* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:03] WELCOME [1. 21-1632 Approval of the minutes from the City Council Governance Committee Meeting on January 6, 2021.] TO OUR CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. THE TIME IS 10:04 AM ON THIS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2021. UM, MADAM CLERK, COULD YOU GO AHEAD AND CALL THE ROLE COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ PRESENT, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE PRESENT. AND MAYOR BERG HERE. MAYOR, WE HAVE A QUORUM. ALRIGHT, UM, UH, FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 6TH. UM, THOSE ARE IN YOUR PACKET. IF THERE ARE ANY, UM, QUESTIONS, LEMME GO AHEAD AND ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR THOSE MINUTES. FIRST, I MOVE THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES, OR I'LL SECOND THE APPROVAL. OKAY. UH, WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE A MOTION BY COURAGE, A SECOND BY, UH, ROCHA GARCIA. UH, ANY, UH, DISCUSSION CLARIFICATIONS ON THE MINUTES? IF THERE ARE NONE, UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT. ITEM TWO [2. 21-1627 Briefing and discussion of a Council Consideration Request (CCR) to examine the feasibility of creating a Food & Beverage Worker Relief Program. [Carlos J. Contreras III, Assistant City Manager; Alejandra Lopez, Director, Economic Development]] IS A, UH, BRIEFING AND, UH, ACTION ON THE C C R TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A, UH, UH, FOOD AND BEVERAGE WORKER RELIEF PROGRAM. THE C C R GENERATED BY COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. UH, ERIC, GO AHEAD AND KICK US OFF. MAYOR, UH, ALEX LOPEZ IS HERE THIS MORNING TO, UH, KIND OF GIVE A SHORT PRESENTATION AND STAFF RECOMMENDATION. GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. SO, UM, LAST YEAR OUR DEPARTMENT WORKED AND EXECUTED A RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM THAT AWARDED A TOTAL OF $29.7 MILLION IN GRANTS TO MICROBUSINESSES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. UM, OF THIS AMOUNT, 8.7 MILLION WAS AWARDED TO MICROBUSINESSES, SPECIFICALLY IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY. SO, UM, THE FUNDING THAT WAS ADDED TO THE PROGRAM, UM, ACTUALLY ALLOWED US TO PROVIDE GRANTS TO ALL THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESSES OR THE MICRO BUSINESSES THAT HAD APPLIED, UM, FOR CONSIDERATION THROUGH THE PROGRAM. HOWEVER, WHAT WE DID FIND OUT WAS THAT THERE WAS PROGRAM CRITERIA THAT MIGHT'VE PREVENTED SOME OF OUR MICRO BUSINESSES, UM, FROM APPLYING, AND IN PARTICULAR THOSE THAT ARE IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES. SO, OUR RECOMMENDATION IN RELATION TO THE C C R IS THAT WE EXPLORE AVAILABLE FUNDING OPTIONS TO SUPPORT AN OTHER UPDATED RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES. UM, WE PLAN TO COORDINATE WITH THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION TO INCORPORATE SOME CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE UNDERSTOOD ARE UNIQUE TO THIS INDUSTRY AND TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN THIS INDUSTRY. AND WE'RE ALSO THINKING WE NEED TO, UH, COORDINATE WITH LIFTFUND FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM ONCE AGAIN, BECAUSE, UM, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT SOME SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED OVER THE LAST YEAR WITH, WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAST PROGRAM THAT WE THINK WILL CREATE SOME EFFICIENCIES. UM, AS, AS WE EXPLORE ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING, A RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE CONTINUE TO DO, UM, SOME OF THE RESEARCH, UH, THAT I JUST MENTIONED, AND THAT WE BRIEF THE ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ON THIS FOOD AND BEVERAGE SMALL BUSINESS RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM DURING THEIR NEXT MEETING. AND I'M AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ALEX. UH, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO WITH US. UH, HE ORIGINATED THE C C R, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER. TREVINO, DO YOU WANNA MAKE SOME REMARKS BEFORE WE GET TO THE DISCUSSION? I DO. THANK, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, AND THANK YOU TO STAFF FOR, UH, AGREEING TO, TO DO FURTHER RESEARCH. I, AGAIN, I, I THINK WE'VE ALL HEARD, UH, AND SEEN, UH, THE IMPACT THE, THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY, UH, IS, IS, IS HAVING DURING THIS PANDEMIC, UH, AT THE HEART OF THIS IS, I, I WOULD LIKE IT. AND APPRECIATIVE STAFF WOULD ALSO INCLUDE IN PART OF THE RESEARCH, UH, THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE, THERE ARE BUCKETS OF DOLLARS THAT ARE SITTING ALL OVER IN, IN BANK ACCOUNTS THAT COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THIS. SO WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT THERE ARE AVAILABLE FUNDS TO HELP THOSE IN NEED TODAY FOR THOSE EXPENDITURES THAT ARE DOWN THE ROAD. SO, I, I THINK WE COULD ALSO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS, UH, POTENTIAL, UH, WORKER RELIEF PROGRAM AS, AS A WAY TO HELP THOSE TODAY AND NOT HAVE TO, UH, UH, THINK ABOUT, UH, OR NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE, THE FACT THAT, THAT MAYBE SOME DOLLARS HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED [00:05:01] FOR SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE. I, THIS IS, THIS IS A, UH, A POLICY THAT WAS CREATED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION AND IN RESPONSE TO THE HAVOC OF THIS PANDEMIC HAS, HAS CREATED ON THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUSINESS, UH, I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT TO, TO EXAMINE EXPANDING, UH, THE, THE RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY. SO I ALSO HEARD THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TAKE THIS TO COMMITTEE. UM, I WOULD HOPE THAT MAYBE THIS GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE COULD, UH, COULD ALSO INSTRUCT STAFF TO, TO GET STARTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH WHATEVER THEY CAN DO TODAY, BECAUSE, UH, EVERY DAY, UH, A AN A BUSINESS IS, IS FALTERING. AND, UH, THE HEART OF THIS IS REALLY, AGAIN, THE WORKERS THAT ARE SUFFERING, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS, UH, UH, PANDEMIC. AND I'D LIKE FOR THEM TO CONNECT TO OTHER RESOURCES LIKE OUR EAP PROGRAM THAT CAN HELP THEM WITH, WITH THINGS LIKE RENT AND UTILITIES AND SO FORTH. SO IT'S, IT'S ABOUT, UH, CONNECTING THE FUNDS, THE RESOURCES, CREATING A A A A A, A MORE STRATEGIC PLAN OR SPECIFIC PLAN, UH, TO HELP THIS INDUSTRY, BUT ALSO CONNECTING THEM TO ALL OUR RESOURCES WITHIN OUR CITY THAT INCLUDES EAP. I JUST GOT OFF THE, UH, MEETING, UH, DISCUSSING OUR EAP PROGRAM AND HOW WE SHOULD, WE REALLY NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON, ON HOW MUCH, UH, HOW WE SHOULD REMOVE THE, THE CAP, UH, OF, OF EAP UH, ELIGIBILITY, BECAUSE THERE'S A GREAT NEED. AND SO I THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM COULD CON, CAN CONNECT IN A, IN A BIG WAY WITH A MULTITUDE OF OTHER PROGRAMS TO HELP AS WELL. SO, I, I HOPE, I HOPE TO HAVE YOUR SUPPORT, UH, TO, TO MOVE THIS THROUGH QUICKLY. I KNOW IT'S GOTTA GO THROUGH A SERIES OF PROCESSES, BUT I, I, I WOULD HOPE THAT WHATEVER WE CAN DO TODAY, THAT WE, WE GET IT DONE, UH, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. UM, UH, SO DO I HAVE A MOTION ON THIS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, ROSA GARCIA? YES. MAYOR, I, WE, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. I'LL, I'LL SECOND IT, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION CHAIR. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND, UM, UH, TO SEND THE CCR TO THE E WDC. GO AHEAD, COUNCIL MEMBER. K, THANKS. UM, REALLY, IT, IT'S TWO QUESTIONS, BUT ONE, I THINK, UH, THE COUNCILMAN ALLUDED TO IDENTIFYING THE POTS OF MONEY THAT ARE POSSIBLY AVAILABLE, UH, TO PUT INTO THIS. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH MONEY MAY HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED AND IT HASN'T, OR MONEY WAS, BUT IT HASN'T BEEN ALLOCATED YET, UH, I, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IF THERE ARE SOME POCKETS OF MONEY THAT WE WANT TO REALLOCATE TO THIS, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE THEY COMING FROM AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT MIGHT BE, UH, THE RESULT OF, OF CHANGING THAT MONEY OVER, OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST RESULT, OR AS IT MIGHT HELP THE RESTAURANTS, BUT WHAT IS THE OTHER RESULT BY DOING THAT? AND ALSO, I'D LIKE TO KNOW, WHENEVER WE'RE GIVING MONEY TO BUSINESSES, DO WE, UH, OR DOES LIFT FUND WHO'S BEEN EXECUTING A LOT OF THIS, REQUIRE SOME KIND OF A PLAN OF HOW THAT MONEY IS TO BE USED WHEN THEY AWARD THAT MONEY TO DIFFERENT BUSINESSES? IN OTHER WORDS, A BUSINESS MIGHT SAY, WELL, I'VE GOT 10 EMPLOYEES AND I'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, REOPEN OR, OR, YOU KNOW, UH, EXPAND MY HOURS OR WHATEVER. UH, IS THERE AN ACTUAL PLAN THAT WE SEE ON HOW THE MONEY'S GONNA BE USED? UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GIVING IT AWAY, UH, TO RUN A BUSINESS, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME KIND OF A, A PLAN THAT WE KNOW IT'S GONNA BE USED, UH, AS, AS WELL AND AS EFFECTIVELY AS IT CAN BE. SO I'D JUST LIKE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF AN EXPLANATION COME BACK, UH, TO THE COMMITTEE TO UNDERSTAND, UH, HOW THAT'S GONNA WORK OUT. SO THOSE ARE MY MY ASKS, MAYOR, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER. COUNCIL MEMBER. MAYOR, LEMME JUST JUMP IN REAL QUICK. SO, REMEMBER WHEN LAST TIME WE GAVE THE COUNCIL THE UPDATE ON THE RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY, WE SAID WE WERE COMING BACK ON, UH, FEBRUARY 18TH, WHICH IS NEXT WEEK. AND SO, UM, WE, WHEN LAST TIME WE TALKED, UH, AT THE FULL COUNCIL, WE'RE REVISITING ALL OF OUR MONTHLY BUDGETS AND PROJECTIONS BASED ON THEIR RECOVERY. AND WE'LL BE, MAKE MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS ON ADJUSTMENTS. UM, UH, NEXT WEEK IT COUNTS AT THE FULL COUNCIL. SO THAT LINES UP, I THINK, PRETTY WELL WITH [00:10:01] THE, THE SCHEDULE THAT ALEX WAS DESCRIBING. AND THEN I, I THINK ON YOUR SECOND QUESTION, MAYBE ALEX, YOU CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DID LAST YEAR AND, AND, AND, AND WE MAY, WE LEARNED LESSONS AND WE MAY WANNA MAKE TWEAKS TO, TO GET TO THE ISSUE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, COUNCILMAN ALEX. SURE. AND COUNCIL MEMBER, THE, OUR PROGRAM LAST YEAR DID REQUIRE ALL OF THE APPLICANTS TO SUBMIT A PLAN, UM, NOT JUST FOR HOW THEY WERE GONNA USE THE FUNDING, BUT ALSO RECOVERY ORIENTED, WHAT KINDS OF, UH, STRATEGIES THEY WERE GONNA BE DEPLOYING. AND WE WOULD DEFINITELY INCLUDE THAT IN THIS PROGRAM AS WELL. GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UH, AND JUST MAKE SURE I HEARD THAT RIGHT, ERIC. THE NEXT, UM, RECOVERING RESILIENCY PROGRAM, ADJUSTMENTS OR SCHEDULE FOR COUNCIL ALREADY, UH, WHAT WAS THE DATE? NEXT THURSDAY? UH, UH, FEBRUARY 18TH. THE 18TH, OKAY. YEP. GREAT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SANDOVAL, THANK YOU. I'M GLAD TO SEE THIS COME TO, UH, GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WHEN I SIGNED TO THE C C R, I HAD NO IDEA WHERE THAT MONEY WAS GOING TO COME FROM. UH, BUT THE COUNCILMAN WAS, WAS VERY CONVINCING ABOUT, UM, AND I DON'T THINK IT MEANS CONVINCING ABOUT THE NEED IN THIS SECTOR. A A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS. UH, ON FEBRUARY 18TH, YOU'LL COME BACK WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE BUDGET. SO THE ITEM WILL BE AGENDIZED FOR ACTION, NOT BRIEFING ONLY ERIC. UM, IT, IT'LL BE, UM, HOWEVER WE CAPTURED IT IN THE FALL WHEN WE CAME, WHEN WE CAME BACK, AND WE BRIEFED COUNSEL FOR, FOR ADJUSTMENTS WE MADE IN THE RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY PROGRAM IN THE FALL. THAT'S WHAT I INTEND TO DO NEXT WEEK WITH THE COUN, WITH THE, THE FULL COUNCIL AGAIN. SO, SO REM REMEMBER IN, IN OCTOBER, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, WE MADE ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON, UH, BASED ON THOSE REPORTS. SO WE'LL BE DOING THAT AGAIN NEXT WEEK. THANK YOU. UM, A QUESTION FOR, FOR YOU OR, OR THE TEAM, WHAT COMES TO PROGRAMS LIKE EAP OR, UH, THE WORKFORCE, UH, DEVELOPMENT? HAVE WE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THE TYPE OF ASSISTANCE WE'RE GIVING BY? UM, I GUESS THE, THE PEOPLE, THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT HAS COME TO US, DO WE KNOW WHAT SECTORS THEY MAY HAVE BEEN LAID OFF FROM? ERIC VERONICA'S ON THE, ON THE LINE, ERIC, IF YOU WANTED TO ANSWER, BUT YOU HAD QUESTIONS. YEAH. VETO, VETO. DID YOU HEAR THE QUESTION? AND, AND I'M, I'M SORRY. AND YOU JUST KEEP US IN BOUNDS ON THIS. OKAY. WHAT WAS THE QUESTION, SIR? THE, THE QUESTION WAS, WELL, I'M SORRY, COUNCILWOMAN, YOU ASKED YOUR QUESTION, SORRY. NO, THANK YOU. SO WHAT I'M ACTUALLY GETTING AT IS, UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE OFFERING ARE HELPING THE PEOPLE, UH, MOST IN NEED. AND I, I WANT TO KNOW, AND IF BETTER, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER RIGHT NOW, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE. IF YOU CAN GIVE IT TO US. DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT SECTORS PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM, UH, THAT THEY'VE BEEN LAID OFF FROM WHEN THEY COME AND, UH, REQUEST EAP ASSISTANCE? AND MAYBE IT'S A TWO MEMBER HOUSEHOLD AND ONE, YOU KNOW, ONE FORMER WORKER IS FROM ONE SECTOR AND ANOTHER ONE FROM A DIFFERENT SECTOR. UH, BUT I JUST, I WANNA SEE IF WE'RE ACTUALLY HELPING THE PEOPLE IN, IN THIS SECTOR. AND, AND THE SAME GOES FOR THE, FOR THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT I COULD GET INFORMATION FROM ON TODAY OR LATER ON? YES. UH, I CAN GIVE YOU THAT LATER ON. WE DO ASK WHAT SECTOR PEOPLE ARE COMING IN. HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THAT DATA IN A WHILE. UM, I KNOW THAT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROGRAM, ALL APRIL THROUGH, I WOULD SAY AROUND AUGUST, IT WAS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY THAT WAS BEING MARKED THE MOST. UM, SO, SO WE DO HAVE SOME DATA. IT DOES SEND DRILL DOWN TO TELL US ARE THEY WORKING AT A HOTEL OR ARE THEY IN A RESTAURANT ITSELF, BUT IT HAS THE GENERAL INDUSTRY. SOME PEOPLE OPTED NOT TO FILL OUT THAT INFORMATION. UM, BUT AT THE BEGINNING IT WAS, I WOULD SAY OVER 50% OF THE CLIENTS DID CHECK OFF THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TAB, UM, THAT WE HAVE. BUT I'LL GET YOU, UH, DATA ON THAT LATER TODAY. THANK YOU. SO, UM, I'M GLAD YOU YOU MENTIONED IT LIKE THAT BECAUSE HOSPITALITY MAY INCLUDE, LEISURE MAY INCLUDE, UH, RESTAURANTS, BUT THE CURRENT PROPOSAL IS DESIGNED AS A RESTAURANT, UH, PACKAGE. AND WE DO HAVE A LOT OF HOSPITALITY WORKERS IN SAN ANTONIO THAT HAVE LOST THEIR JOBS AND, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE ARE, ARE VERY MUCH IN NEED. SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS, AS WE MOVE THIS FORWARD TO E W C, IS TO ASK [00:15:01] THE MEMBERS OF THAT COMMITTEE TO ALSO CONSIDER, UH, OTHER HOSPITALITY WORKERS IN, IN THE RELIEF PACKAGE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY RECOMMENDATION. OH, GO AHEAD, ALEX. THANK YOU. I WAS JUST GONNA SHARE THAT FOR THE, THE, UM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. WE DO TRACK ALSO WHAT INDUSTRIES, UM, PEOPLE WERE COMING FROM. AND OUR LAST FIGURES WERE, AS OF THE END OF JANUARY, WE HAD 37% OF THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS THAT HAD COME FROM HOSPITALITY, RETAIL, OR FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES. OKAY. UM, AND GENERALLY, COUNCIL FROM THE GRANT PROGRAM, MICRO-GRANT PROGRAM, WE HAD A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE, THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF GRANT AWARDEES CAME FROM THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY IN THE MICROGRANTS AS WELL. ALRIGHT. UM, SO IF THAT'S MY, UH, REQUEST, UH, THANK YOU, CARLOS, AND I'M REALLY ANGRY THAT YOU'RE LEAVING, BUT THANK YOU, CARLOS. UM, IF THAT'S MY, MY REQUEST, WOULD I NEED TO ADD THAT TO A MOTION OR, UM, OR, OR SPEAK TO THE CHAIR OF E W C, ANDY OR ERIC, COULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE ME SOME GUIDANCE ON THIS? WELL, I'M, I'M, I'M SMILING BECAUSE WE HAD, AS WE WERE, THE STAFF WAS PREPARING FOR THIS ITEM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD, UM, WE HAD ENVISIONED, UM, KIND OF WHETHER OR NOT IT MAKES SENSE TO, TO, TO BE A LITTLE BROADER. LIKE YOU'RE, LIKE, YOU'RE DESCRIBING, UM, THE, THE, UH, THE TERM I WAS USING WAS THE VISITOR INDUSTRY, BUT THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, BECAUSE THAT CONTINUES TO, TO, TO STRUGGLE. UM, WE, UM, I, YOU CAN MAKE A MOTION. I, I THINK, I THINK I WOULD PROPOSE TO THE, TO THE COMMITTEE THAT, THAT WE KEEP ALL OF THAT IN FRONT OF US. I MEAN, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE POINT AND, AND YOU JUST HEARD THE STATS FROM ALEX, CARLOS, AND BETO. THE POINT IS THAT THAT SECTOR HAS BEEN HIT THE HARDEST AND IS CONTINUING TO BE HIT. AND, AND IT'S NO SECRET THAT THAT IS THE ONE SECTOR OF, OF OUR OWN, OF OUR OWN BUDGET THAT IS, UH, STILL CONTINUING TO, TO STRUGGLE MIGHTILY. UM, SO, UH, UH, WE CAN, WE CAN KIND OF KEEP IT BROAD AND GIVE THE COMMITTEE OPTIONS TO, TO INCLUDE FOOD AND FOOD AND, UH, FOOD AND BEVERAGE, FOOD BAR, HOSPITALITY, VISITOR INDUSTRY AND, AND GIVE SOME ALTERNATIVES TO THE COMMITTEE TO KIND OF TALK THROUGH, BECAUSE THAT, THAT HAS BEEN A, A, A DIFFICULT AREA. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO IT SOUNDS SOMETHING LIKE THIS. GO AHEAD, COUNSEL. YOU'RE COMMITTED TO GIVE THAT BROADER PERSPECTIVE. UH, IF YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION, THAT'S ENTIRELY UP TO YOU, BUT IT OKAY. WE'VE GOTTEN WHERE, UH, YOU, UH, WHERE YOU ASKED US TO GO. OH, WONDERFUL. I'LL, I'LL ACTUALLY LEAVE THAT TO COUNCILWOMAN ROCHE GARCIA, WHO MADE THE ORIGINAL MOTION. AND, UH, I KNOW SHE'S NEXT TO SPEAK, SO I'LL ALLOW HER TO AMEND IT. UM, I, I SEE HER NODDING, SO I THINK SHE'S IN AGREEMENT, BUT IF SHE'S NOT, I'LL JUMP IN. . GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU. UM, CHAIR, OR THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN, UH, SANDOVAL. AND SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS QUITE A BIT AT E W D C IN THE LAST, UM, FEW MEETINGS. AND ACTUALLY, I HAD MADE THAT SAME RECOMMENDATION AT E W D C ALREADY THAT WE WERE, UM, THAT WE THINK ABOUT BEING MORE BROAD IN GENERAL THAN JUST SAY RESTAURANTS. AND SO I WAS REALLY CONCERNED IN GENERAL ABOUT THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. SO I COMPLETELY AGREE. THANK YOU FOR, UH, BRINGING THAT UP AT GOVERNANCE. ONE OF THE THINGS AS I WAS PREPARING FOR TODAY'S MEETING, UM, THAT I, I, I WAS THINKING ABOUT, AND SO THIS STEMS BACK TO A CONVERSATION THAT I ACTUALLY HAD WITH THE MAYOR, UM, BACK IN, IN NOVEMBER. UH, AND THEN, UM, AND, AND HE, UM, MENTIONED THIS AT ONE OF THE, THE BRIEFINGS, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE DAILY BRIEFINGS. UM, I WAS REALLY CONCERNED BECAUSE I CONNECT REGULARLY WITH SOME OF WHAT MY, THE SUPERINTENDENTS THAT I REPRESENT, ONE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALS HAD REACHED OUT AND LET ME KNOW THAT 26% OF HIS SENIORS WERE FAILING MORE THAN ONE CLASS. 33% OF HIS JUNIORS WERE FAILING MORE THAN ONE CLASS. 35% OF OF HIS SOPHOMORES WERE FAILING MORE THAN ONE CLASS. SO WE STARTED TALKING, UM, AND WE BROUGHT IN THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND SO WE WERE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAYBE INCENTIVIZE AND MAYBE TIE IN INTO, UM, SOME WORKFORCE CON, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT, SOME INCENTIVE TO, ONE, KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL, AND TWO, KEEP THEM ENGAGED IN PASSING. AND SO WE'VE CONTINUED TALKING. AND THE PRINCIPAL, UM, UH, UH, HAS, UH, HAS ALSO SAID, BY THE WAY, WE NEED THIS COMPREHENSIVE MESSAGING REMINDING FOLKS THAT THEY NEED TO, UH, ENCOURAGE KIDS TO CONTINUE GOING TO SCHOOL. WHAT HAPPENS IN DISTRICTS LIKE MINE IS THAT SOME STUDENTS FEEL IT A DUTY TO TAKE ON JOBS. UM, ONE, BECAUSE THEY MIGHT BE, UH, UH, THE ONLY PROVIDER RIGHT NOW, THE ONLY PERSON THAT THAT IS ABLE TO WORK, UM, [00:20:01] BECAUSE THEY, THEY, THE PARENTS MIGHT, UM, BE OUT OF A JOB, UM, OR TWO BECAUSE THEY, THEY REALLY WANNA TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES, AND THEY FEEL THAT MAYBE THEY'RE ABLE TO, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE A LITTLE BIT YOUNGER, MAYBE SURVIVE COVID, IF THEY CATCH IT, UM, THEY'RE NOT REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY COULD STILL BRING IT HOME, ET CETERA. SO WE SEE THAT A LOT OF KIDS ARE WORKING. ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THAT THE PRINCIPAL HAD GIVEN ME IS THAT, UM, THEY WERE TRYING TO TRACK DOWN THE STUDENT WHO HAD AN ATTENDED SCHOOL, AND HE WAS OUT AT HOME DEPOT WITH HIS DAD, WHO HAS A PLUMBING BUSINESS TRYING TO HELP. HIS DAD WAS NOT AWARE THAT HE WAS NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL. AND THIS IS THROUGH VIRTUAL LEARNING. AND SO WE HAVE VERY REAL AND CONCRETE EXAMPLES, AND I WAS THINKING OF COUNCILMAN, UH, TREVINO, C C R, AND HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MAYBE TIE IN AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS SUFFERED GREATLY AS, AS WELL, WHICH IS THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, AND PERHAPS FIGURING OUT HOW TO TIE IN, UM, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS, UM, HOW TO HELP THEM NOW PERHAPS. AND I, AND I HAD BEEN TALKING TO SEVERAL PEOPLE ABOUT A MENTORING INITIATIVE. UM, OF COURSE, A MENTORING INITIATIVE WOULD, WOULD TAKE SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL WORK. I'VE BEEN IN, IN SMALL CONVERSATIONS WITH COUNCILMAN ELIAS, TRYING TO SEE IF WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TAKE IT UP THROUGH THE INNOVATION COMMITTEE, WHICH I'M NOT A PART OF. UM, BUT SO, SO THERE'S SOME MOVEMENT THERE THAT I THINK MIGHT CLOSELY RELATE TO SOME OF THESE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, AT LEAST EVEN IN THE SUMMER WHEN, UM, WE KNOW THAT MAYBE, HOPEFULLY BY, BY THEN, WE, WE MIGHT HAVE SOME GLIMMER OF HOPE AND WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO PICK UP SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, FOR INSTANCE, UM, BUSINESS AT THAT TIME. SO I DON'T KNOW IF ALSO THAT MIGHT BE A POSSIBILITY, BUT INCLUDING, UH, PERHAPS THIS GROUP THAT ONE NEEDS WORK, UM, TWO NEEDS ENCOURAGEMENT AND REALLY INCENTIVIZING THEM TO MAYBE CONNECT OVER THE SUMMER AND, UM, AND WORK IN SOME OF THESE INDUSTRY IN, IN THIS INDUSTRY. RIGHT. AND THE HOSPITAL HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, I THINK WOULD ALSO BE WORTH CONSIDERING. I WASN'T ENTIRELY SURE WHERE TO BRING UP THIS TYPE OF INITIATIVE. IT'S KIND OF A MIX BETWEEN YES. INNOVATION AND, YES. EDUCATION AND YES, WORKFORCE. AND SO, UM, TODAY AS THE CONVERSATION WAS TAKING PLACE, AND AS WE WERE, UH, AGAIN, JUST, JUST PREPPING, I FELT THAT IT WAS MAYBE NECESSARY TO BRING IT UP TO THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE NOT UNIQUE. