Tina Cannon reflects on what the Texas Capitol means to her.
By Tina Cannon, Photo by Casey Chapman-Ross Photography
Tina Cannon and Christi Grider
Her: Tina Cannon
Her occupation: Executive director of the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce
How long she’s called Austin home: 27 years
Her favorite Austin landmark: Texas Capitol
Why it’s meaningful to her: Sept. 23, 2017, we became the first LGBT couple married in the Texas Capitol with Austin Mayor Steve Adler as the officiant. We chose the capitol building because it is a perfect intersection of what I do for a living as the executive director of Texas’ oldest and largest LGBT chamber of commerce. The juxtaposition of a GOP- led state house coupled with the liberal mayor of Austin as the officiant of a gay wedding just seemed too perfect to pass up!
Advocacy is so important to me personally and professionally. Educating elected officials and the community at large about issues that impact the
lives of fellow Texans is so very important to me. I spend my waking hours working to achieve equality and inclusion by promoting economic prosperity in our communities, specifically around strengthening LGBT and allied businesses.
Tina Cannon is the executive director of the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Previously, she served as the vice president of government relations with the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Cannon also served as a senior policy analyst for the City of Austin. Prior to her work in politics, Cannon was a seasoned entrepreneur, having spent many years in the Austin startup space. Cannon served as an entrepreneur-in-residence for Texas State University and was a guest blogger for cbsnews.com. She has been a featured presenter at various technology events. Cannon graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.