Ada Ortega

Ada Ortega is a dynamic public affairs leader with over a decade of experience in government relations, media communications, issue management and corporate social responsibility. Ada is the Director of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability for the South Market Unit for Arca Continental/Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the United States. In this role, Ada executes strategic public affairs and communication business plans while supporting statewide government relations activities for the Houston, Austin, San Antonio, South Texas, and East Texas territories.

Prior to Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages, Ada served as Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Press Secretary where she managed citywide communications strategies for the City of Houston and acted as the Spanish spokesperson for the mayor and the city. Ada joined the mayor’s office during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and was part of the essential group of communicators for the city of Houston during the pandemic and Winter Storm Uri. She was also Mayor Turner’s communications advisor during his 2022 trade mission to Mexico.

Before joining the mayor’s office, Ada served as a corporate communications manager for Community First Health Plans, a health insurance provider for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) located in San Antonio, Texas. Ada was also a regional press secretary for the Texas Democratic Party during the 2014 statewide election cycle. In this role, Ada planned and executed press conferences across the state, briefed and advised elected officials and statewide candidates for Spanish interviews, and coordinated press and earned media in local markets around the state.

Throughout her career, Ada’s focus has been to empower communities and be at the forefront of championing diversity and inclusion initiatives. Ada is passionate about Latino advocacy issues and advancing Latina leadership representation in the US. In 2014, Ada was selected to be a community of practice member for LatinasRepresent, an initiative led by the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda to increase Latina representation throughout the civic engagement continuum and inspire more Latinas to seek public service opportunities.

Ada is a graduate of Leadership Houston Class XL, 2019 Latina Leadership Institute program and the 2015 Alex Briseño Leadership Development Program led by the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Ada is a native of Brownsville, Texas and holds a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from American University in Washington, D.C. Besides loving her job, Ada enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and friends, volunteering and being a fashion enthusiast.