Secretary Pablos Hosts Texas State Agencies At Second Consular Roundtable Series Meeting

AUSTIN, TX – Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos today hosted the second installment of The Texas Secretary of State's Consular Roundtable Series in partnership with the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. The Consular Roundtable Meetings bring together consular officials from across Texas and seek to assist the foreign diplomatic corps in developing and maintaining relationships with Texas state government, academic institutions, and other stakeholders related to foreign direct investment, innovation, commercial and cultural trade, and academic exchange.

The second Consular Roundtable Meeting featured presentations from the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Workforce Commission, as well as the Texas Lyceum and UT Austin faculty. Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick provided an overview of Texas' energy landscape, Texas Workforce Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth Ruggero Hughs led a discussion on the future of the Texas workforce, and Texas Lyceum President Brad Morrison discussed his organization's work to connect private and public sector leadership across Texas.

Additionally, the roundtable featured presentations and discussions led by Dr. Virginia Garrard, Director of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, and Ambassador Robert Hutchings, Professor of International Affairs and Diplomacy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Following the discussions, Secretary Pablos thanked the LBJ School, the presenters, and the Texas Consular Corps for their collective commitment to advancing Texas' international partnerships through cultural, commercial, and academic exchange.
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"It is crucial for Texas to maintain strong relationships with all of our international partners who have a presence in the Lone Star State," Secretary Pablos said. "As Texas' Chief International Protocol Officer, I am extremely grateful that we have a Consular Corps that is committed to advancing partnerships with the State of Texas and its agencies. I would like to thank the LBJ School for facilitating today's important discussion, and we look forward to fostering even more diplomatic collaboration in the future."

“I am grateful to Secretary Pablos and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin for the opportunity to impart the world-renown regulatory knowledge of the Railroad Commission to our foreign consulates through the Consular Roundtable Series,” Chairman Craddick said. “As Texas continues to lead the U.S. and the world toward extraordinary energy growth, this series is timely to ensure greater collaboration, cooperation and investment among energy producing nations.”

“Meeting with the Consular Corps is valuable to our workforce as we share best practices and address the needs of potential businesses locating to Texas,” Commissioner Hughs said. “We want to ensure our international communities know about our business friendly climate and the resources we offer.”

"At the first installment of this meeting in December 2017 there was a lot of interest among Consular Officers in learning more about various key Texas state agencies as well as about the latest scholarly thought on regional studies and diplomacy," LBJ School Associate Dean for Research Dr. Varun Rai said. "I am very pleased that today’s meeting successfully delivered that. I am grateful to Secretary Pablos and his office for working with the LBJ School of Public Affairs and The University of Texas at Austin more broadly in hosting these multifaceted, rich, and valuable discussions at the intersection of economic, technological, cultural, and educational issues."

Learn more about International Protocol in the State of Texas.

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