(AUSTIN, Texas) — Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush today announced a homegrown project management expert will take over the new Coastal Resiliency and Recovery Program at the General Land Office.

Jorge Ramirez, who turned around a moribund hurricane recovery effort after Ike and Dolly, will now head up the newly minted Resiliency and Recovery Program. This will consolidate the Land Office's Disaster Recovery Program with the Coastal Resources Division, allowing for better coordination of effort and more efficient management of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of projects.

"This move will help realize my vision to consolidate the state's efforts to build more resilient communities before disaster strikes, and to better use the resources we have afterward," Bush said. "Jorge's extraordinary turnaround of the state's $3.1 billion recovery effort from hurricanes Ike and Dolly speaks for itself. He's just the right man for the job."

Ramirez transformed a disjointed recovery — previously overseen by two state agencies — into a unified effort assisting communities across Texas with housing and infrastructure. Ramirez's background uniquely qualifies him to oversee the Land Office's new Resiliency and Recovery Program. He has engineering and law degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from St. Edward's, and has worked in private practice and for the state as an attorney, engineer and project manager.

Ramirez previously worked at Applied Materials in Austin, leading line-design and cycle-time reduction projects for the world's largest semiconductor system manufacturer, and as a design engineer at Delphi Packard Electric Systems in his hometown of El Paso. He is a graduate of both the LBJ School's Transformative Leadership Program and the Governor's Executive Development Program. He participates in Full Ironman competitions and has led the Land Office's BP MS 150 bike team, which has raised more than $600,000 to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.

"Jorge's extraordinary focus will now be turned toward developing a comprehensive plan to build a resilient Texas coast," Bush said. "It's important work -- the Texas coast powers the nation and is an environmental treasure."

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