Enlarge Todd Wiseman

The Texas Capitol, May 15, 2015.

Female lawmakers make up about 20 percent of both Texas legislative chambers, a number that has increased over time, but that is far from representing the population of the state.

A little more than 19 percent of the lawmakers in the Texas House are women, a figure roughly mirrored in the Senate where women constitute 23 percent of the chamber. In a state where women and men make up an almost equal portion of the population, the lack of female voices in the Capitol raises questions.

Why does this discrepancy exist?

Women face numerous challenges in the workforce, especially women who hold positions of power, according to state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Houston. She said these barriers extend to women at the Capitol, but they’re no different than the ones in most other workplaces.

“It’s not like the Senate rules or the seniority system,” Garcia said. “It's really not any other kind of real structural barrier that’s in place. It’s just sort of you know the institutional and the cultural sensitivities of what I call, you know, the guy’s world and the guys being guys.”

Beth Cubriel, former executive director of the Republican Party of Texas, said while women are “obviously” underrepresented in the Legislature, it is not necessarily a problem.

“Personally, I think it would be great to have more women involved at that level, but I think we have really active women involved in other levels that are just choosing to lead in different ways,” Cubriel said. “Probably in ways that are more amenable to raising kids and being moms.”

While their numbers in the Legislature are small, Cubriel said women are more inclined to operate in supportive roles as opposed to running for office themselves.

“The problem is, for whatever reason, women are more anxious to get involved and probably a little gun shy when it comes to putting our names on the ballot, but are happy to help in other ways,” Cubriel said.

Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton — who decided to run for the Texas House after her husband, who previously held the seat, died of leukemia — said she thinks the discrepancy ultimately comes down to women not wanting to campaign for office.

After putting so much time and energy into her husband’s campaign, Crownover said running for office was a natural step, though other woman may not have the same inclination.

“I have enjoyed, totally, working in the Legislature, but I think the campaigns, they've gotten pretty brutal now, I think that is maybe the hurdle,” Crownover said. “Women would love to serve, but they are not ready to put themselves or their families through some of the irrational things that go on during the campaign.”

Has this inequality always existed?

First elected to the House in 1973, Houston Democratic state Rep. Senfronia Thompson has served longer than any other female lawmaker in Texas. Thompson was one of a handful of women in the House when she was elected and faced significant pushback from male members. Although the number of female lawmakers has grown significantly since her early days in the Legislature, Thompson said there is still work to be done.

“When I got in, we had a large number of women as compared to what had been the previous norm,” Thompson said. “Over the years, we began to grow by one, maybe two, and we’re finally at the number where we are today… If it was representative of the population we would be in control, wouldn’t we?”

When Thompson was a young woman serving in the Legislature, she said she was often disrespected by male members — one of whom referred to her as his “black mistress.”

"When I got there to the Legislature, there are certain barriers you have as a woman and if you’re an African American woman or a Hispanic woman, there are even some additional ones,” Thompson said. "I got up and I gave a personal privilege speech on the floor of the House and then I was isolated. I kind of put myself in a box of what I could do and how far I could fly in terms of legislation and being able to be impacted on something. I was just isolated because the men felt that I was out of place. It hurt for a long time."

Historically, in politics, women have been more likely to work in the background, said state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place. But women are often the “worker bees” of the Republican party, she said, which with time motivates women to run.

“We’ve done all of the envelope stuffing,” Davis said. “We’ve done all of the phone calling. You see the confidence building and women say, ‘We can do that. We can run for office.’”

What is the impact of these unequal numbers? Are there any clear solutions?

The impact this inequality has on the Capitol and the women leading it varies from lawmaker to lawmaker.

Crownover said she has been judged based on her actions rather than gender and hasn’t faced obstacles because she is a woman.

“I think every member that comes down there is judged on their abilities, in their authenticity and willingness to work with the team,” Crownover said. “And I'm quite aware of it that there are more men than women, but I have not felt like it was the boys' club.”

Thompson said she was constantly belittled as a female member, placed on inconsequential committees and given few responsibilities by male lawmakers.

“People want to hold it against you saying, ‘we can’t let this woman do this, we can’t let this woman do that,’” she said.

In order to combat this treatment, Thompson said more female voices are needed in the Legislature.

“It’s going to take women who believe in themselves, that they have what it takes to really come to the Legislature and be a legislator and that can make a difference and not feel like they have to make a huge difference one time, but they can make incremental differences in the lives of the people in the state,” Thompson said.

Freshman lawmaker Mary González, D-Clint, said she seeks to combat inequality through education and awareness. She said she requires all of her staff watch “Miss Representation,” a documentary that discusses sexism in modern America.

“I wanted them to think about the intersections of gender and policy,” González said. “We’ve nearly elected 5,000 state legislators in the history of Texas, but a little over 130 of us have been women. Until you strategically and intentionally try to break that trend, it’s just never going to happen.”

Enlarge Paul Moseley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pleaded not guilty to felony charges in court in Fort Worth on Aug. 27.

Attorney General Ken Paxton is beefing up the team of lawyers defending him against his securities fraud indictments.

Paxton's team announced Thursday it has added three attorneys: Philip Hilder of Houston, Heather Barbieri of Plano and Bill Mateja of Dallas. Hilder will serve as co-lead counsel with Dan Cogdell, who was named to Paxton's team earlier this month.

Paxton's team now has five members: Barbieri, Cogdell, Hilder, Mateja and Terri Moore of Fort Worth.

"I took the time I needed to assemble this five-person team of some of the best defense lawyers in the state of Texas," Paxton said in a news release Thursday. "My legal team will fight for truth and justice, and I will continue to fulfill my duties as Texas Attorney General which the people of Texas elected me to do."

Paxton has pleaded not guilty to charges of defrauding investors before he became the state's top law enforcement official. There had been some confusion over who would represent Paxton after his former lead lawyer quit at his first court appearance in August.

*****

The first television advertisement for Houston mayoral candidate Sylvester Turner launched Monday on local television stations in Houston. The 30-second ad shows the former representative walking across the front yard of a small green house, saying, “In Houston, if we can dream it — we can do it.”

*****

State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, will not seek the Congressional District 19 seat, previously held by U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer of Lubbock.

Last week, Neugebauer announced he would not stand for re-election to his seat in Congress.

"Over the past few days, I have received several calls encouraging me to run for Congress,” Burrows said in a statement. “While I am truly honored and humbled by this support, I am committed to serving West Texas in the Texas Legislature. I look forward to working with our next Congressman for the betterment of West Texas and this Country."

*****

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is returning to Texas next month for a book tour that will take the Republican presidential hopeful to eight cities in three days. 

Carson is hitting the road to mark the Oct. 6 release of A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties. In Texas, the tour has stops Oct. 18 in The Woodlands and San Antonio; Oct. 19 in Austin, Bryan and Waco; and Oct. 20 in Fort Worth, Plano and Wichita Falls.

Carson most recently visited Texas last week, when he spoke at an event for the Montgomery County GOP in Conroe.

*****

The 2016 presidential race brought two candidates to Dallas on Tuesday to raise money.

Both U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton were scheduled to hold fundraisers in the area.

The former secretary of state was initially set to headline a public event Tuesday in Dallas. Citing a scheduling conflict, her campaign announced last week it had to cancel the public event.

On Tuesday afternoon, Democrats pounced on particulars about the Rubio fundraiser's host, who apparently collects artwork by Adolf Hitler.

*****

Jerry Jones hosted a fundraiser Wednesday night for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose embrace of the Dallas Cowboys owner earlier this year at a game went viral. The event will benefit Christie’s underdog presidential campaign. He last visited Texas in March to raise money in Dallas. Tickets started at $2,700 per couple.

Ray Washburne, the Dallas investor who serves as the national finance chairman of Christie’s campaign, was also among the hosts of the event.

Enlarge Illustration by Bob Daemmrich / Callie Richmond

Greg Abbott said boosting transportation funding would be a priority for him during his first term as governor.

Gov. Greg Abbott laid out his vision for the Texas Department of Transportation Wednesday — one focused on relieving the state's worst congestion and building new roads.

Speaking at the Brazoria County Transportation and Infrastructure Summit in Lake Jackson, Abbott said the state is making a "historic investment" in transportation.

"That's why today I am directing the Texas Transportation Commission to create a focused initiative to identify and address the state's most congested chokepoints and work with transportation planners to get new roads built swiftly and effectively," Abbott said, according to prepared remarks. "Together we can set a new standard for business growth and job creation by building a lot more roads both here in Brazoria County and across Texas."

The "directive" was not an executive order, according to Abbott's office. Its actual impact is not immediately clear but Tryon Lewis, chair of the Texas Transportation Commission that oversees TxDOT, suggested he and Abbott were on the same page.

“As Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission, I want to thank Governor Abbott for his clear vision and leadership in tackling traffic congestion," Lewis said in a statement.

"I wholeheartedly embrace Governor Abbott’s initiative. I especially appreciate him laying the foundation for his initiative by working closely with the Legislature to provide an historic increase in transportation funding during the past legislative session. It is now up to TxDOT, working collaboratively with local communities, to execute on the Governor’s vision.”

*****

A statewide community-organizing group Friday delivered a petition with more than 6,600 signatures to Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw demanding action in the Sandra Bland case.

The Texas Organizing Project wants McCraw to fire the trooper who pulled over and arrested Bland and for his agency to improve training for its force.

Bland was found hanged in her Waller County Jail cell July 13, three days after the arrest. Bland's death contributed to a nationwide conversation about unlawful arrests, police brutality, mental health and race in the criminal justice system.

After the petition drop-off, organizers from the group met with McCraw for about an hour and 15 minutes to discuss the Bland case and re-emphasize its positions. The meeting was "productive" and "promising," said Daniel Barrera, the group's Dallas County communications coordinator.

*****

A car crashed through the east gate to the Texas Capitol grounds early Wednesday morning in an incident that had officers chasing the injured driver around downtown Austin for a couple of hours afterward.

According to a statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin police stopped the driver of a Dodge Charger on Sixth Street about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. When the officer approached, the driver, later identified as Marcus Reynosa, 26, sped off.

About five minutes later, the car was again pulled over, this time by a DPS trooper near the Texas State Cemetery. The driver sped off again, crashing a few minutes later into the Capitol gate, driving onto the Capitol grounds and then hitting a tree. Reynosa fled, leading to a search by APD and DPS.

The chase came to an end around 5:30 a.m. when Reynosa was found in a backyard near 14th Street and Navasota Street. He was taken to the hospital with “non-life threatening injuries” as was a woman who had been in the passenger seat. Reynosa was charged with evading in a motor vehicle, DWI and failure to stop and render aid.

According to a report in the Austin American-Statesman, the damage to the fencing could take months to repair.

Enlarge

For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about the GOP debates, the politics of immigration and Sylvester Turner's frontrunner status in the Houston mayoral contest.

With two televised debates featuring the top GOP contenders for president now in the can, we asked the insiders whether the forums have been helpful in separating the contenders in the field from the pretenders. Nearly three in five agreed that the debates have been helpful on that front.

The early consensus after that second debate was that former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina was the candidate who most helped her cause. So we asked the insiders how Fiorina might fare in Texas, assuming that she still has an active campaign when that primary rolls around.

Close to half set Fiorina's ceiling at 20 percent support in the primary, with another quarter of the insiders thinking she could poll as high as 30 percent.

We then queried the insiders on the long-term impact on the GOP of the hard-line stance taken by frontrunner Donald Trump and others on the issue of immigration. On this question, a clear consensus emerged with four in five of the insiders saying the party is helped in the primary but hurt in the general election.

Finally, we turned our attention to the Houston mayoral election where the TV ad wars are just getting started. We asked if state Rep. Sylvester Turner should be considered the frontrunner in the race. A solid majority of 55 percent thought so with another 25 percent saying it was too early to tell.

We collected comments along the way, and a full set of those is attached. Here’s a sampling:

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

With two debates now in the history books, do you think these forums have been useful in separating the contenders from the pretenders among the GOP presidential hopefuls?

• "CNN version did the country a disservice by focusing predominately on controversy between the candidates. Silly me thought the purpose of a presidential debate was to facilitate a discussion of critical issues facing our country that would serve as a guide to the voting public prior to elections."

• "The most helpful was not televised. Trump decided to NOT attend the Heritage Fdn. event — after he'd committed to be there. Was he ready for tough questions? Or not?"

• "No closer to resolution, but closer to contender list vs. pretender wish list."

• "The CNN debate reminded me of a WWE event and just as substantive."

• "Debates aren't ideal screener devices, but they're better than total money raised — the only real alternative."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

What’s the ceiling for Carly Fiorina in the Texas presidential primary?

• "Lots of folks searching for someone who can get through the primary and actually win in November, 2016. Miles to go. Interesting that Ms. Fiorina is polling so poorly among female voters."

• "Carly is the vehicle that'll be used to crash Trump's party. If she doesn't succeed, there is NO Texas in her future."

• "Let me think. She's running on a platform that she was a good business leader. And as a business leader, she gave away 1/2 of HP's printer business to get 1/2 of a bad computer business. And got fired. Who thinks that's a good qualification?"

• "She never makes it to Texas."

• "She will be the surprise of this election..."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Speaking in Houston this week, Jeb Bush slammed the hard line stance of GOP frontrunner Donald Trump on immigration. What’s the ultimate consequence for the party of hewing to a hard line on this issue?

• "The 'Great Conundrum' for the Republican party. How in the heck do you appeal to the right wing faithful/primary voter, and have a prayer in the General? 'Purity' may well result in a long dry spell before another R resides in the White House."

• "Go to the border and ask the American Hispanics — they want security. And they don't want to lose their jobs to illegals."

• "This rhetoric being displayed by this issue will result in the Republican party officially becoming the Grand Old Bitter White Men Party of the South. Latino conservatives are abandoning ship; chamber of commerce republicans are abandoning ship; the business establishment is abandoning ship."

• "The GOP candidates need to stop talking about a sympathetic immigration policy being important for the purpose of attracting new voters and need to start talking about a common sense approach being beneficial the country and the right thing to do. Opening the big tent turns off about 30 percent of our primary voters. We've gone from nominating the primary candidate who can win in November to nominating the primary candidate who makes the party look self-destructive."

• "There's little general election damage if the GOP candidate is hardline on immigration but respectful to Hispanics. At least 85 percent of the public is worried about immigration."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Would you consider Sylvester Turner the frontrunner in the Houston mayoral race?

• "He should have won the office 20 years ago. He has a decent shot at vindication this time around."

• "He is polling around 20 percent, which may not get him in the runoff. Blessed by Mayor Parker, he is seeking her fourth term. Houstonians have had enough with neglected core responsibilities and focus on social issues. Besides is there any interest group he has not pandered to?"

• "Easiest path in to runoff. Hardest path out."

• "Adrian Garcia"

• "Him and Costello"

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Aghamalian, Clyde Alexander, George Allen, Jay Arnold, Dave Beckwith, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Blaine Bull, Raif Calvert, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Marc Campos, Corbin Casteel, Elna Christopher, Harold Cook, Kevin Cooper, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Glenn Deshields, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jack Erskine, John Esparza, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Bill Hammond, Ken Hodges, Steve Holzheauser, Deborah Ingersoll, Mark Jones, Walt Jordan, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Dale Laine, Nick Lampson, Pete Laney, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Leslie Lemon, Ruben Longoria, Vilma Luna, Matt Mackowiak, Matt Matthews, Steve Minick, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Keir Murray, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Robert Peeler, Tom Phillips, Richard Pineda, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Ted Melina Raab, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Carl Richie, A.J. Rodriguez, Grant Ruckel, Tyler Ruud, Jason Sabo, Andy Sansom, Jim Sartwelle, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Bruce Scott, Steve Scurlock, Christopher Shields, Nancy Sims, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Colin Strother, Sherry Sylvester, Sara Tays, Trey Trainor, Vicki Truitt, Corbin Van Arsdale, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Seth Winick, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Friday, Sept. 25

• Ribbon cutting ceremony for the 2015 Texas State Fair w/ speaker Gov. Greg Abbott; 3939 Grand Avenue, Dallas (7:30 p.m.)
  

Saturday, Sept. 26

• Sixth Annual Doctor Schwertner's Ranch Roundup BBQ & fundraiser w/ guest Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush; 1200 Lindemann Road, Schwertner (6-9 p.m.)
  

Tuesday, Sept. 29

• State Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton, luncheon fundraiser w/ guest Speaker Pro Tem Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton; 2002 W. Gray St., Houston (11:45 a.m.)
• State Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, fundraiser; 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4:30-6:30 p.m.)
• State Rep. John Cyrier, R-Lockhart, fundraiser; 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4:30-6 p.m.)

Wednesday, Sept. 30

• Third annual conference of the Texas Desalination Association — Texas Desal 2015: Innovation and Reliability; 111 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin (Sept. 30-Oct. 1)
  
• Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) conference; 1001 E. McCarty Lane, San Marcos (Sept. 30-Oct. 2)

Thursday, Oct. 1

• State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, presents the 10th Anniversary Concert Under the Stars; 2100 Barton Springs Road, Austin (6:30 p.m.)
  

Ray Sullivan, a former top staffer to former Gov. Rick Perry, announced Thursday he was joining the presidential campaign of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Steve Patterson's troubled tenure as athletics director at the University of Texas at Austin officially ended Thursday after the UT System's board of regents approved his separation agreement at a special meeting.

State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, on Tuesday focused on jail deaths at a meeting of his Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. In all, the panel heard four hours of testimony from policy analysts, law enforcement leaders and state corrections officials about making jails safer and diverting people with mental health problems from the criminal justice system.

Weighing in on a case before the FCC, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter signed a letter authored by a pipeline company. Critics say the move illustrates a coziness with the industries he regulates.

Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt blasted the funding deal that allows a giant insurance company to pay for criminal prosecutions of its fraud cases, but said Tuesday that the commissioners court in Travis County is powerless to stop it.

New evidence presented in court on Monday painted a clearer picture of discussions taking place inside the state’s main health agency as it sought to make deep cuts ordered by state lawmakers to a therapy program for poor and disabled children.

Texas' largest health agency says it has not studied how budget cuts will affect children’s access to medically necessary therapy treatments — and appeared this week to place the blame for that on Texas A&M University. The university is denying the state's account.

Halliburton, the Houston-based oilfield service giant, has agreed to pay nearly $18.3 million in back overtime wages to more than 1,000 U.S. employees, following a federal investigation.

A Travis County jury on Monday convicted former Texas Health and Human Services Commission chief counsel Jack Stick of drunken driving, the latest chapter in a year of problems for the former prosecutor and state lawmaker.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker dropped out of the presidential race this week. He had a substantive presence in Texas and rival presidential organizations were courting Walker donors even before his exit from the race.

The head of the nation's largest Hispanic business organization said Monday that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has damaged himself in the Latino community by refusing to condemn bombastic billionaire Donald Trump.

More than 18 percent of female undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin and about 15 percent at Texas A&M say they have been sexually assaulted since arriving on campus, according to comprehensive surveys released Monday.

Following a directive from the Legislature, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced Wednesday that it would combine two of the state's main women’s health programs to create the “Healthy Texas Women” program on July 1.

The Texas Supreme Court scrutinized the legality of court costs imposed on indigent plaintiffs — in this case, fees the Tarrant County clerk’s office charged six poor plaintiffs pursuing divorces — during oral arguments on Wednesday.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced three appointments to the University of Houston System Board of Regents on Monday, headlined by the reappointment of Houston billionaire and current board chairman Tilman Fertitta. Houston businesswoman Beth Madison, the board's current secretary, also was reappointed. Retired Exxon Mobil executive Gerald McElvy of Southlake, was appointed to the board.

Abbott named Gilbert “Gil” Burciaga of Austin to the School Land Board, for a term to expire on Aug. 29, 2017.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed senators to three different committees late last week. They are:

• Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, and Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, to the Joint Interim Committee to Study Border Security
• Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and Birdwell to the Health and Human Services Transition Legislative Oversight Committee
• Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, to the Joint Interim Committee to Study a Coastal Barrier System

The Ted Cruz presidential campaign announced Tuesday that it has brought aboard two former Scott Walker grassroots co-chairs in the Peach State — Julianne Thompson and Rachel Little — who will now help with organizing efforts in support of Cruz. They join Louie Hunter, another Walker grassroots organizer who had previously announced support for Cruz. Walker announced the dissolution of his presidential campaign this week.

Odessa businessman Joshua Crawford announced Wednesday he is entering the race for the West Texas-based House District 81 seat, challenging freshman state Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, for the Republican nomination.

A second Democrat has signaled that he intends to enter the race for the House District 144 seat — Pasadena city councilman Cody Wheeler. The district swung into Republican hands last election.

State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, who has represented House District 48 since 2006, announced Thursday that he's running for re-election.

State Rep. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, announced that he plans to seek re-election to the Texas House in 2016. Parker, the House GOP Caucus chairman, is in his fifth term in the Legislature, having initially won election to represent the Denton County-based House District 63 in 2006.

Anti-abortion advocacy group Texas Right to Life announced its endorsement of Thomas McNutt in the House District 8 race on Tuesday. McNutt is running against longtime state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, who has held the seat since 2002.

The Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC announced its endorsement of state Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, in the HD-14 race. Raney, who has held the seat since a 2011 special election, is running against Republican Jess Fields, a former city councilman in College Station.

SD-24 candidate Dawn Buckingham announced on Wednesday that she has the support of retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Drury, who has to his credit 150 combat missions in the Korean and Vietnamese conflicts.

The Texas League of Conservation Voters announced its new executive director, Elizabeth Doyel, on Tuesday. Doyel previously worked as development director at Annie’s List. She succeeds former director David Weinberg.

Disclosure: The University of Houston is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.