Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – Texas House Speaker Joe Straus appointed Will Montgomery of Dallas to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Oversight Committee.
The Oversight Committee serves as the governing body of CPRIT, which awards grants to expedite innovation in cancer research, to help bring lifesaving cancer products to Texans and to expand cancer prevention capabilities across the state.
Earlier this year, the Texas Legislature approved major reform legislation that will make CPRIT more transparent, help prevent conflicts of interest and ensure that grants are awarded based on scientific merit.
“Will Montgomery is widely respected for his many accomplishments in the private sector,” Speaker Straus said. “He also brings a deep personal understanding of the importance of CPRIT’s mission. He will provide critical leadership and help restore public confidence in the agency.”
Montgomery is a partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker LLP, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation and arbitration.
“Cancer is a scourge that has touched families throughout Texas, including my own,” Montgomery said. “My father was a cancer researcher, ironically contracting cancer late in his life. My brother recently died of cancer. I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the state and to help accomplish CPRIT’s mission to educate, prevent and discover causes and possible cures for cancer.”
Montgomery’s term will expire in January 2017.
Speaker Straus appoints three of the nine members of the CPRIT Oversight Committee. Last month, he re-appointed Pete Geren of Fort Worth and appointed Dr. Cynthia Mulrow of San Antonio.
