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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.

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State Representative Brad Buckley is currently serving his fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives and represents House District 54, which includes half of Bell County and Fort Cavazos in Central Texas. He is the Chairman of the House Public Education Committee and the House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment, and is honored to lead on important policy that affects professional educators, the 5.5 million

school children in Texas, and their families. He also serves on the House Land and Resource Management Committee.

A native Texan, Buckley was born and raised in rural Bell County and is a product of Killeen ISD schools. He is a proud Texas Aggie, and received his bachelor's degree in 1989 and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1993. After graduating, he returned to his hometown of Killeen to open his veterinary practice and has been serving his community and their pets since 1993. He has served on the school board for the Killeen Independent School District and is a past Chair of the Greater Killeen Chamber of Commerce, former board member for Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children, and is a former Co-Chairman of 14Forward, an economic development initiative to bring greater economic impact to the Greater Fort Cavazos area.

He is the proud husband of Dr. Susan Buckley, who is a career educator and currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services for the Killeen Independent School District, and proud father of Emily, Erin, and Bo, all of whom are also Aggies. The Buckleys are also grandparents to the best little cowboys in Texas, Leo and Cole. Representative Buckley and Susan live on their ranch in Salado, where they maintain a cow-calf operation and raise and train western performance horses.

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Representative Pat Curry is a husband, father, rancher, successful small businessman, and State Representative. Having started his first business at the age of twelve, Pat has operated across a number of industries and has owned numerous businesses in McLennan County, including Central Freight Lines, Miracle Ear, and RaBroker Air Conditioning. Pat and his son Coleman have recently bought Urban Air Waco as well .Pat and his wife Alicia live on their ranch in Bruceville and attend Christ the King Baptist Church. Pat and Alicia are also involved in a number of local charities and pro-life causes. Pat was sworn-in in mid-November, and he now serves Texas House District 56 as their State Representative.

Bryan Daniel serves as Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission where he works to promote and support the growth of Texas’ world class employers and talented workforce. To champion that goal, he advances innovative workforce and economic development strategies in collaboration with TWC’s education partners, local officials, and industry leaders to establish Texas’ competitive edge as the best place to work in the world.

Prior to joining TWC, Bryan served for four and half years on Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s senior staff where he led the Office of Economic Development and Tourism – which included the Texas Enterprise Fund, Events Trust Fund, Governor’s University Research Initiative, Texas Tourism Office, Texas Music Office, Texas Film Commission, Texas Workforce Investment Council, the Economic Development Bank, the Texas Military Preparedness Commission and the State of Texas Mexico Office.

Bryan’s tenure as the Texas State Director for Rural Development for President George W. Bush and as Chief Administrator for Trade and Business Development at the Texas Department of Agriculture, along with his private sector experiences as a marketing executive and member of the board of directors, have provided him with valuable insights on economic development and workforce issues.

Bryan is a graduate of Texas Tech University with both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree. In 2019, Texas Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources recognized Bryan as a Distinguished Alumnus.

Bill Flores is an entrepreneur, corporate governance professional, public policy leader, former senior business executive, and frequent speaker on the subjects of energy, economics, and public policy. He most recently served as the elected U.S. Representative for the 17th Congressional District of Texas from 2011 through 2021. Prior thereto, Mr. Flores served in board governance and senior leadership positions for numerous public and private entities. His work has emphasized job creation and economic opportunity while generating significant value for stakeholders, including public company shareholders, private-equity investors, public sector pensions, and retirement funds. Mr. Flores is a Texas-licensed CPA, who earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from Texas A&M University and his MBA from Houston Christian University.

Glenn Hegar was elected as Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in November 2014. Glenn is a sixth-generation Texan who grew up farming land that has been in his family since the mid-1800s. He’s a 1993 graduate of Texas A&M University and earned his law degree at St. Mary’s University. Glenn served in the Texas Legislature, where he worked on issues including public education, transportation, tax reform, government transparency, Second Amendment rights, water issues and tort reform. As comptroller, Glenn is chief finance officer for the world’s ninth-largest economy. He has emerged as a passionate advocate for conservative financial management and government transparency who has focused on creating a more efficient and customer-oriented agency. He founded the state’s Transparency Stars program, pushed for smarter ways of investing our rainy-day fund to protect it for future generations, and guided the formation of the nation’s first ever state-administered precious metals depository. His upbringing taught him the core values of hard work, honesty, and integrity — the same values he and his wife Dara work to instill in their three young children, Claire, Julia and Jonah. Hegar’s most important title throughout his years of service is the one closest to home: Dad!

David W. Leebron is the President and CEO of Texas 2036, a nonprofit, nonpartisan state policy organization working to ensure Texas remains the best place to live and work through the state’s bicentennial in 2036 and beyond. Prior to joining Texas 2036 in 2024, Leebron served for 18 years as president of Rice University where he is now President Emeritus and remains on the faculty as University Professor. Under Leebron’s guidance, Rice underwent a period of growth and transformation increasing its undergraduate and graduate student populations, enhancing the campus with over $1.8 billion in new construction and ongoing capital improvements, extending its research endeavors and international presence, deepening

its relationship with its home city of Houston, and earning greater visibility locally, nationally and internationally.

Prior to taking the helm at Rice, Leebron was dean of Columbia Law School. Originally from Philadelphia, he is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was elected president of the Law Review in his second year. After graduating in 1979, he served as a law clerk for Judge Shirley Hufstedler on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. He began teaching at the UCLA School of Law in 1980 and at the NYU School of Law in 1983. In 1989, Leebron joined the Columbia Law School faculty. David lives in Houston with his wife Ping Sun who is active with several nonprofit organizations in Houston and serves as counsel to the law firm of Yetter & Coleman LLP. Leebron and Sun have two adult children.

Rep. Angelia Orr is currently serving her second term as State Representative for House District 13. The 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.

After the Texas Legislature completed redistricting in 2021, Angelia was encouraged by local residents and community leaders to run in the newly formed House District 13. As State Representative, Angelia is committed to being a strong voice and advocate for rural Texas. During the 88th Legislative Session, Rep. Orr served on the Appropriations, County Affairs and House Administration Committees.

Beginning in January 2025, Dr. Wynn Rosser began serving as the Commissioner of Higher Education for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).

Before joining the THECB, Commissioner Rosser was the president and CEO of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation and served for almost 10 years as the chief executive of the Greater Texas Foundation. Prior to working in his philanthropic roles, Dr. Rosser held faculty, staff, and senior administrative roles at Texas A&M University for 14 years. Throughout his career, Commissioner Rosser has been recognized for his commitment to cross-sector partnerships, improving life outcomes–especially for low-income and rural Texans–and his regional approach to grantmaking and philanthropic leadership.

Commissioner Rosser is a past chair of the Grantmakers for Education Board of Directors and an alumnus of the Texas Lyceum. He is also an advocate for Texas public education and past chair of Philanthropy Advocates. He has also served as president and board chair of Texas Rural Funders and co-chairs the National Center for Family Philanthropy’s Rural Funders Network.

Dr. Rosser earned an associate degree from Kilgore College and baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Texas A&M University. Additionally, Rosser completed emergency medical technician training through the School of EMS. He is a nationally registered and Texas state-licensed EMT.