Strategic Partnerships, Inc. salutes you, public sector officials: The Profiles in Power section spotlights and recognizes powerful figures across America’s public sector landscape. This week’s Profile in Power is Chris Wallace, president and CEO of the North Texas Commission.
My public career highlights and education
I have served as the president & CEO of the North Texas Commission. During my public sector history, I was awarded as an outstanding alumnus from Texas Tech University (College and Media and Communication), previously led the Texas Association of Business as president/COO and served 10 years as CEO of the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, advancing regional economic development, trade advocacy and business policy across Texas.
What I like best about public service
Being able to convene and connect business leaders with local elected/appointed officials in the Metroplex in one place for one mission — to continue growing the region and to maintain our region’s strong economic competitiveness. A unified advocacy approach to state and federal issues related to infrastructure, economic development, education/workforce pipeline, health care, and housing attainability is our key to successful collaboration and positive outcomes.
Some of the best advice I have ever received
Stay focused on your core purpose.
Something I wish more people knew about my division of government
The NTC Team leads our region’s advocacy in Austin and in D.C. This is the majority of our core purpose, and we do it well with huge support from our private and public sectors leaders across our 13-county region. We also have a long history of addressing and resolving our region’s greatest issues such as the recent challenges regarding the future of DART; and our history goes back just over 50 years with the NTC helping to develop and market DFW Airport.
A current project or initiative that I am working on
In addition to preparing for a challenging 90th Legislative Session, particularly on issues related to property tax and local control, we are currently working in partnership with the University of Texas at Arlington, Urban Land Institute DFW, and the North Central Texas Council of Governments, to continue reviewing and updating NTX Vision 2.0 — a regional strategy guiding the growth and competitiveness of North Texas through 2050.
One thing outside of government service people may not know about me
I collect art from local artists during my international and domestic travels.
