By Karen Villarreal

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – APRIL 15, 2022 – KVEO-TV, a Nexstar Media Inc. television station airing in the Valley on Channel 23, has chosen UTRGV’s Dr. Linda Nelson as its top “Remarkable Woman of the Year 2022.” 

The award is part of Nexstar’s celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, and is designed to honor the influence women have on public policy, social progress and quality of life.   

Nelson – a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), RN, pediatric nurse practitioner, and senior director of Clinical Operations for the UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV – and two other women who inspire were chosen for their community contributions, self-achievement and family impact.  

Nexstar television affiliates across the country pick a local Remarkable Woman from local nominations. Once a local winner is selected – in the Valley’s case, Nelson – the affiliate submits the name and a video to Nexstar headquarters. 

This year, there were 12,000 nominations across the United States, and seven were chosen to advance to the national “Nexstar Woman of the Year” initiative.  

Nelson is one of those seven. 

INSPIRED TO HELP 

Nelson said she is motivated and inspired by being part of a team with a bigger goal – to improve the health of the Rio Grande Valley.  

“I’m touched to the core that a staff member would nominate me for something as special as this,” Nelson said. “It’s one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received. I’m truly honored beyond anything I could ever imagine.” 

The tireless work of Nelson and her team in UT Health RGV’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites, UTRGV labs and community clinics throughout the pandemic helped keep the community safe.  

“I couldn’t have done it without the people who support me and the staff who work with me,” she said.  “To leave a footprint in the Valley is more than I could ever hope for.”

Dr. Linda Nelson, a Doctor of Nurse Practice (DNP), RN, pediatric nurse practitioner and senior director of Clinical Operations for the UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV, prepares her staff to administer first doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 at the San Carlos Community Resource Center in Edinburg, Texas. (Archived UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

LOCAL INFLUENCERS  

The Rio Grande Valley Nominees for 2022 “Remarkable Woman” included: 

• Nelson, who gave the first COVID-19 vaccine in the Rio Grande Valley in 2021 and organized the UT Health frontline COVID-19 tents where thousands of Valley residents were tested and later immunized.   
• Victoria Vasquez-Gonzalez, lead band director for Lyford CISD, who recently led the band to place in the Top 10 finals in the state level competition – the first time in the district’s history to advance to that level.  
• Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, who has been helping thousands of migrants navigate immigration events on the border with Mexico. 

A $1,000 contribution to a non-profit organization of choice was made on behalf of each of the 144 Nexstar television stations participating. The national winner will be selected from submissions from those 144 participating stations.  

Nelson chose the UT Health RGV student-run clinic as her non-profit beneficiary.   

“I’ve been supportive of the clinic from the beginning,” she said. “It’s a wonderful learning environment for our students and provides free care to an underserved community that is in great need.” 

RGV TO NATIONAL TV 

The national selection comes with a $5,000 donation to the non-profit chosen by the woman selected as “Nexstar Woman of the Year.” 

An exclusive, one-hour NewsNation show will feature interviews with the seven national finalists and will reveal the national winner. This will telecast at noon April 17 on CBS4 SVEO, and again at 6 p.m. CT April 23 on NBC KVEO, reaching 75 million television homes in the United States.

Nelson said the message behind each woman’s nomination is important for her daughter and other girls and women to hear. 

“I think we each have been singled out for what we’ve given back to the world – for our efforts to improve the world and the human condition,” Nelson said. “The message is simple: Women are strong, and we can all make a difference.”