I am excited to announce my candidacy for Vice Speaker of the Texas Medical Association’s House of Delegates at TEXMED 2019.
While some state medical societies are questioning the value of their large statewide assemblies and houses of delegates, let me affirm my absolute belief that we need a strong House of Delegates in Texas now more than ever:
The House of Delegates is the pinnacle authoritative body of the TMA. We elect our Board of Trustees, our President, our representatives to the AMA, and we debate and decide the policies and positions of the TMA. No part of TMA could be more important, and I must emphatically state that the changes that are so critically needed in the practice of medicine in order to preserve our profession will come from the TMA House of Delegates.
My first TMA meeting was 26 years ago and I have been fully engaged in organized medicine ever since. I am an inaugural year graduate of the TMA’s Leadership College and have held multiple positions in TMA and in my county society, including Past President of the McLennan County Medical Society, and 6 years of service on the TMA Committee on Professional Liability. I served as chair of the Membership Committee, the Candidate Evaluation Committee, and the Executive Committee of TEXPAC, and ultimately as TEXPAC Chair. I am currently serving on the Council on Legislation, and in 2014 I helped form the Lone Star Caucus, serving as its co-chairman since. Additionally, I am an active member of the Speaker’s Advisory Council.
Outside of TMA, I am a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians, and I am active in my specialty society, having served in many roles including President of the Texas Association of Otolaryngology. I am also a graduate of Leadership Waco, past member of the Board of Directors of the Central Texas American Cancer Society and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, and past President of the Waco Symphony Association. I am an adjunct faculty member in Baylor University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. My wife Amanda is Director of Baylor University’s Department of Advising for the Robbins College, and we have 4 teenage children in junior high and high school.
Much work lies ahead if we are to right the ship of medicine. Together, we can protect our patients, preserve our profession, and leave a lasting legacy for the generations yet to come. I ask for your support as I seek the office of Vice Speaker, and I thank you for your commitment to medicine in Texas.