Dade Phelan, District 21 Texas Speaker of the House	Glenn Hamer, President & CEO Texas Association of Business

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – The Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce board of directors and Government Affairs committee prepare to welcome Texas Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, District 21, as the featured speaker at the Lone Star Legislative Summit (LSLS) breakfast meeting on April 8.

“We are very excited to welcome Speaker Phelan to Nacogdoches,” said Nacogdoches County Chamber CEO C. Wayne Mitchell. “We are anxious to hear about plans for the upcoming legislative session and the anticipated impacts on the Texas business community.”

Also confirmed to address the LSLS kick-off breakfast meeting is Glenn Hamer, CEO, Texas Association of Business.

"As the Texas State Chamber, TAB shares legislative priorities with our local partners. We successfully fought alongside the Nacogdoches Chamber for broadband expansion. The business community has our sights set on a new and improved economic development program to ensure Texas can continue to attract and retain business, especially in our rural regions," Hamer said. "I look forward to talking about this and more at the Lone Star Legislative Summit."

About Lone Star Legislative Summit

presented by Texas Health Care

Go to www.Nacogdoches.org/LSLS for updates and registration information. Sponsorships are available.

The Lone Star Legislative Summit is a project of the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce and led by Government Affairs co-chairs Donna Finley and Ted Smith. The two-day summit is Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8, 2022, at The Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

Lone Star Legislative Summit (LSLS) is a biennial program of the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce founded in 2006. The event is co-hosted by State Senator Robert Nichols and State Representative Travis Clardy and brings Austin and Washington to Nacogdoches.

About Speaker Dade Phelan

Representative Dade Phelan is the 76th Speaker of the Texas House and is currently serving his fourth term as State Representative for District 21.

Prior to serving as Speaker, he served as Chair of the House Committee on State Affairs, as Vice-Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, as a member of the Calendars, Appropriations, and Elections Committees as well as the Select Committee on Ports, Innovation and Infrastructure.

In 2019, Speaker Phelan was named by Texas Monthly as one of the Best Legislators of the 86th legislative session. He has earned numerous additional accolades in recognition of his legislative service, including Capitol Inside's "Most Valuable Sophomore Member" in 2017 and as one of their "Most Outstanding Freshmen Legislators" in 2015. Phelan has been named Legislative Champion by the Boys and Girls Club of Texas, Legislator of the Year by the Texas Apartment Association, Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business, Most Valuable Legislator by the Texas Association of Community Schools, a Fighter for Free Enterprise by the Texas Association of Business and the 2019 Mental Health Champion by Mental Health America.

Phelan is the former president and two-time Governor appointee to the Lower Neches Valley Authority. His board service includes the Texas Lyceum, Southeast Texas CASA, Golden Triangle Coastal Conservation Association, The Jefferson Theater, St. Anne Catholic Church and Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas.

In addition to his duties as Speaker, Phelan works as a real estate developer at his family's fourth generation commercial real estate development firm, which owns and manages retail, industrial and office property in Texas and Arkansas.

His wife, Kim, is a solo practitioner attorney and together they have four sons, Ford, Mack, Hank and Luke. He and his family reside together in Southeast Texas, where Speaker Phelan was born and raised. He received his bachelor’s degree in Government and Business from The University of Texas at Austin.

About Texas Association of Business CEO Glenn Hamer

Glenn comes to TAB after 14 years as CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, where he led the state’s business community to numerous public policy victories helping Arizona have one of country’s most competitive

economies.

In Arizona, Hamer played a central role in major tax, education, legal, and health care victories, and was a nationwide leader in the business community’s advocacy for the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the successor agreement to NAFTA. Recognizing the global race for talent to keep our economy strong, he is also a recognized champion for reforming our country’s broken immigration system.

Mr. Hamer’s leadership on international issues makes him a sought-after participant in international trade missions. Hamer served on the Governor's Arizona-Mexico Commission for five years. Along with critical trips to Mexico, he has joined international delegation with governors, mayors, and the U.S. Chamber in Canada, China, Taiwan, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Prior to the chamber Glenn served as chief of staff to Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon, executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, legislative assistant to Sen. Jon Kyl, and executive director of the Solar Energy Industries Association. He is a Graduate of Cornell University and Arizona State University's College of Law. Hamer serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chairs its committee of 100, the group of top chambers in the country. Glenn's wife, Tali, is quadrilingual and their three daughters are bilingual (Hebrew).

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