Nandita Berry - appointed Secretary of State of Texas

December 19, 2013 - Locke Lord LLP is proud to announce that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has appointed attorney Nandita Berry as the 109th Texas Secretary of State, effective Jan. 7, 2014

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Vice Chair, UH System Board of Regents
Senior Counsel
Locke Lord, LLP

Nandita Venkateswaran Berry was appointed to the University of Houston System Board of Regents in 2009 by Governor Rick Perry and will serve through August 31, 2015.  For fiscal year 2013-2014, she will serve as vice chair of the Board of Regents, chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee, vice chair of the Academic and Student Success Committee, and a member of the Executive and Compensation Committee.

Berry is senior counsel with Locke Lord LLP, a full-service, national law firm with a vast geographic scope, and a national reputation in complex litigation, regulatory and transactional matters.  She has practiced corporate and securities law as in-house counsel for El Paso Corporation, which owns North America's largest interstate natural gas pipeline system, and is one of North America's largest independent natural gas producers.

Born in Hyderabad, India, Berry has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mt. Carmel College, Bangalore, India.  She graduated from the University of Houston with a B.A. in 1991, and from the University of Houston Law Center with a Juris Doctorate in 1995. 

December 19, 2013 - Locke Lord LLP is proud to announce that Texas Gov. Rick Perry has appointed attorney Nandita Berry as the 109th Texas Secretary of State, effective Jan. 7, 2014. The first Indian-American to fill the post, Berry will serve as the state's chief elections officer, the governor's liaison on border and Mexican affairs, and Texas' chief protocol officer for state and international matters. The Secretary of State's Office also serves as the formal repository for official and business records, publishes government rules and regulations, keeps the state seal and attests to the governor's signature on official documents

“Nandita Berry personifies what is possible through hard work and dedication in the State of Texas,” Gov. Perry said. “Arriving from India at the age of 21 with nothing but $200 to her name, she worked diligently to earn her law degree and has since become one of the most accomplished attorneys in the state. Her work ethic, intelligence and wide array of experiences will serve her capably in her new duties as Secretary of State, and I look forward to working with her to keep Texas the best place in the country to live, work and raise a family.”