The Chamber held its June Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, June 23. Chair of the Board Phil Green, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. and Frost Bank, kicked off the meeting by welcoming board members who joined us in person and virtually. Following the invocation from Jon Allman, President and CEO, Endeavors, and approval of the April Meeting Minutes, Phil thanked the members of the Governance Task Force who have been working hard to take a deep dive into the organization’s governance to determine if there are any modifications the Chamber should undertake to make us more effective and to amplify our voice in the community. Members of the task force include President and CEO of the Chamber Richard Perez; the Chamberʼs Tri-Chairs Phil Green, Katie Harvey, and Hope Andrade; 2022 Vice Chairs Brad Barron, Darryl Byrd, Corinna Holt Richter, Bobby Perez, and Ed Rice; legal advisor Mario Barrera; and former Chamber Chair Sam Dawson.
Phil asked the Chamber’s Executive Vice President Dave Petersen to present the Governance Task Force’s final recommendation for an updated governance structure for the Chamber. Dave began by sharing the Chamber’s efforts to achieve the goal of establishing the San Antonio Chamber as the lead voice for the business community and business as a force for good. He went on to add that the Governance Task Force has studied the mission of the Chamber, reviewed best governance practices from industry experts, and analyzed the structure of several Chambers throughout Texas and across the country to develop a model that was right for the Chamber. Dave continued by reviewing the priorities of the Governance Task Force, which are to:
- Strengthen and amplify the San Antonio Chamber’s voice in the community
- Increase effectiveness and efficiency of decision making
- Increase responsiveness to the diverse needs of the business community
In looking at other organizations, the Governance Task Force concluded that the most effective structure for the San Antonio Chamber should be a smaller, 15-member Executive Board that will assist in setting policy and serve in a fiduciary and policy role, and a larger Board of Investors that will provide advice and contribute to the organization’s culture, strategic focus, effectiveness, and financial stability; receive updates from the Chair and President and CEO regarding the Chamber’s ongoing work in order to provide feedback to inform the Chamber’s direction; provide input on the role of the Chamber in the community via their important roles in their respective companies and in significant community and philanthropic endeavors; and continue to have direct access to the Chair and President and CEO.
In the proposed structure, the Executive Board will include:
- The Chamber President and CEO,
- Six members from companies with an investment level of $25,000 and more,
- Four members from companies with an investment level of $10,000 and more, and
- Four members from the general membership through a nomination process that will ultimately be conducted by a newly created Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee.
Also, in the proposed structure, the Board of Investors will consist of members from companies whose investment level is $10,000 and more, and 27 members who are selected from the general membership through a nomination process, also conducted by the Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee. Our Chair, CEO and Executive Vice President all stressed the fact that diversity and inclusion are foundational to the formation of our new structure going forward.
Following Dave’s presentation, Phil discussed the importance of having CEOs or direct reports of CEOs serve on the Executive Board. He added that because of the structure and make-up of the Executive Board, he believes there will be more diverse voices and representation from across the Chamber’s membership. Additionally, Dave updated those assembled in-person and virtually regarding the Chamber’s on-going strategic plan development, as well as the recently launched brand success initiative which are both designed to enhance and complement the new governance structure.
The board voted unanimously to approve the new governance structure.
Next, Randy Walker, Managing Partner of Randy Walker & Company Certified Public Accountants, presented the results of the Chamber’s 2021 Audit. He reported that it was a clean audit, and it was unanimously approved by the Board.
During his President’s report, Richard Perez informed the Board that the Chamber’s PPP loan has been accepted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and mentioned his confidence that the loan will be forgiven. He also revealed that the new SBA Administrator for the U.S. South Central Region, Edward “Ted” James, has contacted the Chamber and is interested in a visit in the near future with the goal meeting members of San Antonio’s robust business community and building relationships. The Chamber will host him sometime in the latter half of the year. Richard shared that the Chamber is beginning our Brand Success Initiative work with Parallel, and we are in the research phase of the project, with a representative from Parallel joining the Chamber for our strategic planning sessions. In addition, he shared that he recently participated in a press conference for the 10-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The Chamber continues to ask Congress to act to establish a permanent solution allowing DACA recipients to earn a pathway to citizenship, so they may lead their lives free of fear and continue contributing to our country’s prosperity. Finally, Richard reported on a recent win for the Chamber regarding 2022 City Council Redistricting. The Chamber leaned that the City’s 2022 Redistricting Advisory Committee had developed a proposal that separated a portion of the downtown central business district into two city council districts. The Chamber advocated in support of keeping the downtown business district unified, and the Redistricting Advisory Committee revised its proposal and kept the Central Business District unified. The City Council ultimately approved the map without any changes.