Leigh B. Boske
Associate Dean and Professor of Economics, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

Leigh B. Boske is Associate Dean and Professor of Economics at the LBJ School. His teaching and research interests have focused on transportation policy, economics and finance. His published research has been on national and international transport policy issues, the role of transportation and logistics in international trade, and multimodal/intermodal transport planning.

Two published books, based on research performed for the Organization of American States (OAS), are Maritime Transportation in Latin America and the Caribbean and Transportation in the Americas: Its Role in International Trade, Economic Integration, and Sustainable Development. Most recently, he has completed studies called The Impact of Transpacific Trade on the United States Transportation System and Texas Economy (for the Southwest Region University Transportation Center) and Innovative Strategies to Raise Efficiencies along Transportation Corridors and at Multimodal Hubs (for the Congressional Research Service).

Boske is a recipient of the University of Texas Excellence in Teaching Award. Also, in recognition of his research contributions to fostering an understanding of the economic impact of maritime commerce and port development, he was named "Port Person of the Year" in 1997 by the Texas Ports Association.

Boske has served as Chief of Economic and Environmental Analysis at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and as Senior Economist at the National Transportation Policy Study Commission of the U.S. Congress. In 1993-94, he took a leave of absence from the university to serve as Policy Advisor to the Texas Transportation Commission and to coordinate the analysis of priority transportation issues for the Texas Transportation Plan.

He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the U.S.-European Transatlantic Policy Consortium; Coordinating Committee of the Organization of American States' (OAS) Inter-American Training and Research Program for Trade Corridor Development; Intermodal Freight Transportation Committee of the Transportation Research Board, National Research Council; Advisory Committee of the Center for Transportation Research; and Executive Committee of UT Austin's Center for European Studies.

Helena Colyandro

Director, Texas Border and Mexican Affairs Division Office of the Secretary of State, State of Texas

A native of Mexico City, Helena Colyandro served as a Trade Aide in the Foreign Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy, creating matchmaking opportunities for U.S. and Mexican businesses, and Assistant Director of U.S. Operations for ISUSA, where she coordinated business development for U.S. firms seeking representation in Mexico.

As Director of the Office of International Business for Texas Economic Development, she assisted small and medium sized companies in expanding globally. She planned, implemented and managed initiatives to increase trade between Texas businesses and foreign markets, and acted as the Agency’s liaison with foreign dignitaries.

Colyandro currently serves as Director of Texas Border and Mexican Affairs at the Office of the Secretary of State, where she advises the Secretary of State, the Governor, and other agencies on issues affecting Texas-Mexico relations. Colyandro is fluent in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Carol Conway                                                                                                       Southern Growth Policies Board

Policy expertise: International trade and investment, international education and immigration, relationship-building overseas, and workforce development.

Carol Conway has nearly 20 years of experience with Southern Growth Policies Board, serving in a variety of senior positions. She currently serves as deputy director and manages two of Southern Growth’s governor-appointed advisory councils: the Global Strategies Council and the Council for a New Economy Workforce.  Each council is responsible for sharing best practice, developing leading-edge policies and launching pilot projects.

Prior to joining Southern Growth, Carol was a program director with the Corporation for Enterprise Development. During her tenure there, she designed and launched the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Export Trade Advisory Council and co-authored The International State: Crafting A Statewide Trade Development Systems, a book published by the Aspen Institute.  She is also author or lead author for numerous publications, most recently The 2004 Report on the Future of the South, The Globally Competitive South: (Under Construction) and The Southern Workforce Index.

Carol has more than two decades of federal and state government experience in international trade policy. She has served as an economist with the U.S. Department of Commerce, and as financial consultant in the N.C. Department of Natural Resources and Community Development. She also holds the distinction of being the 2001 North American Trade Educator of the Year.

Carol serves on the advisory board for the University of North Carolina Center for International Business and Economic Research, and is Chairman of the World Trade Center of North Carolina.  She is also on the Advisory Board of North Carolina in the World.

Carol holds a master’s of public affairs degree from Princeton University and a bachelor’s of science degree from Indiana University.

Eugene Gholz
Assistant Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

Before coming to Texas, Eugene Gholz was Assistant Director and Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. He is also a Research Associate of MIT's Security Studies Program, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a member of the Board of Advisors at the Independent Institute's Center on Peace and Liberty.

An expert on the aerospace and defense industries, Dr. Gholz has authored and coauthored numerous articles, book chapters, and op-ed columns on innovation, business-government relations, defense management, and U.S. foreign military policy. He is the coauthor of a book, Buying Transformation: Military Innovation and the Defense Industry, which will be published by Columbia University Press in the spring of 2006. Dr. Gholz received his Ph.D. from MIT.

Jaime Alonso Gómez
National Dean of Graduate Business School                                                       Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey

Jaime Alonso Gómez has been a leader in international education, leadership and business development. His work experience and educational training have been international in character and global in impact. He obtained a B.Sc. (Industrial Engineering) at Monterrey Institute of Technology in Monterrey, Mexico; a M.Sc. (Applied Systems Design) at The University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada; and a Ph.D. (Applied Economics and Managerial Science) at The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gómez conducted post-graduate research work on Quality Management and Engineering at The Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship in Tokyo, Japan.

