Last week was a whirlwind at the Rio Grande Valley Partnership with the hosting of three impactful events for the Rio Grande Valley.
We kicked off the week with the RGV Leadership Class X retreat at South Padre Island, where 23 class members from Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, and Cameron counties came together, setting the foundation for an interactive nine-month exploration of various facets of the RGV.
Seasoned leaders such as Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner and Executive Vice President for Texas Regional Bank Alex Meade, Executive Vice President and Director of Community Relations for Lone Star National Bank, Julian Alvarez, Yvonne "Bonnie" Gonzalez, and Texas State Representative for District 38th, Erin Gàmez, shared insights that are sure to shape the future of our region. Marie Salazar Garcia lead a great leadership seminar.
Midweek, Dr. Duncan Wood, CEO of the Pacific Council on International Policy, led a thought-provoking International Trade discussion, shedding light on the implications of Mexico's new presidency. His expertise in energy geopolitics, supply chain policy, and US-Mexican ties provided invaluable knowledge to attendees.
Wrapping up the week, a round table discussion on HB8 and its impact on Community Colleges sparked engaging conversations between education and industry leaders in workforce. Many thanks to Glenn Hamer President/CEO of the Texas Association of Business for cohosting this event with us and providing insight from his organization.
We were fortunate to have Chief Executive Officer of Workforce Solutions, Francisco "Frank" Almaraz engaged with us to better define how industry and education tie into Workforce Solutions.
Thank you Dr. Rodney H. Rodriguez, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Economic Development at South Texas College, Dr. Jesús Roberto Rodríguez, President of Texas Southmost College, and Eladio Jaimez, Provost, with Texas State Technical College for spending time with us as we had this important conversation.
Editor's Note: The above commentary was provided by Daniel Silva, president and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, on the group's social media pages.
