Alumnus Sworn in As 106th Texas Secretary of State
On Wednesday, July 18th, during a ceremony held in the House Chamber of the Texas State Capitol, HSU alumnus Phil Wilson was formally sworn in by Governor Perry as the 106th Texas Secretary of State. Secretary Wilson was joined by his wife, Kristen, HSU administration and faculty, over 30 HSU Theta Alpha Zeta brothers, legislators, and many other family and friends.
Phil Wilson (right) receives oath of office
from Governor Perry
A Brownwood native, Wilson has a long, distinguished career in public service throughout Texas, acting as a key advisor to three statewide elected officials as well as serving on numerous national, state and local campaigns.
While a student at HSU, Phil was a Presidential and Honors scholar. He received the Tomorrow’s Leaders today scholarship from the board of Young Associates, and he won the E.P. Mead Speech Contest, the University Interscholastic League’s Clark Scholarship, HSU’s George Skiles Anderson Award, and was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He was elected as vice president of the Student Congress, servied as freshman class president, and was president of the Cowboy Activities Committee. He was a member of Theta Alpha Zeta, men’s social club, and the Law and Politics Club. Phil also served as the co-editor of the Bronco, and was a staff writer for The Brand.
HSU President Dr. Craig Turner (left to right), Wilson,
Dr. Shane Davidson, and Leland Harden visit after the oath.
Phil remains active an an HSU alumnus and is a former Board of Young Associates officer. Married to the former Kristen Kincaid, also a 1990 grad, he was honored as an Outstanding Young Alumni in 2005.
Prior to his current role, Secretary Wilson served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Rick Perry, overseeing Texas’ economic development and job creation initiatives as well as serving as the Governor’s designee on the $200 million Emerging Technology Fund and the $185 million Texas Enterprise Fund. Under his leadership, the Enterprise Fund has leveraged more than $10 billion in capital investment to create more than 45,000 new jobs in the state of Texas. He will continue to serve in this capacity as Secretary of State at Perry’s request.
Secretary Wilson was instrumental in landing some of the largest job creation and capital investment projects in Texas, including new investments by Countrywide Financial, Samsun, and Texas Instruments.
Wilson officially took office on July 1st and, in his new role, serves as the chief elections officer, the chief international protocol officer, the Governor’s chief liaison on border and Mexico affairs and maintains the business and public filings for the state of Texas. Secretary Wilson is committed to free and fair elections, promoting a vibrant Texas economy, and furthering the important relationships between Texas and the international community.
‘I will hold this office with the humility required of anyone who serves more than 20 million people,’ stated Wilson. ‘And I will work tirelessly to adhere to the expectations of our people and relentlessly strive to provide them the excellent service which they deserve.
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