LW Board Bios

Pilar Oates (San Antonio, Texas) is a community leader and volunteer. She has been an independent consultant using her expertise to enhance workplace environments and community. Pilar’s rich and varied career experiences range from over 20 years in health and human services with the City of San Antonio and Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM) to key community leadership positions on numerous boards. She has participated in the Community Education Leadership Program, Leadership Texas, and Leadership America. Pilar was a founding director and retired as Executive Director of the Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM) of South Texas, Inc., a faith-based, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing medical and health-related human services to low-income families and the uninsured of South Texas. During her 17 years at MHM, she helped to shape the organization’s strategy of community health. Pilar is involved in several community initiatives that are significantly improving outcomes for individuals and families across the region including serving on boards and councils. She has served on the executive team of the Mayor’s Fitness Council, an initiative to fight against obesity in San Antonio. She serves on boards and councils such as The Bexar County Health Collaborative, The Center for Medical Humanities and Ethics of the UT Health San Antonio’s School of Medicine, and The Community Advisory Council on Health and Medicine of the San Antonio Area Foundation. She is a graduate of Leadership Texas 2000 and Leadership America 2012. Pilar’s service to her community has been celebrated by the San Antonio Commission on Literacy, which recognized her as a leader in the promotion of Lifelong Learning. She has been the recipient of the American Heart Association’s William T. Wright Award for community service. In addition, she has received the Community Service Award and the Visionary Award from the Health Collaborative. She was recently named Director Emeritus of CI: Now, a National Neighborhood Indicators Project partner staffed by the Urban Institute. Pilar received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Texas at San Antonio.