San Angelo Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board: Fill & Download for Free

I'll take a crack but with the caveat that context really matters, no? THE most influential? Who can really say. Most influential in economic development? In the media? Politics? In innovation? In startups? By way of the Capitol?That last point is most important, you realize Austin is the Capitol of Texas... So... arguably, the most influential are Rick Perry and the various representatives. Aren't they?Also want to clarify, you're asking about influence, not power, wealth, control, success, etc. but most capable of persuasion, audience, and reach.Here's an attempt. If you clarify, we can revise...Angelos Angelou - One of the cities most influential economic development leaders and is the founder of Austin's International Accelerator. As the world continues to look to Austin, perhaps more than Silicon Valley, for investment potential, opportunity in innovation, etc. due to costs, talent, and so forth, the role Austin plays on the world stage is exploding.Andres Carvallo - Founding CIO of Austin Energy which, as you may know, powers all of Austin. He's worked for Microsoft, Borland, HP, and Philips. His recognition in enery (smart grid, etc.) reads like the complete list of awards and honors available and thus, he is one of the foremost thought leaders on the Smart Grid and Internet of ThingsTerry Lickona - Producer of Austin City Limits and the 2012-2014 GrammysBrett Hurt - Founder of Bazaarvoice and mentor via Capital Factory and Techstars; Brett is one of the few Angel investors in Austin demanding more of Austin's entrepreneurs with a philosophy that reflects Silicon Valley's approach more than that of Texas. He's been involved with Coremetrics, IBM, Ad:tech, Shop.org, Powered, and Austin Ventures; Brett is also the EIR at McCombsShawn Collins - Is eCommerce. Affiliate marketing, to be precise, but as the founder of the Affiliate Marketing Summit, THE affiliate marketing summit, that entire industry is influenced by Collins, as is the eCommerce from which it was born.Sheryl Cole - Austin Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member, Cole is former Ernst & Young. Involved with Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board, Downtown Alliance Austin, ABIA Development Corp, Leadership Austin, and the Austin Area Urban League and Communities in Schools.Charles Attal - Founder of C3 which produces Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin Food & Wine Festival, and Lollapalooza Chicago. Partner in StubbsSam Decker - Perhaps the most influential entrepreneur on the list (accounting for the others no longer running their respective ventures), Sam led the growth of Bazaarvoice and then hit it out of the park again, probably faster than anything in Austin, with Mass Relevance.Rony Kahan - Here's where I question "influence" a bit as Rony is the strong silent type. Not very public, not on social... he's the co-founder of Indeed; arguably Austin's most significant venture of the last decade. Certainly the most deserving of more attention. Not that it needs it; almost entirely bootstrapped, it was acquired for around $1BMichele Skelding - Head of Tech and Innovation for the Chamber, she's the one who will rebrand Austin as the epicenter of the future of the economy of the United States. In fact, she's already doing it.Jennifer Bullard - The reason Austin is a Gaming industry. Call of Duty, The Sims, SpiderMan, she's on the board of the Skillpoint Alliance, Women in Games Association, and International Game Developers Association as well as founder of one of Austin's fastest growing conferences, Captivate.Jamie Rhodes - Director of new ventures in The Texas A&M University System Office of Technology Commercialization, Rhodes is the founder of CTAN and the Angel Capital Association.Chelsea McCullough - Exec. Director of Texans for Economic Progress, she's the lobbyist. Not a fair term, she's not a lobbyist but it's the best analogy. She's doing all the work with elected officials and regulators on behalf of Texas industries, entrepreneurs, and policy.Issac Barchas - Director of Austin Technology Incubator and on the board of IC2 Institute his past includes McKinsey, Stanford, University of Chicago, Austin Technology Council.Rudy Garza - Board of Motion Computing and Socialware, Rudy is @TexasSuperAngel and knows more people than just about everyone I've met (barring a few people on this list)Melissa Anthony - Former Leadership Austin, and Entrepreneurs' Organization, she's also heavily involved in communications for the Austin Chamber and serves as board member to the Capital Area Food Bank. And she runs an effective PR firm; media relations hits the mark as an influencer.Jennifer Rani Gooding - Speaking of PR firms, Gooding is the Queen. She's getting the headlines in Fast Company, CNN, etc. Former media director at the Chamber of Commerce and for Startup Texas; currently on the board of TexChangeMike Martinez - Austin City Council on the Minority-Owned Business Enterprise and Women-Owned Business Enterprise and Public Health and Human Services subcommittees as well as the Boards of Directors of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) Development Corporation, Austin Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors, Mueller Local Government CorporationDenise Bradley - Head of corporate communications and public affairs at St. David's. The voice in health is here. She's also past executive director of the Texas State History Museum Foundation and worked with Laura Bush at the White HouseDave Evans - He wrote the book on social marketing. Literally. Couple of them, I think. He was head of strategy at GSD&M and now LithiumJoshua Baer - Founder of Capital Factory, Baer is the PR machine, drawing attention to Austin. CF is expensive for coworking but it's in the heart of downtown where most young entrepreneurs want to be. Don't misunderstand the cost criticism, it is expensive, but worth it; and their program is the kick start Austin needs. As a result of their attention, Austin is drawing DreamIt Ventures, Techstars, and more, leading me to...Jason Seats - Leading Techstars in Austin out of it's Texas roots in San Antonio. Not familiar with Techstars, it's the national version of YCombinator. No one pulls investors