from Central Michigan University and an associate degree from Liberty University in Christian Psychology. In 2011, she released a Christian self-help book called “Decision Precision Vision”, showcasing her devotion to Jesus Christ. After retiring from the military following 26 years of dedicated service, Hicks-Callaway instructed junior ROTC students as a Senior Army Instructor (SAI) and never lost her commitment to service. She has volunteered for multiple non-profit organizations, including the Old Landmark Committee, Disabled American Veterans/Auxiliary (DAV/DAVA), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion, Warriors Weekend, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Victoria Bach Festival (VBF), Victoria Police Foundation (VPF), Community and Schools and the Victoria Business Education Coalition (VBEC) as a student mentor. She has also served as president of the Kiwanis Club. In line with her passion and commitment to helping others, she works as a motivational speaker and plans on writing another self-help book. In her political circles, she is known as “The Black Lady in Red.”She has been married to fellow Army Veteran Jason Ohm Callaway for 26 years and they have been blessed with two sons, Eric and Edward Callaway. Eric, who was a SHSU full scholarship track athlete, not only earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering from SHSU in 2021, he also earned a Master of Science degree in computing and data science from SHSU in 2023. Edward is currently a senior at Victoria East High School and plans to pursue a career in the arts.