Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Eduardo Contreras, Lisa Fullerton, and Omar Veliz to the Small Business Assistance Advisory Task Force. Their terms will run until June 14, 2027. The Task Force is responsible for advising and assisting the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House on issues related to small businesses and providing information to the public.
Eduardo Contreras is based in Austin and serves as founder and CEO of ALCON DTS. He has worked in IT security, networking, telecommunications, and software for two decades. Contreras is a member of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Leadership Council, chairman of the board for the Texas European Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the ASCII Group.
Lisa Fullerton from San Antonio is president and CEO of A Novel Idea, LLC. She has operated several Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon franchises in San Antonio since 2000. Fullerton also serves as a director for NFIB, sits on the board of Alliance Defending Freedom, participates in the Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County Donor Advisory Board, and is a member of Biblical Leadership for Excellence Advisory Board. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas State University.
Omar Veliz resides in El Paso where he leads Veliz Construction as president and works as a professional engineer. He is an executive board member with Associated General Contractors of America – Austin Chapter. Veliz previously served on The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Construction Management Program advisory board and chaired the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board. He earned both his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and Master’s degree in Business Administration from UTEP.
The Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott operates from its main offices at the State Insurance Building in Austin (https://gov.texas.gov/). As part of Texas’ executive branch led by Governor Abbott since his election in 2014 (https://gov.texas.gov/), it focuses on economic development initiatives such as job creation, supporting small businesses, education enhancement, protection of individual liberties, parental empowerment in schooling decisions, and border security efforts (https://gov.texas.gov/). Under Abbott’s leadership, Texas has experienced significant job growth and record employment levels (https://gov.texas.gov/).
The Small Business Assistance Advisory Task Force plays a role within these broader efforts by providing guidance on policies that impact small business owners across Texas.