Currently, Dr. Gómez is Dean and professor of Strategy and International Management of the Graduate School of Business Administration and Leadership (EGADE) at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico. Under Dr. Gómez’ leadership, as founding Dean of the Graduate School, EGADE has been recognized as the top business school in Latin America by América Economía
(Chile), among the top business schools in the world by the Financial Times (UK) and the Wall Street Journal, among the world’s top 15% of business schools in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development by the Aspen Institute and The World Resources Institute, among the top business non-USA schools by Business Week, and among the top 50 MBA’s in the world by
Handelsblatt (Germany).

Admiral Bobby R. Inman, USN, (Ret.)
Interim Dean, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

Admiral Inman graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1950, and from the National War College in 1972. He became an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin in 1987. He was appointed as a tenured professor holding the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy in August 2001.

Admiral Inman served in the U.S. Navy from November 1951 to July 1982, when he retired with the permanent rank of Admiral. While on active duty he served as Director of the National Security Agency and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. After retirement from the Navy, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) in Austin, Texas for four years and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westmark Systems, Inc., a privately owned electronics industry holding company for three years. Admiral Inman also served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas from 1987 through 1990.

Admiral Inman’s primary activity since 1990 has been investing in start-up technology companies, where he is Chairman and a Managing Partner of Gefinor Ventures. He is a member of the Board of Directors of several privately held companies. He serves as a Trustee of the American Assembly and the California Institute of Technology. He is a Director of the Public Agenda Foundation and is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Robert F. Loughran
Managing Shareholder, Austin Office                                                                          Tindall & Foster, P.C.

Robert F. Loughran is the American Immigration Lawyers Association Liaison to San Antonio District Office of Department of Homeland Security.  He currently serves on the State Bar of Texas Committee on Laws Relating to Immigration and Nationality, and has served on the International Law Section of the State Bar of Texas the Austin Bar Association, and the College of the State Bar of Texas.  He is board certified in Immigration and Nationality Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and admitted to practice in U.S. Court of Appeals (5th Cir.); U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas.

Mr. Loughran has been recognized by the International Who's Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers and the British American Business Association.  He is author and co-author of numerous papers, articles and briefings on immigration law.  He is fluent in Spanish and has studied international and comparative law in Concepcion, Chile (1988-1989) and Madrid, Spain (1991). Awards include being named Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly and Law and Politics Magazines.  He has received the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast Award for Professional Service and the Associated Catholic Charities Award for Professional Service.

Henry Sauvignet                                                                       Director of Administration, North American Development Bank

The North American Development Bank (NADB) and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission, (BECC), were created to promote the progression of the environmental infrastructure projects that meet the needs of the communities throughout the region. There are various departments that make up the core of the North American Development Bank and each one respectively handles significant environmental projects. Mr. Henry Sauvignet is the Director of Administration at the NADB.

Reynaldo Spinelli                                                                            Executive Vice President, Laredo National Bank

Reynaldo Spinelli ’73 is the Executive Vice President of The Laredo National Bank. Born in Mexico City, he received a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and an MBA in Finance from Texas A&M. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in Texas, having worked with Arthur Andersen & Co. and KPMG Peat Marwick in Houston and in Caracas, Venezuela, from 1973 to 1978. From 1978 to l983, he was employed with McKinsey & Co. in Mexico as a management consultant, working on product/market strategy projects for a wide array of Mexican and international clients.

In 1984, Mr. Spinelli joined the Hermes Group in Mexico as director of new business and planning.  In 1990, he served as director of the International Area of Interacciones, Casa de Bolsa, one of Mexico’s leading brokerage firms, until 1994 when he began his current position.

He also serves on the board of directors of The Laredo National Bank, a $2.8 billion bank with its principal headquarters in Laredo, Texas.

Tom Stellman                                                                           President and CEO, TIP Strategies, Inc.

Tom Stellman is president and CEO of TIP Strategies, Inc., an Austin, Texas-based economic development consulting firm.  Founded in 1995, the firm specializes in assisting public and private sector entities (domestic and international) with strategies for achieving economic vitality.  Also, as part of TIP, Mr. Stellman developed and launched the highly successful Invest in Texas Alliance marketing program. This marketing alliance targeted both domestic and international growth companies through a unique mix of direct marketing and networking. Prior to establishing TIP, Mr. Stellman was director of the Office of International Business for the Texas Department of Commerce where he led the 10-person staff charged with promoting the state's exports, marketing the state to foreign investors, and facilitating communication between foreign investors and economic development organizations statewide. Previously at Commerce,

Mr. Stellman was Border Development Coordinator and staff to the Texas-Mexico Authority, a governor-appointed advisory board on Texas-Mexico economic issues. He is a board member of the Camino Real District Export Council, a past board member of the Texas Economic Development Council, an advisory board member for the Community Development Institute, and an advisory board member for the Center for International Business and Economic Research at the University of Texas at Austin.  Mr. Stellman has also been an instructor at the Basic Economic Development Course in College Station and San Antonio. He holds a B.A. degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin.