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE PROBABLY ALSO SUFFERING THROUGH THIS. SO I, UM, JUST THOUGHT THAT I WOULD BRING IT UP, UH, HOPEFULLY, ANDY, I DID NOT STEP OUT OF LINE, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT WE COULD TIE IT BACK INTO THE C C R AND PERHAPS REALLY IMPACT SOME PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEED US. SO, ABSOLUTELY, COUNCILWOMAN, I AGREE WITH YOUR RECOMMENDATION OF, UM, OF, OF MAKING THIS BROADER AND, AND STEPPING UP TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE. MAYOR. UM, THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROSO GARCIA. AND LET, LET ME PIGGYBACK ON THOSE COMMENTS REAL QUICK. UM, ERIC AND I HAVE HAD, UH, SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS OVER THE LAST, UH, COUPLE OF WEEKS ON, UM, UH, POTENTIALLY BRINGING BACK AND EXPANDING, UH, THE YOUTH AMBASSADOR JOB, UH, PROGRAM, UH, WHICH I THINK IS AN OPPORTUNITY HERE. UM, ERIC, UH, AND ALEX, IF, IF, UM, IF AS THIS, UH, CONVERSATION CONTINUES IN E W D C ABOUT, UH, MORE EXPANDED EFFORTS FOR, UH, SMALL BUSINESS AND, AND, UH, SMALL BUSINESS AND, UH, EMPLOYMENT RELIEF PROGRAMS, UM, WHICH HAVE BEEN ENGAGED FOR A WHILE NOW, IF WE CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH E W D C AS WELL. I THINK WHAT, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA IS MENTIONING IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO, TO SEE, UH, LEVERAGE THROUGH THESE, UM, THESE FUNDS. OKAY. WILL DO, MAYOR. OKAY, GREAT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN TREVINO'S, UH, EFFORTS WERE VERY FOCUSED IN ONE SPECIFIC AREA OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. UH, AND AND I, I APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK ALL OF US UNDERSTAND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW HARD THEY'VE BEEN HIT. UH, I'M, I'M REALLY HESITANT TO KIND OF BROADEN THIS. SO, SO FAR, WITHOUT HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE WE ALREADY HAVE ADDRESSED SMALL BUSINESS NEEDS, UH, WE'VE PUT, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY INTO SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF, UH, OVER THE LAST 10 MONTHS. I THINK I'D LIKE TO SEE HOW MANY OF THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES WERE ACTUALLY SOME OF THE OTHER BUSINESSES THAT WE'VE BEEN ALLUDING TO THAT ARE INVOLVED IN HOSPITALITY, AND HOW MANY OF 'EM ARE RESTAURANTS. UH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IF WE'RE GONNA TARGET THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH OF THE SMALL BUSINESS MONEY HAS ALREADY BEEN GIVEN TO THEM OR OTHER HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES BEFORE WE START BROADENING THE ORIGINAL TRAJECTORY THAT THE COUNCILMAN HAD IN MIND. SO I WOULD HOPE THAT WE GET A, [00:25:01] A PRETTY THOROUGH BREAKDOWN OF, UH, WHERE THE SMALL BUSINESS MONEY HAS ALREADY GONE. AND, AND THAT MAY HELP US IDENTIFY WHERE THE BIG LOOPHOLE IS. AND IT VERY WELL MAY BE IN RESTAURANTS, AND WE UNDERSTAND IT MAY BE MORE THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE THERE 'CAUSE OTHER HELP HAS ALREADY GONE OUT IN THOSE AREAS. ALSO, I THINK ALL OF US ARE, ARE HOPEFUL THAT EVENTUALLY WE'RE GONNA GET SOME ADDITIONAL FEDERAL DOLLAR ASSISTANCE DOWN THE LINE. UM, I KNOW WE DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED, BUT THEN AGAIN, WE HAD 46 MILLION DROPPED ON US FROM NOWHERE FOR OUR, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ASSISTANCE. SO THERE'S NO TELLING WHAT MIGHT COME DOWN THE PIKE. UH, AND SO IF WE FOCUS ON THE MOST NEED, UH, AND WAIT TO EXPAND THAT, UH, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO GO. BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT THE SMALL BUSINESS DOLLARS HAVE BEEN GOING TO, OR WHO THEY'VE BEEN GOING TO SO FAR, SO WE HAVE A, A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE GREATEST NEED. SO I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD ON THIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. AND, UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE THE MOTION A SECOND, UH, FOR THIS ITEM TO GO TO THE E W D C. AND I THINK THE, THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE SEEKING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE IS, IS WHAT THEY REVIEW EVERY, EVERY MEETING EVERY MONTH. SO, UM, I WOULD EXPECT YOU TO GET THAT, UM, TIMELY. SO, ALRIGHT. UH, HEARING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, UH, MOVING THIS TO E W D C, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? AYE. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UH, YOUR, YOUR VOTE WAS TO, UH, WAS TO, IT WAS AN AYE, IT WAS AN AYE, YES. ON THE MOTION. OKAY. YES. LITTLE BIT OF A DELAY. ANY OPPOSED TO THE MOTION? ALRIGHT. THANKS VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER TREVINO. LET'S MOVE NOW. THANK YOU ALL [3. 21-1514 Consideration of Applicants to the San Antonio Ready to Work Advisory Board (9 seats) [Tina J. Flores]] NUMBER ITEM NUMBER THREE. I'M SORRY, MAYOR, DO YOU WANT ME TO READ THE CAPTION ITEM NUMBER THREE? YEAH, IF YOU, IF YOU COULD, YES, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ITEM NUMBER THREE IS CONSIDERATION OF APPLICANTS TO THE SAN ANTONIO READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD FOR NINE SEATS. ALRIGHT. UM, I THINK WE'RE GIVING THIS ONE TO, UM, IS THIS ALSO TO ALEX OR WHO'S TAKING THIS? ERIC, OR DO WE JUST GO RIGHT INTO IT? YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING, WE'RE GOING STRAIGHT INTO INTERVIEWS, MAYOR. YEAH. ALRIGHT. SO, UH, THIS ITEM AGAIN, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT ARE HERE CONNECTED WITH US FOR, UH, INTERVIEWS FOR THE READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD. UM, JUST LET ME MAKE A COUPLE NOTES BEFORE WE GO INTO THIS. WE ARE ONLY HEARING INTERVIEWS TODAY. UH, THERE'S NO DELIBERATION. UM, WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 19TH FOR THE REMAINDER APPLICANTS. UH, THERE ARE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND NO CATEGORY IS COMPLETE. UH, AND SO WE'RE GONNA RESERVE DELIBERATION ON ALL THE APPLICANTS UNTIL THE 19TH. UM, YOU DO HAVE A ROSTER OF FOLKS THAT ARE HERE, UH, FOR INTERVIEWS. I'M GONNA MAKE A COUPLE ADJUSTMENTS GIVEN PEOPLE'S TIME SCHEDULES. UM, BUT, UH, JUST FOR THE BENEFIT OF EVERYONE WHO'S CONNECTED, THE WAY WE'LL DO THIS IS WE'LL HAVE, UM, THREE MINUTES FOR OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO COUNCIL DISCUSSION ROUND ROBIN. UH, THE FOLKS THAT, UH, SO WE WILL ONLY HAVE THE APPLICANT, UH, WHO IS BEING INTERVIEWED IN THE ROOM. EVERYONE ELSE WILL BE WAITING IN THE BREAKOUT SESSION. UH, AND THEN AFTER THE INTERVIEW, UM, THE CANDIDATES CAN MAKE THEIR WAY SINCE THERE WON'T BE ANY DISCUSSION OR, OR, UM, ACTION TODAY. UH, WE WON'T KEEP THEM HERE VERY LONG. SO WE'LL START, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING FIRST AT, UM, WHAT IS THIS CATEGORY, UH, IN DEMAND OCCUPATIONS. UH, THERE ARE 10 APPLICANTS FOR THE FOUR VACANCIES SLOTTED FOR THIS. UM, WE'LL START WITH, UH, SHERIDAN CHAMBERS AND, UH, MR. CHAMBERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US AND FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO, TO, UH, PARTICIPATE IN THIS. UH, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO OUR, OUR COUNCIL DISCUSSION. GREAT. THANKS. CAN, UH, I WANT TO JUST CONFIRM. YOU CAN HEAR ME? WE HEAR YOU GREAT. FANTASTIC. ALL RIGHT. GOOD TO MEET YOU GUYS. UH, MY NAME IS SHERIDAN CHAMBERS. UH, I AM, UH, A PARTNER AT DENIM GROUP. DENIM GROUP IS A, UH, SAN ANTONIO BASED COMPUTER SECURITY COMPANY. UH, I'M ALSO, UH, FOUNDER, UH, OF DENIM GROUP. UH, AND WE FOUNDED THAT BUSINESS. 2001, HAD BEEN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THE WHOLE TIME. UH, ALSO A, UM, UH, LIVED IN SAN ANTONIO SINCE 1993, UH, SINCE I CAME TO TRINITY UNIVERSITY AND HAVE NOT LEFT. UH, AND, UH, LITTLE BACKGROUND ON OUR BUSINESS. UH, SO, UH, DENIM IS A, UH, AGAIN MENTIONED, UH, CYBERSECURITY BUSINESS BASED [00:30:01] HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. WE EMPLOY, UH, APPROXIMATELY A HUNDRED PEOPLE, JUST SHY, ACTUALLY, 99 AS OF TODAY. UH, 50 OF THOSE, UH, ARE BASED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. ANOTHER 20 ARE BASED IN AUSTIN. AND THEN THE BALANCE IS BASED AROUND THE COUNTRY. UH, AND OBVIOUSLY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPACTED IS MAYBE TOO STRONG A TERM, BUT, UH, CERTAINLY INVOLVED IN, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, OUR REMOTE WORK POLICY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'VE, UH, HOW WE'VE HAD KIND OF HAD TO HANDLE THAT AS AN ORGANIZATION. UH, AND MY RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN THE BUSINESS IS FOR HR, ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, AND OPERATIONS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE COMPANY, I'VE PROBABLY BEEN THE MOST INVOLVED IN OUR, UH, ORGANIZATIONS', UM, RESPONSE TO THOSE, UH, RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC AND HOW WE'VE HAD TO HANDLE, UH, OUR WORKFORCES, UM, UH, WORK, UM, YOU KNOW, PRESENCE WITHIN OUR OFFICE. UH, AND, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO HELPING IN ANY WAY I CAN. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, MR. CHAMBERS, UH, UH, FOR, UH, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BE PART OF THIS AND ALSO FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. LEMME START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. MR. CHAMBERS. UH, YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'VE SERVED ON A BOARD OR, OR COMMISSIONED A VOLUNTARY BOARD OF COMMISSION. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT ANY OF YOUR EXPERIENCE ON ANY BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, OR OTHER EVEN, UH, CHARITABLE OR NONPROFIT GROUPS? YEAH, SURE. SO, UM, COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS. UH, PROBABLY THE MOST INTERESTING THING, UH, THAT I'VE DONE IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS WAS, UM, WAS RELATED TO THE EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FUND. UM, WE, UH, I GUESS THE, THE ORGANIZATION WAS ORIGINALLY THE TIE, WHICH IS, I'M PERHAPS DATING ME A LITTLE BIT, AND IT'S PROBABLY BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THAT EXISTED. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT ALSO WAS THE STATE'S, UH, THE STATE KIND OF SET ASIDE AN ENTERPRISE FUND TO, UH, FUND, UH, STARTUPS TO ACT AS A INVESTMENT MECHANISM. AND SO I WAS ON, UH, THE REVIEW, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DEAL REVIEW, UH, COMMITTEE, UH, IN SAN ANTONIO. AND, UH, WAS, YOU KNOW, RESPONSIBLE FOR, UM, NOT ACTUALLY MAKING ANY INVESTMENTS, BUT, UM, BUT LISTENING TO DEALS AND, UH, AND KIND OF TRYING TO DETERMINE THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, VIABILITY, THE, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND THE, UH, LEGITIMACY OF SOME OF THOSE DEALS. AND THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING I WAS, I WAS REALLY PROUD OF AND DID A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. UM, HAVE YOU HIRED OR EMPLOYED OR TRAINED, UH, A A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHERE YOU WORKED OVER THE YEARS? YEAH. UM, I WOULD SAY THAT IN THE, SO, UH, I MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, WE FOUNDED THE BUSINESS IN 2001, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN OUR 20TH YEAR AT THIS POINT. UM, MY GUESS IS WE'VE PROBABLY EMPLOYED FIVE OR 600 PEOPLE DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME. UM, YOU KNOW, MY ROLE AS BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR HR, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M PRETTY, YOU KNOW, DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HIRES, UH, THE ONBOARDING AND THE TRAINING OF ALL THOSE FOLKS. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE I DIDN'T HIRE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM THAT THEY ULTIMATELY ARE KIND OF ROLLED UP TO ME IN, IN TERMS OF RESPONSIBILITIES. SO, UM, YEAH, QUITE A FEW. UH, AND, YOU KNOW, I, I FEEL LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ACTUALLY, IT WAS INTERESTING. WE HAD A, IN THE, UM, IN THE BREAKOUT ROOM, WE HAD A FASCINATING CONVERSATION AROUND ABOUT, UM, THE PORTS, UH, THE PORT OF SAN ANTONIO'S AND SORT OF THE GENERAL, UH, CULTURE OF COMPUTER SECURITY IN SAN ANTONIO, AND HOW THAT ACTUALLY HELPS US AS A BUSINESS BECAUSE, UH, PROBABLY 20% OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE BASED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, WHILE ABOUT 50% OF OUR WORKFORCES. UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, 80% OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE AROUND THE COUNTRY. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, THE INTERESTING DISCUSSION WE HAD IN THE BREAKOUT ROOM WAS JUST THAT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CITY'S REPUTATION FOR, UM, FOR COMPUTER SECURITY, ACTUALLY TRANS TRANSLATES TO OUR KIND OF THE STREET CRED OF OUR BUSINESS, UH, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM. UM, AND SO OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE ARE INTERACTING WITH COMPANIES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A FASCINATING INTERACTION WHERE THEY SAY, OH, YOU'RE FROM SAN ANTONIO, OKAY. AND IT KIND OF LEGITIMIZES OUR BUSINESS. UM, AND SO IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN AN INTERESTING, THAT WAS AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD IN, IN THE, IN THE BREAKOUT ROOM. UM, BUT YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAMBERS. I THINK YOU'VE ANSWERED MY QUESTION. OKAY. SORRY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COURAGE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, YOU'RE MUTED. UH, SHIRLEY, SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, SO, UH, MR. CHAMBERS, YOU ARE, UM, I THINK JUST KIND OF [00:35:01] BUILDING ON COUNCIL MEMBER KURT'S QUESTION ABOUT STAFFING. UM, HAVE YOU FOUND THAT, UM, YOU ARE DOING A LOT OF IN, UH, INTERNAL, UM, UH, TRAINING, UH, OR DO YOU FIND THAT THE PEOPLE THAT COME TO YOU ARE SUFFICIENTLY PREPARED AND ARE THEY PRIMARILY LOCAL, OR ARE YOU RECRUITING FROM OUT OF THE CITY? UM, SO THE, I MEAN, THE ANSWER TO THAT IS KIND OF ALL OF THE ABOVE. UM, YOU KNOW, WE HIRE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS. SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT WE HIRE FOR ARE, YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY SENIOR POSITIONS. AND THERE'S AN EXPECTATION THAT THAT, THAT THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, COME TRAINED. UM, WE ALSO HIRE IF FOR ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO OFFERS THAT ARE EXTENDED AT THE MOMENT, PENDING GRADUATION. UM, AND SO, AND THOSE FOLKS WE WOULD ANTICIPATE WOULD COME, UH, A LITTLE MORE, UM, UH, WELL LESS EXPERIENCED. AND SO, AND SO THE EXPECTATION WITH THAT GROUP OF FOLKS IS THEY WOULD JOIN US, UH, AND BE, UM, YOU KNOW, JUNIOR IN THE SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE NOT HAD DIRECT INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE. UH, AND SO THEY WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE A GROUP THAT WE'D BE PLANNING TO TRAIN VERSUS FOLKS, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, WHO WOULD BE ENTERING MORE EXPERIENCED POSITIONS THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO ALREADY KINDA KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING. UM, IN TERMS OF LOCATIONS THAT WE'RE HIRING FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, UM, ALMOST, UH, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY, PROBABLY 95%, MAYBE EVEN HIGHER THAN THAT, 98% OF OUR, UH, STAFF WERE EITHER IN AUSTIN OR SAN ANTONIO. UH, THE INTERESTING EVOLUTION OF OUR BUSINESS, UM, THAT IS PANDEMIC RELATED, UH, IS THAT SINCE, UH, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WE EMPLOY NOW WORKS FROM HOME. UM, WE HAVE, UM, OPENED UP THE HIRING TO FOLKS OUTSIDE OF THE STATE. UH, SO THE, IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT THE 35 PEOPLE, 30 PEOPLE WE HIRED LAST YEAR, UH, I BELIEVE, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HIRED 35, I THINK FIVE OF THEM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND 30 ARE OUTSIDE OF THE STATE. UM, AND SO THAT'S BEEN A FASCINATING EVOLUTION OF OUR BUSINESS IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NO LONGER, UM, UH, CARE IS MAYBE TOO STRONG A TERM. WE NO LONGER, UH, MAKE IT A, A, A NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, UH, TO BE IN SAN ANTONIO OR AUSTIN. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SURE. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, MR. CHAMBERS AND OUR BEST OF YOUR COLLEAGUES OVER THERE AS WELL. THANKS FOR WHAT YOU DO. YEP, MY PLEASURE. THANKS GUYS. ALRIGHT. UM, OUR NEXT APPLICANT, UH, THAT WE'LL TAKE ON, UM, ON TODAY IS ACTUALLY FROM THE TRAINING AND HIGHER EDUCATION CATEGORY, UH, DUE TO TIME, UM, DUE TO SCHEDULING. SO LET ME GO AHEAD AND ASK, UH, DR. CYNTHIA TENTE MATSON TO JOIN US. SO SHE'S CONNECTED. DR. MATSON, CAN YOU HEAR US? I CAN. GOOD TO SEE YOU, DR. MATSON. UM, OKAY, UH, WE'RE GIVING EVERYBODY THREE MINUTES, UH, AND, UH, AFTER THAT WE'LL GO AROUND ROBIN, IF WE HAVE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION AND, UH, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. WELL, GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS CYNTHIA TANTA MATSON. I'M PRESIDENT OF TEXAS A AND M SAN ANTONIO. AND ON BEHALF OF MY PUBLIC HIGHER ED COLLEAGUES, THIS IS A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE'RE PROMPTED BY A HOLISTIC LOOK AT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS IMPACTING SELF-IMPROVEMENT. WITH THAT, WE CAN REIMAGINE A BETTER TOMORROW FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. MY UNIVERSITY IS LOCATED IN BOTH D THREE AND D FOUR, AND WE SERVE STUDENTS THROUGHOUT GREATER SAN ANTONIO. I AM REMINDED ON A DAILY BASIS THE HISTORICAL IMPACTS OF REDLINING AND THE INFLUENCE IT HAS HAD IN THE SEVEN SOUTH BE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS. AS YOU MIGHT BE AWARE, A AND M SAN ANTONIO HAS A PACT AND AN AGREEMENT THAT WE CALL ASPIRE, WHICH IS AN, AN ACRONYM FOR A SOUTH BE COUNTY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IMPACTING REGIONAL EQUITY AND EDUCATION. TODAY, I'M HERE AS A BENEFICIARY OF THE EARLY INVESTMENTS MADE BY THE CITY, THE COUNTY, OUR UTILITY COMPANIES, AND THE TEXAS A AND M SYSTEM AS A AND M SAN ANTONIO HAS BECOME CRITICAL IN OUR DEVELOPMENT AS AN ANCHOR INSTITUTION FOR THE SOUTH SIDE. MY HUSBAND MIKE AND I HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE VERY CLOSE TO OUR CAMPUS. AND I ALSO HAVE VISUAL REMINDERS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES, HOUSING AND FOOD INSECURITIES. [00:40:01] I RECOGNIZE THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF CREATING MICRO OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH TRAINING CERTIFICATES AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT TO CHANGE THE SOCIAL MOBILITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I ALSO RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN ABOUT THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, THE COMORBIDITIES IN HEALTH FACING THE LATINO COMMUNITY, AND THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL INEQUITIES. NOW, WE CANNOT UNSEE THEM. MANY RESIDENTS IN SOUTH SAN ANTONIO WOULD BENEFIT FROM EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO ACCESS THE TRAINING AND SPECIALTY SKILLS PROVIDED BY FORMAL, INFORMAL AND O J T TO MOVE TO A LIVABLE WAGE. I UNDERSTAND OUT OF THE BOX THINKING, I UNDERSTAND DIGITAL TRAINING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF A HOLISTIC SOLUTION TO CHANGING THE FUTURE OF SAN ANTONIO TODAY. AND FOR THE NEXT MILLION RESIDENTS AS A COMMUNITY, WE MUST BE AHEAD OF THE CURVE IN ANTICIPATING THE WORKFORCE NEEDS OF HIGH DEMAND INDUSTRIES SO THAT ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS CAN BE LIFTED BY THE WAVE OF OPPORTUNITY ENVISIONED BY THE ONE EIGHT SALES TAX, WHETHER ON THIS ADVISORY BOARD OR THROUGH SOME OTHER MEANS. I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH ALL OF YOU TO ADVANCE SAN ANTONIO AS A SMART UNIVERSITY CITY THAT REFLECTS THE DIVERSE FUTURE OF TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, UH, DR. MATSON. UH, AND WE DO HAVE QUESTIONS BEFORE WE GET TO QUESTIONS. I DO WANNA PERSONALLY THANK YOU FOR, UM, YOUR STRONG EFFORTS ON THE SOUTH SIDE, UH, LONG BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BUT ALSO IN PARTICULAR, UH, THE INCREDIBLE WORK, UH, ON THE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE TO LEAD UP TO THE READY FOR WORK ESSAY INITIATIVE. IT, UM, WAS CRITICAL, UH, AND MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME, UH, FOR YOUR PERSONAL INVESTMENT, CYNTHIA. UM, ALRIGHT, LEMME GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. OKAY, THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, MS. MATSON, I KNOW THAT, UM, THERE'S A GOOD RELATIONSHIP THAT'S BEEN DEVELOPED BETWEEN, UH, ALAMO COLLEGES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TEXAS A AND M. AND DO YOU THINK THAT ALTHOUGH A LOT OF THE ENERGY WE'RE PUTTING INTO THIS PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE ON, ON TRAINING AND AND CERTIFICATION, UH, RELATED TO JOBS THAT ARE OUT THERE, DO YOU STILL THINK THAT A LOT OF, UH, THAT, UH, CERTIFICATION WORK CAN EVENTUALLY BE EASILY TRANSFERRED INTO DEGREE WORK EVENTUALLY, UH, AT A A AND M? SO, I THINK THE HEART OF THE, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IMPACTED, THE DISPLACED WORKERS, THE 300 AND SOME ODD THOUSAND INDIVIDUALS, IS REALLY, UH, VITAL TO CREATE THIS GUIDED PATHWAY. SO THE STACKABLE CERTIFICATES THAT ARE OFFERED BY THE ALAMO COLLEGES DUE CREDENTIAL AND ARE TRANSFERABLE IN MOST CASES TO ACADEMIC CREDIT FOR A UNIVERSITY DEGREE. WE ALSO KNOW, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, ABOUT 33, 30 4,000 INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE IN THE DISPLACED WORKER CATEGORY HAD SOME COLLEGE CREDIT AND NO DEGREE. AND THIS IS OUTSIDE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD ALREADY EARNED A TWO YEAR DEGREE. SO THERE IS, UH, THOSE INDIVIDUALS, IN MY VIEW, HAVE A PROPENSITY TO COMPLETE THEIR DEGREES. BUT THESE CHALLENGES ARE DIFFICULT. IT DOES REQUIRE ONE-ON-ONE, UM, COUNSELING CONVERSATION, HOLISTIC SUPPORT AND, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEIR PREVIOUS ACADEMIC CREDIT WAS USED FOR AND HOW IT MIGHT BE USED TOWARDS COMPLETING A DEGREE HERE. SO, YES, A LONG-WINDED ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE ALAMO COLLEGES, AND I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A GOOD PATHWAY THERE FOR THOSE WITH STACKABLE CREDENTIALS AS WELL AS THOSE WHO ALREADY HAVE CREDIT. OKAY. THANK YOU, DR. MATSON. THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, MAYOR. THANK YOU DR. MATSON, UH, FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS, UM, TO, TO STEP UP AND, AND, AND APPLY FOR THIS POSITION. UM, MY QUESTION, AND, AND I THINK, UH, I, I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND WHAT YOU DO, BUT I WANT YOU TO, UH, LET OTHERS WHO MIGHT NOT BE AS FAMILIAR WITH YOUR WORK KNOW HOW YOU PUT EQUITY INTO ACTION, UM, AT YOUR UNIVERSITY AND, AND EVEN PERSONALLY. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INITIATIVES THAT THAT COME TO MIND. UM, ONE OF THOSE IS REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF TARGETED OR HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED OR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN THE PAST, AND WHAT THE NEEDS ARE TO PROVIDE AN EQUITABLE ACCESS TO, TO MOVE FORWARD. SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, MAYBE INDIVIDUALS, UM, WHO ARE FROM HISTORICALLY UNDERREPRESENTED ETHNIC OR RACE CATEGORIES, THOSE WHO MAY COME FROM SCHOOLS THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS HIGH PERFORMING AS OTHERS, AND THOSE WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE NETWORK AFFLUENCE BOTH IN THEIR HOUSEHOLD OR IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITIES, ARE A, A VITAL COMPONENT OF HOW WE ADDRESS HERE AT A AND M SAN ANTONIO, EVERY STUDENT THAT COMES THROUGH OUR FRONT DOOR. SO WE'VE TRIED TO BUILD INTO OUR D N A, THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CULTURAL [00:45:01] ASSETS AND THE UNIQUE ASSETS THAT AN INDIVIDUAL BRINGS, BUT HOW TO PROVIDE THAT LEVELING EXPERIENCE. WE DO A LOT OF THAT THROUGH WHAT IS KNOWN AS EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION, WHICH IN MAYBE LAYMAN TERMS MIGHT ALSO EQUIVALATE TO ON-THE-JOB TRAINING. SO THIS IS BASICALLY TAKING WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THE CLASSROOM AND APPLYING IT, UH, TOWARDS AN EXPERIENCE, UH, THAT WOULD HELP YOU UNDERSTAND AND PRACTICE WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW THROUGH YOUR OWN FAMILY HISTORY OR THROUGH YOUR WORK HISTORY. AND IT PROVIDES A GREAT LEVELING OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO ENVISION A BETTER FUTURE, HAVE THE TOOLS THAT THEY NEED FOR A BETTER FUTURE, AND BE READY FOR THAT NEXT STEP. AND JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW, AND FOR MYSELF PERSONALLY, AS, AS I'VE MENTIONED, UM, I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE. UM, I, I'M VERY, UH, BOTHERED ON, ON AN ALMOST DAILY BASIS WHEN I SEE PEOPLE WAITING FOR, FOR THE BUS IN ALL TYPES OF CONDITIONS. I SEE PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS OR PEOPLE WALKING WITH CANES TOWARDS A BUS STOP BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION THEY NEED TO FOR BASICS OF GROCERY SHOPPING, MEDICAL CARE, AND, AND WORK. SO I LIVE IT AND I UNDERSTAND IT. MATSON. