principal, G. David Whitley | A Career Public Servant and 5th generation texan

David Whitley is an attorney and former Secretary of State, Border Commerce Coordinator, Border Trade Advisory Committee Chairman, Deputy Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to Governor Greg Abbott, and Appointments Director for the Governor. He is a public servant of more than 15 years who is passionate about working collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the State of Texas to resolve complex challenges.

In 2018, Whitley was appointed and served as Texas' 112th Texas Secretary of State, which is the State’s Chief Election Officer, Chief International Protocol Officer, and the Governor’s Chief Advisor and Liaison to Mexico and the border region. While Secretary of State, he was appointed to serve as Texas’ Border Commerce Coordinator and Chair of the Border Trade Advisory Committee (BTAC), which advises the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to advance infrastructure projects that facilitate cross-border trade between Texas and Mexico. In that role, he convened the BTAC, which included over 30 stakeholder groups and worked to advance the Texas-Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan to completion. He also visited eight international bridges on the Texas-Mexico border to reinforce the State of Texas’ commitment to robust international trade with Mexico.

Most recently serving as Special Advisor to the Governor in Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office, he oversaw the Office of Economic Development and Tourism, which includes the Texas Enterprise Fund, Events Trust Fund, Governor’s University Research Initiative, Travel Texas, Texas Music Office, Texas Film Commission, Texas Workforce Investment Council, Texas Military Preparedness Commission and the State of Texas Mexico Office. He also served as a key liaison to the Governor for a select group of state entities, which included TxDOT, institutions of higher education, the Office of the Attorney General, the Texas Military Department, the Public Utility Commission, the Department of Insurance, the Department of Information Resources, the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Facilities Commission, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, among others. Additionally, as Deputy Chief of Staff, he managed 13 divisions in the office and traveled with Governor Abbott, including on his international trade mission to India, coordinating with CEOs and staffing the Governor in his meeting with Prime Minister Modi.

He began working for then-Attorney General Abbott in 2004, serving in various roles including Assistant Deputy Attorney General. He later served Governor Abbott as Appointments Director, helping place talented Texans to serve as judicial appointees and on the governing boards of state agencies. During law school, he worked in the Texas Senate and for a U.S. bankruptcy judge.

Whitley is a member of the State Bar of Texas, earned his finance and law degrees from The University of Texas at Austin, serves in the UT Law Mentorship Program and as an i9 youth sports coach, and is a native of Alice, Texas.