Cara Nichols served as Director of Community Affairs at Rackspace from 2010-2019. In this role, she had the unique opportunity to give back to the communities where the company operates and manage the company’s involvement in civic, nonprofit and community initiatives. Cara currently serves on the board of the Rackspace Foundation, a 100% employee-funded nonprofit that supports out-of-school programs in the adopted schools around Rackspace’s corporate headquarters in San Antonio, TX. Before her time at Rackspace, Nichols was the editor of a high-end lifestyle magazine, and prior to that she was an elementary teacher. She is currently working on her first book.

Wayne Alexander is the retired president of SBC Southwestern Bell. He held previous senior leadership positions in marketing, sales, network operations, international, government relations and regulatory with various entities that later became AT&T in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Santiago, and Houston before settling in San Antonio. Among his current responsibilities, he is the chairman of the Southwest Research Institute, serves at a trustee of Missouri University of Science and Technology, and is Vice Chairman of Liftfund.

Janie Barrera is founding president and CEO of LiftFund.The organization provides loans and management training to enterprises, from startups to long established businesses and operates in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Since its inception in 1994, LiftFund has disbursed more than 21,000 loans totaling more than $300 million – with an impressive 96 percent repayment rate.

Barrera has received nationwide recognition for her accomplishments, including the Small Business Administration Financial Services Advocate of the Year, the Minority Enterprise Development Consortium’s Corporate Advocate of the Year and the San Antonio Business Hall of Fame. President Barack Obama appointed Ms. Barrera to the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability and has served on the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas, San Antonio Branch. She is presently on the Boards of Our Lady of the Lake University, the San Antonio Area Foundation, and the Board of Managers of the University Health System and Foundation

She received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University—Corpus Christi and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of the Incarnate Word.

A.J. Rodriguez joined Texas 2036 in September 2020 as Executive Vice President. Texas 2036, a nonprofit, apolitical organization endeavors to make Texas a better place to live and work by the state’s bicentennial.

Most recently, A.J. was Vice President of External Affairs and served on the Executive Leadership Team of Zachry Group, a privately held business engaged primarily in the engineering, construction, and maintenance of large industrial facilities. He began at Zachry in 2011 and oversaw the organization’s community investment and philanthropic efforts, media relations, and government affairs.

A.J. served as Deputy City Manager for the City of San Antonio from 2008-2011. He had direct supervision over the areas of International Relations, Economic Development, Intergovernmental Relations, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Human Resources, Downtown Operations, the Public Library, the Office of Cultural Affairs and the Parks and Recreation Department.

Before joining the City, A.J. served as President & CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. During his four-year tenure, the Hispanic Chamber doubled its membership base and grew its total revenue by 60+ percent. He also served as Vice President at the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

In 2015, A.J. began a five-year term as an officer of the Board of Directors of the Texas Association of Business and was unanimously endorsed to serve as Chairman of the Board in 2018. He is proud to have served as the organization’s first Latino chairman.

A.J. earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree specializing in International Business, and a Master of Business Administration degree from UTSA. A.J. and his wife Estelle have three children, Alexandra, Arthur John, and Isabella.