87S31535 CW-D
 
  By: González of El Paso H.R. No. 270
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Jessica Shortall of Dallas has rendered exceptional
  service to the LGBTQIA+ communities in Texas and beyond through her
  tireless advocacy work; and
         WHEREAS, Ms. Shortall is the founding managing director of
  Texas Competes, a partnership of business owners, industry
  associations, and chambers of commerce; the organization helps
  ensure the fair treatment of LGBTQIA+ workers and families, opposes
  discriminatory policies, and strives to make the state more
  economically competitive by promoting inclusiveness; the
  organization is a model for America Competes, an entity also
  directed by Ms. Shortall, that provides entrepreneurs with
  information, legislative analysis, and other resources so that they
  can advocate for equal opportunity for the members of the LGBTQIA+
  communities; and
         WHEREAS, The daughter of Venezuelan and English immigrants,
  Ms. Shortall formerly served with the Peace Corps in Uzbekistan,
  and she cofounded the Campus Kitchens Project, a food rescue and
  hunger relief nonprofit that is active in more than 50 cities in the
  U.S.; moreover, she was the first director of giving at TOMS Shoes
  and played a key role in building the company's One for One
  charitable program; and
         WHEREAS, Ms. Shortall earned a master of business
  administration degree in 2006 from the University of Oxford, where
  she was a Skoll Scholar in social entrepreneurship; she also works
  as a strategy consultant, and in all her endeavors she enjoys the
  love and support of her husband, Clay, and her two children; and
         WHEREAS, By defending the rights of those who are
  marginalized, Jessica Shortall is helping to build a more just,
  open, and diverse society for all Americans, and she may indeed take
  great pride in her many achievements; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
  Legislature, 3rd Called Session, hereby commend Jessica Shortall
  for her dedicated advocacy in behalf of the LGBTQIA+ community in
  Texas and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued success
  with her important work; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for Ms. Shortall as an expression of high regard by the
  Texas House of Representatives.