Rafael I. Torres is Executive Director of Azteca Economic Development & Preservation Corporation, a community development corporation working in the Azteca neighborhood of Laredo, Texas. Azteca Economic Development & Preservation Corporation owns and manages multi-family rental housing in the neighborhood. He worked on border economic development issues and immigration policy for the Mexico-US Border Program of the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia.

Mr. Torres is a graduate of Texas A&I University at Laredo and the Development Training Institute (DTI) in Baltimore, MD. He is past President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition in Washington, DC; he is a member of the Texas Border Community Development Collaborative.