Governor Greg Abbott has reappointed Eduardo Contreras, Lisa Fullerton, and Omar Veliz to the Small Business Assistance Advisory Task Force. Their terms will run through June 14, 2027. The Task Force provides advice and support to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House on small business issues and shares information with the public.
Eduardo Contreras is based in Austin and serves as founder and CEO of ALCON DTS. He has over two decades of experience in IT security, networking, telecommunications, and software. Contreras participates in several organizations including the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Leadership Council, chairs the Texas European Chamber of Commerce board, and is a member of the ASCII Group.
Lisa Fullerton from San Antonio leads A Novel Idea, LLC as president and CEO. Her company has operated multiple Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon franchises since 2000. She also holds positions as director for NFIB, board member at Alliance Defending Freedom, donor advisory board member for Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County, and advisor for Biblical Leadership for Excellence. Fullerton earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas State University.
Omar Veliz is president of Veliz Construction in El Paso and works as a professional engineer. He serves on the executive board for the Associated General Contractors of America – Austin Chapter. Previously he was an advisory board member for The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Construction Management Program and chaired the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board. Veliz received 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 out of Austin at the State Insurance Building as part of the executive branch overseeing state government functions (source). Under Abbott’s leadership since his election in 2014 (source), the office has focused on economic development initiatives that include job growth efforts supporting small businesses across Texas (source). The office also advances policies related to education enhancement and community engagement (source).
