About Delia
Leadership Coach • Trailblazer • Author
Honorable Delia Garcia is the President of Garcia Strategies LLC & an executive public servant for over 25 years in leadership roles across federal & state government including as U.S. Dept of Labor Women's Bureau Administrator for Southcentral U.S., senate-confirmed Kansas State Secretary of Labor, elected 1st Latina Kansas State Representative, & executive leader in national nonprofit organizations where she led two national nonprofits in Washington, DC. As a best-selling author of Latina Leadership Lessons (2023), she empowers leaders across sectors to turn disruption into opportunity through transformational leadership leveraging her experience & social capital nationwide. She is a sought-after executive coach and trainer with multi-sector industry leaders.
She brings an unique skill set rooted in executive public service and brings together vision, strategy, and humanity to drive organizational excellence in complex systems. Delia empowers teams and individuals by creating environments where bold thinking, inclusive collaboration, and sustainable growth thrive. With her extensive background as an executive servant leader, she understands firsthand fast-changing environments and the need for effective solutions, leveraging her instruction skills as a former adjunct professor in Kansas. As an experienced multi-sector leader, she has transitioned from leading within organizations to supporting leaders to lead successful teams and projects, utilizing her background which includes strategic planning, change forecasting, and stakeholder management.
Delia earned her Master’s Degree in Political Science at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and Bachelor’s Degree from Wichita State University in Kansas. She is a graduate of the Harvard University Executive Leadership Program and Aspen Institute of Executive Leadership, and received her Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Certification from the University of Southern Florida. She earned her Executive Coaching Training from Teleos Leadership Institute. She serves as National Advisor/ Co-Founder of the BLLL Latina State Legislative Caucus and SVREP National Board. Delia also loves being the favorite aunt to her nieces and nephews. She is an avid swimmer, traveler, and aspiring accordion player.
My Story
Leadership has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Growing up in my grandparents' family-owned Mexican restaurant in Kansas, I watched them lead with dignity, generosity, and service. They treated every employee and customer with respect, showing me that leadership isn't about titles—it's about how you make people feel.
As I grew older, I began to notice something that stayed with me. Too often, women, Latinos, and people from working-class backgrounds had to work twice as hard to be recognized for their potential. I knew that reality because I had lived it myself.
That realization became my purpose.
From youth leadership organizations and college initiatives to making history as the first Latina elected to the Kansas Legislature and later serving as Kansas' first Latina Secretary of Labor, every chapter of my journey reinforced the same lesson: ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things when they recognize their strengths and have someone who believes in them.
Today, I carry that lesson into every coaching conversation. I meet people where they are, helping them discover the power they already possess so they can lead with confidence, authenticity, and purpose.
Why I Coach
Some of the most influential leaders I've admired throughout my career had coaches. When I invested in coaching myself, it changed the way I led, the way I saw my potential, and ultimately the way I served others.
That experience inspired me to pay it forward.
Coaching allows me to combine more than 25 years of leadership across government, nonprofits, and public service with something even more meaningful: helping others recognize their own unique superpower.
There is nothing more fulfilling than watching someone step into their confidence, embrace their strengths, and create a ripple effect that positively impacts their family, workplace, community, and beyond.
That's why I coach con corazón.
A Leadership Journey
Growing Up
Learned leadership through family, service, and community.
Youth Leadership
Girl Scouts, American GI Forum, LULAC, HLOP, and HYPE.
College
Chartered 1st Latina sorority Kansas chapter of Kappa Delta Chi Service Sorority Inc and Co-Founder of Si Se Puede Day as President of HALO.
2004
First Latina elected to the Kansas Legislature.
2007
National Hispana Leadership Institute Executive Leadership Program.
2009
Kansas Leadership Center Executive Leadership Program.
2010
Co-founded the National Latina State Legislative Caucus.
2018
Aspen Institute Executive Leadership Salinas Scholar Program.
2019
First Latina Kansas Cabinet Secretary of Labor.
2020
Led the state agency through the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022
Published Latina Leadership Lessons book.
Today
Coaching leaders to discover their own superpower and build strategic partnerships.