Monthly Archives: June 2009

(Community Matters)

The Austin area was the nation’s strongest big-city job market last month, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. AAS story

Gotta give kudos where they’re deserved: Austin’s businessmen & women, especially our entrepreneurs & small business owners as well as the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Capital Area African American Chamber of Commerce, Gay/Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Asian Chamber of Commerce and all the groups who advocate on behalf of Austin’s business community. And certainly not least Gary Farmer & his team at the Opportunity Austin Foundation, all their supporters as well as our elected leaders, community leaders and, oh yeah :), Central Texans who make ours such a dynamic, thriving and sustainable community.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) GEO: Grantmakers for Effective Organizations presented their Change Agent Project to a group of funders over lunch yesterday.

The mission of GEO is understanding that grantmakers are successful only to the extent that their grantees achieve meaningful results, GEO provides strategies and practices that contribute to grantee success.

The KDK-Harman Foundation organized bringing the presentation to Austin, also sponsored by the Webber Family Foundation and Topfer Foundation. Lots of discussion about GEO’s research and recommendations from grantees on how funders could enable the process, further the success of grantee programs. We spoke a lot about the idea of common grant applications, unrestricted funding, build vs buy and the different objectives of philanthropists.

At my table, lucky to spend a couple of hours with Kim Wilson (Greenlights), Teresa Miller (Dell, Inc), Michelle Walker-Moak (Applied Materials), Sharon Reddehase (Double Line Partners) and Kay Kirchner (Applied Materials). Others attending included Jennifer Esterline, Melanie Riddings, Chris Earthman, Meeta Kothare, Janet Harman, MariBen Ramsey, John Long, Erica Ekwurzel, Jackie Matta, Amy Allen, Tara Kirkland and Jessica D’Arcy.

Interesting conversation and brainstorming. I suspect it’ll carry over to today’s meeting about potentially pooling monies for health & human services NPO emergency grant funding.

(Community Matters) I stopped by the Acton Academy’s open house on Wednesday to hear more about the initiative from Laura & Jeff Sandefer.

A montessori enriched environment, with project-based learning, apprenticeships, socratic dialogue based on classic literature, arts, language, sports, character development, free market and individual liberty curriculum, multiple intelligence testing, friendships, community, love, respect, accountability, achievement? Yes! It’s true. Oh, and each student will be taught by the methods which work for them – individually.

Jeff & Laura Sandefer (center & right) at the Acton Academy

Our friends have either met Laura & Jeff or know of them from the Acton MBA in Entrepreneurship. They are very dear friends – Jeff & Steven friends and colleagues for more than a decade. The same extraordinary intellect, planning, research, passion & treasure being invested by them into this elementary school initiative as they’ve done to build one of the three best MBA programs in the country (according to the Princeton Review).

Jeff’s & Laura’s two sons – Charlie & Sam – will be attending this school, located at 1106 West Ave, across the street from Pease Elementary. The open house continues through Friday from 10 to noon. They are accepting students aged 6 – 10 for their inaugural year. If I had a child this age, I’d be sending her. I have tried figuring out how my brother and sister-in-law can be convinced to “send Paulina to boarding school” (ie., to live with us & attend Acton), but since this recommendation has fallen on deaf ears as discussed about my nephew, I know they won’t – rats.

(Community Matters) Baker Botts partner, Steven Tyndall presented to Entrepreneurs Foundation member company CEOs and friends at yesterday’s Legal Bites Breakfast. His topic: mergers & acquisitions, fiduciary duty of officers & directors during M&A, and acquisitions involving distressed entities or depressed valuations.

Well attended. The Entrepreneurs Foundation hosts these once a quarter. In addition to Legal Bites Breakfast (presented quarterly by the five law firms on our legal council), we also host Capital Interests at which our banking partners present on relevant capital markets topics.

Steve presented lots of note, especially that the standards by which directors and officers will be held by Delaware courts changes from the business judgement rule to one of Entire Fairness if an M&A transaction involves a controlling shareholder, affiliate or some other insider – also, the fact that the acquisition of assets can be declared a defactor merger and all liabilities deemed assumed in certain circumstances.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters)

And, the final in the series:

(Community Matters)
Well . . . Even after engaging the district manager I haven’t been refunded all my money . . . but, I do have a case number 🙂

I’ve decided how this pays. Yesterday & today I insisted on a free coffee. For last two days, I’m earning around a 1,500% return on my money, so I’m now happy. Posted from my blackberry.

(Community Matters) Each year Leadership Austin hosts a bash celebrating the organization, its alum, especially one alum awarded the Polly Scallorn Award and one community leader named an honorary Leadership Austin alum.

