Economic Club of Dallas Appoints Former SMU Tower Center Chief as Executive Director

“Dallas is a city on the rise—a magnet for capital, talent, and ideas," Luisa del Rosal said. "I look forward to working with the board, our members, and partners to amplify ECD’s role as a premier forum for the conversations that will define our economic future."

The Economic Club of Dallas (ECD) has appointed Luisa del Rosal as its new executive director. A dynamic leader with 20 years of experience that includes public policy, international affairs, nonprofit leadership, higher education, and government, del Rosal brings both strategic vision and operational excellence to a prestigious regional forum for global business leadership, ECD said.

Michael Levy, president of the ECD and CEO of Crow Holdings, called del Rosal “a proven leader with the vision, relationships, and execution capabilities to elevate the Economic Club of Dallas to its next chapter.”

“Her extraordinary record of institution-building, fundraising, and forging high-level partnerships—both locally and internationally—makes her ideally suited to advance our mission of connecting and empowering the global business leaders shaping the future of the Texas Triangle,” Levy added in a statement.

Wide-ranging expertise across higher ed, government, business, and nonprofits

Del Rosal joins ECD from Southern Methodist University’s Tower Center for Public Policy and International Affairs, where she served as the Colin Powell Teaching Fellow, chief of staff, and special advisor. While on the SMU faculty, she served as founding executive director of both the Tower Center and the Mission Foods Texas–Mexico Center, raising over $4 million in philanthropic support and building nationally recognized research and programming institutions.

She also served as a chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and founded a successful franchise business serving major Texas clients.

With extensive involvement in the Dallas–Fort Worth civic, philanthropic, and business communities, del Rosal is a Texas Governor’s appointee to the Texas Medical Board, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Fellow of the British American Project, and the current board chair for Communities in Schools, Dallas Region. She has been recognized as a Dallas Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree, among other leadership distinctions.

“Dallas is increasingly at the center of global economic discourse, and Luisa’s relationships, her track record with major institutions, and her genuine passion for this region make her the perfect person to help ECD lead that conversation,” said Lucy Billingsley, vice president of the Economic Club of Dallas and co-founder of Billingsley Company.

‘A city on the rise’

In her new role, del Rosal will guide ECD’s strategic direction, membership growth, programming, and external relations, and concentrate on boosting the organization as a “premier convening platform for CEOs, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and global leaders,” ECD said.

“I’m honored to join an organization that can serve as a convening space where CEOs, business leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and others can engage meaningfully across industries and perspectives,” said del Rosal. “Dallas is a city on the rise—a magnet for capital, talent, and ideas. I look forward to working with the oabrd, our members, and partners to amplify ECD’s role as a premier forum for the conversations that will define our economic future.”

Del Rosal has begun a transition period before assuming the full-time position in September.


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