Metro chair nominated to be envoy
President Joe Biden on Friday nominated Houston lawyer and Metro chairwoman Carrin Patman as the nation’s next ambassador to Iceland, according to a White House statement.
“I am presuming nothing. It is up to the Senate,” Patman said, referring questions to the State Department.
In the meantime, Patman, 65, said she has picked up some basic Icelandic.
“Just a little,” she said.
In the statement, Patman said she hoped to “strengthen our cooperation and understanding between the governments of the United States and Iceland.”
Iceland, with a population slightly smaller than Arlington, could seem both familiar and unfamiliar to the native Texan. It is the world’s largest electricity producer, per capita, but is a global leader in renewable and geothermal energy. Its record high temperature of 86 degrees is 5 degrees below Houston’s average high in August.
All ambassadorial nominations require Senate confirmation, which for Patman would begin in the Foreign Relations Committee. No timetable has been announced for her confirmation.
Some Biden administration nominees from mid-2021 still are awaiting any movement on their appointments, including Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, who was renominated last month to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement after his nomination last year lapsed.
Patman has been active in Texas politics since childhood, the daughter and granddaughter of Democratic politicians. In its statement, White House officials noted her “distinguished record of civic engagement” as a founder of The Center for Women in Law and a member of various Houston charitable groups.
Prior to retiring, Patman was a partner at Bracewell LLP, working from the law firm’s Houston office. She has been chairwoman of Metropolitan Transit Authority’s board since 2016.
During her time, the agency completed the last segment of its light rail expansion, opened its first bus rapid transit route along Post Oak and won voter approval for a $7.5 billion long-range plan that will expand bus and rail service in the Houston area. The $3.5 billion bond package approved by voters won support from business community leaders and transit advocates.
“I do think being chair of Metro has prepared me for a diplomatic role,” Patman joked.
If confirmed, Patman would replace Californian Jeffrey Gunter, who served during the last two years of the Trump administration.
As with many political appointees to ambassador posts, Patman is a prolific political campaign donor, steering hundreds of thousands of dollars to elected officials over the past five years. According to Federal Election Commission databases of campaign donations, Patman has donated to dozens of congressional and Senate races since 2016, in Texas and nationally, including more than $200,000 to the Biden campaign or related political action committees.