Zeph Capo

Zeph Capo, a public school science teacher, is president of the Houston Federation of Teachers and previously served as HFT vice president and legislative director. He also serves as an elected trustee for Houston Community College and on several community boards that have developed cross-sector relationships and have built his reputation in Houston and across the state for honest, direct problem solving and for building lasting relationships between community groups and schools at all levels.

In 2009, Capo led a multimillion-dollar early childhood investment by partnering with the Good Behavior Game, which emphasizes teamwork and development of positive peer relationships. Thanks to his efforts, more than 70 classrooms in the Houston Independent School District now benefit from the program. In 2011, Capo spearheaded community meetings to develop a paradigm in how neighborhoods can effect change in a community. The effort resulted in establishing Friends of Frank Black Middle School, a new vanguard magnet designation that resulted in huge increases in student enrollment. In 2013, Capo was part of a successful legislative process to increase dual-credit opportunities for career and technical education, and he is also committed to increasing the availability of dual-credit programs through collaboration between Houston Community College and the Houston Independent School District.

Capo is pursuing a master’s in public administration from the University of Texas–Pan American and attended community college before transferring to Florida International University for his undergraduate degree.