Release Date: September 23, 2009

Office of Mayor Julian Castro: 207-7083

Mayor Castro Launches Green Jobs Leadership Council

Mayor Julian Castro today announced the formation of a Green Jobs Leadership Council, a high-level group of stakeholders to chart a course for San Antonio in the new green economy by connecting public policy to job creation.

Members of the Green Jobs Leadership Council are:

* Larry Zinn, informal advisor to Mayor Julian Castro, chairman of the Council

* Councilwoman Ivy Taylor, City Council District 2

* Dr. Bruce Leslie, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges

* Chakib Chehadi, Executive Director, Workforce Solutions Alamo

* Aurora Ortega-Geis, Chairman of the board, CPS Energy

* Alex Briseño, Chairman of the board, San Antonio Water System

* Dr. Ricardo Romo, President, University of Texas at San Antonio

* William H. 'Skip' Mills, Director, San Antonio Operations, Texas Engineering Experiment Station (Texas A&M University):

* Anita Ledbetter, Executive Director, Build San Antonio Green

* Mike Burke, Chairman/Founder, Clean Tech Forum

* A.J. Rodriguez, Deputy City Manager, City of San Antonio

* David Marquez, Executive Director of Economic Development, Bexar County

* Richard Perez, President and CEO, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

* David Zachry, President and COO, Zachry Construction Company

* Brandon Seale, Entrepreneur

The Council held its first meeting Tuesday, September 22, and began discussing a comprehensive and integrated approach to the development of green jobs in San Antonio, as part of a larger vision for building a green economy. The Council will build upon the report "Building Green Skills: A Green Jobs Program for San Antonio" completed by the Center for Adult and Experiential Learning and commissioned by the San Antonio City Council. One recommendation in that report was the creation of the Council.

"San Antonio is committed to being a leader in investment and training in the green economy," Mayor Castro said. "This Council will focus not only on developing programs that provide the skills and training for the green jobs of the future, but also on creating new markets for those jobs."

Immediate projects of the Council could include coordinating green jobs curriculum among educational stakeholders, developing a mechanism for employer demand and creating an information clearinghouse for consumers, employers and job seekers. The Council will likely meet for six to nine months before bringing back a series of recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.

For additional information about the Green Jobs Leadership Council, please contact: Larry Zinn, chairman, at 845-9232; Mike Burke 269-7962; or A.J. Rodriguez 207-5171 or 508-2422.