Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed on Thursday Windi Grimes, an investment executive from Houston, and Bill Lavers, the executive director of the Development Corporation of Snyder, to the Economic Incentive Oversight Board, which oversees economic incentive programs run by the governor, comptroller, or the agriculture department.
U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Austin, was one of 11 new appointments made late last week to Donald Trump’s national security advisory council.
Outgoing state Rep. Jim Keffer and former Secretary of State Hope Andrade were both announced today as new members of the board of directors for the Center for Public Policy Priorities. Also receiving a seat on the board is Ken Janda, leader of Houston-based Community Health Choice Inc.
Bruce Zimmerman, who oversaw the University of Texas Investment Management Company, which has nearly $37 billion in assets, resigned.
Texas Parent PAC, which advocates for public education, announced Thursday that it has endorsed Democratic challenger Tomás Uresti in the HD-118 race in Bexar County. He is running to unseat John Lujan, a Republican who won a special election in January to succeed Democratic state Rep. Joe Farias.
Rancher Bob McCan has been added to the board of directors of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust, according to a Thursday announcement from the group. McCan manages the McFaddin Ranch near Victoria and is past president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
We wrote last week about Myra Crownover’s chief of staff, Miranda Goodsheller, moving to the Texas Association of Business. The trade organization said Wednesday that she will represent it on education and transportation issues. Crownover is retiring from the Legislature after announcing last year that she wasn’t running for re-election.
Emmis Communications announced Thursday that it is selling Texas Monthly after 18 years of ownership to Genesis Park, a Houston-based private equity firm co-founded by Paul Hobby, son of former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby. Public Strategies founder Jack Martin will also be affiliated with Texas Monthly under the new ownership.
Deaths: Choco Gonzalez Meza, 64, a longtime Democratic activist in Bexar County, died Sunday. She had a long history in Texas politics, most recently working as a top organizer in San Antonio for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. She had previously served as chairwoman of the Bexar County Democratic Party, was a member of the Democratic National Committee and was an aide to former U.S. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Disclosure: Texas Monthly, the Center for Public Policy Priorities, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the Texas Association of Business, Public Strategies Inc., Windi Grimes, Ken & Tracy Janda, Nancy and Bruce Zimmerman, and the Hobby Family Foundation have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.