A graduate of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine, Doc Anderson has served as a small animal veterinarian in Waco since 1981. Representative Anderson recently married Lyn Sullivan and they have a son Thomas.

After over 20 years of advocacy for small business through statewide committees on both the Texas Association of Business and the National Federation of Independent Business, as well as appointment by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Small Business Advisory Council, Doc was elected to represent District 56 (Waco & McLennan County) in 2004. He has been re-elected seven times.

Representative Anderson currently serves as Chairman of the Texas Legislative Rural Caucus, Vice-Chairman for the House Committee on Energy, and previously served for 6 terms as Vice-Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock. In addition, he has served on the House Committee on Elections, House Administration, Economic & Small Business Development, and the House Select Interim Committee on Energy & Environment. Additionally, he holds appointments to the statewide Agricultural Policy Council, the multinational Energy Council, and agricultural, energy, and environmental task forces in both the National Conference on State Legislatures (NCSL) and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Representative Anderson is a Board Member of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI), and serves on the international organization State Agricultural and Rural Leaders (SARL). Dr. Anderson is a Paul Harris Fellow Rotarian.

Legislative highlights include: securing new headquarters funding for Company F of the Texas Rangers in Waco, major legislation concerning school bus safety belts, punishment for child predators (Jessica's Law), legislation banning the hallucinogen salvia divinorum, and a Constitutional Amendment approved by voters in 2011 to extend property tax exemptions to the surviving spouse of veterans who had already gained such exemption due to their 100%, service-connected disability.

For his efforts to preserve and enhance key local and state institutions, such as the Waco Center for Youth, Texas State Technical College, and rural transportation networks throughout Texas, Rep. Anderson has been honored by the Cenikor Foundation, the Association for Community Transit, Boy Scouts of America, and the Texas Auctioneers Association Legislator of the Year. He is also consistently ranked in the top tier of organizations dedicated to reviewing "pocketbook" issues for Texas taxpayers, including Texas Conservative Coalition, Americans for Prosperity, the Texas Association of Business, and Young Conservatives of Texas. He was also recognized as the outstanding alumnus of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in 2014.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian Birdwell is a native Texan, decorated military veteran and lifelong conservative Republican proudly representing Texas Senate District 22. Born in Fort Worth, Brian is a graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he earned a Master of Public Administration degree.

As the Distinguished Military Graduate of the Lamar Army ROTC program in 1984, Brian was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and served a 20-year career with numerous training deployments and two operational deployments. In 1990, he deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, where he was awarded the Bronze Star for Exceptional Meritorious Achievement. In 1998, he deployed to Central America as the Joint Operations Officer for Joint Task Force Aguila to execute humanitarian relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. In 2001, Brian was serving on the Department of the Army staff at the Pentagon as the military aide to the Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.

On September 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed just yards away from his second floor Pentagon office, Brian was critically wounded and severely burned. Of the burns that covered more than 60 percent of his body, nearly half were third degree in severity. Today, following 39 operations, months of hospitalization and numerous skin grafts, Brian has made a miraculous recovery. Despite physical limitations, he testifies not only to his physical healing, but the ultimate miracle of grace through Christ. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received that day. Upon retirement in July 2004, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

From 2004 to 2017, Brian and his wife, Mel, operated Face the Fire Ministries, a non-profit organization they jointly founded to support critical-burn survivors and wounded service-members and their families. In 2004, the Birdwells jointly authored Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith, which chronicles their life-changing ordeal. Through the years, Brian has been profiled in numerous national and regional media outlets.

