Vice President:  Richard Shaw
Chair:  Martin Siegel
Chair: Jewish communal affairs - Helene Zadok

AJC, through its many chapters, urges the United States to set a comprehensive energy policy aimed not only at substantial reduction in U.S. dependence on imported oil as a primary national goal with the potential for energy flexibility, but also on environmental protection.  Houston, geared to becoming the energy capital of the world, is hard at work on alternative energy sources and setting policies for energy conservation.

On Monday, January 12, 2009, AJC Houston held its second annual Energy luncheon – Energy Independence:  Global and Local Issues – underwritten by Greenberg Traurig LLP.  Chaired by AJC Houston energy task force chairs Max Blankfeld, Leonard Goldstein and Richard Sherry as well as by AJC National energy task force member Shrub Kempner, the forum was an opportunity to hear from political insiders and analysts.  The forum included speakers Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Houston Mayor Bill White, Anne Korin (IAGS), John Hofmeister (Citizens for Affordable Energy) and David Ronn. The luncheon included 150 leaders from the ethnic and religious communities in the Houston area and aimed towards helping them gain insight into the local, national and international energy situation and how it affects them and their constituents.

Chaired by Nat Levy, Mark Friedman, Jack Lascar and Mina Sklar, AJC Houston held its second advocacy training program on August 29-30, 2009, the Mexican - American Emerging Leaders Institute, funded by AJC, Amegy Bank, Feldman Foundation and the Mexican Consulate.  For more information on this workshop, please contact Barbara Shepard at shepardb@ajc.org

The AJC Bridging America Project immigration workshop, funded by the Ford Foundation, was held in Houston on Sunday, September 12, 2009.  Leaders from 25 local immigration agencies gathered to discuss and learn about the legislative process concerning comprehensive immigration reform.  The Bridging America Task Force will hold the first of three meetings with Houston community leaders to discuss the impact of comprehensive immigration reform starting on February 2, 2010.  For more information on the Bridging America Project please Click here.