Gloria M. Tarpley

Gloria M. Tarpley is a long-time civic volunteer in Dallas. A retired lawyer who specialized in commercial litigation, Gloria practiced law in Houston, and later in Dallas. Gloria most recently served Dallas as a member of the City of Dallas Planning Commission for the last ten years, serving as Chair of the Commission from 2014 to 2019. Prior to serving on the Planning Commission, Gloria was a member of the original Ethics Commission for the City of Dallas, serving for eight years as Commissioner. She has been very active in East Dallas and the White Rock Lake area where she has lived for the last 32 years.

In addition to her service to the City of Dallas, Gloria has been a long-standing alumni volunteer for Rice University, her alma mater. As such, she served six years on the Association of Rice Alumni Board of Directors, and as President of the Association of Rice Alumni in 2011-2012. She was a member of the Centennial Commission at Rice when the University celebrated its 100th year. Gloria had the extraordinary honor of serving on the Rice Board of Trustees from 2015- 2019, and as Rice Trustee Emeritus, she continues to serve on various committees for the University.

Gloria has been an active volunteer for her children’s schools over the years, currently on the Board of Directors of Cistercian Preparatory School and previously as president of the school board of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School and president of the Cistercian Parents’ Club at Cistercian Preparatory School. She also served on the Parents’ Association Board at The Hockaday School.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, Gloria is fluent in three languages – English, Spanish, and Catalan. Gloria holds a Bachelor’s degree from Rice University, and a J.D. from the University of Houston. She and her husband George have two adult children, Philip and Tory.