Susan Combs-TEXAS TENACITY: A Call For Women To Direct Their Destiny
Susan Combs, perhaps best known for serving as Texas state comptroller from 2007 to 2015, has been called energetic, determined, and innovative. She draws on all these attributes in her new book TEXAS TENACITY: A Call For Women To Direct Their Destiny to encourage, motivate, and show women everywhere they should never give up. Women need to create and pursue their own goals and reality – whether at home or the C-Suite, at the seat of political power or in a socio-economically challenged community.
Part memoir, part manifesto for inspiring others, Combs shares the details of her life – the good, the bad, and the ugly – from family history and her upbringing to her escape from an abusive marriage, from her first jobs to political powerhouse, from rancher to author of TEXAS TENACITY to founder of Herdacity, an organization where the tagline is “Where Women Dare.”
“Let’s make up our collective minds that we aren’t going to sit here and be silent anymore,” Combs says. “We are going to grab our share of the spotlight, because we deserve it and because we are here and present and ready to be counted.”
“I have dared in life, taken risks, fought and conquered nearly debilitating fear, seized opportunities, and held optimism close,” she says. “I was powered by a passion to make a change or to achieve a certain goal. This includes a focus on protecting children, changing our government to make life better in Texas, and now to help one specific group – women.”
Throughout TEXAS TENACITY Combs shares step-by-step how she has succeeded in making the changes that needed to be made – whether it was dealing with power being supplied to ranchers, creating a website about transparency in the comptroller’s office, or fighting for the rights of children. And when there were obstacles, and there were many, how perseverance, risk taking, and focus always won.
Some prized Susan Combs’ TEXAS TENACITY-isms include:
· Opportunity holds out a hand and we all have to reach for it. Sometimes our grasp falls short and we have to get back up and reach again.
· Just ask for the raise. Be brave and learn to advocate for yourself.· You have to take control of your life. You have to face your fear and save yourself.
· An interview is two-sided: Do they want you and do you want them?
· You choose how and when your next adventure occurs.
· If the straightforward path won’t work, get creative and go around it. If it’s important, don’t quit.
· You can literally survive just about anything. Perseverance really does pay.· Don’t give up. Be fair, but be persistent – and know when to change course.
· When you succeed, you are a winner. In some cases, you are a hero.
· Each of us possesses some secret skill, some strength, some trait that we may not even recognize, that can help us achieve our dreams and focus on our aspirations.
· Every day, every age is the right day and the right age to direct our destiny.
Through lessons of overcoming adversity with wit, courage, and determination, TEXAS TENACITY will inspire all women to seize the initiative to define and achieve their goals.
Susan Combs has pretty much been, been through, or done it all. She reassures us that ups and downs are normal in life because she’s lived through her share. She’s experienced domestic abuse, fought for children’s rights, pounded tough pavements running for office, and won and lost battles in the bruising world of politics. She has taken her life experiences and from them, willed who she wanted to be.
Feisty, intelligent, and honest, Texas Tenacity encourages women and girls to seize opportunities wherever they find them and to hold on to their identities with everything they’ve got. Everyone—women and men alike—will find something to relate to and laugh out loud about in these rich stories of an uncommon life and the lessons learned on the way.
Susan Combs is a common sense, no-nonsense public servant who changed the face of government while assuring that free enterprise thrives. As a business leader, Combs has managed her cattle ranching operation for more than 30 years on land in the Big Bend area of Texas that has been in her family since 1882.
While some may talk loudly, Combs actually gets things done. This problem is common to any level of government, as well as to the business community. Combs chooses to lead using her intellect and determination to solve problems and to forge the way forward.
Combs has been featured in TIME magazine, Fox News, Bloomberg, Bond Buyer, the Wall Street Journal Online, the Washington Post and other state and national media outlets. Additionally, she has contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, USA Today, TownHall, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman and Investors Business Daily.
As a speaker Susan Combs talks about the challenges of being a woman in a leadership role, but that’s not her only specialty. For her work in helping combat childhood obesity, she was featured in the HBO multi-part series, The Weight of the Nation, as well as numerous newspapers and TV programs. Combs also talks on best practices and knows how to bring out peak performance in both business and government. After all, this is a person who issued over 50 policy reports on government efficiency, natural resources, state spending and debt, the effects of obesity costs for business, public and higher education, water and other pertinent topics. She also draws upon her experiences as a business owner, drawing parallels between her audiences’ challenges and those she’s faced as a Texas rancher.
Combs is direct, and wins high marks for her ability to get to the heart of the matter at hand. A former state representative and Texas’ first female Agriculture Commissioner, she is also known for her work as former Texas State Comptroller where she streamlined tax processes, which shortened refund time by 78% and decreased response time to taxpayer inquiries by two-thirds.
Combs also recaptured nearly $600 million in unremitted-but owed sales tax and transformed internal processes – thereby saving over $12 million, and cutting nearly $400 million in government purchasing through strategic sourcing and streamlined purchasing during her total time in office. She was Texas’ chief tax administrator and served as the purchasing officer for 221 state agencies and over 1,700 local entities.
Launching HERdacity, a nonprofit online community where modern women can build bonds and share experiences
Launched TXSmartSchools that evaluates academic, financial, and demographic data to identify public school districts and campuses that produce high academic achievement while also maintaining cost-effective operations
Advisory Board Member for Museum of the Big Bend
Board Member for Its Time Texas
Currently working with Lone Star Success, an online effort dedicated to showcasing the strengths of the state of Texas, especially economically
Currently a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Entering her 35th year of managing a ranching operation
As Comptroller, returned $1.3 billion in unclaimed property to its rightful owners in 8 years—more than the prior 44 years total
Managed $50 billion in state funds as Comptroller
Introduced new technologies to achieve 65% increase in electronic payments by the state’s Treasury
Developed innovative strategies to solve regulatory problems relating to the federal Endangered Species Act, in the national defense arena and oil/gas sectors
Launched $5 million science fund through state universities to gather data on species subject to federal Endangered Species Act listing. Created job-related fund to provide equipment to high-growth tech jobs for increased earning potential—the total to date is $26.7 million with increased salary projections of $760 million—the only fund like this in the U.S.
Developed national model for evaluating public schools across the state
Former Presiding Officer, Interagency Task Force on Economic Growth and Endangered Species
Fellow for University of Texas Center for Identity
Honorary Vice President, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association
Board Member, Texas Wildlife Association
Principal, The Maravillas Group
J.D., University of Texas, School of Law
B.A., Vassar College
Her website is www.SusanCombs.com
To order the book click HERE