GEORGE KELEMEN

George Kelemen joined TRA as President and CEO in November of 2015. He returned to Texas after 11 years in Washington, DC, working in senior leadership positions for several of the largest and most influential associations in America. Most recently, George served as the Senior VP of Government and Political Affairs at Airports Council International — North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial airports in the U.S. and Canada. He served as ACI-NA’s chief lobbyist and led the development strategies to influence congressional and legislative actions affecting airports and the aviation industry, particularly ACI-NA’s work with Congress’ leadership.

Prior to joining ACI-NA, George served as the Senior Director for External Affairs at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the Cancer Society’s lobbying arm in Washington, DC. George cultivated, developed and maintained corporate relationships, as well as coordinated outreach to members of Congress, specifically Congressional Republicans. He also spent 10 years at AARP in various government relations and advocacy leadership capacities at federal and state level.

 Originally from Houston, George began his career working in Texas, in various political and government affairs roles, as well as in state 

government, in the gubernatorial administration of George W. Bush.  He has a comprehensive understanding of the legislative and regulatory processes and landscapes at both the federal and state levels, as well as a network of bipartisan contacts and relationships in Austin, Washington, and across the US.

 George has a proven ability to effectively communicate with internal and external audiences alike, as well as with decision and policy makers, in addition to native fluency in Spanish. George earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Houston. He lives in Austin with his wife and two children.

JUSTIN WILLIAMSON

Justin currently serves as the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Texas Retailers Association (TRA), a position he has held since April 2017. Prior to joining the TRA, Justin served as the Director of Communications and Spokesperson for the Texas State Rifle Association, the state’s largest and oldest 2nd Amendment organization. 

Before working for non-profit associations, Justin served as an Account Executive for an award-winning digital firm and as the Digital Strategist for the highly successful Proposition 1 (2014) and Proposition 7 (2015) ballot propositions. He attended Southwestern University, where he majored in Political Science.

ANGELA SHIPP

Angela currently serves as the Membership and Marketing Coordinator for the Texas Retailers Association (TRA).

In 2016, Angela participated in the Disney College Program as a marketing intern at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fl. In the summer of 2017, she accepted a marketing internship with the Texas Retailers Association and made the decision to continue her career with TRA upon graduation.

She has a Bachelors Degree in Marketing and a minor in Sports Management from Texas A&M University.