By Jim Mikula President/CEO
When the ball drops and a new year is ushered in, we often pause to both reflect on the past and consider how best to approach the future. In my moment of pause this year, I was reminded of NBA Hall of Fame Coach Phil Jackson. He coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers to multiple championships. I studied his coaching and leadership style because I wanted to understand his ability to coach a team full of all-stars. This knowledge will be put to good use this year as the Chamber board is full of all-stars. I have the opportunity to leverage the individual and collective strengths of the board to tackle key challenges our community continues to deal with from childcare to workforce development to expansion of broadband, and the ever-present housing challenge.
Joining the board this month are three gentlemen who will further strengthen our board: Tachi Hinojosa, Clint Kotal, and Steve Reily.
Tachi Hinojosa has been the CEO of Central Texas Co-op (CTEC) since November 2022. Prior to CTEC, he held key management positions with Magic Valley Electric Cooperative. Tachi is a Texas A&M alumnus and holds an MBA from University of Texas-Pan American.
CTEC provides electric service to 11 counties with nearly 7,000 miles of line. Logistical mastery is important for a CEO to manage services across so many square miles and with such a wide range of customers. I am looking forward to having such a talent as Tachi on the board as we seek to expand the services of the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce.
Clint Kotal is the CEO of Methodist Hospital Hill Country. He joined Hill Country Memorial Hospital in 2017 as Chief Health Integration Officer and was appointed CEO last April when Methodist Hospital acquired Hill Country Memorial. Clint is a Texas Tech graduate and earned his Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University.
One of Clint’s areas of expertise that I admire is his focus on the guest experience of those in the care of the hospital. He prefers the term guest over patient, which is indicative of his philosophy. I have enjoyed wide ranging conversations with him about implementing hospitality into the hospital experience. His efforts led the hospital to earn the National Rural Health Association Top 20 Rural Hospital award in 2023.
Steve Reily of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation will represent the non-profit sector on our board. He is currently the Acting Director of Development of the Foundation. In 2014, he moved to Fredericksburg to serve as Executive and Artistic Director of the Fredericksburg Theater Company. During his tenure, the theater was awarded the Best Theater accolade for the San Antonio region from 2016 to 2023 by BroadwayWorld.com. He holds an undergraduate degree from Ole Miss and an MFA from University of Kentucky.
Steve also is a member of the Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance Board and is Executive Director of the Cowboy Entrepreneur Foundation. His non-profit experience, creativity, and a history of successfully acquiring grant funding will add tremendous value to the Chamber.
Continuing board members include Shelee Padgett of Sorghum Check-Off, Ken Cooke of the Fredericksburg Standard, and Kyle Kulda of Arrowhead Bank.
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