Brian was first elected to the Texas State Senate in a June 2010 special election, and has since been re-elected by his constituents three times, averaging more than 85 percent of votes cast. In his four legislative sessions (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017) Brian consistently received critical acclaim and top ratings from numerous pro-life, pro-business and conservative organizations, including National Federation of Independent Business, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texas Eagle Forum, Texas State Rifle Association/National Rifle Association, Young Conservatives of Texas, Texas Alliance for Life, Texas Right to Life, Americans for Prosperity, Concerned Women for America, Texas Heritage Alliance and Texas Conservative Coalition, among others.
Brian is proud of his diverse and impactful legislative accomplishments, including filing and passing legislation broadening access to higher education, strengthening eminent domain laws protecting landowners, expanding self-defense rights of law-abiding gun owners, strengthening legislative oversight of state river authorities, increasing technical- and associate-degree options for high school graduates and adult students, serving Texas veterans and their family members, and authoring the strongest border security package in Texas history—the Stronger Border, Safer Texas Act. In 2017, Brian led the successful effort to make Texas just the eleventh state in the nation to pass a resolution and corresponding legislation calling for an Article V convention of states. Brian chaired the Sunset Commission for the 2018 interim and 2019 Regular Session, which made numerous improvements to state agencies. One of the most critical reforms which Brian carried was the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission bill, which reformed several antiquated provisions of the Alcoholic Beverage Code, among other significant changes as well as other agencies.

Brian serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development, which provides oversight to the Railroad Commission, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the Workforce Commission. Senator Birdwell also serves as vice-chair of the Senate Committee on State Affairs and as a member of the Senate Committees on Criminal Justice, Higher Education, and Select Committee on Redistricting. Since 2013, Brian has served as Chairman of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's 22-member U.S. Service Academy Nominations Board.

The Birdwells have been married for more than 30 years and reside in Granbury. They have one son, Matt, a 2013 graduate of Texas Tech University, and a daughter-in-law, Ann Marie, who reside in Tarrant County with the Birdwell's two grandchildren.

Jessica Butler, P.E., serves as director of Engineering and Safety Operations. In this role, she is responsible for the management and control of the Bridge, Construction, Maintenance, Materials and Tests, and Traffic Safety divisions.

Butler started her career with TxDOT in 2005 in the Design Division where she coordinated the development of transportation projects from conceptual to final design phases. In 2011, she worked in the Letting Management Section of the Finance Division. Butler then held several leadership positions within the Transportation Planning and Programming Division overseeing the development of the department’s Unified Transportation Program and portfolio management process. In August 2018, she was appointed the deputy division director in the Design Division. In September 2020 she became TxDOT’s director of the Transportation Planning and Programming Division.

Butler graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering, in addition to graduating from Saint Edwards University in 2012 with a master’s degree in human services with a concentration in conflict resolution, management, and leadership.

In October 2019, Adriana Cruz was appointed to lead the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Office. The Office markets Texas as one of the world’s premier business and travel destinations. As Executive Director, Cruz provides leadership to Business and Community Development, Economic Development Finance, Texas Tourism, Texas Workforce Investment Council, Texas Music Office, and the Texas Film Commission. Cruz has more than 20 years of leadership experience in economic development, marketing, and international business.

Prior to her appointment to lead the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, Cruz was President of the Greater San Marcos Partnership, the regional economic development organization established to encourage and nurture economic growth in San Marcos, and Hays and Caldwell Counties. Previously, Cruz was the Vice President of Global Corporate Recruitment for the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

In April 2020, Cruz was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Strike Force to Open Texas, a team of nationally recognized private and public leaders to advise the Governor on safely and strategically reopening the state of Texas. In January 2020, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Cruz to the Advisory Council on Cultural Affairs, and named her vice chair of the council. In 2021, the Governor appointed Cruz to the Texas Freight Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Texas Economic Development Council and the Texas Workforce Investment Council. In addition, from 2016 to 2019, she served on the Texas Economic Incentives Oversight Board, to review the efficiency of Texas’ incentive programs.

In 2016, she won the Austin Business Journal’s Profiles in Power: Central Texas Women of Influence Award. Cruz holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin, has been married for 34 years to her husband Rik, and has three grown children living in the Austin area.

Aaron Demerson currently serves as the Commissioner Representing Employers for the Texas Workforce Commission. Governor Greg Abbott appointed him to the three-member Commission on August 20, 2019 and reappointed him in February 2021. He was confirmed by the Texas Senate on April 28, 2021.

