District H

Meet Your District H Staff

• Contact District H staff at districth@houstontx.gov
• Emily S. Haines, Chief of Staff
  Emily joined the team in January of 2022 as Deputy Chief of Staff. Prior to this role, Emily worked in the non-profit and education fields. She is a proud resident of District H with her spouse and two children.
• Carisia Banda, Director of Special Projects
  Carisia first worked for Council Member Cisneros as a TechConnect intern in 2018. She returned to the TechConnect program in 2019 and has now become the Director of Special Projects.
• Diana Canales, Director of Constituent Services
  Diana began working for Council Member Cisneros as a CHIP intern in early 2023 and is now the Director of Constituent Services. She enjoys serving District H and resolving constituent issues.
• Stella Ramirez, Office Manager / Scheduler
  Stella has been with the office of Council Member Karla Cisneros since April 2016 as the Office Manager and Scheduler after working for HISD for 17 years as a clerk and school secretary for many HISD campuses.
• Melissa Rocha, Council Secretary
  Melissa joined the office in August of 2022. Her passion is to help other’s and learn more about her community as she is a resident of District H.
• Julie T. Mintzer, Senior Advisor
  Julie has over 15 years of leadership experience in Houston’s public sector. Julie began her career with the City of Houston in the Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department where she was the Chief of Staff and Communications Director. She also worked with Houston Public Library as Deputy Assistant Director of Communications. Before joining the City in 2021, she worked at different local and national not-for-profit organizations focusing on environmental conservation, youth development, and housing for underserved populations. Julie is passionate about serving the public and fostering employee success through mentoring and targeted development.