Eleanor “ET” Thornton
Program Manger, US Customs & Border Protection

Eleanor Thornton is a program manager assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Headquarters. As part of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) team since July 2003, she has played a key role in the development of the C-TPAT validations. A critical component of the C-TPAT program, the validation is a verification of the security profile submitted. The security profile outlines how members have enhanced security along their international supply chain after having voluntarily joined the program.

Ms. Thornton served as one of the ten original C-TPAT validators, predecessors of today’s Supply Chain Security Specialists, before receiving a promotion to CBP Headquarters. She was also selected to assist with the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program conducting foreign site assessments at the inception of the program.

Prior to Ms. Thornton being assigned to CBP Headquarters she was a supervisory inspector assigned to Los Angeles International Airport. During her thirteen years working at the port, she supervised, or was a member of, several enforcement teams. She conducted training and outreach programs for the local LAX companies on the Carrier Initiative Program. Ms. Thornton trained foreign Customs and Police personnel on airport security issues in Colombia, Panama and Mexico. In 1993, she served four months in Macedonia working with an international team of Customs officers assigned to the European Commission monitoring the Serbian sanctions. In October 2002, Ms. Thornton was awarded the Meritorious Service Award for Valor

Ms. Thornton received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas in 1987.

Jim Turner
Former U.S. Congressman, Ranking Minority Member on House Select Committee on Homeland Security                                                                           Arnold & Porter LLP

Jim Turner has over 20 years of service in elective office at the local, state, and federal levels. Most recently, Turner served eight years in Congress, representing the Second Congressional District of Texas, where he rose to become the ranking minority member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. He also served as the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee's Terrorism Subcommittee and as the ranking member of the Government Reform and Oversight Committee's Government Management, Information, and Technology Subcommittee.

Former Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, the coalition of conservative pro-business Democrats in the House, Turner was a member of Congress from 1997 to 2004. He also served as a Deputy Whip of the Democratic Caucus from 1999 to 2004. Before serving in the U.S. Congress, he was a member of the Texas State Senate (1991-1996); Chief of Staff and Chief Legislative Liaison to Texas Governor Mark White (1985-1986); a partner in Hughes and Luce LLP in Austin, Texas (1986-1988); and a member of the Texas House of Representatives (1981-1984). Congressman Turner also served as captain in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1970 to 1978. After graduating from law school, he was named a law clerk for Justice Price Daniel, Sr. on the Texas Supreme Court. He practiced law for over 20 years in his hometown of Crockett, Texas, where he also served as Mayor.

Turner serves as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A & M University. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law where he was an associate editor of the Texas Law Review. He holds a B.B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Lucinda Vargas                                                                          General Director, Juarez Strategic Plan Association

Lucinda Vargas is General Director of Juarez Strategic Plan Association. Prior to her current position, she worked as an economist at the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank (8 years) and at CIEMEX-Wharton (4 years) now known as Global Insight. Her research has focused on topics such as Mexico’s economy, the maquiladora industry, the economic relationship between Mexico and the United States and the North American Free Trade Agreement. She has also worked as research manager for the Bermudez Group in Juarez and as research associate at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. and the Center for Inter-American and Border Studies Center at the University of Texas at El Paso. She has published articles and lectured on various economic topics in both Mexico and the United States. Vargas has a master`s degree in economics from The Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor´s degree in economics from The University of Texas at El Paso.

Federico (Kiko) C. Zuniga                                                                     President, National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America

Federico (Kiko) C. Zuniga graduated in 1979 from Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelors of Business Administration Degree in Finance. After college, he worked at the Union National Bank of Laredo as a Bank Loan Officer in the International Department. In 1983 he joined his father and brother in F. Zuniga Inc. Customs Brokers and became a licensed broker and one third partner in 1984.

In March 2002, NCBFAA members elected Zuniga their President. Before his election to the Presidency, Zuniga was the President of the Laredo Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association. He was also instrumental in the addition of a new region within the NCBFAA organization (region 8 encompassing the southern border of the United States) at which time he began his service on the Board of Directors of the NCBFAA. Federico also served as Treasurer and Vice President of the NCBFAA. Zuniga participated on many committees within the organization such as, the Customs Committee (as a member as well as Chair), Audit and Conference Committees. He has also chaired the NCBFAA PAC. He has recently been selected to serve on the DHS COAC Committee which has oversight on matters of international trade.

In addition to his role with F. Zuniga Inc. and NCBFAA, Zuniga has been and continues to be involved in many trade related as well as civic related organizations. A few of the organizations he is involved with are the following: Board member of the South Texas National Bank, Past board member of The Laredo Development Foundation and Present board member of The Boys & Girls Club of Laredo.

A resident of Laredo, Texas, he is married and has two children.