Honoring Jewish American Heritage Month, TAMIU Hosts Virtual Business Diversity Panel

In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) presented a virtual panel discussion featuring Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business (TAB) Tuesday, May 25 at 11 a.m.

The virtual panel, titled,  "State Business Legislative Update and the Impact of Policies on Texas' Diversity Populations," was free and open to the public. It was presented virtually on TAMIU's Facebook Site:  https://www.facebook.com/txamiu

TAMIU panelists engaging with Hamer during the Q&A included Norma Rodríguez, TAMIU Small Business Development Center director, and Heleodoro Lozano, database specialist for the Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development.

During the virtual event, Hamer, an internationally recognized business leader, connected with TAMIU's Small Business Development Center, the Texas Center for Border Economic Development and the A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business to provide an update about his and TAB's work at the Texas Legislature advocating for Texas businesses. Most recently, he has been advocating for the reopening of the southern border to economic activity. He will also briefly delve into his own heritage as well as the importance of Diversity and Inclusion for Texas businesses.

The event was organized by TAMIU's Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Committee (TIDE).

A stellar advocate for business and an exceptional state chamber leader, Hamer joined the Texas Association of Business after 14 years as CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, where he led the state’s business community to numerous public policy victories helping Arizona have one of country’s most competitive economies.

In Arizona, he played a central role in major tax, education, legal, and health care victories, and was a nationwide leader in the business community’s advocacy for the passage of the United States-México-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, the successor agreement to NAFTA. Recognizing the global race for talent to keep our economy strong, combined with our nation’s declining fertility rate, he is also a recognized champion for reforming our country’s broken immigration system.  

​​His leadership on international issues makes him a sought-after participant in international trade missions. Along with critical trips to México, he has joined international delegation with governors, mayors, and the U.S. Chamber include Israel, Canada, China, and the United Kingdom.

Prior to the chamber, he served as chief of staff to Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon, executive director of the Arizona Republican Party, legislative assistant to Sen. Jon Kyl, and executive director of the Solar Energy Industries Association. He is a Graduate of Cornell University and Arizona State University's College of Law. He serves on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chairs its committee of 100, the group of top chambers in the country.

His wife, Tali, is quadrilingual and their three daughters are bilingual in English and Hebrew.

Charged by the office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, TIDE is committed to The Texas A&M University System’s normative principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. It is further committed to advancing the cause of these principles by pursuing cross-cultural exploration, inter-cultural relationship- building, and mutual learning and growth through events and activities that celebrate the unity of cultures in a democratic environment.

For more information, on TIDE and its past and upcoming events, please contact Dr. Peter Haruna, TIDE co-chair, at 956.326.2613, email pharuna@tamiu.edu or visit TAMIU's Diversity and Inclusion site at www.tamiu.edu/diversity.