Dennis and Kim Bonnen Foundation
Dennis and Kim Bonnen Foundation
The Honorable Dennis Bonnen was sworn in as Texas House Speaker in January 2019. Elected by his colleagues, Speaker Bonnen set an early tone for unity in the House Chamber by empowering members to work together to achieve meaningful results that address the state’s most pressing issues. Speaker Bonnen believes in casting aside politics in favor of finding real solutions.
Speaker Bonnen served in the Texas House of Representatives for 24 years, representing the 25th House District that encompasses southern Brazoria County and the entirety of Matagorda County. First elected to the Legislature at the age of 24, Bonnen joined the House in 1997 and completed his twelfth term of office in January 2021.
Prior to becoming Speaker, Dennis served for three legislative sessions as Speaker Pro Tem, cultivating countless relationships based on trust and bipartisanship. In the 84th and 85th sessions, he served as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and, in the 85th session, as a member of the House Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee. He previously served as Chairman of the Environmental Regulation Committee, Sunset Advisory Committee and House Special Purpose Districts Committee, as Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on Oversight of Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency, and as a member of the Natural Resources Committee.
Known for having “the most strategic mind under the Pink Dome,” he continues to serve as a professional consultant to large-scale companies and prominent associations, while remaining a friend and mentor to leaders in executive, legislative, and regulatory branches of Texas government.
Prior to his life in public service, Dennis graduated from Angleton High School in 1990, and received a B.A. in Political Science in 1994 from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Bonnen worked in the Washington, D.C. office of Congressman Greg Laughlin, worked for the Can Manufacturers Institute, became the general manager of a computer business called MDS, and traveled the nation in 1995 working on the Bob Dole presidential campaign.
As someone who fought for allowing schools greater flexibility in establishing their curriculum, budget, and teaching methods, Bonnen knows the importance of education. Having faced and conquered the challenges associated with his dyslexia, Bonnen has served as a champion and mentor for students in his home community and across Texas, helping them see that no goal is unattainable.
In recognition of Speaker Bonnen’s tireless work for greater affordability and accessibility to higher education, Brazosport College unveiled the “Bonnen Central Building” in 2021 in honor of his contributions to the college, surrounding Brazoria County communities, and industry partners. Building upon his efforts to address the ever-rising cost of education, The Dennis Bonnen Scholarship is eager to provide financial relief to one applicant who is seeking higher education.
Dennis and his wife, Kim, make their home in Longview, Texas, with their sons, Jackson Bonnen and Gregory Bonnen.
Dennis Bonnen co-founded a public policy consulting
firm called Second Floor Strategies in
2023. After extensive experience and success in the Texas House, Dennis is
excited to offer creative solutions to the challenges his clients face.
Born Kim Martin, Kim grew up in Longview, Texas, and graduated high school from Trinity School of Texas in 1994. Kim earned a B.S. in Child Development and Family Relationships from The University of Texas at Austin in 1998. It was in Austin that she first became involved in politics as a legislative aide in 1999, and, where she first met her husband, Dennis Bonnen, then a 2nd term House member.
Following the l999 legislative session, Kim went on to law school, graduating from The University of Houston Law Center, cum laude, in 2002. She began her law practice with Locke Liddell & Sapp that same year, joining the Public Law section as an associate and later joined the Public Finance section of Vinson and Elkins in 2006 as Of Counsel. Kim returned to Locke Lord in the spring of 2012 and maintained her practice there until retiring in the spring of 2018. Kim currently serves on the Board of Directors of R&K Distributors where Kim and her siblings are the 4th generation of her family in the beer business.
During her husband’s tenure as Speaker of the Texas House, Kim sought to unite legislative families through philanthropy. Her efforts to engage the spouses and children of legislators through hands-on service projects also raised awareness of proper nutrition in childhood through a partnership with Brighter Bites, a non-profit organization distributing produce and disseminating nutrition education to families living in food deserts. Kim also worked with B.I.G. Love Cancer Care Services and Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin to provide support services for families undergoing treatment.
In addition to her legal career and time in public service, Kim has volunteered on countless political campaigns, served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Brazoria County, the Board of Trustees of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic School in Richwood, Texas, B.I.G. Love Cancer Care Services, and as Recording Secretary of the Legislative Ladies Club, a social club for spouses of current and former members of the Texas House. Kim has been recognized with Emeritus status by the Brazosport College Foundation Board on which she served for many years and is a member of the Captain William Young Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is honored to currently be serving her alma mater, the University of Texas, as a member of the advisory council convened by President Jay Hartzell to create a sustainable future for the Texas Memorial Museum, a natural science museum located on the Austin campus.
Kim and Dennis have two boys, Jackson, a senior, and Gregory, a sophomore. Both boys are attending her alma mater, Trinity School of Texas, in Longview.
