Members of the Greater Chamber’s Board of Investors recently gathered for their final meeting of the year to hear about the Chamber's accomplishments in 2024 and plans for 2025.
Greater Chamber 2024 Chairman Mario Barrera and President & CEO Jeff Webster both outlined some of the key successes the Chamber achieved in 2024. Below are a few highlights:
- Restructured the membership benefits to provide more value to members.
- Established the Voices of the Chamber social media series highlighting small business members.
- Expanded marketing opportunities (eblasts, Chamber Today, social media) to help members grow their businesses.
- Executed a robust social media marketing plan, significantly increasing the Greater Chamber’s reach.
- Helped ensure successful passage of Proposition C putting authority for City Manager’s pay and tenure back in hands of City Council.
- Provided support for the downtown baseball stadium proposal.
- Advocated for a city policy to send CPS Energy’s excess revenue back to the utility to allow for infrastructure investments.
- Strengthened business retention through an initiative to improve transportation infrastructure around manufacturing and industrial operations.
- Organized a productive SA to DC trip advocating for military missions, infrastructure improvements, economic development and workforce readiness initiatives.
- Helped secure an additional slot at Reagan National so San Antonio can secure non-stop service to DC.
- Played a key role in bringing the Warrior Games to San Antonio in 2026 and 2028, which is expected to generate significant economic impact and tremendous exposure.
- Launched a new initiative, Supporting Military Families San Antonio (SMF.SA), to enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their loved ones.
- Collaborated with FirstDay Foundation on a Get Out the Vote initiative for members.
- Recommended business leaders to fill openings on local boards and commissions.
- Revived the Small Business Council and provided valuable programming for the Greater Chamber’s small business members.
- Hosted the first-ever State of the Region luncheon featuring Judge Peter Sakai and his counterparts from Medina and Webb Counties to foster dialogue and partnership among the communities throughout South Texas.
- Started planning the first-ever Doing Business in San Antonio event to help members learn how to do business with government entities and large corporations.
Looking to the year ahead, the Board of Investors also reviewed and unanimously approved the slate of candidates for the 2025 Executive Board, Council Chairs and Board of Investors. The 2025 Greater Chamber leadership is as follows:
2025 Board of Directors
- Chair: Pat Frost
- Vice Chair: Kevin Dinnin, President & CEO, FirstDay Foundation
- Board Secretary: Julia Mann, Managing Partner, Jackson Walker, LLP
- Governance Committee Chair: Jamie Kowalski, Vice President, Corporate Relations, The RK Group
- Finance & Audit Chair: Lori Warren, Chief Finance & Strategy Officer, Spurs Sports & Entertainment
- Hope Andrade, Co-Founder & Partner, GO RIO
- Mario Barrera, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
- Sam Dawson, CEO, Pape-Dawson Engineers
- Joe Gorder, Executive Chairman, Valero Energy
- Katie Harvey, CEO, KGB Texas
- Susann Kazunas, President, Toyota Manufacturing, Texas, Inc.
- Elaine Mendoza, Founder, President & CEO, Conceptual MindWorks, Inc.
- JD Salinas, Vice President, External & Legislative Affairs, AT&T, Inc.
- Rosa Santana, Founder & CEO, Santana Group
- Tom Troy, Chief Transformation Officer, USAA
2025 Council Chairs
- Education and Workforce: Dan Geddes, Frost Bank
- Healthcare: Jimena Saenz, Methodist Healthcare System
- Small Business: Jana Berton, Tri-Starr Talent
- Public Policy: Kevin Matula, USAA
- Economic Development: Kara Hill, Port of San Antonio
- Infrastructure: Steve Lyons, Skanska
- Military Affairs: Barry Cornish, Booze Allen
- Aerospace: Chris Camargo, Southwest Research Institute
- Cybersecurity: Eduardo Bravo, Irys
- SA to DC: Eddie Aldrete, Aldrete Strategic Partners, Marilu Reyna, FirstDay Foundation, and Bianca Rhodes, Knight Aerospace,
- Viva: Kevin Matula, USAA, and Krista Piferrer, FirstDay Foundation
- Ambassadors: Todd Bufalino, Accurate Pest Control
- Senior Enlisted Advisor: Quincy Harper, Accenture Federal Services
- Celebrate America’s Military: John Baker, Lockwood Andrews and Newman, Inc.
- LSA Class 49 Co-Chairs: Michael Bacon, Trinity University, and Lori Castillo, NatureSweet
- Woman to Woman: Laura Vaccaro, Kronkosky Foundation
- Tribute to Women Business Leaders: Blakely Fernandez, Bracewell
New Members of the Board of Investors
- Raquel Espinoza, Sr. Director, Public Affairs, Union Pacific
- Laura Vaccaro, CEO, Kronkosky Charitable Foundation
- Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison, CEO, The Center for Healthcare Services
- Ben Peavy, Client Account Leader, Accenture
- Grace Uwizeye-Allen, CEO, The Graceful Etiquette
- Larry Picasso, Traffic/Safety/ITS Lead, WSP USA
- Daniel Martinez, Executive Director, American Red Cross
- Ayda Gonzalez, CEO, AG3 Group