The Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy (CGWA) was established at the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) with the aim of developing excellence in research and education in areas related to gravitational wave astronomy. Research at the center focuses on theoretical aspects of gravitational wave astronomy, specifically astrophysical source modeling, gravitational wave data analysis, and the phenomenological astrophysics of gravitational wave sources. The center has a successful visitors' program, offers several postdoctoral openings, and annually hosts several international conferences to promote scientific collaborations and continually expose its faculty and students to world-class research. Education and outreach activities form an important part of the center, supporting undergraduate and graduate students in many ways. The center began operation in 2002 and is funded by a NASA Group 3 OMU University Research Center (URC) Program and research awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF).