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Guest Speaker and 
President's Message

December 1  Installation Ceremony

Judge Ralph Swearingin will perform the Installation of new Board Members.

RSVP for December 1


Mike Shedd
December

President's Message

EFWBA Friends and Members,

As we come to the end of another year, I can’t help but reflect back upon all of the great speakers we had these past months. We hosted local politicians, aspiring candidates, government officials, and leaders of chambers of commerce. We heard from leaders of the Fort Worth ISD, a news editor and leaders of various non-profits.

We heard stories of upcoming development along E. Lancaster and the potential for development throughout East Fort Worth. We learned about grants to feed your entrepreneurial spirit from a local non-profit and other assistance programs from government programs. We discussed the roll of local politicians in economic development, and the roll of law enforcement in helping businesses to thrive. We embarked on a new path forward with the creation of our new Political Action Committee that will allow us to vet and endorse candidates for State and local offices.

Most importantly, we concluded the year with our annual Wanda Conlin Scholarships and Community Awards Banquet. Together, we gave away $9000 in scholarships to six deserving high school seniors and recognized great success in our schools and business community.

As you might have guessed, our banquet was quite successful in helping our organization fulfill our mission of rewarding community minded students who have earned a quality education. We stand by our credo that education is good business. We are grateful to our long list of sponsors who joined us in celebrating these students. Each year, time and time again, our sponsors step up and come out in force to show their support of these high achieving students. Their investment in the future of these students cannot be understated.

We are grateful to Dr. Angelica Ramsey for coming out to speak with us, despite being slightly under the weather, and having an early morning flight the following day. Furthermore, I am grateful for the support of the Board of Directors in putting this event together, and especially to our Treasurer Angela Baker and Norma Salinas for taking on the responsibility of the table settings and check in for our banquet as well as at each of our monthly meetings.

At last, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the efforts of Wanda Conlin. There’s a reason we named these scholarships after her a few years ago. Had she not worked diligently behind the scenes working the phones to contact our sponsors, and secure donations, we would not have raised the funds to award these students. I’m not sure anyone has dared to tell Wanda “No”, nor do I think it would do much good if they had. Truly, without the combined efforts of everyone involved, this would have been a major fiasco.

Finally, we are extremely thankful for the staff at Kwik Kopy for going above and beyond again this year to help get everything ready. From website updates, to flyers, to invitations, to auction items and auction catalogs, they did it all behind the scenes with minimal complaints and only a small outbreak of coronavirus.

I hope you will join us in December where we will invite each of our members to introduce themselves, talk about their business or their interests, and where we will swear in our new slate of officers. In following our normal tradition, Judge Ralph Swearingin will do the honors. You can’t have a swearing in, without Swearingin.

Slate of Officers for 2023-2024

President: Michael Shedd (second year of two-year term)

President-Elect: TBD

Vice-President: TBD

Treasurer: Angela Baker

Secretary: TBD

Immediate Past President: Jason Ray

Directors

Don Boren

Wanda Conlin

David Salgado

Bill Schwennsen

Gary Cumbie

Brandon Duck

Charles Ivory

Charles Hodges

Mike Whisenand

Colin Weatherwax

Michael Chavez

Texas Wesleyan University Representative TBD

I hope to see you all at the Meadowbrook-Poly United Methodist Church, located at 3900 Meadowbrook Drive.

Mike Shedd, President, 2022


Gyna award

Gyna Bivens
Elected Vice-chair

City of Fort Worth – News

EFWBA former board member, and Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens was elected vice-chair of the Regional Transportation Council

Bivens, who represents Council District 5 in Fort Worth, has served on the Regional Transportation Council since August 2021. This new position will help her lead the 44-member transportation policymaking body for the next year.

Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb was elected chair. Webb takes over for Commissioner Theresa Daniel of Dallas County, who has chaired the RTC through its transition from virtual meetings to in-person gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Webb will steer the RTC through the 88th Texas Legislature, which begins in January.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins will be the next secretary. The new officers will serve in their positions through June 2023.

The Regional Transportation Council includes local elected or appointed officials from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and representatives from the area's transportation providers. As the transportation policymaking body for the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area, the RTC oversees transportation planning for the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country, which has a population of approximately 8 million.

The RTC guides the development of roadway, rail and bicycle-pedestrian plans and programs; allocates transportation funds; and recommends projects to the Texas Transportation Commission for other programs. The policymaking body also ensures transportation services are coordinated throughout the region and the metropolitan area complies with federal air quality standards.

One of the RTC’s core functions is the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, a blueprint for the transportation system over a period of 20-25 years. An update to the current plan, Mobility 2045, was approved by the RTC last week. Mobility 2045: 2022 Update must now receive a transportation conformity determination by the U.S. Department of Transportation certifying that it complies with federal air quality regulations.

The region's long- and short-range transportation plans must comply with federal air quality regulations as 10 Dallas-Fort Worth area counties – Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise – are in nonattainment for ozone pollution.

The RTC has historically taken an innovative approach to meeting the region’s transportation and air quality challenges, allowing the policymakers to enhance the quality of life throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

gyna

Don and Wanda

Wanda Conlin and her husband, Don Boren, stand outside their home in East Fort Worth.

Don and Wanda Interviews


by Rachel Behrndt | Fort Worth Report

In the latest installment of the Fort Worth Report's occasional conversations with Fort Worth newsmakers, Don Boren, chairman of the City Plan Commission, discusses the role of the commission and how it helps the city shape its development.

In a separate interview, Wanda Conlin, vice chairwoman of the Zoning Commission, discusses the role of the commission and how residents can participate in the process.

This dynamic duo is who keeps Fort Worth moving in the right direction!