An entrepreneur and business and community leader in San Antonio for more than three decades, Andrade was confirmed by the Texas Senate as the workforce commissioner in March 2013.
She supported the removal of nearly seventy thousand names from the voter rolls of individuals believed to be deceased, based largely on Social Security death records.
Andrade also encountered controversy when prior to the November 6, 2012 general election she objected to the use of international observers examining Texas voting procedures.
However, two Hispanic men, Roy Barrera, Sr., of San Antonio and Henry Cuellar, now a U.S. representative from Laredo, held the position briefly in 1968 and 2001, respectively.
In selecting Andrade and Wong, the council rejected City Manager Sheryl Sculley's recommendation to award the contract instead to the Chicago-based Entertainment Cruises, the choice also of former Mayor Phil Hardberger.