Top row, left to right: Trey Bowles, Mandy Price, Kristin Battle, Bryan Chambers and Duane Dankesreiter; Second row: Michael J. De La Cruz, Diana Flores, Angie Gaylord, Wanda Granier, and Robert C. Johnson; Third row: Aasem Khalil, Emily Ledet, Simon Mak, Raamel Mitchell and Sanjiv Yajnik
About a month after it was announced that it would form an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Task Force for Dallas, Mayor Eric Johnson has released the group’s newly appointed members who will work to attract, retain and support startups in the city.
The task force is dedicated to finding steps the city of Dallas can take to make it a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. To improve the startup community here, which is only growing, the group of 15 will review specific measures that government agencies, higher education institutions and private sector partners can implement.
The task force is jointly led by Trey Bowles, co-founder and executive chairman of the DEC network, and Mandy Price, CEO and co-founder of Kanarys. Along with Mayor Johnson, Bowles and Price helped select the membership, representing a wide variety of Dallas investors, founders, education leaders, technology professionals, and key employers.
“The innovation talent and potential in Dallas is enormous. We have grown as a community promoting startups, ”Bowles said in a statement. “There is more to be done to build on this work and our reputation as a ‘startup-friendly city’. I believe that with the work of this respected group we have a tremendous opportunity to move our city forward for years to come. “
The team will begin with a report with recommendations by April 30th to be presented to the Mayor’s office and the office of the City Council’s Economic Development Committee Chairman Tennell Atkins.
The hope is that the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Task Force mirrors the Mayor’s previous Task Force on Safe Communities, which recommended strategies to combat violent crime in Dallas. This project is recognized as a success – around USD 4.5 million in the budget for fiscal year 2020–2021 has been allocated to fund the strategies.
However, the new task force is looking at an unprecedented time no one else has faced: the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Dallas begins distributing vaccines and recovering, Mayor Johnson must seek to build a better economic future for all communities. He sees this as possible with the diverse and experienced membership in the mayor’s task force for innovation and entrepreneurship.
These members are:
Kristin Battle – President / CEO, Strategic Focus, LLC, Strategic Focus Education Services
Bryan Chambers – Vice President of Ventures, Capital Factory
Duane thank you rider – Senior Vice President, Research and Innovation, Dallas Regional Chamber
Michael J. De La Cruz – Senior Vice President for Business Development, Group O.
Diana Flores – Immediate past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dallas College and Vice President of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Angie Gaylord – Associate Director, Bureau of Transformation and Innovation, Dallas ISD
Wanda Granier – CEO, BridgeWork Partners and former chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Greater Dallas
Robert C. Johnson – Venture Investor and Founder of TeamSupport LLC
Aasem Khalil – Head of Investment Banking, South Region, Goldman Sachs
Emily Ledet – Bank of America’s Market Executive
Simon Mak – Executive Director and Professor of Practice at the SMU Cox Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship
Raamel Mitchell – Director, Corporate Citizenship and Market Development, Microsoft
Sanjiv yajnik – President of Financial Services, Capital One
Go on the list.
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