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Join the Greater Houston Pachyderm Club as we welcome

State Representative Mano DeAyala (HD133)
&
State Senator Joan Huffman (SD17) 
speaking on the 
"89th State Legislative Session
(and the Special Legislative Session(s)"

Representative Mano DeAyala represents Texas' House District 133 in West Houston. The district includes Houston's "Energy Corridor,” which is home to the global headquarters of several prominent companies within the energy sector and a critical economic hub for Texas. Currently in his second term in the Texas House of Representatives, he sits on the Appropriations Committee, serving as Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on Articles I, IV & V, as well as the Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee.

Before he was elected to the House, Mano was called by both President Trump and Governor Abbott to serve. In April 2017, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Mano to a six-year term on the board of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice where he served as the Chair of the Business & Finance Committee and as a Trustee of the Windham School District. In July 2020, the United States Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President, appointed Mano to a three-year term as an arbitrator to adjudicate trade disputes under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”).

Dedicated to his hometown community, Mano has previously served on Spring Branch Independent School District’s Finance and Long-Range Planning committees and as a board member of Heritage Ed, a prospective K-8 charter school serving northwest Houston. With the Spring Branch-Memorial Sports Association (SBMSA), Mano was a longtime youth football coach and served as a board member from 2012 through 2022.

Mano is a past member of the “C” Club of Houston having served on the executive committee from 2012 through 2021 and as President in 2017. He also served as a Trustee of the Houston Region Business Coalition 2020-2021. Mano has also served on the Board of the Hispanic Leadership Alliance since 2012 and as Chairman from 2017 through 2022.

In his professional career, Mano is a senior partner of Buck Keenan LLP. For more than a decade, Mano has been recognized as one of the top Texas Lawyers by Texas Super Lawyers and as one of the top lawyers in the US by Best Lawyers® in America.

Mano received a BBA (Finance) Degree from the University of Texas (McCombs School of Business) in 1988 and his law degree from Southern Methodist University in 1992.

Mano and Melissa, his wife of 30 years, reside in west Houston. Their three sons, Marcus and his wife Maddie, Matthew, and Mitchell live in Houston too. All three sons, as well as Mano and Melissa, are products of Spring Branch ISD.

Senator Joan Huffman started her career as a public servant in 1981. Upon earning her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University, she became a secretary for the Harris County District Attorney’s office. It was there that she became inspired by the work of prosecutors and decided to enroll in night classes at the South Texas College of Law while continuing to work full time.

Upon earning her law degree, Joan was hired as a prosecutor and advanced from misdemeanor court to Chief Felony Prosecutor, Special Crimes Gang Prosecutor, and Legal Counsel to the Organized Crime Narcotics Task Force. She served as lead prosecutor in over 100 jury trials, including murders, aggravated robberies, and sexual assaults of adults, and children. Senator Huffman earned a reputation as a fair and tough enforcer of the law both as a prosecutor and a twice elected Judge to the 183rd Criminal District Court in Harris County.

Senator Huffman was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2008 and has been re-elected five times. She currently serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, and as a senior member of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice and the Legislative Budget Board.

Senator Huffman’s common sense approach to solving issues has allowed for her to build strong relationships with members of both parties, which enables her to represent the needs of her district and her constituents efficiently and effectively. Her leadership has been acknowledged by numerous advocacy groups. She was named as the "2017 Hero for Texas Children" by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and a “Big Voice for Little Texans” by Court Appointed Special Advocates for her work to protect children. She is also the only three-time recipient of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association’s “Law and Order Award” since its inception, for her efforts to improve victims’ protections and the criminal justice system.

Senator Joan Huffman represents a diverse district which is comprised of Colorado, Jackson, Matagorda, and Wharton County and portions of Brazoria, Ft. Bend, Harris, and Waller County.

$30 meeting fee includes program, lunch*, tax & tip. Prepay online or pay at the door cash, check, or credit card. Business/business casual attire please. Free parking in the restaurant's parking lot.  Please arrive early/timely as seating on a first come and paid basis.

*Lunch includes a salad, various breads, two options for your entree, ice tea, and delicious cookies (or similar desserts). We ask that you please limit your special requests.