Lupe Valdez serves as the Director of Public Affairs for Union Pacific Railroad. She is responsible for all counties South of San Luis Obispo to Imperial Valley. Her work involves dealing with government and community issues impacting the railroad. As a former staff member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, she is also focussed on air quality issues in the South Coast Basin. A native of Southern California, she was raised in Lincoln Heights, attended local schools and went to USC where she received both her undergraduate degree and Master's Degrees in Public Administration. She is married and has a teenage son.