in front of entrepreneurs better, and this is the program that knows how to spot teams.Kyle Cox - Closes out the Trifecta of Austin's most influential in the incubators (with Cap Fac, Techstars, and ATI), as though Jacobson and Barchas are ATI, Cox is the soul. Yes, ATI is deserving of three people on the list.Paul O'Brien - Outspoken advocate of Austin's potential; advisor, "growth hacker," and thought provoking writer. Most of the people here are old tech (hardware), he's old school internet. I think, the longest term Silicon Valley veteran on the list, a past in Yahoo, HP, and a series of successful startups - helping Austin reach across the Rockies to our friends in the Valley.Mitch Jacobson - Clean tech in Texas. Not kidding, he's Texas Renewable Energy Industry Association, on Austin Chamber's Clean Energy Council, CleanTX, and ATI's co-director of their clean energy incubator. But hardly the reason he's on the list... board of Pecan Street, Austin Young Chamber of Commerce, ZACH Theater, The Nature Conservatory, Habitat for Humanity, the Long Center...Bryan Menell - Another of the biggest voices for Austin's startup community, Menell is AustinStartup. He was Dachis Group, Texchange, and SubtleData; now Capital Factory and Mahana.I'm going off my format once... SXSW is the highest revenue-producing event for the Austin economy but the team, the influencers, are hard to nail down. You've got Janet Pierson, head of Film, Hugh Forrest is Interactive, and Roland Swenson, SXSW PresidentClaire England - Exec Director driving most of the significant growth of RISE (Austin's most significant "local" conference), but is also involved with IMPACT Texas, Startup America, and incubator Tech Ranch as well as SXSW.Pike Powers - State Representative in the seventies, Chief of Staff to the Governor in the eighties, founder of one of Austin's early incubators, former board member of Schlotzky's (yes the sandwich shop), a chair of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund... Powers is THE lawyer and the reason Austin is in tech. Not enough room to explain why.Lani Rosales - Communities need their rogue media outlet that people actually want to read: is critical and sophisticated. AGBeat is Austin's. Lani runs the show. She's also behind BASHH - Austin's Big Ass Social Happy HourBijoy Goswami - Mr. Bootstrap. Austin is to bootstrapped ventures what Silicon Valley is to disturbing valuations and investments and Bijoy is the thought leader of the bootstrap. Also the founder of Entrepreneur Scene, an informal group that endeavors to get many of these people working togetherLaura Kilcrease - Former executive director of The University of Texas IC2 Institute’s Center for Commercialization and Enterprise, Kilcrease runs Triton Ventures and was a founder of ATIBryce Gilmore - Food & Wine Best New Chef 2011, GQs best new restaurant 2012, James Beard finalist Best New Chef 2013... but Gilmore is new, not the only in food...Tyson Cole - okay, hardly "old," but we can go back to 2005 with Cole. He's Uchi and Uchiko: Gilmore's predecessor for many of the same accolades, Cole was also an Iron Chef competitor in 2008Jeremy Benken - Another old school internet; Benken was SEO before it was a thing. Founder of Apartmentratings.com back in the nineties. Helped get RetailMeNot off the ground and in addition to being a Capital Factory advisor, he's one of the cofounders of Written.Pete Winstead - Corporate structure and taxation in Texas = Winstead. He was appointed by Governor Bush to be the first chair of the Texas Turnpike Authority and has been heavily involved in Texas' infrastructure. I'm not kidding re: structure and taxation, he guided Dell through their IPOIngrid Vanderveldt - At the helm of Dell's involvement in innovation is Ingrid, Dell's EIR. Since going private, Dell has stepped up their involvement and one would think, their willingness to take some risks, push the envelope, and make a difference.Cam Houser - Advisor to Mass Relevance but not the reason he's on the list, Houser is the CEO of 3 Day Startup.Andrew Tull - Dude know everyone.Kate Buck Jr - What Dave Evens is to the book, Kate Buck Jr is. Influence via social is @katebuckjrGary Farmer - Like Jacobson, the list of things in which Farmer is involved would take up too much space... Chairman of Greater Austin Economic Development Corporation, Board Member of The University of Texas Chancellor's Council, the UT Development Board, Director's Council for UT's Department of Theatre and Dance, The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the President's Council of The Real Estate Council of Austin, The Greater Austin Crime Commission, The Trust for Public Land, The American Heart Association, Capitol Area Council and the National Multi Housing Council.... suffice it to say, commercial real estate and economic development in Austin is Farmer.Morgan Flager - As VCs go, this is the guy with the potential to influence. Silverton isn't as big as Austin Ventures but then, AV is almost private equity at this point. Silverton is raising funds, knocking investments out of the park, and Morgan is accessible, supportive, and actively participates in the community. He's Standford so again, be careful of those California roots ;)Olga Campos - KVUE journalist, Campos is now community relations for the U.S. Money Reserve and on the board of the Austin Film Festival, the Austin Film Society's Development Committee and the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.Michael Dell - Really, need I explain?Josh Kerr - Involved with DEMO, Techstars, and Capital Factory, Kerr is up there with Kate Buck on social reach, knows everyone, and is the CEO of Written.Footnote, lack of Quora links to the individuals are only a result of those people not being on Quora.I'd also clarify again, you asked for influence. I can see how some might ask how in the heck someone ranks up there with Dell, why a pub called AGBeat and not the Statesman, or how some of these young people even compare to Powers or Farmer. These are the people who are, to me, not just successful, or rather, success has no bearing on your question, they have audience, they question, think outside the box, have the networks, and can move others.Certainly not all inclusive, I can't conceivably get together such a long list for a broad question.