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THE HONORABLE ESPERANZA “HOPE" ANDRADE, TEXAS SECRETARY OF STATEEsperanza “Hope” Andrade is Texas’ 107th Secretary of State and one of six state officials to form the Executive Department of the State of Texas. Governor Rick Perry appointed Secretary Andrade as the first Latina Secretary of State, swearing her into office on July 23, 2008. Secretary Andrade serves as Texas’ chief elections officer, chief international protocol officer and Border Commerce Coordinator for the Governor. Before being appointed Secretary of State, she served as chair of the Texas Transportation Committee. Prior to serving in state office, Secretary Andrade was a successful entrepreneur and leader in the San Antonio business community for more than three decades. The Secretary’s civic service includes previous leadership roles with the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Free Trade Alliance of San Antonio, the United Way, the San Antonio Symphony and the board of trustees for Our Lady of the Lake University. In recognition of her service to Texas, Secretary Andrade has received a number of accolades including the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Hope for Children Esperanza Award, and the San Antonio Leadership Hall of Fame Award. Additionally she has been named the Woman of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar, Mother of the Year by Avance and Small Business Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration. Secretary Andrade resides in San Antonio with her husband of 43 years, and has a son, a daughter-in-law, and three grandsons. |
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DR. BRENDA HELLYER, CHANCELLOR, SAN JACINTO COLLEGEBrenda Hellyer is San Jacinto College’s fifth chancellor and the first woman to hold that office. She began her career at the College as an inaugural director of the San Jacinto College Foundation. In 2000, she was appointed Executive Vice President for Resource Development and in 2003 Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs. She served as chief financial officer for five years and then served as Executive Vice Chancellor. Established in 1961, San Jacinto College celebrates its 50th year of service to east Harris County this year and is the seventh largest community college in Texas, serving more than 30,000 credit students at three campuses and several extension centers. Hellyer’s leadership and vision have been instrumental in developing a performance management system for staff and faculty, based on key performance indicators for every employee that focus on the College’s annual goals and student success. Hellyer was also instrumental in the development of a facility master plan, college recovery efforts after Hurricane Ike, and reaccreditation of the college in November 2008. Prior to joining SJC, Hellyer worked in the corporate world as an accountant in both the private and public arena. Her experience ranged from mom and pop businesses to Fortune 500 companies to governmental agencies to entrepreneurial ventures in East Harris County. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, a MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and an Ed.D. in Community College Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin. She received the Distinguished Graduate Award from the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin in Spring 2009. |
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ANDRES ALCANTAR, COMMISSIONER REPRESENTING THE PUBLIC, TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSIONAndres Alcantar is the Commissioner Representing the Public for the Texas Workforce Commission. Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the three-member Commission in August 2008. His Commission appointment expires February 1, 2013. Alcantar most recently served as deputy director of the governor's Budget, Planning and Policy division, which advises the Governor on federal, state and local issues and provides executive oversight to state boards and commissions. His focus included workforce, business and economic development, competitiveness, and public and higher education issues. He also served as the office's liaison to the Texas Workforce Commission and several other state agencies. He was previously an advisor in Governor George W. Bush's Office of Budget and Planning on workforce and health and human service issues, and a director for the state Health and Human Services Commission. Alcantar received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public administration from Texas Tech University. |
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MIKE JACKSON, CHAIRMAN, TEXAS STATE SENATEElected to the Texas Senate in 1998, Mike Jackson represents Senate District 11, which includes portions of Brazoria, Harris and Galveston Counties. He chairs the Senate Economic Development Committee and is a member of the Senate State Affairs, Business and Commerce, Natural Resources, and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committees. Jackson is also a five-term veteran of the Texas House of Representatives where he represented District 129. An accomplished legislator, Mike has been recognized by numerous organizations for his hard work and dedication. Among other honors, he has been named "Champion of Small Business" by the National Coalition for Capital, a "Taxpayer Advocate" by Texans For Fiscal Responsibility and "ABC Free Enterprise Champion" by The Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas. Further, he has been honored with the Texas Manufactured Housing Association's "Texas Affordable Housing Leadership Award," the Texas Chemical Council's "Legislative Leadership Award" and Texans for Lawsuit Reform's "TLR Civil Justice Leadership Award." Closer to home, Mike was recognized in 2010 as the "Citizen of the Year" by the Southbelt-Ellington Chamber of Commerce. For his efforts along the