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROSA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, DR. MATSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. YOU HAVE GIVEN US A VERY INSPIRING OPENING STATEMENT, UH, COULD PROBABLY BE USED TO PROMOTE THE WHOLE PROGRAM IN THE, IN THE YEARS, UH, FORWARD. UH, BUT I, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU, UH, A COUPLE OF THINGS. UH, NUMBER ONE, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE GOALS OF THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD? AND SECONDLY, THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS A LONG HISTORY. UH, THE COMMUNITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS A LONG HISTORY OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND AND HOW WILL YOU HELP US ACHIEVE THAT? THANK YOU. WELL, I, I THINK IN TERMS OF THE READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD, YOUR FIRST QUESTION, UM, THERE IS A REAL NEED, I THINK, TO SCAFFOLD, UH, WHAT THE PROGRAM WANTS TO ACHIEVE. AND SO I ALWAYS SAY TO THAT AS A C E O, YOU WANNA START WITH THE END IN MIND AND WORK BACKWARDS FROM THERE. SO WHETHER IT IS, UH, A POPULATION OF EDUCATED PEOPLE IN SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES, LET'S JUST TAKE IT BECAUSE THAT'S AN EASIER ONE TO SORT OF UNDERSTAND THAT IF OUR GOAL IS TO PRODUCE A PIPELINE OF A VARIETY OF IT WORKERS, AND I THINK THE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO, UH, JOB, UH, UH, CATEGORIES INDICATE THAT THERE ARE THOSE AT THE MICRO-CREDENTIAL LEVEL. SO THINK, THINK THINGS LIKE, UM, CISCO CERTIFICATES, FOR EXAMPLE, OR A A TWO YEAR TECHNICAL DEGREE, OR A BACHELOR'S DEGREE, OR UP INTO THE MANAGEMENT LEVELS. AND THEN THE NEW EMERGING DEGREES THAT ARE, ARE, OR EXCUSE ME, THE NEW EMERGING NEEDS THAT ARE COMING FROM WHAT I CALL THIS JUXTAPOSITION OF LIKE JUST IN TIME TRAINING AND, UH, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND HOW THAT OVERLAYS WITH IT. IT'S MORE PROCESS ENGINEERING OR PROCESS CONTROL, UM, TECHNOLOGY DEGREES THAT THE READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD COULD MAYBE NARROW IN ON WHERE DO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY IMPACT CHANGE, AND WHERE DO WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK OUT INDIVIDUALS, DISPLACED WORKERS WHO HAVE A PROPENSITY TO COMPLETE ON THIS PARTICULAR TRACK? AND I OFTEN SAY AT THE UNIVERSITY, WE CAN'T DO EVERYTHING FIRST, AND WE CAN'T ACHIEVE EVERYTHING WITHIN THIS FOUR YEAR PERIOD THAT WE'RE WE'RE LOOKING AT, WHICH IS ALSO SORT OF THE TIME IT TAKES TO COMPLETE A DEGREE. SO I, I THINK WE HAVE, I THINK THE BOARD HAS TO HELP PROVIDE SOME INSIGHTS TO THE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF WHAT IS ACHIEVABLE AND WHAT IS ACHIEVABLE WITHIN FOUR YEARS, KNOWING THAT IT WON'T BE EVERYTHING. UM, SO THAT THERE CAN BE SOME FOCUSED APPROACH TO ACTUALLY THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, UM, BY THE HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS WHO CAN BE IMPACTED AND HOW DOES THAT INTERSECT WITH THE ACTUAL WORKFORCE DEMANDS. AND ALL OF THOSE FACTORS HAVE TO COME TOGETHER TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY OR ELSE, UM, I THINK IT WILL BE A SHOT IN THE DARK WITHOUT MORE FOCUS. UM, THE SECOND THING, IN TERMS OF WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT, WELL, I THINK JUST THIS CONVERSATION HOLISTICALLY, WHEN, WHEN THE MAYOR BROUGHT SOME INDIVIDUALS TOGETHER TO EVEN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW CAN WE CHANGE OUR ECONOMIC FUTURE, HOW CAN WE CHANGE THE IMPACT OF POVERTY? HOW CAN WE CHANGE THE IMPACT OF EDUCATIONAL INEQUITIES THAT ARE NOW BEFORE US WITH THE PANDEMIC, UM, TO, TO COME TOGETHER AROUND TWO OR THREE THINGS. UM, SOME OF MY GREAT MENTORS HAVE ALWAYS SAID, WHEN YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE FOUR OR FIVE, SIX THINGS, IT REALLY CAN'T BE DONE. YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON THREE THINGS, I THINK, THAT ARE REALLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE. AND THEN FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS, GET ALL OF OUR ARROWS MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. THERE ARE PROBABLY OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE FUNDED [00:50:01] BY THE CITY AND COUNTY THAT ALSO SHOULD LOOK AT ALIGNMENT, AS WELL AS THAT WHAT'S BEING DONE BY MY, MY COLLEAGUES IN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION, THAT WE WOULD COME TO AGREEMENT ON WHAT WE THINK WE CAN DO, AND THEN HAVE MEASURES AND OUTCOMES TO HELP US GET THERE. BUT THIS IS HARD WORK. COUNCILWOMAN SANDOVAL, UM, HASN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE, AS YOU SAID. UH, AND THERE AREN'T ANY EASY ANSWERS. AND SO THE THINKING THAT GOES INTO THIS IS, IS VERY, GOING TO BE VERY CRITICAL IN DETERMINING THE OUTCOMES. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, IT, IT'S NOT EASY, BUT YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE YOU'VE GOT IT UNDER CONTROL WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS. SO I, I JUST LOVE THE WAY YOU'RE DELIVERING YOUR, YOUR RESPONSES. THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, DR. THY, IT'S A PLEASURE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, DR. MATSON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND ALL THE INVESTMENT, UH, AND ENERGY THAT YOU PUT INTO THIS. APPRECIATE YOUR APPLICATION AND, UM, YOU DON'T NEED TO STAY WITH US SINCE WE'RE NOT DOING DELIBERATIONS TODAY, BUT, UH, APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL. ALRIGHT, UH, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IS ALSO, UH, IN DEMAND OCCUPATION, LOCAL EMPLOYER, UM, TAKING OUT OF ORDER, UH, BECAUSE OF SCHEDULING. UM, SO IF I CAN HAVE, UH, ROSA SANTANA TO JOIN US, GO AHEAD AND, UM, HEAR FROM ROSA. OKAY, ROSA, I THINK YOU'RE GETTING CONNECTED NOW. IF YOU CAN HEAR US, UH, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES, UH, FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO TO, UH, COUNCIL DISCUSSION. AND, UM, AGAIN, AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW, YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG AROUND 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT DOING DELIBERATIONS TODAY, BUT VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR, UH, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP FORWARD AND BE PART OF THIS EFFORT. ROSA, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SO MY NAME IS ROSA SANTANA AND I'M THE C E O AND, UH, OWNER OF, UH, FOUR COMPANIES UNDER THE SANTANA GROUP. WE OPERATE, UH, IN THE US AND IN MEXICO. UM, BEFORE I, UH, BECAME AN ENTREPRENEUR 19 YEARS AGO, I, UM, WAS, AND I'M STILL IN THE STAFFING BUSINESS. WHAT THAT MEANS IS I PUT PEOPLE TO WORK. I'VE SPENT MY ENTIRE LIFE, UM, PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES OF DIFFERENT TYPES TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEKING EMPLOYMENT. AND, UH, FOR AT LEAST, UH, 15 OR 18 OF THESE YEARS, I'VE, UH, BEEN IN SOME SORT OF, UH, AN APPOINTED POSITION OR A VOLUNTEER POSITION ON THE WORKFORCE BOARDS. I SERVED AT THE UPPER RIO GRANDE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD IN EL PASO, WHICH IS WHERE I'M FROM ORIGINALLY. AND SHORTLY AFTER I MOVED TO SAN ANTONIO, I, UH, VOLUNTEERED TO, UH, SERVE ON THIS BOARD AS WELL. AND ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO, WHEN I BECAME THE FIRST HISPANIC WOMAN DIRECTOR, ONE TO DIRECTOR, ONE SUPPLIER TO TOYOTA, UH, BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, NEED TO SPEND A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TIME LEARNING THE AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS, PARTICULARLY THE MANUFACTURING BUSINESS, I, UM, STEPPED OFF THE BOARD AND, UH, DECIDED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, SPEND THE TIME, UH, DOING, YOU KNOW, WHAT I DO BEST. AND THAT'S CONTINUING TO PUT PEOPLE TO, TO WORK, TRAIN AND RETRAIN FOLKS. UM, I, UH, HAVE, UH, SHOWN INTEREST IN THIS, UH, ORGANIZATION OR IN THIS, UH, BOARD, UH, OR THIS COMMITTEE I SHOULD SAY, BECAUSE I REPRESENT TWO COMPANIES THAT ARE MINE INTEGRATED HUMAN CAPITAL AND, UH, AUTOMOTIVE. AND BOTH OF THEM ARE, UH, COMPANIES, UH, WITH INDEMAND OCCUPATIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MS. SANTANA, WE DO HAVE, UH, SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU. UH, LEMME START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. MS. SANTANA, IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU. FINALLY. YOU ARE A LOCAL LEGEND, UH, HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND PROBABLY IN EL PASO AS, AS WELL, OR THROUGHOUT TEXAS. I HAVE A, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. I'D LIKE TO HEAR YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT YOU SEE THE GOALS OF THE READY TO WORK PROGRAMS, ADVISORY BOARD BEING, AND SECONDLY, WE HAVE A HISTORY OF, UH, SOME LEVEL OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY. UH, THIS IS DIFFERENT AND I WANNA KNOW FROM YOU, HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT AND HOW WILL YOU HELP US ACHIEVE, UM, THAT SUCCESS? SO THANK YOU. OF COURSE. SO, UM, WHAT I SEE AS THE GOALS ARE, YOU KNOW, BEING EXTREMELY FOCUSED ON WHAT, UH, THIS WHOLE, UM, UM, UH, ENDEAVOR IS, RIGHT? SO WHEN, WHEN I THINK ABOUT, [00:55:01] UM, YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO AND, AND THE, THE LEVEL OF, OF EDUCATION HERE, THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT WE SEEK TO EMPLOY AND PLACE IN POSITIONS, UH, THAT ARE HIGHER LEVEL, I MEAN, WE'RE, I THINK WE ALL KNOW, RIGHT, THAT WE'RE NOT THERE. AND SO I THINK THE GOALS NEED TO BE VERY, VERY FOCUSED ON REALLY DEVELOPING, UH, SKILL SETS AND NOT JUST EMPLOYING PEOPLE, OR NOT JUST MOVING PEOPLE FROM ONE JOB TO ANOTHER. I THINK WHAT WE, WHAT WE DO AS EMPLOYERS IS WE TRAIN AND RETRAIN PEOPLE. WE DON'T NECESSARILY FOCUS ON DEVELOPING PEOPLE. AND I THINK THAT SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE, TRULY DEVELOPING THE SKILL SETS SO THAT WE CAN PUT 'EM IN HIGHER PAYING JOBS. SO I THINK THAT THAT IS, UH, WHAT I, THE FOCUS SHOULD BE. I'M SORRY, WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND QUESTION? SURE. THANK YOU. UM, IT WAS, UH, WE HAVE A HISTORY OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM IS GOING TO BE ANY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE? OR DO YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT, AND HOW WILL WE ACHIEVE THAT? THANK YOU. SO I DO THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT. UH, AND I THINK IT'S UP TO THIS, UH, COMMITTEE TO MAKE IT DIFFERENT, RIGHT? UH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MEANS A LOT OF THINGS. AND, UH, AND I THINK THAT, UH, WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN, UH, THE, AT LEAST THE TWO BOARDS THAT, UH, THAT I'VE, UH, SERVED ON IS WE FOCUS A LOT ON, UH, FINDING PEOPLE OR, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, GETTING PEOPLE WHO GO ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND TAKING THEM, MAYBE DEVELOPING A LITTLE BIT OF, OF THE SKILLSET AND THEN PUTTING THEM TO WORK. I DON'T KNOW THAT WE TAKE MORE TIME AND TAKE THEM THROUGH A VERY, VERY STRUCTURED PROGRAM TO TRULY DEVELOP THEM TO BE HIGHER, UH, HIGHER, UM, WAGE EARNERS. I THINK THE, THE, THE DIFFERENCE NEEDS TO BE THAT, THAT THERE'S GOTTA BE MORE THAN JUST, UM, A 90 DAY TRAINING PROGRAM. AND HERE WE GO. UM, YOU'VE GOT A CERTIFICATE. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS MORE THAN, AND I, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN I SEE WHAT, UH, WHAT THE PLAN IS, YOU KNOW, TO, UH, HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE DONE OR, OR SO MANY PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH THIS, THROUGH THIS PROGRAM PER YEAR, I THINK THAT'S GREAT. BUT I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YEAR AFTER YEAR WE COME BACK AND WE LOOK AT WHAT ARE THOSE FIRST PEOPLE THAT FIRST GROUP OF PEOPLE DOING? HAVE WE ACHIEVED WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE ACHIEVED, RIGHT? AND, UH, SO I THINK THAT AT THE VERY BEGINNING, WE REALLY NEED TO SET SOME REALLY GOOD GOALS AND, AND REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT DOES THAT, THAT TIMELINE LOOK FOR, LOOK LIKE? AND, AND WHEN DO WE GO BACK TO, TO CHECK TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE GOT WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO GET, AND THAT WE AS A COMMUNITY, UH, HAVE DONE OUR JOB. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. SANTANA. IT'S A PLEASURE TO, TO HEAR YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THIS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MS. SANTANA, OR THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, LET'S GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, MAYOR. THANK YOU MS. SANTANA, FOR YOUR INTEREST. AND I, UM, AM PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN YOUR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE. I THINK THAT, THAT YOU, UM, BRING WHAT, UH, WOULD BRING WHAT WE NEED AS FAR AS WHO ARE WE ACTUALLY HIRING, WHO'S ACTUALLY GETTING HIRED, HOW DO MAKE SURE THESE PEOPLE GET HIRED? AND SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. MY QUESTION TO YOU, THERE'S A FEW, AND YOU'VE SERVED ON MANY COMMITTEES AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE THROUGHOUT. ONE OF THEM WAS THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION. UH, YOU'VE SERVED ON, ON VARIOUS CHAMBERS AND IN PARTICULAR, YOU, UM, ALSO, UH, WERE A PART OF THE SAN ANTONIO WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO BOARD. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU LEARNED, UM, FROM THAT EXPERIENCE AND, AND HOW YOU WOULD TAKE MAYBE THE STRENGTHS OR PERHAPS THEIR WEAKNESSES, UH, AND APPLY IT TO, TO THIS PROGRAM? SO, UM, LET ME MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION. YOU, YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT I LEARNED FROM MY EXPERIENCE AT THE BOARD? OKAY. I WILL, UH, TELL YOU THAT, UM, WHAT I LEARNED WAS THAT THERE WAS A GREAT COMMITMENT, UH, FROM THAT BOARD TO, TO GET THE WORK THAT THAT BOARD IS SUPPOSED TO DO DONE. BUT I CAN ALSO TELL YOU THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF POLITICAL, UM, IN FIGHTING AND, UH, AND IT WAS, UH, NOT FUN. UM, I, UH, I CAN, I, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF WHO VOLUNTEER OUR TIME, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BUSINESS OWNERS. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN OUR OWN BUSINESSES. WE VOLUNTEER OUR TIME, YOU KNOW, UM, ANY TIME THAT I VOLUNTEERED FOR ANY BOARD, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE WORK OF THE BOARD IS DONE. [01:00:01] THAT THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION IS, IS, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WORK TOWARDS THAT MISSION. AND WHEN YOU START GETTING, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THIS POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, I, IT, IT'S VERY, UM, DEFLATING, I GUESS. BECAUSE I, I STARTED TO FEEL LIKE I WAS GOING TO THESE MEETINGS, UH, AND NOT NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, ACCOMPLISHING ANYTHING. NOT ME PERSONALLY, BUT THE GROUP. SO I BROUGHT IT UP A COUPLE OF TIMES AND, AND THINGS, YOU KNOW, CHANGED AROUND A LITTLE BIT, BUT THERE, THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING WRONG. AND, AND, AND FOR ME, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON THE END RESULT, RIGHT? WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE? AND, AND LET'S STAY FOCUSED AND, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WORK TOWARDS THOSE GOALS TO GET THOSE THINGS ACHIEVED. SO I GUESS IF YOU CAN, UH, IF, IF, IF I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, STAY AWAY FROM THE POLITICS AND, AND, AND WORK TOWARDS OUR MISSION AND, AND, AND WHAT THE MISSION OF THIS ORGANIZATION IS. SANTANA, YOU'VE ANSWERED THAT PERFECTLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER R GARCIA. UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MS. SANHA? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ROSA. IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AND, AND, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY. ALRIGHT, UM, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO OUR, UH, ORDER HERE AND THE NEXT, UH, LOCAL EMPLOYER IN INDEMAND. OCCUPATION APPLICANT IS AARON ASEL AEL. UM, AND HE IS ON THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE NORTH, UH, SA CHAMBER. UM, SO MR. ASEL, ARE YOU, YOU'RE CONNECTED. OKAY, GREAT. UM, YOU'LL HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO AROUND WITH QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO, TO, UH, BE PART OF THIS EFFORT, MR. AEL AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR. HELLO. AND GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS AARON AOL. I'M A C P A AND I OWN A L ASSOCIATES, A FULL SERVICE ACCOUNTING FIRM IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, WE HAVE A BROAD BASE OF CLIENTELE THAT WE WORK WITH, UH, WHICH EXPOSES ME TO INDUSTRIES SUCH AS BIOTECH, HEALTHCARE, CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING. AND IT, I'D LIKE TO START TODAY BY THANKING EVERYONE FOR THEIR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. I BELIEVE THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF MANY SAN ANTONIONS. I SENSE THAT READY TO WORK IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A MOVEMENT FOCUSED ON INVESTING IN INDIVIDUALS AND ALSO ATTRACTING COMPANIES TO SET DOWN ROOTS OR REMAIN IN SAN ANTONIO. IF DONE RIGHT, WE CAN POSITION SAN ANTONIO AT THE FOREFRONT OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND CREATE A MODEL FOR THE REST OF THE NATION. WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE HARD PART OVER WITH. AND BY THAT I MEAN GETTING APPROVAL FOR THE FUNDING. AND, UH, NOW WE CAN FOCUS ON MAKING THE PROGRAM AS EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE. I THINK WE HAVE SOMETHING BIG HERE AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE IT IN ACTION AND NOW YIELD THE FLOOR FOR ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. GREAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. AEL. UM, WE'LL GO NOW FIRST TO COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. I GET TO GO FIRST BECAUSE THEY NEVER PUT DOWN MY HAND. . I'LL GIVE THAT IN MIND. UM, UH, MR. AZEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION. UH, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. NUMBER ONE, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE AS THE GOALS OF THE READY TO WORK ADVISORY BOARD? AND THEN I'LL ASK THE NEXT ONE 'CAUSE PEOPLE SEEM TO FORGET IT AFTER. ABSOLUTELY. AFTER THEY ANSWER THE FIRST ONE. MM-HMM. . ALRIGHT. SO WHAT WE'VE SEEN, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF MEETINGS SO FAR, PRETTY MUCH MONTHLY TRYING TO GET ALL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER FOR READY TO WORK. AND I FEEL LIKE WE HAVE ALL OF THE RESOURCES WE NEED, BUT WE NEED TO GET EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE AND WORK TOGETHER AND HAVE A, A COHESIVE ORGANIZATION HERE. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I PERSONALLY AM PASSIONATE ABOUT AND I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO THE ADVISORY BOARD. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ON THE ADVISORY BOARD THAT'LL BE SIMILAR GOALS TO THAT. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE INITIAL GOAL IS GETTING EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, THE COMMUNITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS A HISTORY OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS. UM, SOMEONE, UH, JUST BEFORE YOU HAD SERVED ON THE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO BOARD, UH, THERE'S A PROGRAM CALLED PROJECT QUEST, MANY OTHERS. UM, WHAT SHOULD BE DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND HOW WILL WE GET THERE? SO I, [01:05:01] I SEE A COUPLE DIFFERENCES IN THIS PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, FOR ME, THIS PROGRAM IS REALLY TO ELEVATE PEOPLE'S SKILLS AND INCREASE THEIR WAGES. AND WHEN I LOOK AT ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS, THEY'RE DOING GREAT THINGS, UH, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A LARGER ORGANIZATION THAT THEY'RE MANAGING. YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A LARGE PROGRAM FOR IN DEMAND JOBS AS WELL. SO, YOU KNOW, I I THINK WHERE EVERYBODY CONNECTS TOGETHER ON THIS, WHETHER IT'S PROJECT QUEST OR THE THE BEXAR COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE ORGANIZATION, IS THAT THIS IS THE GOAL TO, TO BASICALLY TAKE THE CURRENT WORKFORCE, IMPROVE SKILLS AND IMPROVE WAGES, WHICH I THINK WILL, WILL BENEFIT NOT JUST BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS, BUT ALL OF SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU MR. AZEL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU MR. HAZEL FOR, YOU KNOW, PUTTING YOUR, YOUR NAME FORWARD. I, I NOTE THAT YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE, UH, HEALTHCARE BIOSCIENCES AREA, UH, IN A VOLUNTARY CAPACITY, A BOARD MEMBER. UH, WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS PROGRAM FITTING INTO YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THOSE AREAS? SURE. AND YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WOULD BE JUST THE VOLUNTEER SIDE. UM, WE ACTUALLY WORK WITH A LOT OF CLIENTS THAT ARE IN, IN THE LIFE SCIENCE AND BIOTECH SPACE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, UH, THIS YEAR I WAS DRIVING AROUND TOWN WITH A CLIENT THAT WAS LOOKING FOR SOME LAND TO BUY AND MOVE THEIR MANUFACTURING FROM CALIFORNIA TO SAN ANTONIO. AND IN DOING SO, WOULD PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, YOU KNOW, A NEED FOR A LOT OF TECHNICIANS IN, IN THE MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURING SPACE. SO, YOU KNOW, FOR ME, THE BIGGEST GOAL THAT I'VE SEEN, AND YOU KNOW, I I, I HAVEN'T BEEN IN SAN ANTONIO MY WHOLE LIFE. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT EIGHT YEARS. AND, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THE PROGRESSION IN THOSE EIGHT YEARS, AND I KNOW THAT IT'S COME A LOT FURTHER, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I WAS EVEN HERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ALL WANT TO HAVE SAN ANTONIO REMAIN SAN ANTONIO, BUT ALSO ADVANCE AND BRING A LOT OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES INTO TOWN. AND I THINK BY PUTTING THAT WORKFORCE BASE AS A PRIORITY AND MAKING THAT AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SEE COMPANIES, UH, LIKE WE'RE SEEING IN AUSTIN, WHICH WE'RE ALREADY SEEING IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THERE'S MORE OPPORTUNITY IN THE, IN THE FUTURE AND WE CAN CON CONTINUE TO DO THAT. DO YOU BELIEVE THERE'S A STRONG NEED IN, UH, BIOSCIENCE AND HEALTHCARE AREA, UH, THROUGH THIS TRAINING PROGRAM? HAVE YOU, UH, SEEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT JOBS THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND THE, THE NEED TO FILL THOSE JOBS? I WOULD, I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BIOTECH SPACE IN SAN ANTONIO HAS GONE THROUGH SOME CYCLES HERE. AND, YOU KNOW, ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO THERE WAS A LOT OF INVESTMENT GOING ON. IT'S KIND OF TAPERED OFF A LITTLE BIT, BUT I THINK IT'S PICKING UP, UP AGAIN. SO, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE GONNA START SEEING A LARGER NEED FOR, YOU KNOW, TECHNICIANS AND PEOPLE TRAINED IN, IN THAT SPHERE, WHETHER IT'S SCIENTISTS AS WELL. NOW IT, IT'S KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU PUT FIRST? RIGHT? YOU KNOW, IT IS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TROUBLE ATTRACTING COMPANIES TO TOWN IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT TALENT ALREADY HERE. SO I THINK IF WE CAN HEAD A LITTLE BIT AND, AND START THE BALL MOVING ON THAT, THEN IT'S GONNA LEAD TO MORE COMPANIES COMING INTO TOWN AND BEING ATTRACTED TO SAN ANTONIO. OKAY. NO MORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, MAYOR. THANK YOU. MR. AEL. I'M GOING TO BE ASKING A QUESTION DIRECTLY FROM SOMETHING THAT YOU, UM, UH, THAT YOU ANSWERED IN YOUR APPLICATION. AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU'RE THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR FOR THE NORTH SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. AND IN YOUR, UM, APPLICATION, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOUR GOAL WAS, UM, BRINGING TOGETHER ALL PLAYERS IN THE, IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. YOU ALSO MENTIONED CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE ALL VOICES ARE CONSIDERED. UM, CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU HAVE, UM, MAYBE DONE THIS AT THE NORTH SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND HOW YOU WOULD, UH, RECOMMEND THAT WE DO THIS AS, AS PART OF THE ESSAY READY TO WORK? ABSOLUTELY. SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH THE, THE WORKFORCE COMMITTEE IS WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS ALL THE PLAYERS IN THE GAME, YOU KNOW, FROM THE WORKFORCE AGENCIES TO, YOU KNOW, ADVOCACY GROUPS. AND JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, OUR NEXT MEETING WE'RE GONNA, OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE PROJECT QUEST, UH, COME IN AND SPEAK, AND THEN ALSO SOMEBODY FROM THE ALAMO COLLEGES, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, FOR US, I, THE FIRST STEP IS TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE PROCESS, [01:10:01] AND THEN WE CAN IDENTIFY WHAT'S NEEDED. SO THUS FAR WHAT WE'VE DETERMINED IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BRING EVERYONE TOGETHER AND WE NEED TO GET A PLAN IN PLACE AND THEN HAVE A CENTRAL LOCATION WHERE WE CAN TAKE THE DATA THAT'S COMING IN. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WORKFORCE AGENCIES ARE DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN FOCUS. AND, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU'RE SOMEONE WHO'S GOING IN AND, AND TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE PROGRAM, IT'S, IT'S DISAGGREGATED. AT THIS POINT, I'D LIKE TO HAVE ONE ENTRY POINT WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO TO GET INFORMATION ON, HEY, LOOK, THIS IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE GONE INTO THIS PROGRAM AND THIS INDUSTRY AND THIS, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PLACED AND LANDED, AND HERE'S WHAT THEIR SALARY'S BEEN. SO I THINK THAT TO ME WOULD BE AN INITIAL GOAL. BUT I, YOU KNOW, I AGREE THAT, AND WHEN I SAY WE HAVE ALL THE RESOURCES, WHAT I'M REFERRING TO IS WE ALREADY HAVE ESSENTIALLY THE INFRASTRUCTURE. WE JUST HAVE TO CONNECT IT TOGETHER. MR. AEL, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION, MAYOR, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, UH, MR. AEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR, UH, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO BE PART OF THIS AND, AND FOR, UH, THE DISCUSSION TODAY. VERY HELPFUL. AND, UM, YOU DON'T NEED TO STICK AROUND SINCE WE'RE NOT DELIBERATING TODAY, UH, BUT WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING YOU BACK. ALRIGHT, GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYONE. GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO, UH, OUR NEXT, UM, LOCAL EMPLOYER APPLICANT. UH, LEMME BRING UP KAREN BRYANT. KAREN IS ALSO A, UH, NORTH CHAMBER BOARD MEMBER. HI, KAREN, CAN YOU HEAR US? I THINK WE'RE, YOU'RE MUTED. OKAY. SORRY. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? GREAT. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. OKAY, GREAT. UM, WE'LL, UH, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND, UH, TO THE COMMITTEE WITH QUESTIONS. UH, AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW, YOU DON'T NEED TO STICK AROUND 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT DELIBERATING TODAY. WE'LL DO THAT AT THE NEXT SESSION. SO, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE AND STEP FORWARD, UH, TO LEADERSHIP. UH, SO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. OKAY. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS KAREN BRYANT. I'M, I'M HONORED TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE READY TO WORK TASK FORCE. I ALSO WANNA THANK YOU FOR INVITING KEY BUSINESSES AND KEY INDUSTRIES TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT VENTURE. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE AS MANY PERSPECTIVES INCLUDED AS WE TACKLE THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET MORE PEOPLE BACK INTO THE WORKFORCE. COVID HAS IMPACTED ALL OF US PERSONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY, AND I CAN'T IMAGINE THE ANGST, THE PRESSURE, AND THE HOPELESSNESS MANY PEOPLE ARE FEELING DUE TO THE LOSS OF WORK. EMPLOYMENT PROVIDES A SENSE OF PRIDE AND A SENSE OF INDEPENDENCE. WE NEED TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO GET FOLKS WHO ARE INTERESTED BACK INTO THE WORKFORCE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE WORKED IN HEALTHCARE, IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY FOR OVER 15 YEARS, AND MUCH OF MY TIME HAS BEEN SPENT IN THE HOSPITALS MANAGING VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS. UM, SO I KNOW FIRSTHAND ABOUT THE NEED TO STAFF AND HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO FIND, UM, GOOD QUALIFIED CLINICIANS AND, AND TECHS AND PHARMACY TECHS AND, AND THE LIKE. UM, TODAY I DO MORE WORK ON THE STRATEGY SIDE OF THINGS AND, AND HELPING GROW, UH, GROW OUR BUSINESS. I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO BE RAISED IN THIS WONDERFUL CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND I HAVE ALSO BEEN BLESSED TO WORK FOR SEVERAL OF THE HEALTH SYSTEMS HERE. I I'M CURRENTLY WORKING WITH CHRISTUS SANTA ROSA, BUT ALSO WORKED WITH METHODIST HEALTH SYSTEM AND UNIVERSITY HEALTH SYSTEM AS WELL. UM, WITH HEALTHCARE BEING SUCH A SMALL INDUSTRY, I REALLY DO REMAIN CLOSE TO THOSE COLLEAGUES IN THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. AND SO A BENEFIT OF SELECTING ME TO SERVE ON THE COMMITTEE IS THAT I'M NOT ONLY GONNA SPEAK FOR CHRISTUS AND, AND OUR NEEDS, UM, BUT ALSO REALLY REPRESENT THE NEEDS OF ALL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN SAN ANTONIO. AS I THINK ABOUT THE FOCUS OF THE READY TO WORK TASKFORCE, I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO TAP INTO MANY EXISTING PROGRAMS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR HEALTHCARE. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH PROJECT QUEST ON IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND MATCHING THE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO THOSE NEEDS. I ALSO THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP MORE BRIDGE PROGRAMS FOR THOSE THAT HAVE A HIGHER DEGREE, BUT AS A RESULT OF A JOB LOSS ARE INTERESTED IN A NEW CAREER. BUT STARTING FROM GROUND ZERO WITH A TRAINING PROGRAM JUST ISN'T APPEALING. UM, SO, SO LOOKING AT THAT OPTION AS WELL, I WOULD JUST CLOSE BY SAYING I SEE THE GREAT POTENTIAL WE HAVE AS A COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND TACKLE THIS, UM, GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET MORE PEOPLE BACK IN THE WORKFORCE OUTSIDE OF MY REGULAR ABILITY TO VOTE. THIS IS REALLY THE FIRST TIME TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE AFFAIRS OF GOVERNMENT. UM, BUT I DO SEE HOW MY EXPERTISE AND MY RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS WOULD PROVIDE SOME BENEFIT TO THE READY TO WORK TASK FORCE. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, [01:15:01] MS. BRYANT. UM, LET'S GO RIGHT INTO QUESTIONS NOW. WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE MAYOR. THANK YOU MS. BRIAN FOR STEPPING FORWARD AND OFFERING YOUR, YOUR SERVICE ON THIS COMMITTEE. UH, I I FEEL THAT, UM, YOU'VE GOT A, A GREAT GROUND IN ONE OF THE AREAS OF CONCERN TO US AS A CITY, UH, HEALTHCARE. I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE SOME, WELL, LET ME JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, I WAS A TEACHER FOR A LONG TIME IN SAN ANTONIO, AND I KNOW MANY OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, PARTICULARLY S A I SS D HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMS TO LEAD INTO HEALTHCARE AND NURSING. UH, AND, AND NOW WE'VE GOT STEM PROGRAMS AND A LOT OF, A LOT OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS THAT ARE LEADING INTO MEDICINE AND, AND THAT AREA. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, OR HAVE HAD A LOT OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT TRAIN PEOPLE INTO HEALTHCARE. AND, AND, AND IN THAT GENERAL AREA, UH, BASED ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THOSE THINGS AND YOUR EXPERIENCE, CAN YOU TELL US IF THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT ENTRY POSITIONS THAT THIS PROGRAM SHOULD TRY TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO? IF WE'RE GOING TO BUILD ON, ON HEALTHCARE AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS OVERALL WORKFORCE PROGRAM, ARE THERE A HANDFUL OF STARTING PLACES THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ARE AVAILABLE TO GET PEOPLE GOING IN THESE TRACKS? YES, CERTAINLY. I THINK THAT, UM, FROM A HOSPITAL PERSPECTIVE, AREAS THAT ARE ENTRY LEVEL AND CAN GET, UM, THE APPLICANT'S EXPOSURE TO, TO MORE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE WHAT WE CALL UNIT CLERKS. UM, THOSE ARE FOLKS THAT REALLY DO MORE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS, UH, ON THE FLOORS, ON THE NURSING FLOORS WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, CLINICS. IT COULD BE A FRONT DESK REGISTRATION PERSON. AGAIN, IT DOESN'T TAKE A SKILL. IT, IT'S GONNA BE MORE OF, UM, JUST SOMEBODY WILLING TO WORK AND DO A GREAT JOB AND BE HIGHLY ORGANIZED. BUT, UM, IT DOESN'T REQUIRE A, A LICENSE, UH, IN ORDER TO GET INTO SOME OF THOSE ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS. WOULD YOU SAY THOSE CAN LEAD TO OTHER, UH, HIGHER LEVEL POSITIONS ALONG THE WAY? AND WHAT'S THE KIND OF SALARY RANGE THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE LOOKING AT AT SOME OF THOSE ENTRY LEVELS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? IT DEFINITELY WILL LEAD TO, UH, MORE OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITH, AND I KNOW MY ORGANIZATION AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A, YOU KNOW, WE SUPPORT, UM, TUITION REIMBURSEMENT FOR HEALTHCARE RELATED, UM, PROGRAMS AND, AND SCHOLARSHIPS. AND THAT REALLY INCENTIVIZE THOSE TO SEEK HIGHER DEGREES. SO THERE IS DEFINITELY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR UPWARD MOBILITY, UM, WITH THOSE POSITIONS. UH, AGAIN, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE SALARY BASIS ARE FOR THAT? 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, PART OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PUT PEOPLE INTO HOPEFULLY HIGHER INCOME LEVELS THAN THEY MAY HAVE BEEN COMING FROM IF THEY WERE IN HOSPITALITY, RESTAURANTS, SERVICE INDUSTRY, LIKE COUNTER SALES OR THINGS LIKE THAT. YEAH, I MEAN, THE, THE, IT WOULD RANGE, I THINK FROM, UM, THE, THE, THE POSITION THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE GOING INTO. UM, I WOULD SAY THAT FROM A HOSPITAL PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OF A HIGHER RATE THAN YOU WOULD IN A CLINIC. UM, AND ALSO THE TIME, THE TYPE OF SHIFT. SO IF IT'S MORE OF A NIGHT SHIFT VERSUS DAY, THERE'S ALSO A PREMIUM TO BE PAID HERE AS WELL. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL. MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, UM, MS. BRIAN FOR YOUR APPLICATION AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. YOU AND, AND THE TEAM OVER AT CHRISTUS. HE BEEN, UM, WONDERFUL DURING THIS TIME OF NEED AND, AND IT DOESN'T GO UNNOTICED. UM, I APPRECIATED YOUR, UH, RESPONSE ABOUT MATCHING THE LABOR NEEDS OF LOCAL INDUSTRIES, UM, AND YOU WERE VERY HONEST AND, AND REMINDING US THAT THE SUPPLY, UH, THAT IT CAN'T BE ACHIEVED IF THE SUPPLY IS NOT THERE. SO, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, TO THAT POINT, YOU ALSO MENTIONED, UM, PROVIDING MOTIVATED INDIVIDUALS ACCESS TO EDUCATION TO INCREASE THEIR SKILLS AS A MO AS A MUST. MY QUESTION, UM, RELATES AROUND THAT. AND SO FOR, FOR SOME YEARS, UH, IN PAST YEARS, MAYBE MORE THAN NOW, UH, SOME OF OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR CREAMING. AND SO I'M WONDERING WHAT ABOUT THOSE NOT MOTIVATED? HOW DO WE REACH THOSE THAT HAVE NOT, UM, SOUGHT HELP? IS THERE, UH, ANY RECOMMENDATION, UM, THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, UH, IN, INTO HOW TO GET OTHERS INVOLVED THAT JUST HAVEN'T TAKEN THAT STEP FORWARD? BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UM, THERE, THERE'S, THERE'S MANY PEOPLE THAT CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS. AND [01:20:01] ANYTHING THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME SOME, SOME INSIGHT ON, ON WHAT YOU WOULD DO, UH, TO RECOMMEND THIS, I KNOW IN YOUR POSITION AS VP OF STRATEGY IS PROBABLY IMPORTANT TO YOU. SO I, I FIGURED I'D ASK A QUESTION BASED ON STRATEGY. YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S BACK TO YOUR, YOUR POINT OF MATCHING, UM, THE SKILL AND THE DESIRE REALLY TO THAT, TO THAT POSITION. AND SO IT MIGHT JUST BE THAT THEY'RE NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN HEALTHCARE. UM, WE HAVE EVERY, YOU KNOW, WHEN, AGAIN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE HOSPITAL AND HOW WE, WE OPERATE, WE DO HAVE FOOD SERVICE WORKERS THERE, RIGHT? THAT DELIVER FOOD TO THE PATIENT. SO THERE'S, THERE'S THAT PIECE OF IT ALL THE WAY TO, LIKE I SAID, THE REGISTERED, UH, NURSE. AND SO IT MIGHT JUST BE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE REALLY OUT THERE AND HOW THAT MIGHT THEN FIT THEIR INTERESTS. MS. RYAN, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION, MAYOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER R GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, UH, MS. BRYANT, I ACTUALLY HAVE A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS, UH, FOR YOU. I'M SO EXCITED THAT YOU'RE, UH, COMING IN REPRESENTING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY. ONE THING THAT I WAS, UH, POTENTIALLY EXCITED ABOUT WITH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM WAS THE POTENTIAL OF ADDRESSING THE NURSING SHORTAGE IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, COULD YOU, WHICH WE KNOW NURSING JOBS WHILE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, ARE ALSO, UH, REALLY A PATHWAY TO THE MIDDLE CLASS FOR, UH, FOR OUR POPULATION. COULD YOU SPEAK TO, UM, YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE NURSING SHORTAGE AND THE POTENTIAL OF THIS PROGRAM ADDRESSING THAT? YEAH, SO, UM, I WOULD SAY THAT WE, EVEN BEFORE, UM, THE WHOLE TIME I'VE BEEN IN HEALTHCARE THERE, THERE HAS BEEN A NURSING SHORTAGE. I THINK PART OF THE ISSUE AND, AND TO THE BENEFIT, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL POSITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN OPENED UP OUTSIDE OF THE BEDSIDE OF NURSING CARE THAT HAVE ATTRACTED HIGHLY QUALIFIED NURSES. AND SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. UM, BUT IT HAS PULLED NURSES AWAY FROM THE BEDSIDE, WHICH HAS CREATED A, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR US, UM, WITHIN THE HOSPITALS AND, AND HEALTHCARE. SO I'D SAY THAT'S PROBABLY A BIG DRIVER TO, TO, THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR REGISTERED NURSES TO DO CASE MANAGEMENT OR TO GET INTO REGULATORY COMPLIANCE OR OTHER AREAS THAT HAVE, AGAIN, KIND OF PULLED 'EM AWAY FROM THE BEDSIDE. UM, SO, SO THAT'S, I GUESS, ONE ISSUE THERE. UM, WE CONTINUE TO FOCUS IN ON OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS, UM, AND, AND THOSE THAT ARE, UM, FEEDING, UM, THAT EDUCATION PIPELINE. WE HAVE, UM, TRAINING PROGRAMS WHERE THEY'LL DO, UM, TRAINING WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION IN ORDER TO GET THOSE, THOSE CLINICAL SKILLS UP BEFORE THEY GRADUATE. SO WE'RE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THAT. AND I JUST THINK THAT WE NEED TO ALLOW FOR MORE, UM, SEATS WITHIN THE SCHOOLS, UH, TO ALLOW FOR MORE STUDENTS TO COME IN CLINICAL, ACADEMIC, UM, UH, PROGRAMS. I, I DO FEEL LIKE THAT'S AN ISSUE, IS THAT THERE JUST AREN'T ENOUGH. THERE ISN'T ENOUGH ROOM IN THE CLASSROOMS IN ORDER TO TRAIN, UH, THE NURSES THAT, THAT WANT TO, UM, APPLY AND BE GOOD QUALIFIED NURSES. THANK YOU. SO, UM, I GUESS IT'S TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THE SEATS AT THE CLASSROOM IS SOMETHING THAT THIS ADVISORY BOARD CAN, CAN ADDRESS OR, OR NOT. I I GUESS IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE DISCUSSIONS THAT, THAT YOU HAVE. BUT I'M, I'M GLAD TO HEAR YOUR INSIGHT, UH, ON THAT. UM, I DO HAVE A ANOTHER QUESTION FOR YOU. UH, THERE'S A, A HISTORY OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED, UH, SOME OF THE LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS THAT YOU WORK WITH ON THAT. UM, THERE'S PROJECT QUEST, THERE'S WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, OTHER PROGRAMS. UH, HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE DIFFERENT OR SHOULD BUILD PERHAPS ON, UH, ON THE WORK OF THE OTHERS? YEAH, I MEAN, HOPEFULLY WE CAN BUILD UPON IT AND BRING, UM, I MEAN, IDEALLY YOU WANNA BRING ALL OF THOSE VARIOUS ENTITIES TOGETHER TO ACCOMPLISH THE ONE GOAL, WHICH IS, IS GETTING PEOPLE BACK TO WORK. UM, THAT'S JUST GONNA BE INCUMBENT UPON EACH OF THE ORGANIZATIONS TO REALLY, UM, DO JUST THAT AND SEE WHERE THERE'S SOME COMMON GROUND, UM, TO WORK TOGETHER. I GUESS I GO BACK TO REALLY IDENTIFYING WHAT THE SKILLS WITH THE NEEDS ARE WITHIN THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY, AND THEN GOING BACK TO THE SCHOOLS OR THE TRAINING PROGRAMS AND ENSURING THAT THERE'S THAT MATCH THERE. UM, I THINK IT, IT DOES OCCUR, BUT IT DOES, TO MY POINT EARLIER, WE PROBABLY NEED MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MORE STUDENTS TO ENTER INTO THE CLASSROOM TO GET THE EDUCATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. [01:25:01] COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. THANK YOU, UH, SO MUCH FOR, UM, YOUR, UH, WILLINGNESS TO, TO SERVE ON THE BOARD. AND, AND, UH, I'M, I'M A COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DISTRICT FIVE. UH, AND, UM, ONE THING I KNOW ABOUT SOME OF THE DRAFT DEMOGRAPHICS OF MY COMMUNITY IS THAT THE NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY, UH, UH, FOR PEOPLE WORKING, UM, IS IN HOME HEALTHCARE. UH, YET WE ALSO KNOW THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE LOWEST PAYING INDUSTRIES THAT EXISTS. UM, AND THAT ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IT'S DONE BY WOMEN. UM, I DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS, UM, ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I, I I OF THIS IS THAT WE ARE EDUCATING PEOPLE, UM, SO THAT THEY'RE NO LONGER IN THIS LOW, LOW PAYING JOB, BUT THE REALITY IS IT'S, IT'S AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT JOB. UH, AND SO I THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE CALL ON THE PRIVATE INDUSTRY TO ALSO HELP US RAISE THOSE WAGES. WAGES, UM, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ASKED, UH, COURAGE ASKED YOU THE QUESTION A NUMBER OF TIMES REGARDING WAGES. UH, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? UM, I KNOW IT'S A RATHER BROAD QUESTION, BUT IT REALLY IS AT THE HEART OF, UM, WHAT I BELIEVE THIS IS IMPORTANT IS TO INCREASE WAGES FOR PEOPLE, UH, IN, IN, UM, JOBS THAT WE KNOW ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, DOES HEALTHCARE, HOME HEALTHCARE, UH, AGE OH, EMPLOYEES HELP PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR HOMES, BUT THEY DON'T END UP GOING NURSING HOMES. AND SO, UH, DO YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT, UM, PERHAPS INCREASING WAGES IN THOSE JOBS? YEAH, SO I GUESS THAT, THAT BRINGS UP A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS. UM, I HAVE TWO OLDER PARENTS AND, AND THEY BOTH HAVE HAD SOME HEALTHCARE ISSUES, UH, THIS PAST YEAR. AND HOME HEALTH HAS BEEN A, A NEED FOR US. AND IT'S ALSO BEEN VERY INTERESTING TO NAVIGATE THROUGH AND, UM, NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND THE QUALIFIED PEOPLE TO COME TO, UM, TO, TO, TO WORK WITH THEM IN THE HOME. AND I, I MEAN, I, I GUESS THE, THE UGLY SIDE OF OF HEALTHCARE IS THAT, UM, SO MUCH OF OUR PRIORITIES ARE SET ON HOW WE GET PAID, UH, THROUGH, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS, UM, YOU KNOW, INSURANCE AND OR GOVERNMENT PAYMENT PROGRAMS. AND MY IMPRESSION IS, IS THAT HOME HEALTH DOES NOT GET, UM, THE REIMBURSEMENT LEVEL THAT IT MIGHT REQUIRE AN ORDER TO INCREASE THOSE WAGES. AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER CONVERSATION TO BE HAD. BUT I, BIG DRIVER, UM, TO THAT IS, IS REALLY AROUND KIND OF THE PAYMENT STRUCTURE THERE. I KNOW IT'S A COMPLICATED QUESTION, BUT IT JUST, IT COMES TO MIND IN PARTICULAR WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOME HEALTHCARE AND, UM, AND THAT IT'S IN FACT THE NUMBER ONE, UM, UH, EMPLOYER IN, IN MY COMMUNITY. SO THERE ARE TOP THREE NUMBER, UH, EMPLOYERS. IT'S THE HOME HEALTHCARE, UM, UH, HOSPITALITY AND RETAIL, AND THEN CONSTRUCTION. SO, UM, JUST WANTED, UH, TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT. I KNOW IT'S COMPLICATED, AND, UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, DOING YOUR BEST RESPONSE. YEAH, I MEAN, I, I, I WOULD JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, ONE AREA THAT HEALTHCARE IS, IS MOVING TOWARDS IS REALLY AROUND THE ACCOUNTABLE CARE AND LOOKING AT THE FULL CONTINUUM OF THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE. AND, AND SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE GOOD HOME CARE HOME HEALTHCARE, THERE ARE POTENTIAL READMISSIONS BACK INTO THE HOSPITAL, AND WE'RE NOW BEING PENALIZED FOR THAT. SO THERE IS SOME MOTIVATION TO WORK CLOSER TOGETHER, UM, WHICH IS A, THAT'S A BRIGHT LIGHT, I WOULD SAY, UM, TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT, UM, CARE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, MS. BRIAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, UH, AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP FORWARD. AGAIN, UH, APPRECIATE IT AND WE WILL BE IN TOUCH. WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO OUR NEXT CANDIDATE, UM, AND ALSO IN THE LOCAL EMPLOYER, UH, CATEGORY. LET ME BRING IN SONIA GAR GARZA. MS. GARZA, I, I, I THINK WE SEE YOU. OKAY. UH, CAN YOU HEAR US? YES, YES, I CAN. THANK YOU. GREAT. OKAY. UM, WELL, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES, UH, FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT THAT WE'LL GO TO QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. UH, YOU DON'T NEED TO STAY BACK AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW BECAUSE WE'RE NOT DOING ANY DELIBERATIONS OR ACTION TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, YOUR TIME AND WILLINGNESS TO STEP FORWARD TO A LEADERSHIP POSITION AND READY TO WORK. SA UH, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. SURE, ABSOLUTELY. AND GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. UM, I REALLY DON'T HAVE MUCH OF AN OPENING STATEMENT. I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE PRETTY BUSY. UH, UH, ESSENTIALLY I WAS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO HELP. I'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE, UH, COVID RELIEF, UH, FROM OUR, FROM A VACCINATION STANDPOINT, AS YOU GUYS MAY KNOW. WELLMED IS, UH, HEAVILY INVOLVED IN, IN HELPING TO VACCINATE [01:30:01] THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND ONE EVENING I WAS, UH, SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND THOUGHT, WELL, THIS MIGHT BE A MEANINGFUL WAY TO CONTINUE TO HELP, UH, FROM THE COVID RECOVERY. I'M A NATIVE SAN ANTONIO, AND I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE FROM ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. I'VE BEEN WITH WELLMED FOR 22 YEARS NOW. UH, WHEN I READ ABOUT THIS PROGRAM, UH, PRIOR TO VOTING THIS YEAR, I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING MEANINGFUL AND WORTHWHILE. AND, AND, UH, I, I FELT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY. I LIKED THE PARAMETERS AROUND, UM, UH, THE WAY THAT THE CANDIDATES WILL BE SELECTED TO POTENTIALLY PARTICIPATE. UH, I MYSELF, AS, AS I MENTIONED, HAVE BEEN WITH WOMACK FOR 22 YEARS, BUT I, I STARTED WITH THEM BECAUSE I DID AN EXTERNSHIP FOR A MEDICAL ASSISTING PROGRAM BACK IN 1999. AND IN THE COURSE OF THE PAST 22 YEARS, I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK MY WAY UP TO A VICE PRESIDENT LEVEL POSITION WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. BUT I KNOW THAT NOT A LOT OF COMPANIES HAVE THAT TYPE OF, UM, UH, FOSTER LEADERSHIP AND GROWTH AND HAVE THE, UH, GROWTH, UH, POTENTIAL THAT A COMPANY SUCH AS WELLMED NOW THAT WE'RE PARTNERED ALSO WITH OPTUM HEALTH. AND, AND I WANNA DO SOMETHING THAT'S GRASSROOTS AND, AND FOR THE, UH, FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE THAT, UH, COULD HELP SOMEBODY ADVOCATE FOR THEM THAT'S BEEN IN THEIR SHOES. I STARTED OFF MAKING $7 AND 25 CENTS AN HOUR, UH, 22 YEARS AGO, UM, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T REALLY GONE IT, UH, TOO, TOO MUCH FURTHER UP, UH, FOR PEOPLE STARTING OFF IN THE WORKFORCE, UH, FROM THERE. SO, I, I THINK IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. I THINK IT'S A WORTHWHILE CAUSE. I THINK THAT, UH, THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT I CAN BRING AS FAR AS PERSPECTIVE, UH, FOR THE FOLKS, UH, THAT COULD POTENTIALLY, UH, COULD POTENTIALLY, UH, UH, RECEIVE SOME, SOME GOOD FROM THE PROGRAM. SORRY. SO THAT, THAT'S IT, THAT'S MY OPENING STATEMENT. UH, I'LL, I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. GARZA. UH, WE DO HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. SO LET ME START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, MS. GARZA AND I, I DO WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE VACCINATION EFFORTS AT WELLMED FOR, UH, THE, THE SOUTH AND WEST LOCATION. SO, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO, UM, TO STEP UP, UH, AND, AND DO THAT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I HAVE A, A QUESTION AND SAY, YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING AND, AND IT WAS PERFECT. AND SO THE CONCEPT OF MAKING SURE THAT WE, UM, HELP FOLKS THROUGH THE DIFFERENT STEPS IN THE, UM, I, IF YOU WILL, ADVANCEMENT STRATEGY OF THEIR CAREERS. WHAT WAS THE SINGLE MOST THING, UH, THAT HELPED YOU ADVANCE IN YOUR CAREER? YOU STARTED MAKING $7 25 CENTS AN HOUR. HOW DID YOU ACHIEVE THAT, AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO USE THAT, UM, EXPERIENCE TO HELP OTHERS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHY I EVEN SUBMITTED, UH, TO BE A PART OF THIS INITIATIVE. UH, IT WAS HAVING SOMEBODY IN THE ORGANIZATION, IN, IN MY CASE, IT WAS A, A PHYSICIAN WHO, WHO RECOGNIZED, UM, UH, MY POTENTIAL AND, AND TOOK THE TIME AND THE INTEREST TO HELP ME WITH SOFT SKILLS, HELP ME WITH MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY, HELP ME WITH, UM, UH, SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE ON HOW TO, UH, CREATE A, A POSITIVE TRACK FOR YOURSELF. UH, DESPITE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THE OPPORTUNITY ISN'T THERE, BUT IF YOU CAN REMAIN POSITIVE AND FOCUSED AND YOU ELEVATE YOURSELF, UM, THEN A TRACK WILL APPEAR. UH, UH, AND I THINK THAT, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, FOLKS IN THIS PROGRAM, UH, MAYBE GETTING THAT HIGHER EDUCATION OR BEING CONNECTED TO A PROGRAM MAY NOT ALWAYS PAN OUT THE WAY YOU INITIALLY THINK IT WILL. BUT GIVING SOMEBODY THE OPPORTUNITY FOR AN INITIAL, UH, AN INITIAL PASS AT THINKING ABOVE AND BEYOND ONE CIRCUMSTANCES COULD POTENTIALLY, UH, STILL IMPACT, UH, THE INDIVIDUAL. THANK YOU, MS. GARCIA. I THINK THAT YOU, UM, MAKE A, A REALLY GOOD CASE FOR WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND THE NEED FOR PEOPLE TO ALMOST, UM, MENTOR FOLKS, RIGHT? SO, SO THANK YOU. UH, THAT'S ALL MY QUESTION. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION, MAYOR, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROSA GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, MS. GARZA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR APPLICATION. UH, I'VE HAD THE HONOR OF NOT ONLY SEEING YOUR POTENTIAL, BUT YOUR, YOUR SUCCESS, UH, IN YOUR WORK WITH THE WELLMED VACCINATION, UH, PROGRAM. UH, WHEN I FIRST MET YOU, I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN YOU WERE A VICE PRESIDENT BECAUSE YOU WERE ROLLING UP YOUR SLEEVES AND, UH, DOING, YOU KNOW, ALL, ALL THE WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE FROM, FROM A TO Z. SO THAT'S, UH, THAT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE IN A, IN A LEADER IN [01:35:01] AN ORGANIZATION. UM, I, UH, I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW YOUR, YOUR EXPERIENCE, SO I'M, I'M VERY GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT IT, AND I THINK IT COULD BE VERY HELPFUL IN ADVISING ON THIS, UH, ON THIS ADVISORY BOARD, ACTUALLY, SOMEONE WHO'S REALLY GONE THROUGH THAT, UH, PROCESS THEMSELVES. UH, I WILL ASK YOU ONE, UH, BROAD QUESTION, UH, THAT I'VE BEEN ASKING SOME OF THE CANDIDATES, AND THAT'S, WE HAVE, WE'VE HAD OTHER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS IN, IN SAN ANTONIO. AND WHAT I'D LIKE TO KNOW FROM YOU IS HOW YOU THINK THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE DIFFERENT OR SHOULD GO FURTHER THAN, THAN THE EXISTING PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE HAD TO DATE. THANK YOU. YEAH, AND, AND IN ALL FAIRNESS, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF THE BACKGROUND ON SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS, BUT ONE THING THAT I THOUGHT AS I READ THE LITERATURE, UM, UH, THAT'S OUT ON THE WEBSITE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM IS, IS THAT THERE IS A SORT OF A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW. AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF SORT OF PLANNING OUT THE DETAILS OF THE PROGRAM, BUT ONE THING THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS TRACKING WITH THE PARTICIPANTS. UM, IN HEALTHCARE, WHAT WE SEE IS A LOT OF, UH, WE SEE A LOT OF METRICS, UM, HOW MANY PATIENTS HAVE HAD MAMMOGRAM, HOW MANY PATIENTS HAVE HAD COLONOSCOPY, AND WE TEND TO MANAGE TO THE METRIC. AND, AND WHEN YOU'RE DOING POPULATION MANAGEMENT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME OF THAT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT WE'RE WORKING IN SERVICE OF ONE INDIVIDUAL WITH HUMAN BEING. AND, AND NOT TO SOUND, YOU KNOW, HOKEY ABOUT IT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I THINK THE WAY THAT WE TRACK THE PARTICIPANTS AND THE LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE PROGRAM IS ULTIMATELY WHAT'S GONNA LEAD TO SUCCESS. AND THE MORE THAT WE JUST LOOK, UH, SOLELY AT METRICS, METRICS ARE, ARE, ARE A NECESSITY. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PROGRESS, WELL, HOW WE'RE SPENDING, HOW WE'RE TRACKING WHAT THE SUCCESS RATE. BUT THAT DOES NOT, THAT DOES NOT EXCUSE US FROM LOOKING AT THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MAKING LESS THAN $22,000 A YEAR RECOGNIZING, UM, UH, WHO THEY ARE, WHAT NEIGHBORHOODS THEY'RE IN, WHAT'S THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND, WHAT'S THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES, AND HOW WE CAN HELP. UM, I THINK THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THINGS IN, IN TWO BROAD OF A SPECTRUM, WE, WE LOSE THE DETAILS THAT COULD, UH, POTENTIALLY IN THE END IMPACT THE METRICS AS WELL. THANK YOU, SONYA. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR NOT ASKING ME A MATH QUESTION, . NO, NO. AND TO BE FAIR, THAT WAS A SLIGHTLY UNFAIR QUESTION, BUT I'D ANSWER AT THE OTHER CANDIDATES. THANK YOU. SURE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. MS. GARZA, UH, I TAUGHT MATH, SO I'VE GOT A QUESTION FOR YOU. UH OH. NO, ONLY KIDDING. ONLY KIDDING. UM, ONE OF THE THOUGHTS THAT COMES THROUGH MY MIND IS IF WE'RE TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE MOVE UP, UH, YOU'VE GOTTA KIND OF KNOW WHERE THEY WERE. UH, AND I THINK YOU'VE GOT TO EVALUATE SOMEWHAT, UH, WHAT THE POTENTIAL IS FOR THE AREA THAT THEY MAY WANNA MOVE INTO, OR OUR SUGGESTED AREA THAT WE MAY TRY AND MOVE THEM INTO, BECAUSE WE THINK IT, IT OFFERS THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM, UM, IN THE AREA OF HEALTHCARE, THOUGH, YOU KNOW, AND I HAD ASKED THIS QUESTION ONCE BEFORE, ARE THERE, ARE THERE POSITIONS THAT PEOPLE CAN BEGIN AT THAT, UH, ARE ARE PAYING A LIVABLE WAGE? YOU KNOW, AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF SOMEBODY IS EARNING, UH, YOU KNOW, $22,000 A YEAR, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY NOT A LIVABLE WAGE FOR SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW? SO IF SOMEBODY'S EARNING, UH, YOU KNOW, EIGHT OR $9 AN HOUR, YOU REALLY CAN'T TAKE CARE OF A FAMILY. BUT FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH WELLMED AND, AND, AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF HEALTHCARE IN GENERAL, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE ARE SOME GOOD STARTING POINTS THAT, THAT YOU WOULD BE RECOMMENDING OR THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE INCORPORATED INTO THE EARLY PROGRAMMING THAT PEOPLE GET INTO AS THEY WANT TO GET INTO THE HEALTHCARE AREA, FOR EXAMPLE? YES. I, I, YES, ABSOLUTELY. LISTEN, I, WHEN I, WHEN I WENT FIRST WENT INTO HEALTHCARE, I CHOSE IT BECAUSE I, I WAS WORKING, UH, THREE JOBS AT THE TIME. I WAS 19, UH, NO, SORRY, 1999. I WAS IN MY TWENTIES AND I WAS WORKING THREE FAST FOOD JOBS, UM, THAT JUST TO, TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, MANAGE, UH, EVERYDAY LIFE. AND I WENT INTO HEALTHCARE WITH THE, WITH THE, UH, ASSUMPTION THAT I WAS GOING INTO A FIELD THAT COULD PROVIDE ME A BETTER LIVING WAGE. SO MY SURPRISE WHEN I STARTED AT 7 25 AN HOUR, RIGHT? BUT CUT TO 2021 IN OUR ORGANIZATION, UH, WE, WE START OUR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE OFFICE BETWEEN 15 AND $17 AN HOUR. [01:40:01] UM, AND, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, UH, SIMILAR SIZE TO US ARE, ARE AROUND THAT, UH, HOURLY WAGE. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS, UH, PATIENT SERVICES, REPRESENTATIVE, PATIENT CARE MANAGERS THAT REALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T REQUIRE MUCH MORE THAN A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND SOME TRAINING, UH, ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE. THE MEDICAL ASSISTANTS DO HAVE TO GO THROUGH A PROGRAM, BUT, BUT, UH, I DON'T WANNA BE TOO LONG-WINDED, BUT HERE'S THE THING THAT THEY, THESE MEDICAL ASSISTANT PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED, UM, OFTENTIMES ARE OVERPRICED. AND SO WHAT YOU END UP WITH IS SOMEBODY THAT GOES THROUGH A PROGRAM AND THEY'RE ANYWHERE FROM THREE MONTHS, SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR, THE QUALITY OF THE PROGRAMS AREN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE STANDARDIZED IN ANY WAY, BUT THE QUALITY OF THE PROGRAM THEY GO THROUGH MAY HAVE A HIGH PRICE TAG, AND THEY MAY COME OUT OF THAT OWING $20,000 BACK SO THAT THEY, THEY GET A JOB MAKING $15 AN HOUR, BUT NOW THEY'RE IN DEBT, $15,000. UH, BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION VERY PLAINLY, SIR, I DO BELIEVE THAT IN HEALTHCARE AND EARN A LIVING WAGE IN AN ENTRY LEVEL POSITION, UH, BUT IT'S MORE SO THE CASE IN ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE MORE THAN ONE LOCATION, THESE SMALLER PHYSICIAN OFFICES THAT ARE IN ESSENCE, SMALL BUSINESSES, UH, THEY MAY NOT HAVE, UH, THEY MAY NOT HAVE, UH, UH, THE FINANCIAL BACKING TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT, UH, A LIVABLE WAGE AND BENEFITS AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT GOES WITH IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHT. YES, SIR. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. GARZA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, TAKING THE TIME AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN APPLICATION. UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO VISITING AGAIN. UH, AGAIN, YOU DON'T HAVE TO, UM, HANG ON BECAUSE WE'RE NOT DOING ANY DELIBERATION TODAY. WE'LL DO THAT ON THE 19TH. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO EVERY DAY. THANK YOU. AND, AND PLEASE GIVE OUR BEST TO THE WELLMED TEAM AS WELL. THANKS FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THE VACCINATION SITES. ABSOLUTELY. IT'S OUR PLEASURE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IN THE EMPLOYER CATEGORY, UH, AND HE'S ALREADY ON, UH, PETER HOLT. THANKS VERY MUCH, UH, MR. HOLT FOR JOINING US TODAY. UH, WE ARE GIVING, UH, APPLICANTS THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT. THEN WE GO TO THE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG ON AFTER THE INTERVIEW BECAUSE WE'RE NOT DOING ANY DELIBERATIONS TODAY. THAT'LL BE ON THE 19TH. SO, UH, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST. ALSO, UH, PERSONAL, THANKS FOR LEANING IN, UH, TO THE PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING, UH, THE READY TO WORK ESSAY PROGRAM TO BEGIN WITH, UH, VERY, UH, UH, APPRECIATED EFFORT. AND SO, UH, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, YOU HAVE A FLOOR. I THINK YOU'RE MUTED, PETER. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR, AND GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY. STILL, STILL MORNING A LITTLE BIT. UM, HAPPY TO BE HERE. AND, UH, EXCITED TO VISIT WITH YOU ALL AND ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF, OF GETTING MORE DIRECTLY ENGAGED WITH THE READY TO WORK PROGRAM. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M A, I'M, YOU KNOW, A FIRM ADVOCATE AND, AND, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF A PERSONAL PASSION, BOTH, UM, FROM A BUSINESS SIDE AND, AND JUST PERSONALLY AROUND EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE. UM, MY, UH, MY FIRST JOB, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY WORKING AT, UH, GEORGE GERVIN ACADEMY, UH, ONE OF THE FIRST CHARTER SCHOOLS ESTABLISHED IN TEXAS. AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE LONGEST STANDING CHARTER SCHOOLS HERE IN, IN SAN ANTONIO. AND I REALIZED, UH, WELL, TWO THINGS. ONE, I REALIZED THAT, UM, UM, HOW, HOW IMPORTANT, UM, EDUCATION AND, UH, DEVELOPMENT AND, UH, INTEGRATION INTO, UM, SOCIETY AND THE WORKFORCE AND EMPLOYMENT BASE IS, UM, AND, AND SECONDLY, FULFILLING MY HEART'S DESIRE OF HELPING OUR, OUR YOUTH WOULD PROBABLY BE BETTER IF I WAS NOT A TEACHER. SO, UH, IT'S ONE OF THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, SUMMER JOBS OR, OR PART-TIME JOBS THAT, UH, THAT I THINK WE SHOULD DO MORE IN THE CITY. AND PEOPLE, UH, UH, BOTH, BOTH THE EMPLOYEES AND THE EMPLOYERS FIND OUT A LOT ABOUT, UH, EACH OTHER. UH, I, I THINK THAT, UM, MY INTEREST IN, IN GETTING MORE INVOLVED IN, IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THEN RAMPED UP PRETTY QUICKLY. UM, AS, AS, UH, I, I HAD A ROLE IN OUR FAMILY'S FAMILIES BUSINESS, UM, THAT, UH, IS IN AN AREA WHERE THERE'S TREMENDOUSLY CONSTRAINED, UH, SUPPLY AND VERY HIGH DEMAND, WHICH IS IN THE TECHNICAL FIELDS. UM, AND WHEN I WAS SEARCHING SAN ANTONIO FOR, UM, UH, UH, GOOD, GOOD PARTNERS, UM, I FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF FRAGMENTATION, UH, AND I FOUND THAT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND, UM, UH, WILLING PROVIDERS, UM, TO, TO HELP FULFILL THESE, UH, GREAT JOBS WITH GREAT PAY BENEFITS AND UPWARD MOBILITY. UM, AND SO THAT LED TO, [01:45:01] UM, KIND OF A, A, UH, MOMENTUM THAT LED TO WHAT, WHAT IS NOW SA WORKS, UM, WHICH IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S STILL ALIVE AND THRIVING, PART OF THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION THAT REALLY FOCUSES ON BEING A, A COLLABORATOR AND A COORDINATOR, UH, BETWEEN, UM, SUPPLIERS AND DEMANDERS IN OUR CITY. AND, UH, IT'S A, IT'S A VERY UNIQUE, UM, PIECE OF OUR E D F THAT I THINK IS VERY ATTRACTIVE, UH, TO, UH, AND, AND HELPFUL TO OUR CITY. UM, AND, AND, YOU KNOW, FINALLY, I THINK WHAT I WOULD SAY IS, IS, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FROM KIND OF, UH, AN EMPLOYER'S AND, AND JUST A, A CITY, UM, UH, CITIZENS' VIEWPOINT, I THINK OUR, OUR CITY, UM, HAS A TREMENDOUSLY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THAT THE PANDEMIC HAS, HAS, UM, EXPLOITED, UH, IN, IN, IN THE FACT THAT, UM, WE, WE, WE HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF FOLKS THAT ARE IN POVERTY. UM, AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF, UM, UH, AREAS, UH, FOR UPWARD MOBILITY THAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US THAT WE SHOULD, UH, NOURISH, UM, AND CONNECT THESE FOLKS WITH. AND SO, UM, I, I, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF, OF, UH, LEARNING MORE, UM, ABOUT RAY TO WORK AND THEN, AND THEN HOPEFULLY, UM, GETTING SOME GOOD THINGS DONE PRETTY QUICKLY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MR. HOLT, UH, WE DO HAVE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE. LEMME START WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MR. HOLT, FOR YOUR APPLICATION AND FOR YOUR WORK THUS FAR ON THIS INITIATIVE. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. ONE OF THEM IS, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE GOAL OF THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE GOAL OR, OR GOALS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE? AND SECONDLY, UH, GIVEN THE HISTORY THAT WE HAVE HAD IN OUR COMMUNITY OF EXISTING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE, THE ONE YOU, YOU MENTIONED, HOW WILL THIS PROGRAM, OR HOW SHOULD THIS PROGRAM BE DIFFERENT OR GO BEYOND WHAT IS CURRENTLY DONE? THANK YOU. YEAH. YEAH, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, I THINK THE, THE GOAL OF THE COMMITTEE IS, IS, UH, A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PRETTY LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT'S, THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, $38.5 MILLION ANNUALLY IS, UM, A LARGE FUNDING SOURCE. AND SO I THINK THE GOAL OF THE COMMITTEE SHOULD BE TO, UM, HELP, UH, THE CITY, UM, AND THE STAFF MEMBERS, UH, APPLY THAT MONEY IN A, IN A EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WAY. UM, AND SO AS, AS IT KIND OF LEADS INTO THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION AROUND EFFICIENCY, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT, UM, WE, WE USE, UM, A, THE, THE APPLICABLE AND, AND HOPEFULLY MINIMUM AMOUNT OF THAT BUDGET, UM, TOWARDS NON-DIRECT FUNDING. UM, AND SO WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS ADDITIONAL STAFF OR OVERHEAD, UM, THAT, THAT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF OVERHEAD IS OBVIOUSLY NECESSARY, UH, BUT NOT TO, TO OVERUSE THAT. UM, I THINK ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES IN OUR, IN OUR CITY'S GAPS WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IS THAT, UM, SCALE HAS BEEN DIFFICULT AND, AND, AND THERE, SO THERE ENDS UP BEING, UM, A GOOD AMOUNT OF REDUNDANCY IN OUR CITY WITH GREAT INTENT. UM, HOWEVER, UM, IT, IT, IT MAKES FOR THE, THE DOLLARS, UM, PER INDIVIDUAL OR THAT GETS TO THE END USER THAT REALLY NEEDS IT, UM, TO BE WATERED DOWN. AND, AND SO I THINK THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT, HEY, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE EXISTING RESOURCES OUT THERE, UM, THAT CAN HELP, UH, ENSURE THAT THESE FUNDS ARE USED EFFICIENTLY. UM, AND THEN SECONDLY, UM, I HOPE THAT, UM, I HOPE THAT I CAN, UM, BRING A BIT OF A DOER'S ATTITUDE, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE NOT MISSING REAL TIME GAPS, UH, OR SORRY, REAL TIME OPPORTUNITIES FOR EITHER INDIVIDUALS, UM, OR SUPPLIERS OR DEMANDERS. UM, YOU KNOW, SO, SO FOR EXAMPLE, REALLY TYING DIRECTLY INTO, SAY, THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY OR MY INDUSTRY, YOU KNOW, HEAVY, HEAVY INDUSTRY, THERE ARE CERTAIN SEASONALITIES ON HIRING, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT SAY ALAMO COLLEGES OR PROJECT QUEST OR ANOTHER SUPPLIER. THEY DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW, UM, THAT THESE, THESE MOMENTS IN TIME THAT CAN BE PIVOTAL FOR HIRING, FOR DEVELOPMENT, FOR CERTIFICATION, ET CETERA. AND SO REALLY TRYING TO MATCH UP THE, THE DEMAND WITH THE SUPPLY, UM, IN A, IN A MORE REAL TIME WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, MAYOR. AND, UH, THANK YOU MR. HOLT FOR ALL [01:50:01] OF YOU DO, UH, FOR ALL YOU DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW THAT IN MY DISTRICT IN PARTICULAR, UM, HOLT HAS A GREAT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM THAT A LOT OF THE STUDENTS IN MY NEIGHBORHOODS BENEFIT FROM, UM, GAIN GREAT EXPERIENCE AND LEARNING. AND OF COURSE, THE, THE INCOME THAT THEY GET TO HELP THEIR FAMILIES IS ACTUALLY, UH, A GREAT BENEFIT TO THEM. UM, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE A BELIEVER IN EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. I THINK THAT, UM, UH, THAT YOU, UM, ALSO, UH, KNOW THAT IT WOULD HELP SOLVE SOME OF THESE, UM, UH, PROBLEMS RELATED TO POVERTY. YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR APPLICATION SPECIFICALLY AS THE GAME IN ECONOMIC OUTCOMES IS DECREASED, UM, THERE'S POSITIVE IMPACTS AS WELL ON OTHER ISSUES. AND SO CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU WOULD, UM, HELP TO, UH, TO, TO DECREASE IT, IF YOU WILL, UM, UH, THAT, OR HELP MAKE A DENT IN THAT AS, AS YOU PARTICIPANTS? YEAH. IT, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND, AND, AND, UM, IF I KNEW THE PERFECT ANSWER, I, I THINK QUITE HONESTLY, WE WOULDN'T BE HERE. AND SO I WISH I, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME OF MY SUGGESTIONS ARE HUMBLE IN THE FACT THAT, UM, THAT THESE ISSUES ARE NUANCED. AND, AND THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE, THAT'S ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS THAT I'VE, I'VE REALIZED WITH, WITH, UH, GETTING MORE ENGAGED WITH EDUCATION AND WORKFORCES. THAT IS, THAT THERE ARE NUANCED ISSUES. THERE ARE, THOUGH, AT THE SAME TIME, SOME HARD TRUTHS AND, AND, UM, SOME REAL FACTS AND, AND SOME OF THOSE LEAD TO, UM, HEY, UH, THE, THE, UM, THERE'S SOME MOMENTS IN TIME ON A, ON A PERSON'S DEVELOPMENT THAT ARE CRITICAL. UM, AND I THINK THOSE HAVE BEEN WIDELY ACCEPTED. SO CAN YOU, UM, DO, CAN YOU, WHEN YOU'RE IN FOURTH GRADE, CAN YOU READ AT A FOURTH GRADE READING LEVEL, UM, WHEN YOU REACH SIXTH GRADE, CAN YOU DO SIXTH GRADE MATH, RIGHT? THOSE ARE TWO WHERE THERE'S EXPONENTIAL, EITHER NEGATIVE IMPACTS, IF THE ANSWER IS NO OR EXPONENTIAL POSITIVE, IF THE IMPACTS, OR IF THE ANSWER'S YES, SAME THING WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE. UM, AND G E D DIPLOMAS ARE GOOD, BUT A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE IS EVEN BETTER. AND SO THERE ARE THESE MOMENTS IN TIME THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I, AND I FEEL THAT, THAT THERE IS A, IS A, THERE A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, WITH EARLY MATTERS, WORKING ON THE EARLY STUFF, OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM, GETTING BETTER WITH BETTER LEADERSHIP, UM, WITH ALAMO PROMISE PROGRAM THAT HELPS, HEY, LET'S GET THAT COLLEGE, UM, AND LET'S GET THAT HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE AND LET'S GO STRAIGHT INTO, UM, HIGHER EDUCATION. AND THEN FINALLY, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY, HEY, CAN WE ENSURE, UM, THAT FOLKS HAVE, UM, A, A, A FAIRNESS WHEN IT COMES TO OPPORTUNITY? AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO ME IS THAT ARE THERE ENOUGH JOBS OUT THERE, WHICH I THINK THERE REALLY ARE, IF NOT GROWING, OF, OF POSITIONS THAT PAY WELL RIGHT NOW, THAT HAVE UPWARD MOBILITY. AND THERE ARE INDUSTRIES THAT ARE IN THAT HAVE HIGH, STILL HIGH DEMAND. THEY'RE HIRING RIGHT NOW. THEY'RE ACTUALLY HIRING IN THE PANDEMIC. IF YOU LOOK AT HEAVY INDUSTRY, IF YOU LOOK AT HEALTHCARE, IF YOU LOOK AT IT JUST TO NAME A FEW. AND SO IF WE CAN ACHIEVE A, A LARGER NUMBER OF OUR, ESPECIALLY UNDER 30, BUT ALL AGES, UM, IN THESE TYPES OF ROLES, THEN WHAT I BELIEVE WILL HAPPEN IS THAT OUR, OUR POVERTY, UM, RATES WILL DECREASE AS OUR POVERTY RATES DECREASE. THERE, THERE, THERE SEEMS TO BE A, A REALLY POSITIVE WATERFALL ON A BROAD ARRAY OF ISSUES, WHETHER THAT'S CRIME, WHETHER THAT'S HEALTH AND WELLNESS, UM, WHETHER THAT'S EDUCATION OUTCOMES, WHETHER THAT'S, UM, UH, UH, BREAKING GENERATIONAL POVERTY. SO MEANING IF THEY CAN GET THERE, THEN THEIR CHILDREN ARE USUALLY EVEN BETTER OFF THAN THEM. SO, UM, I, I, I AM A BELIEVER IN THE, IN THE WATERFALL EFFECT OF IF THERE IS POSITIVE, UM, EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE, UM, CERTIFICATIONS OR UPWARD MOBILITY POSITIONS ACHIEVED IN, IN, IN EMPLOYMENT, THEN THERE, THERE IS A, A, UH, POSITIVE WATERFALL, AND THOSE ARE JUST THE NAME OF YOU. GREAT. THANK, THANK YOU, MR. HOLT. GREAT ANSWER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, GO NOW TO COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, MR. HOLT, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, WHAT YOU SAID AT THE VERY BEGINNING ABOUT, UH, LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO FILL ROLES, UH, EVEN FOR YOUR COMPANY. UH, I, I WOULD SAY YOU REPRESENT ABOUT AS GOOD OF AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AS ANYONE ELSE IN OUR CITY, BUT I, I IMAGINE YOU EMPLOY A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE TOO. ELECTRICIANS, UH, AIR CONDITIONING PEOPLE, UH, PLUMBERS, UH, YOU KNOW, MECHANICS OF ALL KINDS, UH, AS WELL AS PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW INTO ROBOTICS FOR, [01:55:01] YOU KNOW, THE DEVELOPMENT OF EQUIPMENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, AND WOULD YOU SAY THAT, THAT YOU'RE PRETTY TYPICAL OF THE NEEDS, UH, THAT OTHER MANUFACTURERS HAVE IN THIS CITY AND THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE KEY AREAS THAT, UH, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON? I, I, I DO BELIEVE TECHNICAL TRADES, ESPECIALLY TECHNICAL TRADES, UM, WITH UPWARD MOBILITY, WHICH HONESTLY MOST OF THEM HAVE, EVEN THE MAYBE, UM, NON-TRADITIONAL ONES THAT YOU MAY THINK DON'T, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE COMPANIES OF OUR TYPE AND SIZE, UM, I THINK ARE, ARE PERPETUAL, PERPETUALLY LOOKING FOR ADVANCEMENT. AND SOME OF THAT IS, IS DEMANDED BY THE CUSTOMERS WE SERVE AND THE INDUSTRIES THAT WE SERVE. UM, AND SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, I WOULD SAY YES, AND I WOULD SAY YOU'VE SEEN THAT WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF SOME OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T THINK H E B IS A MANUFACTURER. THEY'RE A HUGE, UM, UH, MANUFACTURER IN THE FOOD SERVICE AREA. TOYOTA HAS BEEN A LEADER IN THE, IN, IN A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPACE FOR, FOR, SINCE THEY GOT HERE. UM, SO YES, AND, AND THEN, UM, WHAT I WOULD, WHAT I WOULD FINALLY SAY IS THAT I THINK AN AREA THAT IS, THAT IS MAYBE UNDERREPRESENTED IN THE CONVERSATION IS THAT YES, UH, 70% OF OUR WORKFORCE, UM, IS IN THE TECHNICAL TRADES. UH, AT THE SAME TIME, UM, WE'VE HAD A COUPLE IT POSITIONS OPEN, UH, AND, AND WE, OUR IT ORGANIZATION IS, IS 50 PEOPLE. I THINK WE'VE HAD THREE OPEN IT POSITIONS IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, FOR, FOR THREE YEARS. UH, AND SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST SAME THING. I MEAN, OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE. UM, AND, AND, AND THERE ARE CERTAIN ROLES THAT ARE, MAYBE PEOPLE DON'T THINK OF THEM AS, AS WELL, THAT ROLE MAYBE ISN'T TOO EXCITING OR DOESN'T HAVE UPWARD MOBILITY, BUT TRADITIONAL COMPANIES LIKE OURSELVES USE ROLES. I'LL GIVE YOU A COUPLE ON THE SALES SIDE. SALES COORDINATORS DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A VERY SEXY ROLE, AND IT'S NOT, AND, BUT YOU, YOU MAKE AN ABSOLUTELY ABOVE MID, UH, LIVING WAGE. AND, UH, ABOUT 80% OF OUR SALES COORDINATORS GO INTO SALES REP ROLES WHERE THEY'RE MAKING, UM, AT THE HIGH RANGE OF, OF OUR CITY'S, UM, AVERAGE WAGE. SAME THING IN OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT. WE, WE HAVE, UM, CERTAIN ROLES, ONE THEM PRESIDENT IN COLLECTIONS, LISTEN, I DON'T WANNA BE A COLLECTOR MY WHOLE LIFE. AND MOST OF THE FOLKS THAT, THAT COME AND WORK FOR US IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, THEY START IN COLLECTIONS, BUT THEN THEY GO BACK AND GET THEIR DEGREE, WHICH WE HELP SUPPORT, OR THEY FIND ANOTHER ROLE IN THE ORGANIZATION. AND SO I THINK, I THINK JUST, JUST OUR, OUR CITY AND MOST WE'RE NOT UNIQUE, BUT MOST CITIES, THEY NEED EASY OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO GET CLOSER TO THE OPEN WORKFORCE THAT'S OUT THERE, AND THEN TELL THE SUPPLIERS, HEY, THIS IS WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR. HERE ARE SOME OF THE CERTIFICATIONS I'M LOOKING FOR. THIS IS MY, UH, HIRING PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR. UH, THAT, THAT IS, THERE'S A HUGE GAP BETWEEN THAT AND, AND I, I JUST SA WORKS. WE'RE POUNDING THE ROCK ON TRYING TO HELP THAT. I HOPE THERE'S AN ASPECT HERE WITH READY TO WORK THAT CAN HELP GET THAT CLOSER. UM, BUT I, I, I, I, I TRULY BELIEVE THERE'S, THERE'S SOME, SOME LOW HANGING FRUIT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UH, MR. HO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, UH, AND YOUR ENERGY DEVOTED TO THIS. MUCH APPRECIATED. AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR WHAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. UM, THAT'S ALL FROM THE COMMITTEE. UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO OUR NEXT, UM, APPLICANT, ALSO IN THE LOCAL EMPLOYER CATEGORY. LET ME, UH, BRING BACK NOW, AMANDA KEER. UM, OKAY. AMANDA, CAN YOU, CAN YOU HEAR US? YEP, I CAN HEAR YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, ALRIGHT. YOU'LL HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT AND THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH THE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. UM, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH AMANDA, FOR YOUR INTEREST, UM, AND YOUR, UH, APPLICANT TO STEP FORWARD TO LEADERSHIP ON THIS INITIATIVE. MUCH APPRECIATED. AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. SO GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. THANK Y'ALL FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. UM, MY NAME IS AMANDA LEE KEER, BORN AND RAISED HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. UH, GREW UP OFF BLANCO AM BASSI AND GRADUATED FROM THE FOIA MIDDLE SCHOOL AND BRACKRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL. SO I LIKE BRINGING THAT UP AS A PROUD SS A I SS D ALUM. UH, AND THEN I JOKE THAT I PROMPTLY RAN AWAY, UH, WENT TO SCHOOL OUT OF STATE, UH, IN MASSACHUSETTS. SO ATTENDED SMITH COLLEGE WHERE I GRADUATED WITH MY BA IN RUSSIAN. MOVED DOWN TO DC FOR EIGHT YEARS, UH, STARTED IN NONPROFITS. SO MY BACKGROUND BEGAN WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND MARKETING, UM, WITH LULAC, NATIONAL OFFICE, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT PROJECTS, ALL THAT FUN STUFF THAT YOU DO AT A SKINNY NONPROFIT. [02:00:01] UH, AND THEN MOVED ON TO THE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION IN DC WHERE I WANTED TO FOCUS MORE ON SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING WHILE ALSO GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL. SO MY MASTER'S IS IN GLOBAL COMMUNICATION WITH THE FOCUS ON NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY AND IT POLICY FROM THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, UH, WHERE I GOT TO MIX BOTH COMMUNICATIONS AND POLICY WORK. AND THEN FROM THERE, UH, WORKED IN THE WHITE HOUSE UNDER THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION UNDER, WELL, TWO, NOW UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA. AND A LOT OF FOLKS WILL ASK, HOW THE HECK DOES THAT LEAD TO CYBER ? SO TO ME, UH, BEING IN MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU'RE WEARING BASICALLY TWO HATS, WHICH MAKES MORE SENSE NOW THAN IT DID 12 YEARS AGO. BUT AS A MARKETER, YOU HAD THE HAT OF ANALYTICS, UH, ACCESS TO INSIGHTS AND TRENDS AS A CONSUMER. UH, IT'S FRIGHTENING TO KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO. AND SO THAT LED TO MY INTEREST IN PRIVACY POLICY AND CYBERSECURITY, WHICH IS WHERE I'M AT TODAY. UM, MOVED BACK TO SAN ANTONIO IN 2017. SO I'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST FOUR YEARS, AND I STARTED MY OWN BUSINESS IN 2017 BEFORE JOINING THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, UH, TO LEAD OUR CYBERSECURITY EFFORTS THERE. AND THEN RECENTLY LEFT IN SEPTEMBER TO FOCUS ON MY SMALL BUSINESS AGAIN, UH, AND TO WORK IN THAT SPACE AND CONTINUE WORKING IN POLICY. SO DEFINITELY EXCITED TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION AND BRING A PERSPECTIVE THAT'S A LITTLE UNIQUE, UM, A HOMETOWN PERSPECTIVE AS WELL. UM, AND JUST GET FOLKS CONNECTED TO THESE IN-DEMAND JOBS IN A WAY THAT'S HELPFUL, UH, AND RELEVANT TO OUR COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO TARGET, UM, IN THIS PROGRAM. SO THAT IS MY OPENING STATEMENT, AND HAPPY TO TAKE Y'ALL'S QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AMANDA. UM, LET'S GO NOW TO, UH, COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. AMANDA, VERY NICE TO SEE YOU. UH, VERY GLAD TO SEE YOUR APPLICATION IN THIS POOL. A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS FOR YOU. UM, NUMBER ONE, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE GOALS OR THE PURPOSE OF THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE? AND NUMBER TWO, UH, THIS IS A, THE READY TO WORK, UH, INITIATIVE IS, IS NEW, UH, ALTHOUGH SAN ANTONIO HAS HAD WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS NOW. SO CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU THINK THIS NEW PROGRAM SHOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE ONES BEFORE, UH, SUCH OR THE CURRENT ONES, SUCH AS PROJECT QUEST OR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, OR, OR ANY OF THE OTHER ONES THAT ARE, THAT ARE OUT THERE? SO, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO, TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION ABOUT THE GOALS AND PURPOSE, TO ME, I THINK THE PURPOSE IS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY, UH, COMMUNICATION, TRANSPARENCY, UH, BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, I THINK IT'S HIGHLIGHTED A LOT OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE, THE SKILLS DIVIDE. UM, I TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM LOW SKILLS, HIGH SKILLS, STUFF LIKE THAT, THOSE TERMINOLOGIES. BUT IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION, WHAT IT MEANS TO WORK IN CYBERSECURITY, HOW TO TRANSLATE THOSE SKILLS OVER, I THINK UNDERSTANDING THAT PROCESS AND WHERE FOLKS ARE COMING FROM IS REALLY IMPORTANT. SO I THINK THOSE THREE THINGS, COMMUNICATION, TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY IS A PURPOSE OF THIS COMMITTEE. I THINK IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAM AND WHAT IT'S TRYING TO DO AND HOW IT'S DIFFERENT IS THAT IT'S MORE URGENT. UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED. WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE SCARED ABOUT HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS NEW, UH, WORLD, TO BE HONEST. AND HOW DO MY SKILLS TRANSLATE? HOW CAN I SUPPORT MY FAMILY? UM, I THINK OPENING UP ACCESS TO THESE FIELDS, THE HIGH DEMAND JOBS, THE HIGH WAGE JOBS, AND MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE AND REAL TO PEOPLE, UH, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT OTHER PEOPLE DO WITH COLLEGE DEGREES OR THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I CAN'T SEE MYSELF DOING OR ATTAINING. I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES THIS PROGRAM DIFFERENT, IS IT'S JUST FASTER. THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE DONE, UM, FASTER. TO ME, THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EXISTING INITIATIVES. AND OF COURSE, WORKING WITH THOSE SAME PARTNERS, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. AND THEN THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES STANDS OUT TO ME AS WELL, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE LAST MILE GAPS, UH, OR WEREN'T ABLE TO FILL THOSE BEFORE. THANK YOU, AMANDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU, AMANDA, FOR YOUR INTEREST, UH, IN THIS COMMITTEE. UM, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH YOUTH, UM, IN IT AND IN CYBER. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOU, UH, IF YOU WERE APPOINTED TO THIS COMMITTEE THAT YOU WOULD INTRODUCE YOUTH TO SOME OF THE WORKFORCE INITIATIVES? [02:05:02] SURE. THANK YOU. I THINK THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO DO THAT. UM, ONE, I THINK IS SHORTENING THE EXPECTATION OF WHAT'S EXPECTED FROM A WORK-BASED EXPERIENCE. SO, UH, FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, PARTICULARLY NOW AS A BUSINESS OWNER, UM, AS WELL, I'VE HAD HIGH SCHOOL INTERNS. I'VE HAD COLLEGE INTERNS THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. UM, THAT HAS NOT BEEN A BARRIER. UM, I THINK FOR A LOT OF EMPLOYERS, ESPECIALLY LARGER ONES, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF MYTHS THAT NEED TO BE BUSTED. SO AROUND LIABILITY, UH, FEAR OF HIRING PEOPLE POTENTIALLY WHO HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR CYBERSECURITY? UM, GETTING OVER THOSE HUMPS TAKES CONVERSATIONS, UH, AND TRUST. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THAT TO THE GROUP IS IMPORTANT. UM, HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, CONFIDENTLY, UH, DISCREETLY, BUT ALSO TRYING TO JUST DISPEL SOME OF THOSE MYTHS IS IMPORTANT, PARTICULARLY AROUND YOUTH. UH, THE YOUTH THAT I WORK WITH, THEY'RE MATURE . THEY CAN HANDLE RESEARCH PROJECTS, THEY CAN HANDLE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. I'VE SEEN IT. I CAN POINT TO EXAMPLES. AND I THINK THAT PUTS EMPLOYERS AT EASE. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR THIS WORK BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR YOUTH, UH, WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND MAYBE IT'S NOT A SUMMER LONG INTERNSHIP. MAYBE IT'S A TWO WEEK SPRINT OR A TWO WEEK PROJECT. UH, MAYBE IT'S LEARNING ABOUT MARKETING OR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF CYBERSECURITY AS ACTUAL HANDS-ON TECHNICAL SKILLS THAT CAN BE LEARNED SOMEWHERE ELSE IN A, IN A LESS RISKY ENVIRONMENT. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT OPTIONS THERE, AND I THINK THOSE HAVE TO BE PRESENTED IN A DIFFERENT WAY TO EMPLOYERS, UH, TO INCREASE ACCESS AND REALLY PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR WHAT WE'RE TEACHING FOLKS, UM, YOUTH PARTICULARLY, BUT REALLY OF ALL AGES WHO DON'T HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE IN CYBER, UM, OR IT. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANKS, AMANDA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, AMANDA, FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS. I'M, I'M, I'M FAMILIAR WITH YOUR WORK, UH, ON CYBERSECURITY, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU, UM, ALWAYS HAVE A CALM DEMEANOR, UM, ABOUT YOURSELF. SO, UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I WANTED TO ASK A LITTLE BIT, UM, AND SO IN YOUR RESUME, YOU TALK ABOUT DEVELOPING STRATEGIC AND COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS, UM, ACROSS PUBLIC-PRIVATE, AND NONPROFIT SECTORS. AND SO I, I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT YOUR, UH, RESUME PROBABLY, UH, CAME UP TO, UH, TO CONSIDERATION FOR AN INTERVIEW. YOU MENTIONED IN THERE THAT YOU MANAGE 17 ANNUAL STAKEHOLDER, UH, DRIVEN OBJECTIVES. AND SO THERE'S FIVE FOCUS AREAS THAT YOU MENTIONED, GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT, INNOVATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, TALENT, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND SUSTAINABILITY. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SPECIFICALLY TALENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT? UM, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU HAVE ALL OF THE BACKGROUND IN CYBERSECURITY WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS AT THE LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL LEVEL. TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW YOU PLAN TO FOCUS PERHAPS ON THAT TALENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PORTION. SURE. SO IN THE CONTEXT OF THAT PARTICULAR PIECE, SO THROUGH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, WE HAD THE CYBERSECURITY SAN ANTONIO PROGRAM. AND SO THOSE FIVE CORE FOCUS AREAS THAT YOU LISTED, UH, WERE DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PRIVATE INDUSTRY, UH, CO-CHAIR. UH, AND SO EVERY YEAR WE HAD AN INDUSTRY CO-CHAIR WHO WOULD HELP, UH, THE STAFFERS DEVELOP STRUCTURE, UH, POTENTIALLY HELP WITH FUNDING, HOSTING INTERNS, RIGHT? JUST PROVIDING INSIGHT THAT WE DON'T HAVE. UM, SO IN THAT CASE, OUR U S A A BASED CHAIR HELPED US DEVELOP THOSE CORE FOCUS AREAS. BUT THE OBJECTIVES THEMSELVES CAME FROM THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT COMMUNITY WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, UH, COMMUNITY COLLEGES, REGION 20, UM, ISDS, EVEN DOWN TO IT ANALYSTS. IT WASN'T NECESSARILY ALL LEADERSHIP LEVELS. SOME OF IT WAS THE IT HELP DESK PERSON, UM, OR, UH, ASSIST ADMIN SYSTEMS ADMIN PERSON. SO ACTUALLY THE ROLES THAT WE WANT TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO GO INTO, UM, AND THEN EVERYBODY HAD A VOICE IN THAT. AND THEN WE ADDED MEASUREMENT, UM, AND ME METRICS TO THAT. UH, SO EVERY YEAR WE REVIEWED THEM. SO FOR THE ONE THAT YOU BROUGHT UP WITH TALENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WE SPECIFICALLY WORKED WITH, UH, REGION 20, INDUSTRY, ACADEMIA, UM, ALL THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS YOU CAN THINK OF THAT TOUCHED CYBER. AND IN THAT PARTICULAR ONE, THE ISSUE THAT CAME UP FROM THE COMMUNITY WAS HOW DO WE TRAIN, HOW DO WE IDENTIFY, RECRUIT, UH, RESKILL AND UPSKILL COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS OR TEACHERS IN GENERAL AT THE K 12 LEVEL TO BECOME COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS? AND HOW DO WE GET THEM CERTIFIED? AND THEN HOW DO WE DO THE SAME FOR OUR STUDENTS? UM, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS, UH, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF ENGLISH TEACHERS. WE HAVE A LOT OF MATH TEACHERS. WE HAVE SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHERS. SO HOW DO WE GET THEM INTERESTED [02:10:01] IN BECOMING COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHERS? HOW DO WE INCENTIVIZE THAT? SO THAT WAS ONE OF OUR OBJECTIVES, WAS TO BUILD A PROGRAM WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALREADY COVER THE COST OF ONE EXAM, BUT THEY DON'T COVER BEYOND THAT. SO WHO CAN FILL THAT GAP? WAS IT THE COUNTY? WAS IT INDUSTRY? UM, HOW DO WE BREAK DOWN THOSE COSTS? SO IT WAS KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE, UM, BUT BASED ON THE REQUESTS THAT PEOPLE WERE SEEING ON THE GROUND. UH, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SO THAT WAS KIND OF SOME OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD AROUND THAT. NO, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU, AMANDA. THANK YOU. YOU ANSWERED WHAT I WAS TRYING TO GET AT, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER R GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU, AMANDA. IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU, UH, WANNA SERVE ON THIS. YOU REPRESENT, UH, AN INDUSTRY THAT'S GROWING AND THAT'S IMPORTANT, UH, TO THIS COMMUNITY. UH, BUT YOU'RE GONNA BE SITTING ON A BOARD WITH OTHERS WHO MAY REPRESENT OTHER INDUSTRIES AND COLLABORATIVE COLLABORATIVELY. YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA BE PART OF AN EFFORT TO EDUCATE AND TRAIN AND GET AS MANY PEOPLE IN A DIVERSE AREA, IN DIVERSE AREAS INTO THE WORKFORCE AGAIN. AND, UH, I'M, I'M SURE YOU'RE VERY WELL PREPARED TO SIT AND WORK WITH, WITH OTHERS IN THAT. BUT I REALLY WANNA FOCUS A LITTLE BIT MORE ON, ON YOUR PARTICULAR INDUSTRY. 'CAUSE I THINK IT IS AN, AN IMPORTANT ONE, AND IT'S A FUTURE GROWTH INDUSTRY. AND, AND I'M JUST WONDERING, AND MAYBE YOU'VE GOT SOME IDEAS THAT YOU CAN MOVE FORWARD. UM, WHAT DO WE DO TO ASSIST PEOPLE WHO MAYBE WORKED IN A RESTAURANT, RESTAURANT OR WORKED IN A HOTEL OR WORKED ACROSS THE COUNTER IN A RETAIL SITUATION TO NOW MOVE INTO YOUR INDUSTRY? UH, OVER WHAT PERIOD OF TIME WOULD IT TAKE, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND HOW CAN THAT PROCESS BE LAID OUT? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD 150,000 PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR JOBS A YEAR AGO, OR 10 MONTHS AGO. A HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THOSE HAVE GOTTEN BACK INTO SOME KIND OF A JOB. MAYBE NOT THE JOB THEY WANT, BUT ONE THEY NEED. BUT WE STILL THINK THERE'S 50,000 PEOPLE OUT THERE UNEMPLOYED. SO HOW DO WE FIND PEOPLE WHO ARE MOVING FROM THOSE KINDS OF POSITIONS? HOW DO WE GET THEM INTO A POSITION, UH, THAT'S IN YOUR INDUSTRY? WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS OR YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR THAT ? GOT IT. THANK YOU. UH, SO I, MY BACKGROUND'S IN COMMS, SO I DEFAULT TO COMMS A LOT. COMMUNICATIONS. I THINK PART OF IT IS A MARKETING PROBLEM, RIGHT? AND IT'S SIMILAR IN CYBER, AND I THINK IT'S SIMILAR IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES WHERE WE HAVE A HUGE CITY. WE HAVE A LOT OF PARTNERSHIPS. WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY MATURE ORGANIZATIONS. WE HAVE GREAT PARTNERSHIPS, PROGRAMS, COLLABORATIONS. THERE'S A LOT GOING ON. AND I THINK THAT THE PUBLIC IS INUNDATED WITH INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT PARTNERS. I THINK THERE HAS TO BE ONE CENTRAL PLACE TO FIND THAT INFORMATION. SO THAT'S ONE PART IS I HOPE THAT THIS INITIATIVE WILL BE THE ORGANIZING AND, YOU KNOW, CENTRAL CORE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO. AND PEOPLE CAN SEE IT AS A ONE-STOP SHOP, UH, IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE BUILT THAT FOR CYBER. UM, SO THAT'S ONE, RIGHT? IT'S JUST HAVING A CLEAR MESSAGE, A CLEAR LEAD, UM, AND THE OTHER PARTNERS HOPEFULLY FALL IN LINE WITH THAT LEAD, UM, TO MAKE IT EASY FOR FOLKS. THE LAST THING YOU WANT WHEN YOU'RE UNEMPLOYED IS MORE CONFUSION, , AND MORE LINES, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE IN THE WRONG PLACE. UH, THE OTHER PIECE IS IN TERMS OF IDEAS TO ME, AND A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE INDUSTRY HAVE AGREED IN OUR ROUND TABLES THAT CYBERSECURITY IS CUSTOMER SERVICE AT ITS CORE, AT ITS BASIC ELEMENTS. IF YOU TAKE OUT ALL THE TECHNICAL STUFF, YOU'RE REALLY DOING CUSTOMER SERVICE. AND IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A HACKER TO BE IN CYBER, RIGHT? YOU NEED TO BE INQUISITIVE, YOU NEED TO BE PERSISTENT. YOU NEED TO ASK QUESTIONS. YOU NEED TO NOTICE TRENDS, PATTERNS. WHEN SOMETHING'S OFF, YOU NEED TO BE GOOD AT COMMUNICATING. YOU NEED TO WORK WITH A TEAM. ALL THESE THINGS ARE ALREADY HABITS AND SKILLS THAT FOLKS HAVE IN RETAIL. I MYSELF WAS IN RETAIL IN COLLEGE, RIGHT? SO I KNOW THAT THOSE SKILLS ARE VALUABLE. AND EVEN IN CYBER, WE JOKE THAT YOU CAN TELL WHO'S WORKED IN RETAIL AND CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WHO HAS NOT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THOSE SKILLS OF BEING ABLE TO HOLD YOURSELF WELL UNDER PRESSURE. UH, BEING ABLE TO SAY WHEN YOU NEED HELP, UM, UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE'S TRAINING AND PROTOCOLS AND PROCESSES, UH, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO HAVE A CONFIDENCE TO ELEVATE THINGS TO YOUR LEADERSHIP WHEN NEEDED, RIGHT? WHICH ARE ALL THINGS YOU CAN THINK OF. SITUATIONS IN A HOTEL, YOU CAN THINK OF SITUATIONS IN A RESTAURANT. UM, SO SIMPLIFYING THAT, AND AGAIN, INCREASING ACCESS IN THAT WAY. THE CERTIFICATIONS, THOSE PROCESSES ARE THERE, RIGHT? THERE'S SECURITY PLUS THERE'S A PLUS. THERE'S THOSE PATHWAYS ALREADY. I THINK IT'S THIS PSYCHOLOGICAL BARRIER [02:15:01] THAT I CAN'T BE IN CYBER BECAUSE I WORKED FOR A HOTEL. I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE. UM, SO I THINK THERE'S MESSAGING THERE THAT WE CAN WORK AROUND, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT CYBER IS MORE ACCESSIBLE, RIGHT? LIKE, I DON'T HAVE TO BE A HACKER TO BE IN CYBER. WE NEED MARKETING PEOPLE. WE NEED SALESPEOPLE. UH, YOU NEED DATA PEOPLE. YOU NEED DATA ENTRY PEOPLE. UH, SAME, YOU KNOW, SKILL SETS THAT CARRY OVER. IT'S JUST PROVIDING THAT ACCESS AND TAKING TIME. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE CASE MANAGEMENT IS GONNA COME IN HANDY, IS SITTING DOWN WITH PEOPLE AND SHOWING WHERE THOSE SKILLS TRANSLATE. AND THEN IT, IT TAKES AWAY THE SCARINESS OF GOING AFTER A CERTIFICATION, RIGHT? THERE'S WORK THERE, BUT THERE'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, 80% OF THE WAVE WITH EVERYTHING ELSE. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, IT SURE DOES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ANSWER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. UH, AMANDA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, FOR YOUR TIME, UH, AND INSIGHTS TODAY, UH, AND FOR YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP UP TO, TO THIS ROLE. UH, WE APPRECIATE IT. UM, YOU DON'T NEED TO, TO STAY WITH US, UH, SINCE OUR DELIBERATION WILL BE ON THE 19TH. GOT IT. . WELL, THANK Y'ALL. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE NOW TO OUR NEXT APPLICANT ON THE, UH, LOCAL EMPLOYER CATEGORY. UH, LET ME BRING BACK, UH, BEN PD, UH, FROM ACCENTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, BEN FOR JOINING US. UH, THANK YOU ALSO FOR, UH, YOUR LEADERSHIP AND COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY. I APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP UP INTO THIS ROLE. AND, UM, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO AROUND THE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. UH, SO AGAIN, THANKS FOR BEING WITH US AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. UH, VERY, UH, HAPPY TO BE HERE TODAY. UH, MY NAME IS BEN PEEVY. I'M THE OFFICE MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR ACCENTURE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. UH, WE HAVE ABOUT 2000 EMPLOYEES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE'RE OUR AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CONSULTING COMPANY. I'VE BEEN WITH ACCENTURE FOR 27 YEARS. UH, STARTED STRAIGHT FROM COLLEGE, UH, AS A COBAL PROGRAMMER. AND NOW I AM A MANAGING DIRECTOR, UH, LEADING OUR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CENTER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, YOU KNOW, I'M FROM SAN ANTONIO. MY DAD WAS IN THE AIR FORCE, SO I, I WAS HERE FROM THE TIME I WAS FIVE MONTHS OLD ALL THE WAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL AND WENT THROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. AND, YOU KNOW, SINCE I'VE, UH, BEEN WORKING IN SAN ANTONIO, HAVE REALLY BEEN ABLE TO, UH, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE I THINK, UH, I CAN ADD A LOT, UH, TO THIS BOARD, UH, IS WITH MY EXPERIENCE, NOT ONLY WORKING IN THE IT ARENA AND UNDERSTANDING THE SKILLS THAT WE NEED, UH, OUR EMPLOYEES TO HAVE TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT HAVE BEEN ON THE BOARDS, UH, AND ADVISORY COUNCILS OF SA WORKS OF WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, I'M CURRENTLY ON THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND, UH, BEEN PART OF THE CYBERSECURITY, UH, GROUP AS WELL. AND, AND OTHER THINGS FROM AN ACCENTURE PERSPECTIVE THAT WE'VE BEEN REALLY LEANING IN AND, AND CREATING PARTNERSHIPS, UH, BETWEEN THE NONPROFITS AS WELL AS, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, UH, LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND, UH, COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IS, UM, WITH, UH, THE PTECH PROGRAM. WE HELPED, UH, CREATE THE PTECH PROGRAM AT SAM HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH WAS THE FIRST CYBER FOCUSED PTECH PROGRAM IN THE NATION. AND, UH, JUST GOING THROUGH THAT EXPERIENCE, LEARNED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RELATIONSHIPS AND THE POWER OF BEING ABLE TO DO THAT, UH, TO REALLY ENABLE A LARGE NUMBER OF KIDS TO GET IT EXPERIENCE THAT WILL HELP THEM BUILD A CAREER GOING FORWARD. SO I, I THINK WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING WITH THIS READY TO WORK INITIATIVE IS, IS WONDERFUL, AND I'D LOVE TO BE PART OF THE TEAM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, MR. PV. UM, WE'LL GO NOW TO OUR COUNCIL, UH, DISCUSSION. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE? WE'LL START WITH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, ONE INTERESTING, UH, QUESTION I HAVE, AND YOU'VE WORKED FOR, FOR OR ON THE BOARD FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE, UH, THE, UH, THE, THE COUNTY WORKFORCE PROGRAM, W S A MM-HMM. . UH, AND, AND I WANTED TO GET YOUR, UH, IMPRESSION OF YOUR SERVICE ON THAT AND ITS ABILITY TO BE THE KIND OF PARTNER THAT WE MAY NEED TO MOVE THIS WHOLE PROGRAM FORWARD. NO, IT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND I'VE LEARNED A GREAT DEAL BEING ON THAT BOARD FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY'RE VERY UNIQUE BECAUSE THEY WORK, UH, DIRECTLY WITH DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND THE TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION, AND SO THEY GET A LOT OF WEOA FUNDS. SO REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UH, THAT PROCESS AND THE ELIGIBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE [02:20:01] TO TAKE ADVANTAGE, UH, OF THAT FUNDING AND THAT MONEY IS IMPORTANT AND THERE, AND SO THERE'S A LARGE SUM OF MONEY THAT WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS AMO GETS. AND, AND THEY DO A WONDERFUL JOB, UH, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO SUPPORT, UH, THE SAN ANTONIO AS WELL AS THE RURAL COUNTY AREAS, UH, WHERE THEY CAN BE A GREAT PARTNER. WHERE, WHERE THE NEW LEADERSHIP OF, UH, ADRIAN LOPEZ IS, IS BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS LIKE, UH, SA WORKS IN THE CITY, UH, WHERE THEY MAY HAVE MORE OF AN INDUSTRY FOCUS AND RELATIONSHIPS THERE. SO THAT IF YOU'RE ABLE TO KIND OF INTEGRATE, UH, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN, UH, THE INDUSTRY IS WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, AND THEN BEING ABLE TO MOST EFFECTIVELY USE THOSE FUNDS, I, I THINK THEY'RE A CENTRAL PART OF, OF MAKING THIS WORK. AND, AND FROM READING THE CHARTER OF WHAT, WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, UM, I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD TRY TO HELP IS HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS PROCESS SUSTAINABLE GOING FORWARD, UH, SO THAT MORE ORGANIZATIONS KNOW HOW TO TAP INTO WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, AND THAT FUNDING GOING FORWARD. SO THIS SHOULDN'T LAST JUST FOUR YEARS. WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY CREATE A PROCESS AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT GO BEYOND THAT, UH, EVEN BETTER THAN IT IS TODAY. MM-HMM. , UH, EXCUSE ME. ANOTHER THOUGHT THAT COMES TO MIND IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS IS GONNA BE HELPING PEOPLE, UH, TARGET INTO SPECIFIC JOBS SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES, BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT'LL BE GOING THROUGH THIS PROGRAM ARE GONNA NEED WRAPAROUND SERVICES. UH, YOU KNOW, THE CITY IS, IS GOING TO BE EXPLORING HOW THEY CAN WORK WITH OTHER NON-PROFIT AGENCIES TO PROVIDE SOME OF THOSE SERVICES RATHER THAN JUST DIRECTLY FROM THE CITY. UH, DO DOES, UH, W S A WORK WITH OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, UH, TO ENSURE THAT THERE'S A, A GOOD, UH, CONTINUATION OF, OF SERVICES AND HELP FOR PEOPLE TO PLUG INTO THE TRAINING, UH, PLUG INTO THE, THE WORKFORCE TARGETING, UH, THAT GOES ON AT W S A? YES, SIR. THEY DO. AND, AND THAT, AND THAT'S SO CRITICAL FOR ALLOWING THESE PROGRAMS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. SO SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THEY WORK WITH IS PROJECT QUEST, WHO IS A WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION, AND GOODWILL IS SOME OF THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. UH, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO AND, AND SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, PROVIDERS, UH, WORKING WITH SOME OF THOSE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, UH, ARE, ARE REALLY BENEFICIAL FOR PEOPLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE AND BEING ABLE TO JUST GO TO THE TRAINING SESSIONS AND, AND GOING TO SCHOOL, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN THINGS LIKE, UH, BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE CLOTHES, UH, PROFESSIONAL CLOTHES FOR THESE PEOPLE, UH, HAVE BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT. SO THEY, THEY HAVE, AND I, I DO THINK THAT'S A KEY COMPONENT, UH, OF ALLOWING US TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS WELL. YOU KNOW, I KNOW W S A HAS GONE THROUGH SOME CHANGES ADMINISTRATIVELY AND BOARD AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. DO YOU, YOU FEEL LIKE THERE'S A, A GOOD COURSE FORWARD AND GOOD STABILITY NOW WITH IT? I, I DO. I, I DEFINITELY DO FEEL, UH, THEY'RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WHEN I JOINED, UH, THREE YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A LOT OF, LIKE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAYING, ARE YOU SURE YOU WANNA DO THAT? OR, OR, YOU KNOW, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO? AND SO I DID MY RESEARCH AND, AND, UH, THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH, UH, A LOT OF CHANGE IN DIFFERENT LEADERS. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DO THINK ADRIAN AND THE STAFF HAVE, HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB. THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE A WAYS TO GO, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST THE STABILITY AND THE FOCUS, AND I THINK THEY'VE PROVEN WHAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO DURING THIS PANDEMIC THAT I THINK THEY'VE REALLY STEPPED UP AND, AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO MORE VIRTUAL AND TO BUILD DIFFERENT RELATIONSHIPS. SO, UH, MR. COURAGE, I, I DO THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I, I KEEP MY EYES ON AND, AND, AND, AND KEEP THEM ACCOUNTABLE, BUT I REALLY DO THINK WE'RE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. PEEVY. THANK YOU, RON. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND THANK YOU, MR. PEEVY. UM, AND ALSO WANNA TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN, UM, TAYLOR'S LIVING, UH, IN MY SKIN. UH, I, I GOT TO WATCH THE FIRST PART. I HADN'T WATCHED THE SECOND PART. UM, BUT THANK YOU, UH, FOR THAT. THANK YOU LOT. AND THANK FOR AL ALWAYS SERVING OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO I KNOW THAT YOU'RE INVOLVED, UM, IN A NUMBER OF, OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES. AND, AND I'M GONNA PIGGY BACK OFF OF WHAT COUNCILMAN COURAGE WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND SPECIFICALLY, UH, WITH YOUR SERVICE ON, ON ESSAY WORKS ADVISORY COUNCIL, AND ALSO IN YOUR PARTICIP PARTICIPATION IN W S A, UM, TRAINING PROGRAMS. YOU SPOKE ABOUT, UH, ALIGNING TRAINING PROGRAMS TO EMPLOYERS, HIRING NEEDS SPECIFICALLY. UM, AND SO YOU, YOU MENTIONED HOW BOTH THOSE ROLES AND YOUR ROLE, UH, IN THE SA CHAMBER AND YOUR ROLE AS AN EMPLOYER, UM, IN AN IN-DEMAND OCCUPATION WOULD BRING A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE. SO, CAN YOU HELP ME, UH, UNDERSTAND HOW YOU WOULD, UM, [02:25:01] TIE IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN SOME OF THOSE WORDS AND WHAT TO CONTINUE DOING, MAYBE WHAT HAS WORKED AND WHAT HASN'T WORKED AND, UH, AND BRINGING THAT EXPERTISE TO THIS, UH, COMMITTEE WOULD SERVE ON? SURE. UH, FIRST IS, UH, IT TOOK US, UH, IT TOOK ACCENTURE ABOUT A YEAR TO ESTABLISH OUR FIRST APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM, UH, WORKING WITH WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS, ALAMO, PROJECT QUEST, UH, YOU KNOW, ST. PHILIPS COLLEGE. UH, AND IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF TRUST AND PARTNERSHIPS AND JUST UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT CONTRACTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE THERE, AND I ALWAYS SAY IT WAS WELL WORTH IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE STILL REAPING THOSE BENEFITS TODAY. UH, SO THAT'S ONE THING. I THINK THE OTHER THING IS SPECIAL PERSPECTIVE. UH, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NEED TO, UH, REINVENT THE WHEEL. UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE FAME PROJECT IN SAN ANTONIO, WHAT THEY'RE DOING FROM A MANUFACTURING PERSPECTIVE, WE'VE TAKEN A VERY SIMILAR APPROACH FROM AN IT PERSPECTIVE. I THINK WITH IT, ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD BRING IS YOU HAVE TO BE AGILE, YOU HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE, BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY CHANGES SO FAST. SO A LOT OF THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS AND TRAINING STAY THE SAME, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE ALAMO COLLEGES AND ST. PHILIPS AND THE UTSAS TO ALLOW THEM TO, UH, TWEAK THEIR CURRICULUM TO WHAT'S MOST IN DEMAND BY THE COMPANIES IN SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE IT LITERALLY CHANGES, UH, QUARTER BY QUARTER SOMETIMES. SO, UH, IF WE CAN PUT A PROCESS IN PLACE WHERE WE UNDERSTAND WHAT DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE, WHAT TYPE OF TRAINING, UH, WHAT TYPE OF CERTIFICATIONS, UH, I THINK THAT WILL, WILL GO A LONG WAY. AND, AND JUST HAVING THAT MINDSET IN THE BEGINNING THAT, HEY, DON'T TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT IS GONNA BE, UH, SET FOR A YEAR OR TWO YEARS. YOU REALLY CAN'T HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO BE FLEXIBLE AND CHANGE THINGS. I WOULD SAY EVERY THREE MONTHS, IF NEEDED. DR. PD, AND I'M FAMILIAR WITH THE WORK THAT, UM, YOU ALL DID WITH ACCENTURE AND SETTING UP THE INTERNSHIP, UH, FOR INSTANCE, OR THE APPRENTICESHIP SPECIFICALLY WITH PROJECT QUEST. UM, AND, AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL WERE VERY FLEXIBLE, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT'S GONNA TAKE FOR THIS COMMITTEE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DO, IS LOOK AT THE DATA THREE MONTHS OUT, SIX MONTHS OUT, NINE MONTHS OUT. AND SO, UM, I, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE, UM, WILLING TO, UH, TO, TO TRY TO BE UP FOR THAT CHALLENGE. AND SO, JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER RO GARCIA, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. OH, I'M SORRY. UM, SEE, A COUPLE HANDS STILL RAISE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU MR. PEEVY, FOR YOUR SERVICE AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS BOARD. UM, MY QUESTION IS, WHAT DO YOU SEE, AND, AND YOU'VE SERVED ON Y YOU'VE BEEN IN THIS ARENA BEFORE, SO IT WILL BE VERY INTERESTING FOR ME TO, TO HEAR YOUR, YOUR RESPONSES. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE, THAT THE PURPOSE OR, OR THE GOALS OF THIS PARTICULAR ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THIS PROGRAM? AND, UH, MY SECOND QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT FOR THIS PROGRAM, UH, VERSUS OTHER, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT, PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND, UH, IN THE CITY BEFORE? THANK YOU. YEAH, I, I, I THINK TO THE FIRST PART OF THE QUESTION WITH THIS COUNCIL AND ADVISORY BOARD, YOU KNOW, TO THE COUNCIL WOMAN'S, UH, GARCIA'S STATEMENT BEFORE, UM, I THINK WE HAD TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL AND FOCUSED ON, ON OUTCOMES AND WHAT OUR OBJECTIVES ARE. UM, AND, AND AGAIN, I THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SPEND A LOT OF MONEY AND DO A LOT OF THINGS, BUT IF YOU DON'T GET THE RESULTS, IF PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING CERTIFICATIONS, IF PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING THEIR DEGREES, UM, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT QUICKLY, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO BETTER? UH, WHAT, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO DIFFERENT? UH, AND SO, UH, I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, FOR, FOR US TO HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE. AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I'LL HAVE A FOCUS ON IT, BUT SAN ANTONIO HAS A VERY DIVERSE, UH, INDUSTRY AND, AND ECONOMY. SO OTHER PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE THAT PERSPECTIVE AND INSIGHT. UH, TO BE ABLE TO BRING THAT, UH, TO THE, TO THIS BOARD IN A REAL TIME MANNER, I THINK IS GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT NEEDS TO BE DIFFERENT, UH, POTENTIALLY GOING FORWARD IS, UM, I, I, SOMETIMES I'M ON THESE DIFFERENT BOARDS, UH, THAT ARE DEALING WITH DIFFERENT, UH, PARTS OF THE CITY OR THE COUNTY, AND THERE'S PROBABLY NOT AS, AS MUCH ENGAGEMENT AS I THINK THERE SHOULD BE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST ASK FOR THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS DURING A PANDEMIC, RIGHT? AND WE HAVE A, UH, PRETTY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO, UH, TAKE IT, YOU KNOW, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN A POSITIVE WAY. AND I'LL GO BACK TO, IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, AND IF WE ESTABLISH THE PROCESSES, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN HAVE LONG LASTING EFFECTS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. [02:30:01] YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, I, I WAS ALSO, I'M ALSO ON THE BOARD FOR DEMOCRACY PREP, UH, WHICH IS IN THE SAN ANTONIO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST ISSUES WAS A LOT OF THEIR KIDS DID NOT HAVE INTERNET ACCESS. THEY DIDN'T HAVE HIGH-SPEED INTER INTERNET ACCESS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, EVERYONE WAS SAYING HOW MUCH MONEY IT WOULD TAKE AND HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE, UH, TO GET, YOU KNOW, HIGH SPEED INTERNET ACCESS TO FAMILIES. WELL, DURING THE PANDEMIC, I THINK WE'VE GREATLY CLOSED THE GAP AND, AND GIVING PEOPLE THAT ACCESS. I'M, AND MY PERSPECTIVE IS, WELL, WHY CAN'T WE DO THAT? AS WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, THIS, YOU KNOW, READY TO WORK INITIATIVE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES, I STILL AM FRUSTRATED WITH, UH, THE DISPARITY IN DIFFERENT, UH, UH, ZIP CODES, UH, ABOUT, UH, EDUCATION LEVELS AND ATTAINMENT. AND, AND I JUST THINK WITH IT, IT'S, IT'S JUST A GREAT EQUALIZER AND LEVEL, OR OF, UH, ALLOWING, UH, FAMILIES TO, UH, GREATLY IN, UH, IMPACT THEIR TRAJECTORY GOING FORWARD. SO, AGAIN, I, I, I'M NOT SURE IF I DIRECTLY ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT I, I, I JUST THINK THIS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF. THANK YOU, MR. PEEVY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. UH, MR. PEEVY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY, BEING WILLING TO SET UP, UH, LEADERSHIP IN THIS, UH, INITIATIVE. UH, YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG ON. UH, WE'RE GONNA DELIBERATE ON THE 19TH. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING WITH US TODAY. THANK YOU ALL. TAKE CARE. YOU TOO. ALRIGHT, OUR NEXT APPLICANT IN THE LOCAL EMPLOYER CATEGORY, UH, IS JUAN SOLI. LET'S CONNECT WITH JUAN. HELLO. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON. HOW ARE YOU? THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. UM, NOT A PROBLEM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. UM, YOU KNOW, GIVING EVERYONE THREE MINUTES, UM, AFTER THE INTERVIEW, YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG ON WITH US AS WE'RE, UH, GONNA BE DELIBERATING ON THE 19TH. UM, SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, LEMME BREAKING POINT NOW. YOU'RE BREAKING UP, MR. MAYOR, YOU'RE BREAKING UP A LITTLE BIT, SO IT'S HARD TO HEAR YOU, JUST SO YOU'LL KNOW GOING FORWARD. I'M SORRY, JUAN. THAT'S NO PROBLEM, SIR. UM, I COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING, MAYOR. I APOLOGIZE. OKAY. LET, LET ME, UH, LET ME START OVER. MAYBE IT WAS MY, UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YOU'RE STILL BREAKING UP A BIT. YEAH, YOU STILL ARE BREAKING UP, BUT IT'S, HMM. OKAY. UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME? UH, LET'S SEE. YES, SIR. ONE SECOND. YOU CAN HEAR ME OKAY NOW? YES, SIR. OKAY, ALL. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, COUNCILMAN FOR BEING HERE, UM, AND BEING WILLING TO SERVE, UH, AND FOR YOUR APPLICATION. THANK YOU FOR ALSO, UH, YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. UM, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO THROUGH OUR COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. UH, YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG ON AFTER THE INTERVIEW, AS WE WON'T BE DOING ANY DELIBERATION TODAY. THAT'LL BE ON THE 19TH. SO, UH, WITH THAT, UH, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR BEING WITH US TODAY, AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. SO MY NAME IS JUAN SOLES. I'M A VICE PRESIDENT FOR BB AND T TRUIST. UH, GOING INTO MY 15TH YEAR OF, OF BANKING, UH, I'VE ALWAYS CONSIDERED AN EXTENSION OF SOMETHING THAT I LOVE TO DO, AND THAT'S COMMUNITY SERVICE. IN, IN BANKING, WHAT I DO IN PARTICULAR IS I WORK WITH COMPANIES LESS THAN HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, UH, IN THEIR REVENUES. AND I ALSO WORK WITH CONSTITUENTS, RIGHT? PEOPLE EVERY DAY THAT HAVE NEEDS FROM ALONG ESTABLISHING THEIR CREDIT, AS WELL AS HELPING THEM LOOK FOR FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS THAT EXIST. AND TO ME, IT'S AN EXTENSION OF WORK THAT I'VE ALWAYS DONE PRETTY MUCH ALL MY LIFE. AND THAT'S CONSTITUENCY WORK. I CONDUCT BILINGUAL FINANCIAL LITERACY CLASSES, UH, AS WELL AS THE ROAD TO HOME OWNERSHIP, HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW TO GET TO WHERE IT IS, LIKE I SAID, CONSTITUENCY WORK, ONE OH ONE. UH, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SEVEN EIGHT TWO OH SEVEN. SO ENOUGH SAID THERE. UH, I AM A FORMER COUNCILMAN, YES, A FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE, UH, AND REALLY LOVE THE FACT THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OVER THE YEARS. THAT WAS A PASSION FOR ME FROM THE VERY START. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN, IT WAS ONE OF YOUR MEETINGS THAT I GOT TO ATTEND ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO THAT TALKED ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORKFORCE. AND I REALIZED THERE, THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO SERVE IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY. SO I ASKED, AND I GOT MYSELF APPOINTED TO THE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO BOARD. OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, I'VE HAD FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS TO BE PART OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND THE EVOLUTION THAT'S TAKING PLACE. OBVIOUSLY [02:35:01] WITH COVID, UH, 19, WHAT WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO SEE IS, IS THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THE OBSTACLE NEED. EVEN I'M LOOKING TO BEING ABLE TO BRING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THIS COMMITTEE THAT ARE LESSONS LEARNED IMMEDIATELY, RIGHT? THIS COMMITTEE GOING THROUGH THIS TODAY, UH, AND IT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE FOR ME, MY PASSION MIGRATED TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UM, LIKE I SAID, FROM THAT ONE MEETING. AND I THINK IT'S A, A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR US, UH, TO PROVIDE FOR PEOPLE OF OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR NATIVE BORN SAN ANTONIONS, WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIND A CAREER, UH, THAT IS SUSTAINABLE FOR THEIR FAMILIES. UM, UH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A WAY FOR US TO LIFT EVERY, TO LIFT EVERYBODY IN THE ECONOMY OF OUR COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S WHAT I WANNA BE ABLE TO DO. THAT'S WHO I AM IN A NUTSHELL. UM, I STAY ACTIVE IN MY COMMUNITY, AS YOU KNOW. UM, I BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF PORT SAN ANTONIO. UH, I'M ALSO ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF LA CHEE. UH, I SIT ON SOUTH SIDE FIRST. UM, I ALSO SIT WITH THE, UM, THE, THE COMMUNITY IN REFERENCE TO LIST. UM, AND, UM, AND THEN RECENTLY I ADDED SOMETHING ELSE THAT, THAT I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF MY OWN COMMUNITY. SO I AM CHAIRMAN OF THE ZONING COMMISSION IN THE CITY OF CASTLE HILLS. AND SO BALANCING ALL OF THAT HAS BEEN PART OF WHO I AM. UH, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS OPPORTUNITY. I FEEL I AM MOST UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO CONTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY, UH, AND, AND HELP WITH THIS PROGRAM THAT'S SO ESSENTIAL TO THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, COUNCILMAN SOLIS. UM, WE WILL NOW GO TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. UM, AND LET'S START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR . UH, REPRESENTATIVE COUNCILMAN ZONING. COMMISSIONER, UH, SOLIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. JUST A, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UH, YOU HAVE A LONG EXPERIENCE OF, AND A VARIED EXPERIENCE OF SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND, UH, ESPECIALLY IN THIS PARTICULAR SECTOR, RIGHT? THE, WHAT WE CALL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. UM, HOW DO YOU THINK THAT, UM, I GUESS, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE PURPOSE IN THE MISSION OF THIS PARTICULAR ADVISORY BOARD? I'D LIKE TO HEAR THAT ARTICULATED IN, IN YOUR WORDS, AND I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU HOW YOU FEEL THIS PROGRAM SHOULD BE ANY DIFFERENT FROM PRE-EXISTING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS OUT THERE. THANK YOU. I THINK THE FIRST QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, THE ROLE IS ADVISORY TO, TO THE ADMINISTRATION THAT IS PUTTING THIS, UH, PROGRAM TOGETHER. