Presented By
May 14, 2025
This year’s summit features two excellent keynote speakers.
Alejandro "Alex" G Meade, III, a Texas Transportation Commissioner and the Executive Vice President of Economic Development and Public Finance at Texas Regional Bank will kick off the summit, and Dr. Ray Perryman will return to share his ongoing research of the Texas Economy and will be the closing speaker. a Texas Transportation Commissioner and the Executive Vice President of Economic Development and Public Finance at Texas Regional Bank.
Dr. Ray Perryman
Dr. Ray Perryman, the founder and CEO of The Perryman Group, has guided clients, subscribers, and audiences through the complexities of economic life for more than 40 years. He holds a BS in Mathematics from Baylor and a PhD in Economics from Rice. He has held numerous academic positions; authored several books, more than 400 academic papers and 3,000 trade articles; and received hundreds of prestigious awards for his academic and professional efforts. Some of his most gratifying work has been in the fields of economic development and social policy, where he has played a role in the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs, trillions of dollars in investments, and numerous initiatives to address pressing human needs.
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The Perryman Group is an economic research and analysis firm based in Waco, Texas. The firm has served the needs of more than 3,000 clients, including two-thirds of the Global 25, over half of the Fortune 100, the 12 largest technology firms in the world, 12 US Cabinet Departments, the 9 largest firms in the US, the 6 largest energy companies operating in the US, and the 5 largest US banking institutions. The firm has also completed over 1,000 public policy studies on a variety of issues.
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In addition to his degrees from Baylor and Rice, Dr. Perryman holds an honorary doctorate from the International Institute for Advanced Studies. He has held numerous academic positions throughout his career (Herman Brown Professor of Economics and University Professor at Baylor University and Economist-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University) and is currently a Senior Research Fellow of the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas and Institute Distinguished Professor of Economic Theory and Method at the International Institute for Advanced Studies. He hosts a daily radio commentary with frequent appearances on National Public Radio and writes a syndicated column that appears in hundreds of outlets.​​​
Alejandro "Alex" G Meade III
Alex Meade is a member of the Texas Transportation Commission, which oversees statewide activities of the Texas Department of Transportation. He was appointed commissioner by Governor Greg Abbott on March 21, 2023. Meade, who lives in Mission, was appointed to serve for a term set to expire February 1, 2025.
Meade serves as Executive Vice President of Economic Development and Public Finance for Texas Regional Bank (TRB), where he manages their public policy strategy and economic development division.
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Meade, a Brownsville native, is a well-known and respected professional who has spent the last 20 years working at the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to joining TRB, he previously served as the city manager of Pharr, where he managed a $200 million budget and almost 700 employees. He also previously served as the CEO of the Mission Economic Development Corporation where he led projects with significant job creation and capital investment in excess of $400 million.
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Meade earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Edward’s University. He earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Texas-Brownsville, and a master’s in public administration from the University of Texas-Pan American. He is certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) and is a Certified Public Manager (CPM). Meade is an alumnus of the Texas Lyceum and a former board of regent for Texas State Technical College System, and a former member of the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.
Contact Candice Weirich for sponsorship information at 830-997-5000 or candice@fbgtxchamber.org