Gulf Coast, Senator Jackson has received the "Coastal Stewardship Award" from the General Land Office and the American Shore and Coastal Preservation Association in recognition of his beach conservation efforts and was named "Gulf Coast Area Statesman of the Year" by Vocational Guidance Services. A senate member who actively advocates on behalf of his coastal constituents, Senator Jackson was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst to serve as a member of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Legislative Oversight Board and to represent Texas on the Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Commission. Mike is the president of Force Corporation, his family's La Porte-based industrial construction and maintenance company, and is a 35-year veteran of the construction industry. He and his wife Vickie reside in Shoreacres and have two adult children, Vic and Michelle. They are members of La Porte United Methodist Church. |
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JOHN DAVIS, CHAIRMAN, TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESIn November 1998, John E. Davis was elected to the Texas Legislature to represent House District 129. Representative Davis currently serves as Chair of the House Committee on Economic and Small Business Development. He also serves as a member of the House Committee on Energy Resources. He was recently appointed by the Speaker to serve on the Select Committee for Economic Development. His previous committee appointments include: Chair for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, membership on the Medicaid Reform Legislative Oversight Committee, and Vice Chair of the House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike Devastation. A native of Houston and a fifth generation Texan, Rep. Davis graduated from Baylor University in 1982 and from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1987. He is the past President of Oates Industries, an industrial roofing company; he currently serves as owner and manager of Oates Metal Deck and Building Products, Inc. An active member of the community, Rep. Davis belongs to the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, Space Center Rotary Club, University Baptist Church in Clear Lake, and the Pasadena Salvation Army Advisory Board. His legislative efforts include working with NASA Johnson Space Center on the Texas Aerospace Scholars' Program along with the Technology Outreach Program. As a result of past and present work with various advocacy groups, following the 82nd Legislative Session Rep. Davis was awarded the "Friend of Medicine" award by the Texas Medical Association and the "Free Enterprise Champion" award by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Texas. John married Jayne Anne in 1984. Mrs. Davis is also a graduate of Baylor University. She is a former elementary school teacher for Clear Creek ISD. Mrs. Davis grew up in Tampico, Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. John, having traveled throughout Mexico and Central and South America, is conversational in Spanish. The Davises have three sons: Reagan, a graduate of Baylor University; Samuel, a student at the University of Texas at Austin; and Gaston, a student at Clear Lake High School. |
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ROBERT D. “BOB” MITCHELL, PRESIDENT, BAY AREA HOUSTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIPBob Mitchell, president, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, has 34 years of experience in economic development, process controls and manufacturing management in the Houston region. He has spent more than two decades in management as a highly successful executive in both for profit and not for profit enterprises and has consistently demonstrated his ability to develop, manage and implement a strategic plan for international companies. Mitchell joined the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) in 2000 to oversee the statewide implementation of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP). Through leadership and highly successful program management, he was increasingly asked in 2006 to represent the president in many initiatives and social functions. In 2007 he was assigned responsibility of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s day-to-day operations, and, in the fall of that year, was named president-elect of the organization. He assumed the presidency on January 1, 2008. Mitchell believes in giving back to the community and has actively donated his time in numerous capacities. In September 2009, Texas Governor Rick Perry appointed Mitchell to his Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee. Mitchell also serves on numerous boards including that of the Clear Lake Regional Medical Center, UTMB Health System Advisory Board, Manned Spaceflight Education Foundation, Inc., HCA Gulf Coast Regional Advisory Board, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Board of Advisors, Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gulf Coast Limestone, Inc., Houston Technology Center Advisory Board, and Communities in Schools. Key elements of Mitchell’s work experience were gained through a 15-year period at Grumman Aerospace Corporation. As an executive, he directed all production, engineering and material operations for the Houston facility of this Fortune 500 Company. Mitchell’s background also includes serving as vice president and general manager for two international subsea companies, Unitech and ASEP. Mitchell and his wife, Brenda, who live in Houston, have three sons and a grandson. In his spare time, he enjoys playing golf. |
