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9.15.06 Dallas, September 15, 2006 – During its 35th year anniversary annual membership luncheon, the North Texas Commission presented U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison with the 2006 Regional Champion Award for her leadership and tireless efforts to strengthen the state of Texas. As keynote speaker, Hutchison addressed regional cooperation and local governments working together on behalf of the North Texas Region and recognized the role of the Commission’s involvement as an effective regional leader and advocate of economic vitality. In 1993, Texans elected Kay Bailey Hutchison to the United States Senate in a special election, making her the first woman elected to represent the state in the Senate. One year later, she was re-elected to a full six-year term. And in 2000, more than four million Texans voted for her re-election to a second full term-at the time, no candidate in Texas history had ever captured more votes. She serves in the Senate leadership, having been elected by her colleagues to be vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, making her the fifth-highest ranking Republican senator. Senator Hutchison has been a leader in promoting economic growth and tax relief and was instrumental in establishing The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST). It forms the centerpiece of her effort to obtain research and development funding and to promote Texas as a science state. After her efforts to raise the profile of Texas research at universities and colleges, Texas moved to third in the nation in receipt of federal research and development expenditures. In 2005, Senator Hutchison assumed the chairmanship of the Science and Space Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee, overseeing NASA and the National Science Foundation. In December of 2005, the president signed into law the senator's five-year blueprint for NASA's exploration and research. The senator's Texas roots run deep. Senator Hutchison grew up in La Marque, Texas and graduated from the University of Texas and UT Law School. She was twice elected to the Texas House of Representatives. In 1990, she was elected Texas State Treasurer. In June 2000, she and several colleagues coauthored Nine and Counting: The Women of the Senate, and in 2004, she released her second book, American Heroines: The Spirited Women Who Shaped Our Country. The senator lives in Dallas with her husband, Ray, and their two children, Bailey and Houston. NTC event sponsors included Diamond sponsor TXU, Ruby sponsors – Bank of America, City of Fort Worth and DFW International Airport; Sapphire sponsors – American Airlines, American Airlines Federal Credit Union, AT&T, Carter & Burgess, City of Coppell, City of Dallas, Colliers Int’l, Corgan Associates, DART, Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T), Hillwood/Alliance, LOPEZGARCIA GROUP, Omni American Credit Union, RadioShack, Richardson Chamber of Commerce, Texas Health Resources, UNT System, UNT Dallas Campus and Verizon; Jade sponsors – Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Belo, Capital One, Charles Pistor, City of DeSoto, City of Euless, City of Grapevine, City of North Richland Hills, City of Rowlett, Collin County Regional Airport, Dallas Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, EDS Global, Fidelity Investments, Interlink, Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, KPMG, Morgan Keegan, Quad Cities DFW Foundation, Siemens Building Technologies, Inc., TCU, TI, The Staubach Group, UTA, Town of Addison, Turner Collie & Braden, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Woodbine Development Corp. Established in 1971, the North Texas Commission is a regional non-profit consortium of businesses, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development entities and higher education institutions in the North Texas Region. The Commission is the one and only public-private regional organization committed to enhancing the overall economic vitality and quality of life of North Texas. NTC improves the economy, infrastructure and lifestyle of North Texas by leading and directing regionally cooperative initiatives to accomplish objectives in four primary areas: transportation, aviation, environment and long-range strategies. |
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