Hilliard Law is proud to celebrate Partner and Co-Owner Catherine Tobin Hilliard as a recipient of The Bend Magazine’s HER 2026 Humanitarian Award, an honor recognizing women whose service, leadership and generosity have made a meaningful and lasting difference in the Coastal Bend.
The HER Awards celebrate women who are shaping their community through leadership and service. The Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual who promotes human welfare, advocates for others and uses her influence and resources to strengthen the community around her.
For Catherine, that commitment is not defined by a single organization, contribution or accomplishment. It has been a constant throughout her career and her life—reflected in the causes she champions, the institutions she serves and the South Texas community she has long called home.
A Life Rooted in South Texas and Service
A native of San Diego in Duval County, Catherine's roots in South Texas run deep. So does her belief in the importance of advocating for people and investing in the communities that helped shape her.
That principle has guided her professional life. After law school, Catherine began her career in Corpus Christi at a prominent litigation firm, where she became its first female Hispanic partner and later its managing partner. In 2010, she joined Hilliard Law, where she has played a central role in complex, high-stakes litigation on behalf of individuals, families and communities across the country.
Her legal work has earned significant professional recognition. Catherine was named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star four times and has been selected to Texas Super Lawyers for the past two years.
But some of Catherine's most meaningful advocacy has taken place outside the courtroom.
In 2019, the Nueces County Commissioners Court unanimously appointed Catherine to the Port of Corpus Christi Commission, making her only the fifth woman to serve on the Commission in the Port's 100-year history. She was unanimously reappointed in 2020 and went on to serve as Vice-Chair of the Port Commission until 2022.
Her service at the Port reflected a theme that has defined much of her community involvement: a willingness not simply to lend her name to an organization, but to take on the responsibility of helping lead it.
Giving Her Time, Voice and Leadership
Over the years, Catherine has devoted her time and leadership to organizations spanning education, the arts, children's causes, health, philanthropy and civic and community development.
She currently serves as Chair of the Texas State Aquarium and as a trustee of St. Edward's University. She also serves on the boards of the Art Museum of South Texas, United Way of the Coastal Bend, United Way of Texas, Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation, the Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas and The Ritz Theatre, Inc.
Her commitment to education includes service on the Dean’s Advisory Council for St. Mary's University School of Law and as a school board and PTO member at Incarnate Word Academy.
Taken together, these roles represent far more than a list of affiliations. They require time, preparation, judgment and a willingness to advocate for institutions and causes that matter to the community. Catherine has continued to make that commitment year after year.
Investing in the Community She Calls Home
For Catherine and the Hilliard family, giving back also means making tangible, long-term investments in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend.
One of the most visible examples is the Hilliard Center in downtown Corpus Christi. In 2025, the Hilliard family entered into a 10-year naming-rights agreement with the City of Corpus Christi, representing a significant financial commitment to the Center and to the continued vitality of downtown.
More than a name on a building, the commitment reflects a belief in creating and sustaining places where people can come together. The Hilliard Center provides a venue for live entertainment, community gatherings and shared experiences in the heart of the city.
It is also emblematic of Catherine's broader approach to philanthropy: meaningful community support requires more than celebrating the places where we live. It requires investing in their future.
A Family Tradition of Philanthropy
Catherine shares that commitment to service with her husband, Bob Hilliard. In 2026, the Association of Fundraising Professionals Coastal Bend named Catherine and Bob Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year, recognizing their sustained record of community investment, philanthropy and leadership.
Catherine has also received individual recognition for her service and leadership. In 2025, she received the Dora Cervera Mirabal Women's Leadership Award from the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce. In 2019, during Hispanic Heritage Month, the local chapter of the American G.I. Forum honored her with its Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award for her leadership and impact on the community.
While those honors are meaningful, they represent something larger than individual achievement. They reflect years of showing up—giving time, accepting responsibility, supporting organizations and using her position to help others succeed.
Breaking Barriers and Opening Doors
Catherine's own professional path has also shaped the way she leads.
Becoming the first female Hispanic partner at her former law firm and later one of only a handful of women to serve on the Port of Corpus Christi Commission meant entering spaces where relatively few women had preceded her.
Those experiences reinforced the importance of representation—and the responsibility that comes with being in a position to create opportunities for others.
Throughout her career, Catherine has supported efforts to strengthen the legal profession, expand opportunities for women and young professionals, and encourage the next generation of leaders to become engaged in their communities.
Her approach to service is therefore measured not only by what she gives, but by how she gives it: her time, her voice, her experience, her resources and, when necessary, her willingness to open a door for someone coming behind her.
Leading with Purpose
The HER 2026 Humanitarian Award recognizes a body of service that has touched nearly every corner of the community Catherine calls home.
Her impact can be found in the institutions she has helped lead, the organizations she supports, the causes she champions, the people she mentors and the investments she and her family have made in the future of the Coastal Bend.
From the courtroom to the boardroom and throughout the community, Catherine has built a career around advocacy while embracing a simple principle: success brings with it an opportunity—and a responsibility—to serve others.
For all of us at Hilliard Law, her example is a reminder that leadership is ultimately measured not simply by what we accomplish for ourselves, but by what we are willing to contribute to the people and places around us.
Congratulations to Catherine Hilliard on receiving The Bend Magazine’s HER 2026 Humanitarian Award. We are proud to celebrate her leadership, her generosity and her enduring commitment to the Coastal Bend community.