Recognizing the link between successful businesses and community well-being, leaders from a diverse slate of industries have formed the Texas Business Leader Alliance (TBLA) to connect the private sector, government, and community stakeholders. The group will focus on several key issues affecting Texans, including economic development, health care, civic participation, cross-sector collaborations, and business-community partnerships.
Several areas of shared concern unite business leaders across the political spectrum, according to research conducted by Public Private Strategies between January and February of 2024.
In a survey of 500 business leaders, including owners of large and small businesses, chamber leaders, and C-suite executives from all areas of Texas, 97 percent view their participation in public policy discussions as crucial. Yet, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) acknowledge that businesses could be doing more to engage on the issues that shape Texas’ future. More than 80 percent of business leaders polled believe their customers would respond positively to their engagement with policy discussions.
Twelve business leaders from across Texas make up the advisory board for the Alliance. They are:
- Christina Cabral – Executive Director, Transportation Advocacy Group (TAG) Houston
- John Hernandez – Senior Vice President at Amegy Bank
- Barbara Joe – Director of Operations of the Asian Chamber of Commerce Houston
- Sam Kelner – Business Performance Advisor, Insperity
- Taylor Landin – Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Greater Houston Partnership
- Drew Scheberle – Executive Director, Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives and Senior Advisor, Texas Association of Business
- Keri Curtis Schmidt – President & CEO, Fort Bend Chamber
- Kelley Taylor – CEO/Co-founder of Taylor Construction Management
- Tammi Wallace – President & CEO of the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce
- Josh Wallenstein – Managing Member of The Wallenstein Law Group
- Dr. Anjanette Wyatt – Immediate Past President of American Pharmacists Association Foundation (APhA) Foundation and CEO of Clinical Care Pharmacies, LLC
- Justin Yancy – President, Texas Business Leadership Council
In announcing the group’s launch in December 2024, Dr. Wyatt, the CEO of Clinical Care Pharmacies in Houston and former president of the APhA Foundation, reflected on experiences helping communities recover from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. She said TBLA members will work together to reach business owners across the state during challenging times.
“Businesses can make a huge difference in what happens in the community,” Wyatt said. “I think this is a great opportunity for us to prove as business owners that our visibility, our purpose of what’s going on in America is very vital.”