Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Edward Crawford and reappointed Kimberly Gramm and Manny Salazar to the Product Development and Small Business Incubator (PDSBI) Board for terms set to expire on February 1, 2027. The PDSBI fund is a revolving loan program administered by the Texas Economic Development Bank within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Finance Division at the direction of the PDSBI Board. The purpose of the fund is to aid in the development, production, and commercialization of new or improved products and to foster and stimulate small business in the state.
Crawford of Dallas is President, Owner, and Founder of Fort Worth-based Coltala Holdings. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization – Dallas, Det Bozeman, and the Teneo Network and a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is a trustee of the Tulane Business School Council and co-founder and coordinator for the War Veterans Fund – PAC. Additionally, he is a former member of the New World Symphony Board of Trustees and served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic where he founded a coffee company. As a US Naval Intelligence Officer, he served with Special Operations Command South in Latin America and later served as Tribal and Political Adviser to a Special Operations Task Force during Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan earning the Bronze Star. Crawford received a dual Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications from Texas Christian University, Master of Business Administration, Master of Global Management, and a Master of Arts Latin American Studies from Tulane University, and a Master of Business Administration from MIT Sloan School of Business.
Gramm of Lubbock is the Associate Vice President of Innovation at Texas Tech University (TTU), developing an innovation ecosystem in support of innovators and entrepreneurs. She is on the Commission on Economic and Community Engagement Executive Committee of the Association of Public Land Grant Universities, a member of the Association of University Research Parks and Office of Outreach & Engagement Advisory Board, and a board member of the TTU Global Laboratory for Energy Asset Management and Manufacturing Board. Additionally, she is a member of the Innovate Texas Tech Mentor Program and a reviewer at VentureWell, a national organization supporting science and technology innovators. Gramm received a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tampa, and is currently pursing a Ph.D. at TTU.
Salazar of Kingsville is President/CEO of the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Kingsville Economic Development Council. He is a member of the Kleberg County Communities in Schools Board of Directors, Kingsville ISD Career and Technical Education Advisory Board, and the Workforce Services of the Coastal Bend Board. Additionally, he is co-founder of Jr. Leadership Kleberg County. Salazar received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Texas A&M-Kingsville.