Featured: Dr. John H. Krouse, Dean of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine and Vice President for Health Affairs, participated with state and federal lawmakers in a panel discussion on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 hosted by The Texas Tribune on healthcare reform. In this image, Krouse addresses Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of the Texas Tribune at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. Other participants in the event were Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, Rep. Óscar Longoria, D-Peñitas/La Feria, and Congressman Filemón Vela, D-Brownsville. On Wednesday, January 31, 2018 from 11:30 a.m to 1 p.m., Krouse will be the featured speaker for the Public Affairs Luncheon, also at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, 118 Paseo Del Prado, hosted by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. The cost to attend the luncheon is $25 per person or $250 for a table of 8, and includes a hot lunch, beverage and dessert. For more information on sponsorships or to make a reservation, interested individuals may call the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce at 956/383-4974. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

Photograph By DAVID PIKE

The Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, is scheduled to conduct interviews for the position of Executive Director, and possibly take action for the hiring of the new administrative leader of the organization. The Edinburg EDC is the jobs-creation arm of Mayor Richard Molina, Mayor Pro-Tem David Torres, Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr., Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez, and Councilmember Jorge Salinas. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of City Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez as President, Edinburg School Board Trustee Miguel “Mike” Farías as Vice-President, Isael Posadas, P.E., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Julio César Carranza and Noé Sauceda, Ph.D. as Members. The session, which is open to the public, will be held in the Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall, located at 415 W. University Drive, beginning at 6 p.m. The scheduled interview process for the new Executive Director, however, as authorized by state law, will take place in executive session, which is closed to the public. Any action – including no action – taken by the board of directors on all executive session items would have to be announced in public. Following a recent vacancy in the position of Edinburg EDC Executive Director, the leadership for many of the organization’s administrative duties has been provided by Nelda Ramírez, the Assistant Executive Director. The agenda for the Tuesday, January 23, 2018 Edinburg EDC Board of Directors meeting is posted in front of Edinburg City Hall and online at http://edinburgedc.com/meetings-agendas/.

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Interviews for vacant Executive Director position among 21 scheduled items during Edinburg EDC Board of Directors’ meeting beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at Edinburg City Hall

By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]

The Board of Directors session, which is open to the public, will be held in the Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall, located at 415 W University Drive, beginning at 6 p.m.

The Edinburg EDC is the jobs-creation arm of Mayor Richard Molina, Mayor Pro-Tem David Torres, Councilmember Homer Jasso, Jr., Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez, and Councilmember Jorge Salinas.

The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of City Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez as President, Edinburg School Board Trustee Miguel “Mike” Farías as Vice-President, Isael Posadas, P.E., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Julio César Carranza and Noé Sauceda, Ph.D. as Members.

The scheduled interview process for the new Executive Director, however, as authorized by state law, will take place in executive session, which is closed to the public. Any action – including no action – taken by the board of directors on all executive session items would have to be announced in public.

Following a recent vacancy in the position of Edinburg EDC Executive Director, the leadership for many of the organization’s administrative duties has been provided by Nelda Ramírez, the Assistant Executive Director.

The agenda for that evening’s Edinburg EDC Board of Directors meeting, which is posted in front of Edinburg City Hall at online at http://edinburgedc.com/meetings-agendas/, follows:

Open Session

Call meeting to Order;
Roll Call and Certification of Posting of Meeting;
Consider approval of Board of Directors’ Minutes for December 18, 2017 and December 27, 2017 Board Meetings.
Presentation by Chris Tagle with TagleStar Website Studies regarding the EEDC website.
Presentation by Daniel Rivera with the Grindstone Cowering regarding the Hive Effect program.
Presentation by Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District Baseball Head Coaches regarding the 1st Annual Edinburg All-American Classic Baseball Tournament.
Discuss and consider approving a sponsorship for the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce Fiesta Edinburg event.
Discuss and consider approving sponsorship for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Festiba event.
Discuss and consider authorizing the Assistant Executive Director to enter into a Sponsorship Agreement with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Discuss and consider possible action regarding the Lease Agreement with Nu-Co Tool, Inc.
Discuss and consider approval of a Travel Policy for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors and Employees.
Discuss and consider approval of line items transfers for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Budget.
Discuss and consider approving a Resolution, Purchase and Sale Agreement, and other related documents for the sale of Lot 10, North Industrial Park Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas

Executive Session

Deliberate the offers of financial or other incentives to business prospects.
Deliberate approving an Option to purchase approximately 3.37 acres out of Lot 5, North Industrial Park, Hidalgo County, Texas.
Deliberate authorizing the Assistant Executive Director to enter into a Development Agreement with GHR Investments, L.L.C.
Deliberate approval of an Extension for the Development Agreement with Los Pinos Hardware.
Deliberate authorizing the Assistant Executive Director to amend the Development Agreement with Oceangate.
Deliberate possible action regarding threatened litigation regarding the former Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Executive Director, Agustín García.
Conduct interviews for the position of Executive Director and possible action for the hiring of the position of Executive Director.
Consultation with Attorney.

TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT

The Texas Open Meetings Act is detailed in Chapter 551 of the Government Code. It states that governmental bodies must hold open meetings unless there is an authorized reason for a closed session, also known as an executive session.

Key provisions of the act are as follows:

Covered Entities

Governing boards, commissions, agencies and other bodies created within the executive and legislative branches of government are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act. Commissioners courts, city councils, school boards and certain nonprofit corporations providing public services or spending taxpayer money are among the entities covered. Certain property owners’ associations also are subject to the law.

Quorum

A quorum refers to a majority of members of a governing body, unless a quorum is defined differently by an applicable law or rule or charter of the body. A quorum must be present for the body to take action.

Posting of Notice

The governmental body must give the public notice of the date, time, place and subject of an upcoming meeting. The notice must be posted in a place readily accessible to the general public at all times at least 72 hours before the meeting. In case of an emergency or “urgent public necessity,” a meeting notice or addition to a meeting agenda may be posted at least two hours prior to the meeting. The governmental body must clearly identify the emergency.

Other Exceptions to Posting Law

Boards or commissions with statewide jurisdiction must have their meeting notice posted on the Internet by the secretary of state at least seven days before a meeting. Committees of the Texas Legislature are not subject to the meeting notice rules above. Their rules are set by the Texas House and Senate.

Closed Sessions

Closed, or executive, sessions may be held by a governmental body in certain situations. Executive sessions are permitted when a body is meeting with its attorney on litigation or a settlement offer; deliberating personnel matters; deliberating the purchase or lease of property; discussing certain financial contract negotiations; or discussing deployment of security devices. Several other exceptions to open meetings are also contained in the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Deliberations Between Meetings

Under a new provision of the act that took effect Sept. 1, 2013, members of a governing body are allowed to communicate with one another about public business between meetings if they do so in writing and on a publicly accessible online message board. The message board must be prominently displayed and easy for the public to find on the government entity’s website. Officials may not take action on the message board. That must wait for a posted meeting.

Video Conferencing

The Texas Open Meetings Act now allows for members of a governmental body to attend a public meeting via a video conference call. The head of the board or commission must be physically present in the designated meeting place and the public must be given access to that meeting space. The public must be able to witness the comments and actions of those officials attending the meeting remotely via audio and video equipment and be able to participate via the videoconferencing just as they would at a traditional public meeting.

Also according to its website (http://foift.org), The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas works to encourage a greater appreciation, knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment and helps to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in public. Since its formation in 1978, the Foundation has helped citizens access government meetings and documents.

The Foundation seeks to inform journalists, legal professionals, educators, students, public officials and individual citizens about their rights and responsibilities as participants in our democracy. With the clear objective to protect and preserve the state’s open meetings and open records laws, the non-partisan Foundation acts as a statewide information clearinghouse and offers guidance and assistance on FOI-related issues through a network of attorneys and through public seminars and conferences.

FOIFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) supported through grants and tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

EDINBURG CHAMBER PUBLIC AFFAIRS LUNCHEON TO FEATURE DR. JOHN KROUSE , DEAN OF THE UTRGV SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2018 FROM 11:30 A.M. TO 1 P.M. AT EDINBURG CONFERENCE CENTER AT RENAISSANCE

On Wednesday, January 31, 2018 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs Committee, headed by Verónica Gonzáles, Vice President for Governmental and Community Relations for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, will present a Public Affairs Luncheon featuring Dr. John Krouse, Dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine.

The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.

The Public Affairs Luncheons are an initiative introduced in 2006, and since then have covered popular topics with speakers that cover important community and legislative issues. The vision is to inform, involve and educate chamber investors and civic leaders. The event also allows business professionals to meet, network and create opportunities for the companies they represent.

Cost to attend the luncheon is $25 per person or $250 for a table of 8, and includes a hot lunch, beverage and dessert. The luncheon will take place at Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance located at 118 Paseo Del Prado in Edinburg.

For more information on sponsorships or to make a reservation please call the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce at 956/383-4974.

On Thursday, May 11, 2017, Krouse was hired by UTRGV.

Krouse came to the Rio Grande Valley from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was serving as the Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs; President of Temple University Physicians; Professor; and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery; and Director of the Head and Neck Institute at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. He also served as Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education from 2012 to 2015.

“Dr. Krouse has extensive experience in many key areas that will play an important role in moving the UTRGV School of Medicine forward,” said UTRGV President Guy Bailey. “Temple has traditionally been ranked as one of the top research-oriented medical schools in the nation, so to attract someone of Dr. Krouse’s caliber is a credit to the faculty, staff and students we already have in place.”

Krouse, who began his new role July 1, 2017, said he looked forward to joining the UTRGV School of Medicine and working in collaboration with its partner health care institutions and other stakeholders in the community.

“This position reflects a unique opportunity to shape the careers of a generation of young physicians and to build healthcare programs that improve the access to and quality of care in the Valley,” he said. “It is uncommon that new medical schools are opened, and to play a role in the development of this new college is a personal and professional honor and privilege. I recognize that the Valley has worked hard over the last 70 years to bring our School of Medicine into existence, and I pledge to work closely with all of the Valley’s citizens to create a center of excellence that will provide exceptional clinical, educational, and research activities in support of our strong and diverse community.”

Bailey also announced that Interim Dean Dr. Steve Lieberman and Dr. Elizabeth Fehsenfeld stayed with the School of Medicine for several months to assist Krouse in a seamless transition and to contribute to LCME accreditation activities.

“This is an exciting time for UTRGV and our School of Medicine, and I’d like to thank the search committee for conducting an excellent hiring process,” Bailey said. “We are also grateful to Elizabeth and Steve for their service during the interim and for their ongoing dedication to the School of Medicine.”

UTRGV began its search for a permanent Dean for the School of Medicine during Fall 2016, forming a committee composed of representatives from the university, hospital partners and the community-at-large.

Dr. Kenneth Shine, consultant to the president of UTRGV, and Dr. Michael Lehker, Dean of the UTRGV College of Health Affairs, co-chaired the committee.

“An accomplished leader and administrator, Dr. Krouse has demonstrated extraordinary skills in developing educational and clinical programs, recruiting faculty, leading research efforts and in commitment to community,” Shine said. “He is a proverbial ‘quadruple threat.’”

Krouse graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester, New York. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He received a Master of Business Administration from the Fox School of Business at Temple University in 2014.

He completed his internship in surgery at Beth Israel Hospital and his residency training in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is board certified in otolaryngology.

Otorhinolaryngology is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with conditions of the ear, nose, and throat and related structures of the head and neck.

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Jennifer L. Berghom contributed to this article. For more information on the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and the City of Edinburg, please log on to http://edinburgedc.com or to http://www.facebook