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE PROVIDE INSIGHTS THAT WE HAVE FROM THE GROUND, UH, OF OUR ACTIVITIES THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR THEM, UH, TO BE ABLE TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS. I THINK, YOU KNOW, STAFFS ARE, ARE, ARE CAPABLE OF MAKING DECISIONS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY NEED INSIGHT, UH, FROM ON THE GROUND, FROM THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I'LL BRING TO THE TABLE. UH, THE SECOND QUESTION WAS, WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? OR WHAT YOU SEE DIFFERENTLY? I, I THINK THE C OVID 19 EXPOSED A LOT OF VULNERABILITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY, QUITE HONESTLY. I THINK WE NEED TO HEAR BETTER. UH, WE NEED TO LISTEN BETTER TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMMUNITIES. AS AN EXAMPLE, A A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND I WAS ABLE TO LISTEN TO Y'ALL'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MEETING THE OTHER DAY, AND COUNCILWOMAN FROM DISTRICT SIX ASKED A QUESTION AS TO WHY MORE PEOPLE AREN'T PARTICIPATING. IN MY ESTIMATION, IT'S OUT OF FEAR. WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THAT C OVID 19 DECIMATED MANY OF OUR FAMILIES. AND SO WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO LISTEN MORE TO OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT HOW WE GET THEM MOTIVATED AND UNDERSTANDING THE OPPORTUNITY THAT EXISTS. UH, FOR TOO LONG CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WAS SOLD AS A LOW WAGE COMMUNITY. PLEASE COME AND BRING YOUR BUSINESS, UH, AND YOU'LL BE HAPPY TO JUST PUT SOMEBODY TO WORK. THAT HAS TO CHANGE. AND THAT HAS CHANGED AS YOU'VE SEEN THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE AT PORT SAN ANTONIO. WE DON'T MENTION LOW COST WAGES, WE DON'T MENTION THAT KIND OF STUFF 'CAUSE WE KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO THAT HUMAN CAPITAL THAT IS HERE CAN AND NEEDS TO BE REINVESTED. AND THAT, TO ME IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMITTEE. COMMITTEE AND, AND THE MISSION. THANK YOU, JUAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANDOVAL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, MR. FOR YOUR INTEREST. UM, MY QUESTION IS ALONG, UH, THE LINES OF YOU, THE, YOU APPLIED FOR THE IN-DEMAND LOCAL EMPLOYER, UM, AREA, AND YOU MENTIONED THAT YOUR, YOUR INDUSTRY [02:40:01] AND THE BANKING INDUSTRY. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE TRENDS THAT YOUR INDUSTRY SEES, UM, THE NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE AND ALSO MAYBE SOME OF THE JOBS THAT YOUR INDUSTRY IS OFFERING AND, UH, IN PARTICULAR HOW THEY ALIGN WITH THE WAGES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE IN, IN THIS CATEGORY MOVING FORWARD? ONE OF THE, THE GREATEST THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SEE IN THE INDUSTRY WITH THE BANKING IS WE ARE CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL WORKERS. WE ARE FEDERALLY MANDATED TO STAY OPEN. AND WE HAVE BEEN, THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS, WE RECEIVED OUR LETTERS THAT SHOW US AS E ESSENTIAL WORKERS. OUR PAY IS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER THAN MOST. UH, AND IT ALSO HAS DIFFERENT LEVELS OF ENTRY, RIGHT? YOU CAN HAVE ENTRY LEVEL, UH, WITH POSI PEOPLE WITHOUT DEGREES, PEOPLE WITH DEGREES AT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS THAT EXIST. ONE OF THE AREAS THAT IS GROWING WITHIN THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AREA IS ALSO THOSE OF CALL CENTERS. SO IT'S A COMBINATION, UH, OF, OF HOW THE EVOLUTION HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE WORLD OF BANKING. AS YOU SEE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S INTERESTING TO ME IS, IS THE EVOLUTION THAT, AGAIN, BROUGHT ON BY C O I D IS THE ADVENT OF OUR APP APPLICATIONS THROUGH OUR CELL PHONES. IT'S DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING BUSINESS. AND WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT OUR ABILITY AND HAVING PEOPLE ON THE GROUND TO BE ABLE TO SERVICE HOW THE EVOLUTION OF OUR BUSINESS IS TAKING PLACE, THAT'S THE IN DEMAND OPPORTUNITY THAT EXISTS FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND THE REGION. YOU'RE SEEING COMPANIES LIKE, LIKE FROST, AND YOU'RE SEEING COMPANIES LIKE OURSELVES LOOK AT PEOPLE AS HUMAN CAPITAL THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTED. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW FORTUNATE I AM TO WORK FOR A COMPANY OF THE SIZE THAT I WORK FOR, THAT INVEST IN US BY, BY HAVING US READ MARKETING BOOKS AND LEADERSHIP BOOKS EVERY QUARTER, UH, TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE NEED TO INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE AND OUR TEAMS. AND SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, YOU LOOK AT THE PAY AVERAGE, WE DON'T START BUT ANYTHING BUT $15 OR ABOVE, THERE'S NOBODY THAT WORKS LESS AT ANY, I MEAN, THE FAN INSTITUTIONS THAT I WORK WITH. UM, AND SO THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO ADVERTISE TO PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN A COMMUNITY, BUT PEOPLE NEVER GOT TO SEE IT. I THINK PEOPLE BELIEVED IT TO BE PERHAPS FOR, FOR, NOT FOR EVERYBODY, BUT BANKING IS FOR EVERYBODY. 'CAUSE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED IS THAT WE NEED TO BE REFLECTIVE OF OUR COMMUNITIES, THAT WE ARE. ONE OF THE ROLES THAT I PLAY WITH, WITH, UM, WITH BB AND T NOW TRUIST, I'M THE MULTICULTURAL CHAMPION FOR THE REGION THAT IS HOUSTON CENTRAL TEXAS. SO YOU'RE TALKING HOUSTON, UH, AUSTIN, BRIAN COLLEGE STATION, ODESSA MIDLAND IN SAN ANTONIO. MY JOB AS MULTICULTURAL CHAIRMAN IS I WORK WITH THE, WITH THE BRANCHES THAT ARE PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY, UM, WHERE THEY HAVE MAJORITY MINORITY AREAS. AND WHAT WE HAVE, WHAT I HAVE TO MAKE SURE IS THAT MY FELLOW BRANCH MANAGERS AND LEADERSHIP NOT ONLY ARE INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT THEY ALSO HIRE REFLECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY THAT I HAVE AND I DO EVERY DAY, UH, AS PART OF THE CHAMPION FOR MULTICULTURAL, UM, INDUSTRIES HERE IN, IN THE HOUSTON CENTRAL TEXAS REGION, IN ADDITION TO MY OTHER ROLES. SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA, COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. IT'S SO NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN. UM, AND, UH, I, I WANNA, UM, ASK YOU TWO QUESTIONS, VERY DISTINCT QUESTIONS. UM, BUT ONE OF THEM, IT HAS TO DO WITH, UM, THE, THE COMMUNITY THAT, THAT YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AND THAT I NOW DO, UH, I HAVE BEEN CONCERNED THAT WE ARE VERY FAR BEHIND, UM, ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY, UH, AND WE NEED A LOT OF HELP CATCHING UP. UM, HOW DO YOU THINK THAT THIS PROGRAM, UH, CAN, UM, SERVE A COMMUNITY LIKE DISTRICT FIVE? YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT, I THINK WHAT I SAID EARLIER IS APPLICABLE TO PEOPLE IN DISTRICT FIVE. I THINK ABOUT THOSE THAT DEAL WITH COVID GROWING UP IN 7 8 2 0 7, I WILL TELL YOU, WE WERE EIGHT PEOPLE IN THREE BEDROOM HOUSE WITH ONE BATHROOM, A TINY KITCHEN IN A TINY LIVING ROOM. ANYTIME COVID WOULD'VE HIT, IF I HAD BEEN WITH COVID, UM, IN THAT COMMUNITY, THE WHOLE FAMILY WOULD'VE BEEN HIT. THERE'S NO WAY THAT THE FAMILY COULD HAVE SEPARATED AND ISOLATED, AS THEY SAY, TO DO WHEN COVID HITS. SO YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT FEAR FACTOR FIRST. BUT LET ME TELL YOU, I THINK WHAT WHAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO IS UNDERSTAND, FIRST OF ALL THAT ASPECT OF IT. BUT I, IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, THAT WE TALK ABOUT FROM DISTRICT FIVE, RIGHT? WHERE WE HAVE FIVE HOUSING PROJECTS, UH, WHERE PEOPLE, UM, WE HAVE TO CREATE DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF WORKFORCE [02:45:01] AND THERE'S DIFFERENT SECTIONS, UH, SEGMENTS OF POVERTY. WHAT WE HAVE IN DISTRICT FIVE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH PEOPLE TO NOT ONLY GET THEM TO BE ABLE TO WORK AT A, AT A BETTER PLACE, MUCH LIKE THE, THE, UH, THE CHAIRMAN THE OTHER DAY SAID ON, ON YOUR, ON YOUR COMMITTEE MEETING FROM, FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD PLACE, RIGHT? AND IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE, WE WORK WITH PEOPLE FROM THE VERY START AND WE CONTINUOUS WORK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS MISSING IN OUR PROGRAM TODAY IS OUR ABILITY TO TRACK OVERALL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT A, A PROGRAM LIKE WORK IN TEXAS, WHICH IS THE TEXAS, UH, WORKFORCE COMMISSION'S WAY TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO FILE UNEMPLOYMENT, IT KEEPS TRACK OF PEOPLE. IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO CONNECT AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY NEED TO DO NEXT TO BE ABLE TO BE PARTICIPANTS. I THINK WE HAVE TO GET COMMUNITY BUY-IN. WE HAVE TO BE IN THE COMMUNITY TO GET BUY-IN, AND PEOPLE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PUT SOME SKIN IN THE GAME TO BE SUCCESSFUL. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT DISTRICT FIVE IN PARTICULAR, FOR ME, IT'S ABOUT REACHING OUT, UH, TO FAMILIES. UH, AND, AND IT'S REACHING OUT TO, TO OUR COMMUNITIES THAT TRADITIONALLY HAVE HELD THE POSITION OF LEADERSHIP FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CHURCHES. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESSES. THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT REALLY CARRY THE, THE, THE PLIGHT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE. WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO? HONESTLY, I THINK WE HAVE TO THINK TOTALLY OUT OF THE BOX. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, FOR ANYBODY WHO'S IN OUR PROGRAM, WE SHOULD GET THEM PRIORITY TO GET THEIR SHOTS OF VACCINATIONS, WE, WE HAVE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO UNDERSTAND THEY'RE THE ONE SHINING LIGHT FOR THAT FAMILY. WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT AND HELP THEM GROW FROM THERE. THANK YOU, UH, FOR, FOR THAT ANSWER. AND, AND MY SECOND QUESTION, UM, HAS TO DO WITH, UH, THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE AT PORT SAN ANTONIO ABOUT BRINGING JOBS. SO COULD YOU, UM, ELABORATE AND, UM, ABOUT SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENED AT PORT SAN ANTONIO? UM, YOU KNOW, RATHER YOUR ROLE, UH, ON THE BOARD TO BRING JOBS? YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, UM, IT GOES BACK TO MY PASSION. IT WAS IN 1985 THAT WE RECEIVED THE NEWS THAT KELLY AIR FORCE BASE WAS CLOSED. I WAS A COUNCIL MEMBER THEN I, YOU KNOW, AND WE WERE ABLE TO PULL TOGETHER 600 PEOPLE AND PUT A PLAN TOGETHER. THE, I BPA, THE INITIAL BASED ADVISORY STRATEGIC COMMITTEE IS WHAT WE PUT TOGETHER. AND WE ENVISIONED WHAT WE SAW TODAY, WHICH IS PRIVATE, A BALANCE OF PRIVATE SECTOR AND GOVERNMENT JOBS. WHAT WE HAVE DONE, AND I AM PARTICULAR PUSHED HARD, IS FOR THE VARIANCE OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO WORK AT PORT SAN ANTONIO. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTOOD MORE IS THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO GAIN LEADERSHIP AND WORK OPPORTUNITIES, AND SOMETIMES IS MISSED. THAT MEANS WE'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. WE'VE DONE PLENTY OF PRESENTATIONS TO OUR IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOODS, MAYBE THE THOMPSON PLACE, UH, UH, UH, THE THOMPSON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, OR THE QUINTANA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. AND WHEN WE DO THAT, THEY ASK QUESTIONS AFTER THE PRESENTATIONS AND WHAT JOBS ARE THERE FOR. MIKO , YOU'RE LIKE, THESE ARE THE JOBS FOR MIKO. THESE ARE THE JOBS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GAIN THAT. SO OPENING THE EYES OF PEOPLE IS IMPORTANT AS FAR AS EXPOSURE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THERE AT THE PORT. WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WE'VE MADE, WE'VE MADE A PLENTY OF PRESENTATIONS TO THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORHOODS TO SHOW PEOPLE IN THE ASSOCIATIONS BACK IN THE DAY, OF COURSE, PRE COVID, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SHOW THEM WHAT THE JOBS ARE. AND THEN ALSO, I THINK FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, WHAT I'VE PUSHED IS UNDERSTANDING THE, THE VARIOUS JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE. IT CAN'T BE ALL CYBERSECURITY SPECIALISTS ONLY. THERE ARE OTHER JOBS AVAILABLE. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US AT THE BOARD OF PORT SAN ANTONIO TO REMEMBER. AND I PUSH THAT, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT WE HAVE DONE REALLY WELL WITH OUR, WITH OUR, OUR BUSINESSES AND OUR MINORITY PARTICIPATION, WHICH I HELP CREATE FOR THE PORT SO THAT BUSINESSES THAT ARE MINORITY OWED ALSO BENEFIT, WHICH CREATES JOBS AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE DOING. WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO WHEN REACHING OUT TO WOMEN, SMALL BUSINESSES, MINORITY BUSINESSES, WE HAVE DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB. AND THAT'S THE WORK THAT I DID TO LEAD THAT EFFORT, UM, TO ENSURE THAT THE JOBS DID NOT JUST GO TO ANYBODY, BUT THEY INCLUDED ALL OF THE REGION OF SAN ANTONIO AND, AND SURROUNDING AREA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND THANK YOU FOR HANGING IN THERE IN THIS VERY LONG MEETING. UH, THANK YOU, MAYOR. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GONZALEZ, UH, COUNCILMAN SALISE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, BEING WITH US TODAY AND FOR YOUR TIME AND ENERGY, UH, IN THESE AREAS. UH, WE APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH. UM, AGAIN, WE, YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG WITH US SINCE WE'RE NOT DOING DELIBERATIONS TODAY, THAT'LL BE ON THE 19TH. SO, UH, WE'LL SEE YOU VERY SOON. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU ALL AND HAVE A GOOD DAY. STAY SAFE. BYE-BYE. YOU TOO. [02:50:01] ALRIGHT, UH, WE HAVE, UM, OUR NEXT, UM, UH, NEXT CANDIDATE IS IN THE TRAINING AND HIGHER EDUCATION, UM, CATEGORY. OKAY. UH, ANN . YES, SIR. GREAT. UH, ANN IS WITH US. UH, SO MS. ESLA, IF YOU CAN, UH, GO AHEAD AND TAKE THREE MINUTES FOR AN OPENING STATEMENT, THEN WE'LL GO TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS. UM, AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW, UM, YOU DON'T NEED TO HANG AROUND WITH US, IS, UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO ANY DELIBERATIONS TODAY. THAT'LL BE ON THE 19TH. SO, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR INTEREST AND, AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO STEP UP INTO A LEADERSHIP POSITION IN THIS ROLE. SO, UH, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. WELL, UM, GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU ALL. UM, I'M JUST GONNA START BY SAYING I'M HONORED TO BE, UM, WITH YOU TODAY. UM, I'VE WORKED FOR A LONG TIME TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THE POSITION WHERE I'M ABLE TO SIT HERE WITH YOU AND BE ABLE TO IN INTERVIEW FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. UM, SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. UM, I GUESS JUST ABOUT MY, A LITTLE ABOUT MYSELF AND WHY I AM HERE IS, UM, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SAN ANTONIO. I WENT TO COLLEGE HERE. UM, I GOT MY MASTER'S AND BACHELOR'S DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD, AND I WORK AT UT HEALTH SAN ANTONIO. I'VE WORKED HERE FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS, UM, AS A COORDINATOR FOR MEDICAL TRAINEES. UM, AND I LOVE, I LOVE WHAT I DO. UM, I GREW UP, UM, BEING A VOLUNTEER AND SERVING FROM THE TIME I WAS A CHILD. AND I'VE, UM, KEPT THAT UP THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. UM, WHETHER IT'S BEING A MENTOR, UM, FEEDING THE HOMELESS OR RAISING MONEY FOR ORGANIZATIONS, IF I CAN BE OF HELP SOMEWHERE, I WANT TO BE. UM, I CURRENTLY AT WORK, I AM HELPING WITH VACCINE DISTRIBUTION, SO THAT'S BEEN INTERESTING. UM, I'M ALSO CURRENTLY ON THE, UH, PRIDE SAN ANTONIO, THE BENEFICIARIES COORDINATOR, AND I SERVE AT MY ALUMNI BOARD AT INCARNATE WARD, WHICH, UM, HAS ALLOWED ME TO, UH, WORK WITH THE STUDENTS AS WELL. AND I, I LOVE THAT PART OF, OF, UM, BEING ON THAT BOARD. UM, I HAVE FOUND THAT IN WORKING WITH ALL THESE ORGANIZATIONS, I'M REALLY GOOD AT, UM, DEALING WITH PEOPLE AT ALL LEVELS. WHETHER IT'S A BOTTOM LEVEL C E O OWNER OF A COMPANY, I AM NOT AFRAID TO TALK TO ANYBODY, COLLABORATE WITH ANYBODY. UM, AND AS LONG AS IT'S GONNA BENEFIT PEOPLE DOWN THE ROAD, I AM WILLING TO WORK AND DO WHAT I NEED TO WITH WHOEVER I NEED TO. UM, I CONSIDER MYSELF A LIFELONG LEARNER MYSELF. UM, I LOVE NEW CHALLENGES. I BELIEVE THEY GAVE ME A CHANCE TO GROW, UM, AS A PERSON AND PROFESSIONALLY. AND THAT'S WHAT DREW ME TO, UH, THIS BOARD IN THE FIRST PLACE. 'CAUSE IT WOULD ALLOW ME TO TAKE MY PASSION FOR SERVING OTHERS FOR EDUCATION AND, UM, ALSO TAKE THE SKILLS THAT I'VE LEARNED THROUGHOUT MY WORK EXPERIENCE AND PUT THEM TO GOOD USE TO GIVE OTHERS OPPORTUNITIES THAT I HAVE BEEN AFFORDED IN LIFE. UM, AND AS AN EDUCATOR MYSELF, I SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS INITIATIVE AND HOW IT CAN CHANGE PEOPLE'S LIVES AND CHANGE OUR CITY'S DYNAMIC AS WELL. UM, THE BETTER WE DO FOR OUR PEOPLE, THE BETTER WE ARE AS A CITY. UM, LET'S CONTINUE. I'VE WORKED WITH BUDGETS, UM, IN MY JOB THAT ARE, UM, RESTRICTIVE AT TIMES. UM, I'VE BEEN ON TASK FORCE. I'VE WORKED WITH, UM, TASK FORCE, UM, ITEMS AS WELL, AND CREATING MODELS AND, AND, UM, POLICIES BASED ON THE INFORMATION THEY GIVE US. UM, I'M CURRENTLY A MENTOR FOR, UM, A PROGRAM COORDINATOR, UH, COMMITTEE. I, UH, REPRESENT THE STATE FOR THE, UH, ASSOCIATION OF PROGRAM DIRECTORS, UM, FOR PEDIATRIC PROGRAM DIRECTORS. AND THAT ROLE HAS ACTUALLY ALLOWED ME TO HAVE A GREAT GREATER APPRECIATION FOR, UM, WHAT CONTINUED JOB TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAN DO FOR PEOPLE. I'VE SEEN ADMINS, UM, GO TO DIRECTOR POSITIONS BASED OF JUST THE TRAINING THEY GET FROM THIS, UM, THIS ORGANIZATION IN GENERAL. UM, AND I THINK I'LL END WITH MY, MY GREATEST ASPIRATION, UM, IN LIFE IS JUST TO ASSIST IN BUILDING THE COMMUNITIES THAT I'M PART OF AND BUILDING MY CITY, ESPECIALLY SAN ANTONIO, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE. UM, AND THEN TO SERVE AN ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMITTEES THAT GIVE ME A PLATFORM TO BE ABLE TO DO THE WORK NECESSARY TO JUST CREATE BETTER FUTURES FOR AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU GIVE PEOPLE TOOLS AND SOME SUPPORT, UM, AND CREATE A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR 'EM, THEY CAN SUCCEED, UM, AND REACH THINGS BEYOND THEIR WILDEST DREAMS. UM, SO THAT'S JUST ABOUT ME AND WHY I, I CHOSE TO APPLY FOR THIS BOARD. SO, UM, WHAT QUESTIONS WOULD YOU HAVE FOR ME NOW? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, MS. , WE WILL GO TO COMMITTEE QUESTIONS NOW. WE'LL START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA, YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU. UM, MS. , I APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE. I I ALSO WANNA GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT IN YOUR APPLICATION, UH, YOU RECEIVED THE STOP THE BLEEDING TRAINING, AND I'M A BIG, UH, SUPPORTER OF STOP THE BLEEDING, UH, TRAINING, [02:55:01] UM, THAT THE TRAUMA CARE I THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO CONSIDER. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, I'VE NOTICED YOU VOLUNTEERED WITH SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS AND I, I APPRECIATE IT. THE REASON THAT I, I WAS SO INTERESTED IN YOUR, UM, PARTICULAR APPLICATION, UH, NOT ONLY BECAUSE YOU'RE A CARDINAL, BUT ALSO BECAUSE YOU, UM, SEEM TO HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN MENTORING. AND I THINK THAT A PART OF THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES THAT WILL BE CRITICAL FOR THIS PROGRAM WILL BE THE MENTORING ASPECT OF IT. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW MAYBE YOU MIGHT BRING IN YOUR EXPERIENCE ON SOME OF THE MENTORING PROGRAMS THAT YOU HAVE, SUCH AS, SUCH AS, UH, CARDINAL LATINA LEADERS, UM, MENTAL PROGRAM, UH, UH, UH, MENTORING PROGRAM, OR EVEN THROUGH, UM, BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS, UM, HOW MAYBE YOU CAN INCORPORATE THAT OR WHY IT'S NEEDED. SURE. UM, LUCKILY I'VE BEEN ABLE TO MENTOR IN, IN VERY CAPA VARIOUS CAPACITIES. UM, STARTING WITH SOMEBODY LIKE YOU SAID, BIG BROTHER'S, BIG SISTER. UM, MY LITTLE SISTER WAS IN FIFTH GRADE WHEN I, UH, GOT PAIRED WITH HER, AND NOW SHE IS AT OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY. SO I'VE SEEN WHAT, UM, BEING PART OF IT ALL CAN, CAN DO. I'VE SEEN IT FROM THE INSIDE AND, UH, THE BUILDING OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AND, UM, HER IN GENERAL, NOT JUST HER, BUT ALL THE, THE VARIOUS PEOPLE, LIKE I SAID, THE, THE MENTOR GROUP WITH THE, UM, A P V D AND THESE, THESE WOMEN THAT THEY'RE GROWN, BUT THEY STILL NEED A SUPPORT SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN, UM, MAY MANY PEOPLE THAT YOU MAY KNOW, YES, FAMILY IS GREAT, BUT SOMETIMES THEY DON'T, THEY'VE NEVER BEEN IN THAT POSITION, SO THEY DON'T KNOW, UM, ALL THAT YOU'RE FEELING. SO SOMETIMES WHEN YOU HAVE JUST THE PERSON WHO CAN UNDERSTAND AND THEY'VE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES AND THEY KNOW, UM, THAT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE. AND I'VE ALSO, WITH THIS MENTOR WITH THE, UM, A P P D MENTOR GROUP, I WAS ABLE TO PIVOT US FROM, UM, IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS AND ZOOM TO ACTUALLY HAVING A PLATFORM WHERE, UH, IT WAS PRERECORDED AND WORKING WITH THEM THROUGH, UM, A DIFFERENT SYSTEM THAT WE NOW HAVE, UM, WITHIN, UM, THE APDS, UH, WEBSITE. UM, SO BUILDING PROGRAMS THAT WORKED FOR THEM, BECAUSE NOT EVERYBODY CAN GET AWAY AT LUNCHTIME OR TAKE TWO HOURS OUT OF THEIR DAY, UM, PARTICULARLY DURING CERTAIN MONTHS OF, OF OUR, OUR TIMELINE. UM, SO I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A WAY THAT THEY COULD STILL STAY IN TOUCH. UM, SO I DEVELOPED THAT OVER THE LAST, UH, FEW MONTHS. AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING OKAY. I THINK BECAUSE IT'S NEW, IT, IT, UM, STILL COULD BE BETTER. AND THAT'S THE OTHER THING I LEARNED THAT ONCE YOU IMPLEMENT SOMETHING DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT'S PERFECT. EVERYTHING IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, ESPECIALLY WITH MENTORING BECAUSE EVERYBODY IS SO DIFFERENT, UM, BASED ON WHAT THEIR NEEDS ARE. UM, AS A PART OF THE ALUMNI BOARD, WE ALSO THIS YEAR CREATED A, UH, MENTOR, UH, MENTOR GROUP. WE'RE TAKING ALUMNI AND, UM, PAIRING THEM WITH STUDENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING MENTORS. UM, SO WE BUILT THAT PROGRAM FROM THE GROUND UP. UM, AND THIS FALL, THEY ROLLED IT OUT SPRING WILL BE OUR FIRST COHORT. SO WE'RE HOPING THAT, UM, WE HAVE ENOUGH INTERESTED STUDENTS TO PAIR THEM AND THAT IT WILL BE FRUITFUL FOR THEM, ESPECIALLY WITH COVID. UM, THESE STUDENTS THAT ARE GRADUATING THIS YEAR, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE SOME SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND, AND, UM, WE WANT TO GIVE THEM EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED. AND IF THAT'S PUTTING THEM WITH AN ALUMNI AND WE CAN FACILITATE THAT FOR THEM, UM, THAT'S DEFINITELY, UM, WORTH WHAT IT TOOK TO GET US THERE. BUT YEAH, SO I'VE BUILT MENTOR PROGRAMS FROM THE GROUND UP AS WELL. UM, AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S JUST, IT'S DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY IN EVERY SITUATION. UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S ASKING PEOPLE AND FINDING OUT WHAT EXACTLY THEY NEED. GREAT. THANK YOU MISSIS. THAT'S A GREAT, THANK YOU, MS. ISLA. GREAT ANSWER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHE GARCIA. UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE FOR MS. ISLA? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, AGAIN FOR YOUR APPLICATION AND BEING WILLING TO STEP UP. UH, MS. ISLA, UH, THE COMMITTEE WILL DELIBERATE ON THE 19TH AND AT THAT TIME WE'LL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR, UH, THE ADVISORY BOARD. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. ALRIGHT, UM, THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE NOW HAS, UH, BEEN MEETING SINCE 10, AND THAT WAS OUR LAST APPLICANT TO BE HEARD TODAY. UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, SEVERAL MORE THAT'LL BE ON THE 19TH, SO, UH, WE'LL KEEP YOU APPRISED, BUT, UH, BRING YOUR NOTES, DON'T, DON'T DESTROY THEM UNTIL, OR ACTUALLY DON'T EVER DESTROY THEM. BUT, UM, , UH, KEEP YOUR NOTES FOR THE MEETING ON THE 19TH AND WE'LL, UH, WE'LL UH, GO THROUGH ALL OF THE APPLICANTS AT THAT TIME. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, BEFORE WE ADJOURN? ALRIGHT, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR YOUR ENDURANCE TODAY. WE'LL SEE YOU LATER. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.