Alumni Profile

Becky Renfro Borbolla has watched her hometown grow rapidly into a big city.

"I was born and raised in Fort Worth. I love it here," Borbolla said. "I have seen this town grow into a city with amazing assets – a superior cultural district, wonderful performing arts venues and countless restaurants. But we still maintain a small-town feel, and this city has a heart."

Along the way, she also watched Tarrant County College grow into a college with five campuses and more than 100,000 students. "Even at this size, TCC also has a heart," Borbolla said.

Borbolla attended TCC in the 1970s. "TCC was the ideal place for me at that time," she said. "I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. TCC gave me the core classes I needed and helped me figure out what I was good at. I even worked part-time through a program at the school."

Today, Borbolla serves as vice president of her family’s specialty food business, Renfro Foods, Inc., famous for its spicy salsas. Since she joined the business, Renfro Foods has expanded to all 50 states and some international markets including Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain and France. The manufacturing facility in Fort Worth packages 10 million jars per year of its own line of 30 products while packaging additional products for 60 other companies.

Borbolla also serves as the founder and president of Women Steering Business, which raises funds to buy livestock from young women at the Fort Worth Stock Show. "In 2013, our first year, we raised $45,000," she said. "This year we raised over $200,000."

She also is a board member of Fort Worth Sister Cities International Board, past chair of The Women’s Center and past board member of Leadership Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Arts Council and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Borbolla was named one of the 25 Great Women of Texas in 2005 by the Fort Worth Business Press and received the Bob Bolen Board Leadership Award from Fort Worth Sister Cities in 2009. In 2012, then-Governor Rick Perry commissioned Borbolla as a Yellow Rose of Texas, the highest honor given to a woman from the governor.

She even makes time to serve on the TCC Foundation Board and was named a Distinguished Alumni of the Northeast Campus in 2014.

Janet Hahn, attorney at Decker Jones Law Firm and fellow member of the Foundation Board, says Borbolla has a passion for her city, her community and her school. "Becky has boundless energy and devotes all of it to her business, causes and college. She has so much passion for everything she does and is an inspiration to the rest of us. With her around, we always want to do more because that’s what she does!"