In his role, Commissioner Demerson serves as an advocate for over 620,000 Texas employers and over 3 million small businesses. Commissioner Demerson’s team is devoted to serving as a key resource for all Texas employers. His office provides a variety of tools including employment law conferences, and an employer hotline to help businesses grow and thrive in Texas. Demerson is also devoted to supporting the workforce, economic development, and education efforts that help ensure our Texas employers have the skilled workforce that they need for success.

Demerson was also appointed Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Cultural Affairs by Governor Abbott in November 2019. This advisory council is charged with raising public awareness of major issues affecting the state due to the rapid growth of the state’s Hispanic population and other issues resulting from changes in demographics.

Prior to his appointment, Commissioner Demerson was the Director of the Office of Employer Initiatives at the Texas Workforce Commission.

Prior to employment at the Texas Workforce Commission, he served as a Senior Advisor to Governor Rick Perry and Executive Director of the Economic Development & Tourism Division in the Governor’s Office, leading a team that marketed the State of Texas as a premier destination for both business and travel. He has also served as the Director of Business Development, the Director of Administration, and managed the Finance Division for the Texas Economic Development Agency.

In addition, Demerson managed the state’s innovative prepaid tuition program (formerly-The Texas Tomorrow Fund) at the State Comptroller’s Office and was employed as a Commercial Finance Analyst and Loan Administration Officer with Texas Bank (former name) in San Antonio, Texas.

Demerson has been and continues to be involved in numerous social and civic organizations including the Board for the Austin Lyric Opera, the Austin Area Urban League, the Capitol Credit Union Nominating Committee, membership in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity, the Texas Economic Development Council, and 100 Black Men of Austin to name a few.

Commissioner Demerson has a BBA in Finance from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He also received a general banking diploma from the American Institute of Banking, is a ’91 - ’92 graduate of Leadership Austin, and recently had the distinct pleasure of completing the Army War College Commandants National Security Program for civilians.

Dr. Harrison Keller is Commissioner of Higher Education and chief executive officer for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He is a sixth-generation Texan with nearly twenty-five years of experience in state budget and policy, university administration, fundraising, and building coalitions among higher education institutions, school districts, and policymakers to expand opportunity through education.

Dr. Keller’s appointment as the state's sixth Commissioner of Higher Education was effective October 1, 2019.

At the Coordinating Board, Dr. Keller has worked with higher education leaders, employers, and policymakers to develop and advance the state’s strategic plan for higher education, Building a Talent Strong Texas. With the adoption of this plan in January 2022, Texas became the first state to condition its goals for awarding higher education credentials on the value of those credentials to students. Dr. Keller has also worked with the Governor, legislators, and higher education leaders to accelerate innovation and increase support for financial aid, transfer, workforce education, and research and development.

Dr. Keller is a recognized innovator in policy and programs to improve college readiness and student success, especially for low-income and first-generation students. He is the founder of the OnRamps dual enrollment initiative that provides college-level courses to tens of thousands of high school students across Texas each year. He also founded Texas OnCourse that supports college and career advising in secondary schools across the state.

Dr. Keller came to the Coordinating Board from The University of Texas at Austin, where he was Deputy to the President for Strategy and Policy and a Professor of Practice. At UT Austin, Dr. Keller also served as Vice Provost for Higher Education Policy and Research and as Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Earlier in his career, Dr. Keller was a legislative aide in the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, Director of Research for the Texas House, and Senior Education Advisor for the Speaker of the Texas House.

Dr. Keller has taught at Georgetown University, St. Edward’s University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University. From 2005 to 2015, he served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He and his wife, Gena Nivens Keller, live in Austin with their three children.

Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Mike Morath took office as Commissioner of Education in January 2016 and was unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate (85th Legislature) in March 2017.

As Commissioner, he heads the Texas Education Agency, which oversees pre-kindergarten through high school education for more than 5.5 million students enrolled in both traditional independent school districts and public charter schools.
Prior to becoming the state’s Education Commissioner, Morath served on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees for more than four years. During that time, he focused on academic improvements. And by his final year on the board, DISD had seen improvement in various areas including rise in kindergarten readiness, math proficiency and graduation rates.

