Comisión de Cooperación Ecológica Fronteriza/ Border Environment Cooperation Commission Blvd. Tomás Fernández #8069 Fracc. Los Parques Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua Mexico, C.P. 32470 [52]( 656) 688-4600  ¨  (656) 625-6180 (fax)

North American Development Bank/ Banco de Desarrollo de América del Norte 203 S. St. Mary’s, Suite 300 San Antonio, TX  78205 USA (210) 231-8000  ¨  (210) 231-6232 (fax)

NEW MEMBERS NAMED TO BORDER ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION COMMISSION – NORTH AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The governments of the United States and Mexico have announced the appointment of four new members to the Board of Directors of the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) and North American Development Bank (NADB). The institutions, created under the auspices of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), are charged with the development, certification and financing of environmental infrastructure projects in the U.S.-Mexico border region. The NADB is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the BECC in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

The binational institutions now operate under a single, ten-member board of directors that includes representatives of state governments and the general public, as well as federal agencies from both countries. The Board of Directors is responsible for establishing institutional policies, approving BECC proposals for certification of projects, and approving NADB financing for these projects.

The two U.S. appointments are New Mexico State Representative Lorenzo “Larry” A. Larranaga and Mr. Jacob M. Monty as the border state and public representatives for the United States, respectively. In the case of Mexico, the State of Baja California, represented by Governor Eugenio Elorduy Walther, and Mr. Roberto Zambrano Villarreal, were named as the border state and public representatives for Mexico, respectively.

Lorenzo “Larry” A. Larranaga resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and has served in the New Mexico House of Representatives since 1995, representing Albuquerque’s District 27. He is former vice president and managing partner of Bohannan-Huston, Inc. A native New Mexican, Larranaga received the 1995 Engineer of the Year award from the New Mexico Society of Professional Engineers. Larranaga is also active in the Association of Commerce and Industry (ACI), the Albuquerque Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and UNM Civil Engineering Advisory Board, the Albuquerque Economic Forum, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has also served as vice president and executive member of the Western Association of Highway and Transportation (WASHTO).

Jacob M. Monty resides in Houston, Texas, and is managing partner of Monty Partners LLP, a law firm specializing in employment, labor law and immigration issues. He is a board member of the Hispanic Alliance for Progress and Hispanics for Opportunity, Progress and Education, and is on the board of advisors for the Hispanic Alliance for Progress Institute. Mr. Monty represents the Association for Advancement of Mexican-Americans as its general counsel and serves as outside counsel for the Mexican Consulate in Houston on labor issues. Mr. Monty, born in El Paso, Texas, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Houston Law Center.

Eugenio Elorduy Walther is Governor of the State of Baja California, and resides in Mexicali. He has previously served as Minister of Finance for the State Government of Baja California and mayor of Mexicali. Governor Elorduy has supported education in Baja California as a member of the Management Committee for the Centro de Educación Técnica y Superior (Center of Technical and Superior Education) of Mexicali, and is founder and counselor of the Mexicali Economic Development Commission. Elorduy holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he graduated with honors.

Roberto Zambrano Villarreal lives in Monterrey, Nuevo Léon. He is currently chairman of the Board of Directors of Desarrollo Integrado, S.A. de C.V. and Mantenimiento Integrado, S.A. de C.V. Mr. Zambrano has also served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Pronatura Noreste, an organization dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity in 80% of Mexico. Zambrano graduated from the School of Engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, and attended Harvard for specialized courses in business management and management of small businesses.
 

The Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) is an international organization established by the governments of the United States and Mexico that works to preserve, protect and enhance human health and the environment of the U.S.- Mexico border region, by strengthening cooperation among interested parties and supporting sustainable projects through a transparent binational process in close coordination with the North American Development Bank, federal, state and local agencies, the private sector and civil society

The North American Development Bank, created under the auspices of NAFTA, is a financial institution established and capitalized in equal parts by the United States and Mexico for the purpose of financing environmental infrastructure projects along their common border. As a pioneer institution in its field, the Bank is working to develop integrated, sustainable and fiscally responsible projects with broad community support in a framework of close cooperation and coordination between Mexico and the United States.

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