Rodney Ellis (LBJ Class of 1977) was appointed by Texas Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff in January to chair the Texas Senate's Finance Committee, becoming the first African American to preside over one of the state's most powerful and influential legislative committees.

Ellis, who has been a senator since 1990, represents an inner- city Houston district that includes downtown and much of the south and southwest areas of the city. In addition to heading the Finance Committee, which oversees spending and taxes, Ellis also serves on two other Senate committees--jurisprudence and redistricting.

In an article that appeared in the Houston Chronicle at the time of his appointment, Ellis is described as "the only truly urban lawmaker ever to hold the seat" because the last time a Finance Committee chairman hailed from a large city was in the 1920s.

An investment banker and lawyer, Ellis served on the Houston City Council from 1984 to 1989. Prior to his election to public office, he served as administrative assistant to U.S. Congressman Mickey Leland; legal counsel to Texas Railroad Commissioner Buddy Temple; briefing attorney for Chief Justice John C. Philips of the Austin Court of Appeals; and administrative assistant to Lieutenant Governor William P. Hobby, Jr.

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May 14, 2001

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