PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release Contact: Ann Galassi

September 22, 2009 Sabine River Authority of Texas

(409) 746-2192

Governor Perry appoints three to

SRA Board of Directors

(Orange, TX) Governor Rick Perry recently appointed three members to the Sabine River Authority of Texas Board of Directors. The appointments include Cary “Mac” Abney of Marshall, Connie Wade of Longview and Connie Ware of Marshall. Created by the Legislature in 1949, the Sabine River Authority is an official agency of the State of Texas. The Authority was created as a conservation and reclamation district with responsibilities to control, store, preserve, and distribute the waters of the Sabine River and its tributary streams for useful purposes. The Sabine River Authority of Texas is governed by nine Board of Directors who are leaders in their communities and are dedicated to addressing water issues in the Sabine River Basin. The Board of Directors, appointed by the Governor, must reside in a county within the basin.

Cary “Mac” Abney of Marshall is a certified public accountant and president of Abney, Simmons and Co. PLLC. Mr. Abney is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Texas Forestry Association, and a board member of the Marshall Harrison County Joint Airport Zoning Board. He is also past president of the Harrison County Housing Finance Corporation and Harrison County Airport Advisory Committee, secretary and treasurer of the Harrison County EMS (Dist. #2), and secretary of the Fern Lake Club. Abney received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University and is a graduate of the College of Financial Planning. Mr. Abney and his wife Claudia have two children and three grandchildren and reside in Marshall. Mr. Abney replaces Richard “Link” Linkenauger of Greenville on the board and will serve a term to expire July 6, 2015.

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Connie Wade is being reappointed to the board with a term to expire July 6, 2015. Ms. Wade moved from the Texas panhandle to the piney woods of East Texas in the summer of 1978 and fell in love with its natural beauty, history and people. Since moving to East Texas, Ms. Wade has volunteered on behalf of local, state-wide and national candidates and served Gregg County GOP Party as its secretary, vice-chairman and as an election judge. At the 1992 State GOP Convention, she chaired the sub-committee on education for the platform committee and in 1996, was elected as an alternate to the GOP National Convention in San Diego. She served on the Governor’s Commission for Women from 1995-1996. She has also worked at the Texas Department of Agriculture as a scheduler for Commissioner Susan Combs. Ms. Wade is the Gregg County Clerk and is a certified County Investment Officer under the Texas Public Funds Investment Act, and County Investment Officer for Gregg County. She is also a member of the County and District Clerks Association of Texas. Ms. Wade resides in Longview with her husband, Jerry Gipson.

Connie Ware is being reappointed to the board with a term to expire July 6, 2015. Ms. Ware currently serves as the President and CEO of the Greater Marshall Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Ware was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Texas Commission on the Arts by Governor Bush in 1995. She served as chairman until 2000. She also served as a committee member of the Governor’s Awards for Arts and Science in 1996. Ms. Ware was a founding board member on the Texans for the Arts advocacy group and the Marshall Regional Arts Council. She has contributed to the success of a number of civic and cultural projects throughout the State and in the City of Marshall. She received the President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1987 and the “Outstanding Citizen” award from the City of Marshall in 1988. She has chaired numerous political committees and has served as a delegate to the Texas Republican Convention since 1990 and as an alternate to the National Republican Convention in 1992 and 2000. Ms. Ware and her husband, James, reside in Marshall.

Other members of the SRA Board include Don Covington from Orange, J. D. Jacobs, Jr. from Rockwall, David Koonce from Center, Stan Mathews from Pinehurst, Cliff Todd from Carthage and Earl Williams from Orange.

For further information on Sabine River Authority of Texas contact Ann Galassi, Manager, Economic Development / Public Relations for SRA-TX at (409) 746-2192 or agalassi@sratx.org

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