Meet Gyna Bivens | Mayor Pro Tem, City of Fort Worth

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gyna Bivens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gyna, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
As a former news reporter, I have the skill of asking questions. In my role as a member of the Fort Worth City Council, I serve as Mayor Pro Tem. I always tell city staff members I am never embarrassed about what I do not know. Although city council members set policies, city workers are the subject matter experts. When my constituents contact my office, they expect answers to their questions/complaints. I take pride in being able to ask probing questions that lead to resolving the citizen complaint and making sure staff feels respected. I was first elected in 2013 and have never been defeated because I ask questions.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been blessed to have a very interesting professional life. I didn’t have a strategic plan, but I am thankful that I have been able to help people. I serve as President and Executive Director of North Texas LEAD, a non-profit created by CEOs to recruit top diverse talent. I was invited to interview for this position in 2006 and have witnessed many professionals land positions with titles ranging from CEO, Chief Strategist and other leadership roles. I never knew how the CEO Team decided to interview me (since I did not initiate) the application, but I am humbled to watch the successes of many job-seekers. I’m overjoyed that city staff in Fort Worth caught the vision of revitalizing the Stop Six community. This community is rebounding from decades of neglect with a 67% increase in new housing construction. It is very rewarding to see 5,000 sq. ft. homes built on land where boarded-up structures once were. All I did was ask developers why there had been no significant home building in 10 years, and I learned the answer was simple. The detriment to development was inappropriate zoning. I rezoned the area and revitalization was (and remains) underway.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If they arrived by train, I would point them to a plaque in the Central Rail Station that has my name on it. I didn’t build the station, but I was one of the board members of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority responsible for building it. Friends would have to drop by in on my Mother, who would show them the hard-bound book detailing her family history. I would take them to see a park built in Mosier Valley (the community where the first freed slaves settled in Texas). I would have to show them the church my Dad built located at Ramey Avenue & Bivens Lane. Two communities would be must-see locations: Lakes of River Trails and Historic Stop Six. LORT is a sprawling development built by Ken Newell. It’s important to me because a train station is being constructed right now at that location. We will be able to get to Houston, TX in 90 minutes from that location. Historic Stop Six was void of development for decades. Homes are being built all over this once-segregated community that is now home to a diverse population. We would end the day at Gloria Vazquez Starling’s Capital Grille.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
San Antonio City Manager Louis J. Fox changed the trajectory of my professional life when he appointed me to serve as Public Information Manager for the (whole) city. I had reported on stories that were aired by NBC News and interviewed President Reagan at the Baker ranch, but being the spokesperson for the city was a game-changer. I developed a media strategy that resulted in national media spending several days in San Antonio. The relocation of the Fairmount Hotel was included in the Guinness Book of World Records. Another memorable event came when I sat at the table with a grand dragon of the ku klux klan. When Rick Ericson hired me as the City Hall reporter for KRLD, I was fortunate (once again) to get CBS Network coverage exposure. I believe that role and running the Fort Worth FOX 4 bureau is what prompted TXU to offer me a position as the corporation’s first African American spokesperson.

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