Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Lemuel Williams, Jr. as chair of the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation Board of Directors. In addition, David Lewis has been appointed and Valerie Vargas Cardenas reappointed to the board for terms ending February 1, 2031. The board is responsible for overseeing affordable housing initiatives for low-income residents in Texas.
Lemuel Williams, Jr., based in Austin, serves as senior director of technology alliances at Atos IT Solutions and Services, Inc. He is also vice-chair of Amplify Credit Union’s Board of Directors and chairs its loan committee. His previous roles include serving on the executive board of the Future Forum at the LBJ Presidential Library and being an appointee to the City of Austin Technology and Telecommunications Commission. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Information Systems from The University of Texas at Austin.
David Lewis, also from Austin, is president and managing member at Montlake Capital Management, LLC. He previously served as director and president for the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Society of Dallas–Fort Worth and held leadership positions with the Seattle CFA Society. Lewis currently acts as president’s council representative to the CFA Institute for the Central and Southwest U.S. Region and advocacy chair for CFA Societies Texas. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from UT Austin and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Valerie Vargas Cardenas from San Juan is executive vice president for Mortgage Banking operations at Texas National Bank. She chairs San Juan’s Planning and Zoning Commission, participates on Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force Housing Committee, and is a member of both Rio Grande Valley Builders Association and Greater McAllen Association of REALTORS. Cardenas received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from St. Edward’s University.
The Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott operates within the executive branch with primary offices located in Austin at the State Insurance Building https://gov.texas.gov/. Governor Abbott’s administration focuses on economic development, education enhancement, border security efforts, job growth initiatives, community programs, individual liberties protection, parental empowerment in schooling decisions, southern border security measures such as Operation Lone Star, child sex trafficking prevention efforts https://gov.texas.gov/, collaborations with private sector partners like Southwest Airlines on economic expansions https://gov.texas.gov/, support for community certifications through Travel Texas https://gov.texas.gov/, as well as statewide delivery of services across Texas https://gov.texas.gov/.
Governor Abbott was first elected to lead this office in 2014 https://gov.texas.gov/ and has since overseen various state initiatives contributing to record employment levels https://gov.texas.gov/. In 2024 he was named among TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People https://gov.texas.gov/.
