San Antonio’s A.J. Rodriguez Joins Texas 2036

Texas 2036

4 years ago

A.J. Rodriguez, who has vast experience in San Antonio bringing business and civic leaders together to address community challenges, is joining Texas 2036 as Executive Vice President.

In this new role, Rodriguez will work with Margaret Spellings, President and CEO of Texas 2036 and former U.S. Secretary of Education, and Texas 2036 Chairman and Founder Tom Luce to build support for a legislative agenda and data-driven research initiatives designed to prepare Texans for the challenges facing our state, particularly on the issues of education, workforce readiness, health, broadband and government performance.

“A.J.’s experience bringing business and community leaders together on issues that matter to San Antonio and our state make A.J. a good fit for our organization and what we are trying to accomplish,” Spellings said. “Our state’s future hinges on how well we prepare people and our infrastructure for the opportunities and challenges we know are coming. Texas 2036 wants to build civic demand for specific solutions, helping Texans and our leaders focus on a fact-based set of priorities linked to our state’s prosperity. A.J. is the right leader to help bring Texas together to determine our future.”

Previously, Rodriguez worked as Vice President, External Affairs at Zachry Group and his past experience also includes service as the Chairman of the Texas Association of Business, Deputy City Manager in San Antonio and President and CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“I joined Texas 2036 because of the vision, the people and the opportunity to help create a brighter future for all Texans,” Rodriguez said. “It was clear after talking with two great leaders, Margaret and Tom, the policy and data team they have built, and the three board members from San Antonio – Elaine Mendoza, Graham Weston, Sheryl Sculley – that the opportunity to shape our future is real. I’m excited about this new role and look forward to working with this great team to make a difference.”

San Antonio’s future is critically linked to Texas’ future. Right now, more than 29 million people live in Texas, with 2.5 million living in Greater San Antonio. Between now and 2036, when our state turns 200, Texas will add about 10 million more people, with most of them moving to the largest metropolitan areas.

This summer, Texas 2036 released a strategic framework that takes a comprehensive look at forces shaping the state’s future. The framework sets out 36 strategic goals in seven policy areas, ranging from prosperity and quality of life, to education and health, to infrastructure and government performance. One of the key goals is aligned accountability of local and state governments working on the same issues – a challenge that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted.

Tomorrow, Luce and Spellings will speak with Eddie Aldrete, senior vice president of IBC Bank, in a conversation about the future of Texas and San Antonio at the North San Antonio Chamber luncheon. Tickets are still available for this virtual event:

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