TFRW Woman of Distinction – June 2022
Carol Van De Walle is a sixth-generation Texan, a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and was born and raised in San Antonio where she is a member of Bexar County Republican Women (BCRW). Before getting involved in politics, she was Vice President of United Savings of Texas, then left the banking industry to join her husband Joe’s family business, Van De Walle Farms.
“We operated a vegetable farming and produce sales company started by Joe’s grandparents around 1900 after they immigrated from Belgium. In the 1980s we expanded into a picante sauce operation that shipped products throughout the U.S.,” says Carol.
Carol’s career in Bexar County politics includes being elected Secretary of the Bexar County Executive Committee in the mid-1990s, her appointment as Vice Chair for the Republican Party of Bexar County by three county Chairmen, and serving multiple terms as a Precinct Chair, Election Judge and President of BCRW. Carol also has been a consistent Delegate to RPT Conventions and was elected by her fellow Precinct Chairs as Chair of her Senate District Convention four times. She currently serves as Judge of the Early Voting Ballot Board where, in 2020, they handled more than 80,000 mail-in ballots.
Serving TFRW, Carol was elected First Vice President of TFRW after a term as Vice President for Finance, and in 2015, she became Secretary of TFRW. Currently, Carol is the TFRW Regional Chair for the 2022 Voter Engagement Project for Bexar County and the mid-Texas region. She also serves as President of the Greater San Antonio Council (GSAC) of TFRW.
Recognizing her dedication to the Republican Party, Carol was selected as a 2004 RNC National Delegate Alternate, honored as a recipient of TFRW’s “10 Outstanding” award in 2001, and was a 2013 Honoree of the Bexar County Republican Party Hall of Fame. In 2019 she was recognized by the Republican Party of Texas as the Volunteer of the Year in Senate District 25.
An organizer, fundraiser and leader of many grassroots projects, Carol has proven to be a frequent and willing go-to person for the Republican Party.
