Members of the Greater Houston Partnership voted to elect new members of the organization’s board of directors at its Annual Meeting held on January 31. The Partnership's 147-member board guides the work of the organization and is comprised of leaders from across greater Houston's business community. The event also marked the first official meeting of the Partnership's 2025 Gretchen Watkins, President of Shell USA. At the meeting, Watkins announced the nomination of Armando Perez, Executive Vice President for H-E-B Houston, as Vice Chair for 2025 and 2026 Chair. This nomination was also approved by the membership.  Outgoing chair Eric Mullins, President and CEO of Live Rock Resources, received the Bob Onstead award for his service in 2025. In addition to the election of new board members, several former members were approved for an additional term of service on the board. Walt Mischer, Partner at Mischer Investments, LP, and Ruth Simmons, Ph.D., President’s Distinguished Fellow at Rice University, were elected as emeritus directors by vote of the membership at the meeting. For a recap of the Annual Meeting, click here. 2025 New Board Members Dilip Choudhuri, President and CEO, Walter P Moore Larry Coben, Chair, President and Chief Executive Office, NRG Energy Ryan Dolibois, Executive Director, Sarofilm Foundation Jean-Marc Gilson, President and CEO, Westlake Corporation  Giles Kibbe, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Houston Astros Michael Lawson, Houston Market President, CommonSpirit South Region John Mooz, Sr. Managing Director for Austin, Houston and San Antonio, Hines Jessica O’Neil, President of Business Operations, Houston Dash & Houston Dynamo FC A full list of members of the Partnership Board of Directors can be found here. 

Governor Greg Abbott named two of the Greater Houston Partnership’s Executive Priorities as emergency items for the Texas Legislature during his State of the State address Sunday. The governor said he wants lawmakers to immediately begin working on solutions to strengthen the workforce, improve the resilience of vital infrastructure, and make a Texas-sized investment in water security. The Partnership supports significant state investments in water infrastructure to ensure reliable supply, upgrade aging systems, and sustain economic growth amid rising demand. Workforce development is another key priority, advocating for stronger collaboration between education institutions and industry to create clear pathways to high-quality jobs. In a sweeping speech covering everything from the border to breaking ground on a Texas stock market, Gov. Abbott said lawmakers should deliver policy solutions that expand the "Texas Miracle." Education, water, and resiliency are key components of that vision. After the speech, Gov. Abbott released more details about the emergency items. To reach the goal of a "Texas-sized investment" for water, lawmakers must develop a solution to invest $1 billion every year for 10 years to address water supplies and repairs to existing infrastructure. By naming these issues as emergency items, lawmakers in the Texas House can debate legislation on the House Floor before the 60-day bill-filing rule. However, policy issues not designated as emergencies cannot be considered by members of the Texas House until after March 14. Last week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick outlined the first batch of priority bills expected to be filed in the coming days. Highlights from that list coincide with Abbott’s emergency items, including: $2.5 billion for water investment Improving the resiliency of vital infrastructure, specifically water and power Strengthening accountability measures in public education The Texas Senate is already reviewing at least one of the governor’s emergency items. Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee is making steady progress in hearing testimony from various state agencies about funding requests for the 2026-27 biennium.  Later this month, the Texas Education Agency is scheduled to testify in the Senate Finance Committee. That hearing will likely reveal more about funding for the governor’s emergency item related to “life-changing career training” in public schools. Sen. Charles Schwertner and Rep. Gary Gates, both representing districts within the Partnership’s footprint, are set to introduce legislation authorizing funding for programs related to welding, health care, and other industries where high school graduates can directly enter the workforce.  One final highlight from the State of the State address is the governor’s declaration to create a Texas Cyber Command. The governor stated this new agency will strengthen the state’s resilience against cyberattacks. This command will train and recruit to protect infrastructure from digital warfare and criminal actors.   Click here to read the governor’s complete State of the State address.