A strong advocate of public education, Commissioner Morath graduated from Garland High School in the Garland Independent School District. And thanks to the great public school education he received in Texas, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, from George Washington University in two-and-a-half years.
While starting his first company, Commissioner Morath was asked to teach an advanced computer science class at his high school alma mater after the previous teacher resigned suddenly. He taught through the school year until a permanent teacher was hired and remains amazed at how difficult it is to teach.

With a belief system that continually calls him to serve others, Commissioner Morath has participated in numerous volunteer activities, including church Missions Team, schools and juvenile justice facilities and serving as a mentor Big Brother. While in Dallas, he helped organize a trip to orphanages in southern India to set up clean running water systems, and volunteered at an eye clinic in rural Mexico, where he met another volunteer, Dr. Laura Vondra, who is now his wife. They are the proud parents of two daughters and two sons.

Rep. Angelia Orr is currently serving her first term as State Representative for House District 13. This new House District includes Hill, Bosque, Falls, Limestone, Freestone, Leon and a portion of McLennan Counties. Angelia is a wife, mother and small business owner. She and her husband, Will, live in Hill County where his family has farmed and ranched since 1872. They have two grown children, attend First Baptist Church Hillsboro, and run several successful small businesses.

A 1992 graduate of Texas A&M University, Angelia has dedicated her life to raising her family and serving her community. A former substitute teacher and strong advocate for local public schools, Angelia was elected to the Itasca School Board in 2007 and went on to serve two terms as secretary. In 2010, she decided to run for District Clerk in Hill County, winning a competitive, three-person primary before defeating a five-term incumbent.

In 2018, Angelia resigned as District Clerk after State Representative Cody Harris asked her to serve as his District Director. In that role, she provided legislative support and constituent services to the people of Hill, Anderson, Navarro, and Freestone Counties.

After the Texas Legislature completed redistricting in 2021, Angelia was encouraged by local grassroots conservatives and community leaders to run in the newly formed House District 13. As State Representative, Angelia is committed to being a strong voice for rural Texas and advocate for our communities.

A.J. Rodriguez has served as Executive Vice President of Texas 2036 since September 2020, leading the organization's Austin office. In his career, he has held a variety of leadership positions in the private, public and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining Texas 2036, he served as Vice President of External Affairs at Zachry Group for close to a decade, where he oversaw the organization’s community investment and philanthropic efforts, media relations, government affairs, marketing and branding. A.J. also served as Deputy City Manager for the City of San Antonio, as President & CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Vice President of Public Policy & Advocacy at the San Antonio Chamber.

In 2018, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of the Texas Association of Business and served as the organization's first Latino chairman. In 2021, A.J. agreed to serve as Chairman of the Board of the San Antonio Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan digital news organization in San Antonio. A.J. also serves on the Austin Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Texas Legislative Conference.

A.J. earned his BBA and MBA from UTSA and was awarded the Alumnus of the Year in 2008.

Governor Greg Abbott appointed L'Oreal Stepney, P.E., as a Board member of the Texas Water Development Board in December 2022 for a term beginning January 1, 2023. She was reappointed on February 3, 2023, for a term set to expire February 1, 2029.

Stepney previously served as the deputy executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). She began working for TCEQ in 1992, first in the Air Permitting Division for eight years, then as section manager for the Wastewater Permitting Section before being promoted to director of the Water Quality Division in 2003. She also served as deputy director of the Office of Water upon its creation in 2009. The Office of Water encompasses TCEQ's water availability, water districts, groundwater, river compacts, water quality permitting and planning, and public drinking water functions. During her time at TCEQ, Stepney worked closely with the Texas Water Development Board on several water programs.

Additionally, Stepney has participated in the group from Texas that meets with Mexico and the International Boundary and Water Commission to negotiate water deliveries under the Rio Grande 1944 Treaty. She is a board member for the Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program and a graduate of the University of Texas Governor's Center Executive Management Program and the University of Texas Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution Fellows Program.

Stepney received a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering and a Master of Science in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.