On October 15, the Texas Municipal League (TML) and its 1,160 member cities announced that Coppell Mayor Karen Hunt has been elected president of the organization. Hunt has worked in the commercial banking industry for more than 40 years and she currently serves as market president for San Antonio-based Frost Bank in Coppell. Her experiences in the banking industry put Hunt in a position to forge partnerships with businesses and individuals, but she was also given the opportunity to nurture her volunteer spirit. She will serve as TML president for one year. Hunt is the first official from the city of Coppell to be elected TML president. She previously held the positions of president-elect and director for TML’s region 13 (North Central Texas–Dallas), a nine-county region with 133 cities.
Since moving to Coppell in the late 1990s, Hunt has served in leadership roles for numerous organizations, including the Coppell Chamber of Commerce, Coppell Rotary and Assistance League of Coppell, among others. She serves on the board of directors of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce and as vice chair of the executive board of the North Texas Commission. In addition to her service in other civic organizations, Hunt was elected to the Coppell City Council in 2008. In 2012, she was elected mayor and is currently serving in her third, three-year term.
“The Texas Municipal Leagues allows us the opportunity to come together as municipal leaders to discuss and share solutions and strategies,” Hunt says. “It will be our combined voice that gives us more power to move the needle forward for all Texans. I am so honored to be the incoming president for TML. I look forward to all of the great things members will be able to accomplish together through partnerships with agencies across the state and with our representatives in Austin.”
TML is a voluntary association that was established in 1913. Today, more than 16,000 mayors, council members, city managers, city attorneys and department heads are member officials of TML by virtue of their cities’ participation. Guided by its purpose statement—“Empowering Texas cities to serve their cities”—the league provides legislative, legal and training services to city governments. The TML board of directors elected Hunt president during the organization’s virtual 2020 TML Annual Conference and Exhibition. Houston Vice Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum was elected president-elect. The conference attracted more than 1,000 city officials who gathered to explore best practices and solutions for response and recovery during the pandemic.
