The Board of Advisors

Glenn Hegar was elected the 36th Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in November 2014. Hegar is Texas' chief financial officer — the state's treasurer, check writer, tax collector, procurement officer and revenue estimator. Before he was elected Texas Comptroller, Hegar served in the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate, where he worked on a wide range of common-sense solutions to problems affecting Texans in areas such as public education, transportation, tax reform, government transparency, Second Amendment rights, water issues and tort reform. As chair of the Sunset Advisory Commission, Hegar eliminated inefficiencies in state agencies and abolished six, saving Texas taxpayers more than $160 million. In his last session as a state senator, Hegar oversaw state and local revenue matters and helped cut $1 billion worth of taxes.

Hegar is a 1993 graduate of Texas A&M University and a graduate of St. Mary's University, where he earned a Master of Arts and his law degree. At the University of Arkansas, he earned his Master of Laws.

Trent Ashby was sworn into the Texas House in January 2013. His district comprises Angelina, Houston, Leon, Madison, San Augustine and Trinity counties. He currently serves as the chair of the House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights & Remedies, as well as a member of the House committees on Appropriations and Transportation. This is his fourth term on the Appropriations Committee, having twice served as the chairman of the subcommittee that oversees higher and public education funding. In prior sessions, Ashby has served as a member of the House committees on Administration, Calendars, Defense & Veterans' Affairs, Natural Resources and Public Education.

Born and raised on a dairy farm and diversified livestock operation in Rusk County, Ashby is a proud graduate of Henderson High School and Texas A&M University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Economics. While at A&M, he was elected to the Student Senate and elected class treasurer and senior yell leader. Prior to being elected to the Legislature, Ashby served as president of the Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees. Today, he is senior vice president for VeraBank. He and his wife, Nickie, live in Lufkin with their two sons, Garin and Grant.

Ashby was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Speaker of the House Dade Phelan on April 14, 2022.

From modest roots as a migrant farm worker, Alonzo Cantu is now a prominent South Texas businessman. Cantu began his career in construction and real estate development and has since expanded his reach into a wide range of business, investment, philanthropic ventures and political activities.

Cantu serves in many roles including Chairman of the Finance Committee on the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Health System Board, Chairman of the Board of Lone Star National Bank, President and CEO of Cantu Construction and Development, Inc., and is the owner of two minor league sports teams – the Rio Grande Valley Toros (MLS) and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (NBA G-League). Cantu sits on the University of Houston Board of Directors as well as the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority Board. Cantu is also the Chairman of the Border Health Political Action Committee which works to promote the interests and health of the Rio Grande Valley along the Deep South US-Mexico border region of Texas and is a founder and Chairman of the Advocacy Alliance Center of Texas, a non-partisan organization dedicated to increasing civic and voter participation among the electorate in the Rio Grande Valley.  Additionally, Cantu founded and currently chairs the Valley Alliance for Mentors, Opportunities, and Scholarships (VAMOS), a nonprofit organization that raises money to provide scholarships for underprivileged and talented young students from the Rio Grande Valley. 

Cantu was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Speaker of the House Dade Phelan on April 14, 2022.

Sergio Contreras is CEO of Atlas, Hall, & Rodriguez, LLP, a full-service law firm based in South Texas for close to 70 years, which offers comprehensive legal counsel in corporate, litigation and business law. Contreras provides financial and operational leadership and, at the direction of the firm's Executive Committee, supports development of the organization's long and short-term strategic plan. Contreras' role does not include managing or participating in the delivery of legal services from the law firm.

Previously, Contreras served as President/CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The partnership is an organization where business leaders advocate for regional collaboration and economic prosperity in South Texas. Contreras served as executive director of the Pharr Economic Development Corporation for business expansion, retention and workforce development. He worked for 20 years at AT&T as the regional manager of external affairs, advocating for policies that drove innovative technologies to the community.

Contreras has served as a board of director for multiple organizations in Laredo, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley. He serves on the Advisory Council of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, is a board member of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council and is the Immediate Past Chair of the Border Trade Alliance.

Contreras holds a B.A. in International Business; a B.A. in Human Services Recreation from Westmar University, Iowa; and an MBA from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.

Contreras was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Dec. 22, 2021.

Joe Cosgrove has 40 years of legal, regulatory and legislative experience, primarily in internet and telecommunications issues. He is an adjunct professor at The University of Texas School of Law, where he teaches internet and telecommunications regulation. He also is the founder of Joe Cosgrove Law Firm PLLC and is interested in topics related to internet and telecom law and policy, such as broadband, small cells, 5G, net neutrality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

Cosgrove’s mission is to provide high-quality education, research and advocacy on the issues that shape the future of the internet and telecommunications. He has published many articles on the topic, including in the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) Infrastructure publication and a textbook in Brazil. He has been interviewed on several podcasts and presented at legal conferences, including offering an ABA Continuing Legal Education webinar.

