Latina of Influence | Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D.
Community Builder and advocate Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D. is one of Hispanic Lifestyle’s 2014 Latinas of Influence. Follow all of our 2014 Latinas of Influence on twitter with the tag #HLTVLC14
Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D. is the national and international founder of Las Comadres Para Las Americas. She has served as the organization’s President and CEO since its founding. She has built the organization to over 15,000 women in more in 100 cities and 28 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and internationally. Las Comadres Para Las Americas is a 501(c)3 organization under the fiscal agency of the Austin Community Foundation of Central Texas.
Nora Comstock, whose passion is building community and sharing resources, used her technological background to take the concept all these Comadres groups had in common to the next level using the Internet and the Web. Nora transformed the informal in-home gathering into the national and international Las Comadres network. Jack Bell’s technological expertise and financial support have been key to both the survival and growth of the organization. Jack Bell is Nora Comstock’s husband.
Nora de Hoyos Comstock, Ph.D
Today in cities all over the US and also internationally, Latinas are engaged in dialogues about education, employment, culture, and resources, among other things. The email connection is known as Las Comadres News Network (LCNN). Las Comadres para las Americas continues to grow on a daily basis as Latinas build personal and professional relationships with one another.
In 1989 she formed a business development consultancy known as Comstock Connections which she continues to the present day.
Nora Comstock received her Ph.D. (1982) from the University of Texas at Austin in Educational Administration with an emphasis on community college management and a B.A. in History (1974) with a specialty in Latin America.
She was selected one of twenty Latinas in the U.S. to be a 2000 fellow of the National Hispana Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. Dr. Comstock also was selected as one of fifteen Hispanic leaders to participate in the 22nd Seminario Fundacion Solidaridad, Mexico City and Michoacan in October 2003.
She received an award in recognition of lifetime commitment and achievements in serving the Hispanic Community from the Hispanic Professional Women’s Association at the 4th Annual National Convention and Exhibition of Mexicans Abroad in Los Angeles in July 2006. In 2007 Nora was selected as one of the 25 top Hispanic Influencers in Austin, Texas. She is the recipient of a Maybelline 2008 Beauty of Education Award in New York City for her dedication to serving the community. She was honored as one of the 25 Mujeres del Año 2011 by Sucesos: El Periódico de la Comunidad Hispana in Houston, TX. She also has served on numerous local and national boards.
In 2011 Las Comadres Para Las Americas was named a Community Leadership Award honoree by the University of Texas at Austin for commitment and dedication to promoting social justice, increasing opportunities for inclusion, and/or improving access to education.
In 2012 Nora de Hoyos Comstock was elected to the Austin Women’s Commission/Austin, Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. The award honors the city’s most accomplished women and Nora was the first Latina to be selected.
On September 18, 2013 KLRU (PBS Austin, TX) hightlighted several distinct Austin voices as part of the Latino Americans, Mi Historia project. Nora was selected to be featured as one of Austin’s voices.
In 2014 Nora was honored by the Con Mi Madre non-profit organization as the recipient of the Con Mi Madre Award as a Latina in the Austin, Texas, community who is living out the mission of empowering and supporting women and children (Latinas and their moms).
Nora spearheaded the Las Comadres anthology, a book of short stories about comadre relationships. Count on Me: Tales of Sisterhoods and Fierce Friendships (2012)/Cuenta Conmigo: Conmovedoras historias de hermandad y amistades incondicionales (2013).
