Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Nandita Berry of Houston as the 109th Texas Secretary of State. Berry, the first Indian-American to fill the post, will serve as the state’s chief elections officer, the governor’s liaison on border and Mexican affairs, and Texas’ chief protocol officer for state and international matters. Berry is senior counsel at Locke Lord LLP and a past member of the University of Houston Board of Regents.
Gov. Rick Perry has appointed former Texas Secretary of State John T. Steen Jr. of San Antonio to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a term effective Jan. 8, 2014, and expiring Aug. 31, 2019. The board sets policies and coordinates efforts to improve higher education in Texas.
The Texas Transportation Commission voted to appoint Texas Department of Transportation Chief Financial Officer James Bass as Interim Executive Director effective January 17, 2014. Bass will take the position of current Executive Director Phil Wilson, who accepted a job last month as head of the Lower Colorado River Authority.