Cosgrove’s career included several positions with AT&T, where he managed attorneys and staff, handled numerous major regulatory proceedings and worked on significant legislation. These proceedings included implementation of the Telecom Act of 1996, area code overlays, merger approvals and universal service reform. Legislation included the transition to incentive regulation, broadband, video/cable competition and small cells.

He earned his juris doctorate from Washburn University School of Law, and his first attorney position was with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Joe Cosgrove was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Gov. Greg Abbott on Dec. 19, 2023.

Adriana Cruz has more than 20 years of leadership experience in economic development, marketing and international business.

In October 2019, Cruz was appointed to lead the Governor's Economic Development and Tourism Office. As executive director, Cruz provides leadership to Business and Community Development, Economic Development Finance, Texas Tourism, Texas Workforce Investment Council, Texas Music Office and the Texas Film Commission. Prior to that appointment, Cruz was president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership. She previously served as the vice president of global corporate recruitment for the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Cruz in April 2020 was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Strike Force to Open Texas, a team of nationally recognized private and public leaders formed to advise the governor on safely and strategically reopening the state of Texas.

In January 2020, Gov. Abbott appointed Cruz to the Advisory Council on Cultural Affairs and named her vice chair of the council. In 2021, the governor appointed Cruz to the Texas Freight Advisory Committee. Cruz also serves on the Texas Economic Development Council and the Texas Workforce Investment Council.

From 2016 to 2019, Cruz served on the Texas Economic Incentives Oversight Board. In 2016, she won the Austin Business Journal's Profiles in Power: Central Texas Women of Influence Award. Cruz holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in marketing from the University of Texas at Austin, has been married for 34 years to her husband Rik and has three grown children living in the Austin area.

Cruz was reappointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Gov. Greg Abbott on Feb. 14, 2023.

Robert F. McGee has been in the Telecom industry for 25 years.  His career in Telecom began with GTE as an IBEW technician 1998. McGee held a variety of network construction and installation positions until moving into management in 2001.

Throughout his 25-year career he has held a variety of positions in network maintenance, operations, engineering and construction. McGee was the Director of Engineering (Dallas) with Verizon and oversaw the engineering and construction of all fiber to the home in the state of Texas.

McGee was named Director of Global Transport Engineering and Implementation at Verizon and managed Verizon's global optical transport network. McGee was the Executive Director for wireless in the Gulf States Region and led the wireless and fiber engineering and construction teams throughout Texas and the gulf states. In January 2021 he left Verizon to lead Telecom for Quanta.

McGee served in the United States Army and was part of the Enduring Freedom post 9/11 campaign.  McGee attended Illinois State University in Normal, IL and lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area with his wife and two boys. 

McGee was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Dec. 22, 2021.

Scott Muri, Ed.D joined Ector County ISD as Superintendent on July 1, 2019.  Prior to that, he spent four years as Superintendent for Spring Branch ISD in Houston, TX. During that time, achievement gaps narrowed in all academic areas while overall student achievement rose. He fostered innovation in the system by incorporating the redesign process to transform the student learning experience. 

Prior to leading Spring Branch ISD, Muri served as the Deputy Superintendent of Academics in Fulton County Schools (FCS) in Atlanta, Georgia, a large school district with 96,000 students and 100 campuses.

Before joining FCS in Atlanta, Muri spent five years with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, NC. His roles included Area Superintendent and Chief Information Officer overseeing research and evaluation, along with technology infrastructure and instructional technology innovation.

Muri's educational experiences include serving as one of the first National Board Certified Teachers in the United States, high school principal, and administrator at Walt Disney's Celebration School in Celebration, FL. 

Throughout his career, Muri has demonstrated a passion and ability for leading change, driving organizational effectiveness, and significantly improving student achievement while closing achievement gaps. With a focus on collaboration and excellence, Muri creates a positive and effective teaching and learning environment. 

Muri was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Dec. 22, 2021.

Mari Robinson is the director of telehealth with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), and in that role she is assisting with the rollout of the Virtual Health Network, a project to link all UT system medical campuses to allow for the shared provision of telemedicine throughout the state. She is also the director of the Medical Technology Resource & Education Center, which provides training and support in the area of medical technology. Prior to joining UTMB, she was executive director for the Texas Medical Board – the agency responsible for regulating the practice of medicine in the state.

In addition to these roles, Robinson currently serves as the chair of Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s eHealth Advisory Committee, as well as the chair of the Innovations Board for the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law. She was recently named the convener of the workgroup to establish ISO standards for telehealth. In her personal time, Robinson is very active in the Austin community, serving as the president of The League of Women Voters Austin Area, past chair of Pop-Up Birthday and as a board member for the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas.

Robinson was appointed to the Broadband Development Office Board of Advisors by Speaker of the House Dade Phelan on April 14, 2022.