By M.G. Angulo | Photos by Alisa Murray Photography –
J.J. Clemence said her combination of “outstanding private sector accomplishments,” as well as the public sector exposure giving her the tools and insights needed to provide the leadership to excel, is what makes her the choice for the Republican nomination for Fort Bend County Tax Assessor in the March primary.
Just give Clemence the chance, and she will prove it. “An ideal tax assessor should obviously have the appropriate education and formal credentials,” said Clemence, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a masters in MBA from Baker University. “But the assessor should go further and have world-class private sector financial services experience, as well as exposure to the public sector and a passion for public service.”
Clemence definitely has the experience. She is a certified auditor with more than 15 years under her belt and was a lead auditor, business development manager and fundamental advisor at Fortune 500 companies like Baker Hughes, Spectra Energy and Enbridge where she and her team provided advisories to the C-level leadership.
To her credit she has led a cost recovery audit which helped a company save $350,000, managed an accounts receivables process review and evaluation audit, shortening the company’s receivable process from the 60 days range to 30 days and worked with a functional team to design an accounts payable auto approval process, resulting in decreasing the approval time from around 10 to 15 days to one to five days.
“Apart from my leading private sector experience, I also have a track record of being involved in community work and public service,” Clemence said. A community outreach director for Congressman Pete Olson, Clemence was appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott as vice chair of the Texas Real Estate Research and Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Fort Bend ISD Bond Committee and Innovation Committee, a former Fort Bend County Republican Treasurer and Vice President of the Texas Asian Republican Club. Currently, she is the Fort Bend County Republican Finance Committee Chair and Republican Precinct 4044 Chair.
Clemence also has a long history of philanthropic efforts. Organizations like United Way, Junior Achievement, Collaborative for Children, Catch the Spirit of Career, Recovery Resources and House of Tiny Treasures are all agencies that have benefited from Clemence’s volunteering. Additionally, she has held several positions with organizations including: serving as secretary of the Chinese American Women United Association, board member of the Fort Bend Chinese American Association and Regional Director of the New Asian Leader Organization. Clemence was also elected as the Vice President of Houston Chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association in 2018 and is the public relations director for the Fort Bend County Global Initiative.
“I have both the experience and proven record for the job,” Clemence said, adding that her goal is to make sure the majority of tax payers’ money is put towards the needs of the county and is not “squandered in the tax collection process itself. As tax assessor, I will ensure that tax rates are calculated fairly, ensure a transparent process and work hard to improve the collection process, making sure taxpayers keep more of the money they earn.”
Clemence said her predecessors’ work as tax assessor is commendable, and she “plans to build upon their work by reviewing processes with the goal of identifying areas for improvement and efficiency. The tax assessor is a critical managerial role, and I intend to apply my private sector experience to bring in processes and technologies to streamline, modernize and improve service while cutting cost and overhead.”
And with modern technologies and processes comes the concern of modern security. “My private sector experience has also convinced me of the critical importance of cybersecurity and assuring the privacy and integrity of our taxpayer data,” Clemence stressed. “By its very nature, this department has access to, and the responsibility of, some of the most critical personal data of the residents in Fort Bend County. I intend to ensure that we are up-to-date on our privacy and security audits and adopt the most modern approaches to staying ahead of potential cybercrime.”
Clemence said she also wants to ensure that the tax assessor “is viewed as readily available and responsive to the concerns of taxpayers. Unlike most elected positions, the assessor is one of the government representatives who taxpayers are forced to interact with year after year irrespective of their level of interest and engagement in politics. I intend to ensure that this interaction is as positive as possible in every way.”
J.J. Clemence, Republican candidate for Fort Bend Tax Assessor, said she is honored to have the support of great leaders and citizens in Fort Bend community, including:
For Clemence, serving her community and country “is part of her American Dream.” When she immigrated to the United States two decades ago, she arrived “with little money but boundless ambition and courage,” and quickly learned that a good life could be earned through hard work, perseverance and being responsible.
“As an immigrant, I am a citizen by choice, and not a citizen by birth,” said Clemence. “As a woman and minority, other nations would have scarcely provided me opportunities to excel. Yet, the United States gave me the facility to legally immigrate, to leverage my hard work in lieu of personal wealth and to reach the level of success that I aspired to. Having achieved my highest goals, it is now time for me to give back to my community and ensure that future immigrants and future generations have access to the same dreams that I did.”
Although Clemence arrived without much to her name, she said she “had great trust and confidence in America.” Twenty years later, she has degrees, professional success and “a lovely daughter who is now 13-years-old with a promising future before her.”
“I’ve built a life for myself and family in Fort Bend County, made possible by the tremendous economic growth and opportunity that this county has seen under decades of Republican leadership,” Clemence said. “In a way, I am proof of the American Dream. America has kept her promise to me, and now, it is my turn to keep my promise to her and give back through public service.
“The American Dream can continue to be true only if everyone helps to keep it,” Clemence added. “Our future generations are counting on us to be responsible stewards of our wealth, and I will make sure that saving your money is my highest goal.”
For more information about J.J. Clemence, visit www.jjclemence.com.