Born on December 12, 1957, Leo Pacheco hails from San Antonio’s South Side, with family roots tracing back to the settlers from the Canary Islands who helped found the original San Antonio mission. He graduated from Harlandale High School in 1976. As the first in his family to attend college, Pacheco earned an Associate of Arts from San Antonio College, a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Texas A&M University–San Antonio, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Throughout his educational journey, he supported himself in part by working as a bus driver for VIA Metropolitan Transit. Professionally, he worked as a human resources specialist at Palo Alto College and later taught as an adjunct professor at UTSA and San Antonio College.

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In 2018, Pacheco ran for and won the primary and general for Texas House District 118, unseating incumbent Tomas Uresti. He assumed office on January 8, 2019. He ran for reelection in 2020, and won with approximately 57% of the vote. During his legislative tenure, Pacheco supported permitless carry legislation in May 2021. In early August 2021, he announced his intention to resign from the House to return to academia, teaching public administration at San Antonio College. His resignation took effect on August 19, 2021. While in the Texas House, he served on many committees and was the vice-chair for the House Higher Education Committee. Leo Pacheco is married to his wife, Melva, and together they have two children.