Former NFL player and Texas House Representative Scott Turner (pictured above with host Gary Lewis, left, and LNR President Dirk Dahlke) gave a riveting presentation at last week's club meeting about an initiative launched under President Donald Trump to revitalize the nation's most distressed communities by creating Opportunity Zones for public-private investment. Using personal anecdotes about the challenges he faced in childhood and lessons learned on and off the football field, Turner deftly illustrated the power of vision, discipline, and perseverance to achieve monumental goals.

 

After retiring from the NFL, Turner served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives, and in 2019, was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as the first Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC). In this role, Turner organized and led 15 federal agencies and three regional entities while overseeing the implementation of more than 200 federal policy actions to carry out the Opportunity Zone Policy of Economic Development and Social Impact. He also convened with community, faith, education and business leaders, as well as federal, state and local elected and career officials, in more than 70 cities across the U.S. to develop locally driven revitalization strategies for long-term social and economic sustainability. Under his leadership, private entities invested more than $75 billion in Opportunity Zones nationwide.

 

Today, Turner continues the work he began through this initiative, facilitating public-private partnerships as the CEO of Scott Turner Consulting Group. Turner also recently became an Associate Pastor at the Plano campus of Prestonwood Baptist Church, where he and his wife are long-time members.