Newquist announced that he will join the faculty of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service and the Center for International Business Studies at Texas A&M University, College Station, as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer. Additionally, he will join the Washington firm of Marvin Leath and Associates as Partner. The firm is headed by former Texas Congressman Marvin Leath.

In addition, Newquist announced that he will continue to serve as the President-United States for the North American Institute, a private, not-for-profit organization with a secretariat in Santa Fe, New Mexico. NAMI explores the emerging North American regional relationship between the United States, Canada, and Mexico through forums, seminars, and publications with trinational participants from academia and education, business and non-profit institutions, government, labor and the media.

Newquist, a Democrat of Texas, was nominated by President Reagan in January 1988 to fill a vacancy on the Commission, and in July 1988 he was nominated to the nine-year term expiring December 16, 1997. The U.S. Senate confirmed both nominations, and Newquist was sworn in as a member of the Commission on October 18, 1988. He served a two-and-one-half year term as Chairman of the Commission. He was first designated Chairman by President Bush on December 13, 1991, and was redesignated as Chairman on June 16, 1992, for the term ending June 16, 1994.

Prior to his appointment, Newquist served as a Senior Vice President of Valero Energy Corporation in San Antonio, Texas. He joined Valero in 1974 as an Assistant Vice President. In 1980 he was elected a vice president of the company and an officer and director of major subsidiary companies. Newquist served as general manager of the Chamber of Commerce in Denver, Colorado, from 1972 to 1974. From 1969 to 1972 he served as assistant general manager for the Chamber of Commerce in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is a past president of the South Texas Chamber of Commerce.

Newquist is a 1966 graduate of McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration. He attended graduate school at Texas Tech University. He served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1967 to 1969, including an in-country tour of duty in Vietnam on the staff of the Commander, Seventh Fleet.