Dr. Shirley A. Reed, president of South Texas College, will participate on the "21st Century Higher Education Agenda for South Texas" panel, discussing issues in higher education and workforce training at the Future of the Region Conference to be held August 24, 2006 at noon at the Omni Marina Hotel in Corpus Christi, TX. The event, organized by Future of the Region, Inc. (FORI), will be an interactive conference to discuss issues going before the Legislature that are pertinent to South Texas.

"As a leader in higher education and workforce training in Hidalgo and Starr counties, I look forward to representing South Texas College and sharing our institutional perspective on the issues critical to the development of a 21st century workforce and higher education agenda for our region. Paramount to addressing these issues is the need for every high school student, upon graduation, to be college ready and workforce ready," said Dr. Reed.

Other notable speakers at the conference include Congressman Henry Cuellar; Diane Rath, chair and commissioner of the Texas Workforce Commission; Dr. David Gardner, deputy commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Dr. Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr., research professor for the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University and former vice chancellor for the Maricopa Community College District; as well as other distinguished guests from federal and state agencies.

"The conference was first organized in the mid 1980s as a think-tank whose purpose was to mobilize and unify its resources, assets, and leadership to address key concerns that obviously kept South Texas from prospering as did North Texas," said Tammye Trevino, CEO of FUTURO Communities, Inc. and secretary on the board of FORI.

The conference is designed around breakout sessions in four areas, including workforce development, economic development, infrastructure development and environmental concerns. Each breakout session is structured informally, allowing for discussion on topics from both the panelists and the audience.

"We are expecting approximately 150 participants to join in discussions on such issues as the proposed IH-35 Trans Texas Corridor and the formulation of projects for South Texas' emerging technologies, including the ability of economic development efforts that need to be strengthened with University Systems to enhance South Texas' capacity to compete in this arena," said Leodoro Martinez, executive director of the Middle Rio Grande Development Council and FORI executive board member.

Another key topic, according to Martinez, includes Homeland Security and how it pertains to Texas' border immigration issues, especially in light of funding issues and the current protests and hearings taking place on the Federal level.

The conference will gather leaders from 47 South Texas and Border Region counties to collaborate and develop a position paper designed to mobilize the regions' leadership. Participants currently include South Texas judges, workforce directors, college and school administrators, city managers, mayors, legislative representatives, civic and business leaders, and the private and non-profit sectors.

Registration information can be found at www.foriinc.com or by calling Lori Martinez at 210-535-2297. For any other questions or information, please contact Tammye Trevino at 830-486-5503.

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