Employee Recognitions — Recipients of the 2025 San Antonio River Authority STAR Award

Staff Report & Agenda Item Details

Employee Recognitions: Recipients of the 2025 San Antonio River Authority Star Award ADRIAN REYNA ARROYOS: FIELD STAFF RECIPIENT: For many of our constituents, their most frequent encounters with the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) are seeing friendly faces along the Mission and Museum Reach, at one of our many parks, in their streets and neighborhoods ensuring their utilities services are up and running or in the river catching fish. Our 2025 field staff STAR award winner went above and beyond in 2025 by connecting with constituents across the basin including River Warriors, students, teachers and technical professionals as well as visitors to San Antonio from around the world. His efforts to educate hundreds of constituents and visitors alike have increased the profile of the River Authority, connected countless people to our mission and vision, and aided in the removal of apple snails throughout the downtown San Antonio reach of the San Antonio River. In coordination with the Public Affairs team, Adrian’s efforts to train constituents to remove this invasive species has resulted in more than 9,000 adults and 25,000 egg clutches being removed from the river. Additionally, he is part of our team that was recognized with the Outstanding Fisheries Worker of the Year Award by the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in January and has been instrumental in the development of the River Authority water rights tool presented to the board in November. Adrian also wrote the Regional Invasive Species Response Plan that coordinates efforts to prevent and potentially mitigate the impacts of various invasive species with the City of San Antonio, SAWS, CPS and Bexar County among other entities. Congratulations on winning the 2025 SARA Star Award! MARK TIJERINA: OFFICE STAFF RECIPIENT: Mark is an exceptional professional whose character, leadership, and work ethic consistently elevate those around him. He is widely recognized as humble, highly knowledgeable, and remarkably easy to work with, setting high expectations for himself while treating everyone with dignity and respect. As a mentor and teacher, he generously shares his expertise, supports others’ growth, and fosters a positive, collaborative environment. He has dedicated significant effort this year to developing a suite of GIS field tools for Engineering, Watershed and Park Operations, and Utilities staff, many of which directly enhance the use of the Lucity Asset Management system. His projects include inspection and management apps for pedestrian bridges, dams, trash assessments, natural resources, utilities condition assessments, preventative maintenance, and sanitary sewer overflows. As a board member of the Alamo Area GIS Group, he helps shape regional collaboration, and he has presented his work at conferences (internally and externally), showcasing both innovation and the values of our organization. He not only represents the organization well; he embodies what we stand for even when he is not wearing his River Authority lanyard. Congratulations on winning the 2025 SARA Star Award!