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Ag commissioner to speak at SFA commencement
Shirley Luna - May 4, 2007
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples will be the speaker for commencement exercises at Stephen F. Austin State University at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, at William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Staples was born in Anderson County and grew up working with his father on their cow-calf operation in East Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University with honors in 1984 with a degree in agricultural economics. He has operated a successful real estate and appraisal business, teamed up with his family in a plant and landscape business, partnered with his father to expand their cow-calf operations and joined with a friend to start a registered Brangus operation. Staples also served on the Palestine city council.
After three terms as state representative, Staples was elected to the Texas Senate in 2000. While in the Senate, Staples served on the Senate Natural Resources Committee and was chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.
More than 1,100 degrees will be awarded by the university during the ceremony, including 875 bachelor’s degrees, 251 master’s degrees and nine doctorate degrees in education.