Featuring Keynote Speakers
Karl Rove
Campaign Strategist and Former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States
Karl Rove, an iconic political strategist and one of the most sought-after political pundits of our time, is best known for his provocative and robust knowledge of major political issues.
Rove served as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000–2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004–2007. At the White House, he oversaw the Offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, and Intergovernmental Affairs and was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process. He was the architect of President Bush’s 2008 and 2004 White House victories.
Before the White House, he ran Rove + Co. a Texas based public affairs firm that consulted on over 75 GOP campaigns for Senator, Governor, Congress and statewide offices in 24 states.
Rove was described by author and columnist Michael Barone as “…unique…no Presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.” Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter David Broder wrote that Rove was a master political strategist whose “game has always been long term…and he plays it with an intensity and attention to detail that few can match.”
Conservative editor and columnist Fred Barnes, called him “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation… He knows history, understands the moods of the public and is a visionary on matters of public policy.”
Mr. Rove writes a weekly op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, appears frequently on the Fox News Channel, and is the author of the New York Times bestseller Courage and Consequence. His latest book is The Triumph of William McKinley. A Colorado native, Rove lives in Austin, Texas where he teaches at the University of Texas and serves on the Texas State History Museum and McDonald Observatory boards.
Senator Manchin
Former U.S. Senator & Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) was sworn into the United States Senate on November 15, 2010. For Senator Manchin, serving as West Virginia's Senator is truly an honor and a privilege.
As a Senator, Joe Manchin is committed to bringing this same spirit of bipartisanship to Washington. As he has done throughout his entire life, he remains committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to find commonsense solutions to the problems our country faces and is working hard to usher in a new bipartisan spirit in the Senate and Congress.
Legislatively, job creation is Senator Manchin's top priority and he believes that government should act as a partner, not an adversary, in helping to create the environment that produces good American jobs. Senator Manchin also firmly believes that our nation can and must do what he did in West Virginia - put our fiscal house in order. He believes we must find commonsense ways to cut spending while keeping our promises to our seniors and veterans by protecting Social Security and Medicare.
Senator Manchin is strongly committed to developing a balanced national energy plan that utilizes all of our resources and recognizes that fossil fuels will be a vital part of our energy mix for decades to come. He believes that a balanced, commonsense approach that considers the needs of our environment and the demands of our economy, can and must be developed if we are to achieve energy independence within this generation.
Senator Manchin currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and also serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs - four critical committees that tackle the important work of addressing our nation's energy needs, overseeing discretionary spending, defending our nation, and standing up for our Veterans.
Senator Manchin is an avid pilot, outdoorsman, hunter, angler and motorcyclist. He has been married for more than five decades to the former Gayle Conelly of Beckley. They have three children and ten grandchildren.
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Global Border Summit Agenda
MC: Erin Coulehan
*SPEAKERS AND SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
7:30 - 8:00 AM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Complimentary Continental Breakfast
8:00 - 8:30 AM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Welcome​
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Jon Barela, CEO, The Borderplex Alliance
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​The Honorable Renard Johnson, Mayor of El Paso
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The Honorable Ricardo Samaniego, El Paso County Judge
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The Honorable Mauricio Ibarra Ponce de Leon, Consul General of Mexico, El Paso
8:30 - 9:15 AM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Venture Capital Round Table: Unlocking Opportunities on the U.S.-Mexico Border​
Moderator: Ebetuel (Beto) Pallares, PhD, MBA, President/CEO, General Partner, Joseph Advisory Services/Audaz Capital
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​William Steele, CEO, SupplyPay
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Marla Sofer, CEO, Knomee
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Ivan Huerta, CEO, El Paso Labs
9:15 - 10:15 AM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Building the Future: AI and the Infrastructure Evolution​
Sponsored by El Paso Water and NADBank
Moderator: Adam Wickersham, VP Information Technology, El Paso Water
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Kelly Tomblin, President and CEO, El Paso Electric
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Jesse J. Hereford, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement, NADBank
10:15 - 10:30 AM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
BREAK
10:30 - 11:30 AM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
The Future of Global Trade
Moderator: Shane Doucet, Founding Principal, Doucet Consulting Solutions
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Brad Wood, Sr. Director, National Foreign Trade Council
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Leila Aridi Afas, Director, Global Public Policy, Toyota
12:00 - 1:00 PM | The Hotel Paso Del Norte, Autograph Collection
Keynote Lunch Featuring
Karl Rove and Senator Manchin
1:30 - 2:15 PM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Conversation with United States Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission
Dr. Maria-Elena Giner, P.E.
Moderator: Jon Barela, CEO, The Borderplex Alliance​​​
2:30 - 3:15 PM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Health, Connected: Overcoming Challenges to Healthcare Access in the Borderplex
Sponsored by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
3:15 - 3:30 PM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
BREAK
3:30 - 4:15 PM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
The Intersection of Tech, Talent, and Learning: Shaping the Future Workforce​​
Sponsored by Microsoft
Moderator: JJ Childress, Director, TechSpark Microsoft
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Heather Wilson, President, University of Texas at El Paso
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TBA
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TBA
4:15 - 4:30 PM | The Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park
Closing Remarks ​
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Jon Barela, CEO, The Borderplex Alliance
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Esteemed Guests
4:30 PM | El Mirador Bar at The Hotel Paso Del Norte, Autograph Collection
Cocktails and Live Music Networking Hour
Thank You to Our Sponsors