MariBen Ramsey & Michael Kellerman chaired this year’s event, ably assisted by a super committee. Nina Seely & a merry band of Ralph Lauren/Polo volunteering in abundance and style. Tim Taylor chaired the “live auction” of the evening.

Lee Thomson

Lee Thomson was honored with the Polly Scallorn Award. Lee was LA’s second executive director and took the organization from a program of the GACC to a stand alone 501 (c)(3). Lee was ED the year I chaired the board and most of the 4 – 5 years I served on the board. She’s a dear friend – well deserved recognition of her contributions to LA.

Will Wynn

Mayor Will Wynn named an honorary LA alum. Will’s been a super supporter of the organization and gave a really good acceptance speech which also sounded like a goodbye from our mayor. Only about 3 weeks remain of Will’s final term as mayor.

Heather McKissick (LA Pres & CEO) and Steve Benesh (Chair) emceed the evening’s brief presentations, Heather looking like two million dollars!

Cliff Redd, Mark Williams & Rick Johnson

This year’s event held at the Long Center, in the Dell Hall and onstage, which worked quite nicely – much better than I would have imagined. Even though I’d been back stage for a few performances, I hadn’t realized just how huge the entire back stage area is.

Mark Williams – second time to run into Mark in the same day. Earlier we’d discussed the consultant’s report (Mark chairs the AISD board of trustees). Mark mentioned that the report of the consultants was just that. It was only Monday released to the board and AISD staff will prioritize recommendations from the report.

Susan Dawson & Betty Dunkerley

Chelsea McCullough & Amanda Chiampi

Trisa Thompson & Michael Guerra

Etta Moore & Jennifer Repass

Damon Arhos & Mark Peppler

Ted Smith, Ed Sharp, Gary Valdez, Molly Sharp & Cindy Valdez

Pat Hayes, Kerry Tate & Steven

Pat leaves for Maine soon. They’ll make at least one quick jaunt back to Austin in August but otherwise gone until late fall/winter.

Jerele & Elizabeth Neeld

Karin Richmond & Nina Seely

Geronimo Rodriguez & Stephanie

Brief visit with Geronimo Rodriguez who’s also excited by Gov. Kaine’s decision to host the next national DNC conference in Austin this September. Hoping to convince Geronimo to join the DNC’s National Hispanic Leadership Council.

Margaret Wright

Always a good sign with Margaret at the piano. It’d been too long since I’d seen/heard her. Congrats to all those responsible for last night’s event.

(Community Matters) Breakfast with Carla McDonald yesterday and learned that her client Clayton Christopher of Sweet Leaf Tea will be on the cover of Inc. Magazine. Congrats to both Carla & Clayton

(Community Matters) I am a fan and supporter of Israel. I am sympathetic to the plight of Palestinians. When I was asked to join the board of the local Anti-Defamation League, I agreed with the understanding that I would also seek to join a Palestinian right’s organization. When I hear tilted rhetoric, I’m inclined to speak up and offer a more balanced perspective – for instance here.

President Obama is right to speak honestly and publicly about Israel and the need to curtail illegal settlements in occupied territories. I believe (though have not confirmed) that the majority of Israelis would concur given the comments so many made to me and Steven during our tour two summers ago. All but one I spoke with were more than willing to trade land for guaranteed peace.

As a very dear friend and Jewish leader explained earlier this year, the United States would make a better friend to Israel if it would practice a tough/honest friendship. Obviously, GWB’s unlimited support for recent Israeli practices didn’t help either the Israelis, Palestinians or Middle East peace.

Only by publicly exhibiting a fair and balanced perspective of Middle East politics can America hope to facilitate peace in the Middle East. I am not suggesting we abandon, dilute or otherwise lessen our friendship to our critical ally, Israel. Nor am I suggesting we turn a blind eye to the plight of Palestinians or their sufferings – nor condone terrorism in the name of freedom fighting or disregard human rights (/human life) in the name of defense.

Americans remain pro-Israel, yet this year’s Rasmussen poll showed we were evenly divided over the Gaza occupation. This year’s J Street poll showed that 2/3 of Amercan Jews support an independent Palestinian state and that most American Jews oppose expansion of Jewish settlements. Americans have long favored a Palestinian state, according to Zogby.

I’ve voiced my opinion before that we risk a tipping point in American progressives’ political sympathies toward Israel if we don’t take a more balanced approach in our diplomatic stances. The widening gulf between American political sympathies by party is at least as disturbing as the gulf between legislators and their constituents. I don’t believe the latter serves Israel’s long term interests – in fact, I fear it may be Israel’s biggest political risks in its friendship with the US.

(Community Matters) Starbucks is really starting to piss me off now. Still haven’t refunded all my monies for triple charging my credit card. And, now the national telephone line answers with an apology for not being able to serve me. Bet there are millions who don’t even know they were double & triple charged.