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MICHAEL L. COATS, DIRECTOR, NASA – JOHNSON SPACE CENTERMike Coats, former astronaut, returned to NASA in November 2005 to serve as the 10th director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Coats graduated from Ramona High School, Riverside, California, in 1964; received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1968, a master of science in Administration of Science and Technology from George Washington University in 1977, and master of science in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1979. Coats, a Navy pilot and flight instructor, has logged more than 5,000 hours flying time in 28 different types of aircraft, and more than 400 carrier landings. Selected as an astronaut candidate in January 1978, Coats became a NASA astronaut in August 1979. He was a member of the STS-4 astronaut support crew, and was a capsule communicator for STS-4 and STS-5. From May 1989 to March 1990, he served as Acting Chief of the Astronaut Office. He was the pilot on STS 41-D (Aug. 30 to Sep. 5, 1984). In February 1985, he was selected as spacecraft commander on STS 61-H, which was canceled after the Challenger accident. He was the spacecraft commander on STS-29 (March 13-18, 1989) and STS-39 (Apr. 28 to May 6, 1991). A veteran of three space flights, Coats has logged more than 463 hours in space. Coats retired from the U.S. Navy and the Astronaut Office in August 1991 and joined the corporate arena. From 1991-1996 he was Vice President of Avionics and Communications Operations for Loral Space Information Systems. From 1996-1998 he was Vice President of Civil Space Programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space in Sunnyvale, California. From 1998-2005 he was Vice President of Advanced Space Transportation for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Denver, Colorado. He is married to the former Diane Eileen Carson of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They have two grown children, a daughter and a son and two adorable, identical twin granddaughters. |
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CONGRESSMAN PETE OLSON, 22ND DISTRICT OF TEXAS, (invited)Pete Olson represents the 22nd District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was born on December 9, 1962 at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Washington. The Olson family settled in Seabrook, Texas in 1972, where Olson grew up and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1981. He received a B.A. from Rice University in 1985 and earned his law degree from the University of Texas in 1988. On the day he completed the Texas bar examination, Pete took the oath of office for service in the United States Navy. Pete attended Aviation Officer Candidate School and earned his Wings of Gold in March 1991. During his decorated career, he flew the P-3C Orion, which is designed to track and destroy ballistic missile submarines. During his deployments, Pete flew missions over the Sea of Okhotsk between Japan and Russia, the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf, where he helped to enforce the international sanctions levied upon Iraq after Operation Desert Storm. In 1994, Pete’s combat aircrew was named the Pacific Fleet’s best in anti-submarine warfare. Pete was transferred to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1994 and a year later, was assigned as a naval liaison officer to the U.S. Senate. In 1998, Olson became a legislative aide to Texas Senator Phil Gramm. In 2002, newly elected Texas Senator John Cornyn appointed him as his first Chief of Staff. In 2005, Pete returned home to Texas and in November 2008, the people of the 22nd District of Texas elected him to the 111th Congress. In his second term in Congress, the Republican Leadership appointed Pete to serve on the House Energy & Commerce Committee. The Energy & Commerce Committee has wide jurisdiction over the energy, healthcare, and telecommunications industries, including oversight of five Cabinet-level departments and seven independent agencies. Given the important role the energy and health care industries play as local economic drivers, this committee assignment is important for the Houston region. Pete and his wife Nancy live in Sugar Land, Texas with their children, Kate and Grant, and their dog Riley. They are active members of the United Methodist Church. |
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MARK SIRANGELO, CHAIRMAN, COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT FEDERATIONMr. Sirangelo leads Sierra Nevada Space Systems, a producer of satellites, space transportation vehicles, propulsion systems and space subsystems. Sierra Nevada has been involved during its 20+ years of combined activity in over 400 space missions and has produced over 4,000 systems, subsystems and components for a wide variety of earth orbit and planetary missions. SNC is also the owner and prime developer of the Dream Chaser, an orbital vehicle transportation system currently being funded in partnership with NASA as a replacement vehicle for the Space Shuttle. Mr. Sirangelo was formerly the Chairman & CEO of SpaceDev, Inc., prior to its merging with SNC and has spent all of his career leading aeronautics, space and technology companies. Mr. Sirangelo’s industry board memberships include being the Chairman Emeritus of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, the founding and current Chairman of eSpace, The Center for Space Entrepreneurship and a Trustee for the Aeronautics Industries Association. His charity boards include being a board member and trustee of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and a founder, Vice Chairman and Treasurer of the International Centre for Children. Corporate and personal awards include NASA/Space Foundation’s Technology Hall of Fame, the Defense Industry’s Fast Track 50, Deloitte’s Fast Track 500, being a finalist in Ernst &Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year and on Inc. Magazine’s top 200 companies. Mr. Sirangelo holds Doctorate, MBA and Bachelor of Science degrees, has been scientifically published, has served as an officer in the US Military and is a licensed pilot. |
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