Wendy Montoya Cloonan has an extensive background in structuring all types of financing transactions and representing the full spectrum of issuers in Texas. She has served as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriters’ counsel and issuer counsel for cities, counties, school districts, community college districts, universities, health care, municipal utility district, non-profit entity, and other political subdivision and local government corporation financings.
Prior to co-founding Cantu Harden Montoya LLP, Wendy was the founder and sole shareholder of The Law Office of Wendy Montoya Cloonan PLLC, which operated as a Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise, specializing in public finance and public policy. Wendy began her public finance career at Vinson & Elkins LLP over 17 years ago.
Wendy is currently the General Counsel for Harris County’s conduit bond issuers: Cultural Education Facilities Finance Corporation and Health Facilities Development Corporation. She previously served as the general counsel for the City of Houston’s conduit bond issuers: Health Facilities Development Corporation, Higher Education Finance Corporation and Industrial Development Corporation. Wendy also previously served as general counsel to special purpose districts and as outside general counsel for political subdivisions advising on various issues including elections, procurement, the Open Meetings Act and the Public Information Act.
In addition to her legal practice, Wendy is on the Board of Directors of a Fortune 500 company where she Chairs the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committee and sits on the Human Capital & Compensation Committee.
Civic and Community Involvement
Dedicated to public service, Wendy serves as a Port Commissioner on the Port of Houston Authority Port Commission. She serves as Chair of the Business Equity Committee and successfully stewarded the adoption of the Port’s Business Equity Policy and Business Equity Department creation. In addition, she serves on the Governance, Compensation and Community Relations Committees. In May 2021 Wendy was voted a Trustee to the Harris County Hospital District Foundation.
Wendy remains active in civic organizations as she is committed to community involvement. Wendy sits on the national board of The Young Center, which champions the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children. Additionally, Wendy lends her time to her children’s schools serving as elementary school PTO President in 2019-2020 and middle school PTO President in 2021-2022. In January 2022, she was voted on to the Board of Directors of ALMAAHH (Advocates of a Latino Museum of Cultural and Visual Arts & Archive Complex Houston/Harris County). She also annually interviews high school students as a member of the Yale Alumni/Schools Committee.
Always eager to contribute back, Wendy and her husband, Shawn, established an endowment at the Houston Food Bank and enjoy volunteering with their children whenever possible. A strong believer in supporting youth education, they also established an endowment at The University of Texas at Austin. The memorial endowment in honor of Wendy’s brother, Joey, serves as a scholarship fund which annually benefits students who like Wendy and Joey, are from Houston and first-generation college students.
Credentials
- J.D. ,with Honors, The University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas
- M.P.P., Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Cambridge, Massachusetts
(Concentration in Political Advocacy and Leadership) - B.A., Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Awards & Recognitions
- Texas Executive Women “2022 Woman on the Move”
- Houston Woman Magazine “Top Influential Women of 2020-2021”
