Common issues impacting the lives of citizens in South Texas are made known to state legislators through the efforts of Future of the Region Inc.
The FORI, which has met in Laredo, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and South Padre Island, is scheduled to meet again Aug. 24 and 25 in Corpus Christi at the Omni Marina Hotel.
When the group was launched in the 1980s, it developed a position paper to air its concerns to state legislators as one voice for South Texas.
Since then, the group meets biennially to revise its position paper with emerging concerns.
The site for the next FORI meeting may be more than 150 miles away from Laredo, but that doesn’t mean the Gateway City will be underrepresented.
To underscore Laredo’s pivotal role in this year’s two-day conference, dubbed South Texas- Leadership and Economic Prosperity in the 21st Century, conference planners hosted a meeting at Laredo Community College Thursday, June 15 at the Kazen College Center, room 121.
The conference will explore four streams of issues tied to the future of the South Texas region, LCC chief development officer Blas Castañeda explained.
“The conference is an excellent opportunity for leaders from South Texas communities to learn about common issues impacting our region and to join forces for a stronger voice in the state legislature,” Castaneda, vice-president of the FORI board of directors, said.
The conference will feature noted speakers, including:
· Texas Workforce Commissioner Diane Rath, speaking about South Texas Workforce Trends – Challenges and Opportunities;
· Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner Dr. Raymond Paredes, speaking about a 21st Century Higher Education Agenda for South Texas;
· Senators Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa and Eddie Lucio speaking about a Legislative Agenda – Impact on South Texas; and
· higher education leader/Laredo native Dr. Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr., speaking on Positioning Your Community for Economic Prosperity.
Castañeda added that the conference also will feature workshops for participating members.
“The conference encourages its regional partners to share best practices that can generate many cost-saving benefits to communities,” Castañeda said.
The FORI represents the 47-county South Texas region, which encompasses six councils of government.
These are the Alamo Area Council of Governments, the Middle Rio Grande Development Council, the South Texas Development Council, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, the Coastal Bend Council of Governments and the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission.
Leaders of Future of the Region Inc. met at Laredo Community College Thursday, June 15 to layout the agenda for the group’s August conference in Corpus Christi. Among those present were, from left, FORI executive committee member Ernest Gerlach from the University of Texas at San Antonio, FORI president Dr. Federico Zaragoza from the Alamo Community College District in San Antonio, FORI vice-president Blas Castañeda from LCC, Webb County commissioner Jerry Garza and International Trade Institute of the Americas director Jose Reyes from LCC.
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