Hosted by the Texas Water Development Board

The Story of Texas Water January 23-25, 2019
Austin, Texas, AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center


#WaterForTX2019

Conference Agenda

All conference activities will take place at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center. All activities and meals are included in the registration fee. Agenda is subject to change.


View the Program


Breakout Session Tracks

  • Drought and Flood: Ensuring a More Resilient Texas
    Sponsored by
    Morgan Stanley
  • Water Supply: Planning Now for Tomorrow
    Sponsored by
    Morgan Stanley
  • Water Communications: Telling Our Story
    Sponsored by
    Upper Trinity Regional Water District

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Exhibitor Registration and Setup Registration, Meeting Level I
Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Attendee Registration Registration, Meeting Level I
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception and Networking Exhibit Booths Open Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
Hilltop Securities

Thursday, January 24, 2019

7:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Attendee Registration Registration, Meeting Level I
7:15 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Exhibit Booths Open Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
7:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
JP Morgan
8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Opening General Session; Keynote Remarks by Dennis Bonnen, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Zlotnik Family Ballroom
9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
TWDB Interactive Room Open Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 5
Explore and interact with Visual Texas, Virtual Sandbox, and more
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
  • Salty Solutions to Our Water Supply Needs Amphitheater 204, Meeting Level II
    Moderator: Kevin Kluge, Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: Jorge A. Arroyo, P.E., Freese & Nichols Inc.; Michael Irlbeck, EPCOR; Peter MacLaggan, P.E., Poseidon Water LLC; Craig Pedersen, Enviro Water Minerals Company
  • Changing the Narrative Through a Statewide Water Campaign Room 104, Meeting Level I
    Andrew Sansom, Ph.D., The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
  • Flood Mapping and Modeling: Seeing Is Believing (1 hour TFMA CE credit approved) Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 6
    Moderator: Richard Wade, Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: Jerry Cotter, P.E., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Kris Lander, P.E., NOAA National Weather Service - West Gulf River Forecast Center; Michael Ouimet, Texas Division of Emergency Management; Kharley Bagley Smith, Hays County Office of Emergency Services
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Morning Break Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
RBC Capital Markets

Networking in TWDB Interactive Room Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 5
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
  • Companies Investing in a Sustainable Future Amphitheater 204, Meeting Level II
    Moderator: Brooke T. Paup, Texas Water Development Board – Board Member
    Panelists: Roian Atwood, Wrangler; Mark Kuettel, Dow Chemical; Anne Monine, Cargill; Mark Yamauchi, Toyota Motor North America
  • Winning the Rate Race: How Much Should I Charge, and How Do I Figure It Out? Room 104, Meeting Level I
    Moderator: Jessica Zuba, Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: Angie Flores, Raftelis; Jessica Garza, City of Alpine; Aubrey A. Spear, P.E., City of Lubbock; Angie Sanchez Virnoche, FCS Group
  • Deciphering Drought Through Technology and Tools Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 6
    Moderator: Sam Marie Hermitte, Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: Chris Higgins, Brazos River Authority; John Honore, Texas Division of Emergency Management; Victor Murphy, NOAA National Weather Service; Mark Shafer, Ph.D., Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch; Keynote Address by Roy Spence, GSD&M and The Purpose Institute The Texas Promiseland: Water Required Zlotnik Family Ballroom
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
  • Technology and the Water Industry: Has the Future Arrived? Amphitheater 204, Meeting Level II
    Moderator: Peter M. Lake, Texas Water Development Board – Chairman
    Panelists: Juan Landivar-Bowles, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife, Research; Michael Murphy, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center; Walter "Buzz" Pishkur, City of Arlington; Will Tynan, Lotic Labs, Inc.
  • You Talked, We Listened: State Flood Assessment (1 hour TFMA CE credit approved) Room 104, Meeting Level I
    Mindy Conyers, Ph.D., Texas Water Development Board
  • More with Less: Can Texas Grow and Thrive Using Less Water? Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 6
    Moderator: Jennifer Walker, National Wildlife Federation
    Panelists: Karen Guz, San Antonio Water System; Ian MacLeod, Master Meter, Inc.; Jillian North, City of Fort Worth; Keith Sides, U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
General Session; Panel Discussion How Do You Tell the Story of Texas Water? Zlotnik Family Ballroom
Moderator: William McKenzie, George W. Bush Institute
Panelists: Stacy Chesney, Denver Water; Corrie MacLaggan, Texas Tribune; Rich Oppel, Texas Monthly; Asher Price, Austin American-Statesman
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Afternoon Break Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
Piper Jaffrey

Networking in TWDB Interactive Room Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 5
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
General Session; Panel Discussion Water Policy and the 86th Texas Legislative Session (1 hour MCLE credit approved by the State Bar of Texas) Zlotnik Family Ballroom
Moderator: Evan Smith, The Texas Tribune
Panelists: Senator Charles Perry, District 28; Representative Tracy O. King, District 80; Representative Poncho Nevárez, District 74
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Networking Reception Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
AGC of Texas

Friday, January 25, 2019

7:15 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
Save Dallas Water
7:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Exhibit Booths Open Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
7:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Attendee Registration Registration, Meeting Level I
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
General Session; Keynote Address by George Hawkins, Moonshot LLC, XPV Water Partners, Isle Inc. Learning from the Past to Shape the Future Zlotnik Family Ballroom
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TWDB Interactive Room Open Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 5
Explore and interact with Visual Texas, Virtual Sandbox, and more
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
  • Standing Tall in Our Rain Boots: Building a Resilient Texas (1 hour TFMA CE credit approved) Amphitheater 204, Meeting Level II
    Moderator: Kathleen Jackson, Texas Water Development Board – Board Member
    Panelists: Billy Hamilton, The Texas A&M University System; Russ Poppe, P.E., Harris County Flood Control District; Patrick Rios, City of Rockport; Joe Ripple, Brazoria County
  • Are We Getting Mussel Fatigue? Invasive and Endangered Mussels in Texas (1 hour MCLE credit approved by the State Bar of Texas) Room 104, Meeting Level I
    Moderator: Robert Mace, Ph.D., The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
    Panelists: Woody Frossard, Tarrant Regional Water District; Robert Gulley, Ph.D., Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts; John Higley, EQO; Cindy Loeffler, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
  • Outward Bound: Building Relationships with the Public Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 6
    Moderator: George Hawkins, Moonshot LLC, XPV Water Partners, Isle Inc.
    Panelists: Yvonne Forrest, City of Houston; Janet Rummel, North Texas Municipal Water District; Greg Wukasch, San Antonio Water System; Stephanie Zavala, Rogue Water
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Morning Break Zlotnik Family Ballroom Pre-function Area
Sponsored by
Enprotec/Hibbs

Networking in TWDB Interactive Room Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 5
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
  • To Be or Not to Be: Aquifer-wide Management for Groundwater (1 hour MCLE credit approved by the State Bar of Texas) Amphitheater 204, Meeting Level II
    Moderator: John Dupnik, P.G., Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: James M. Griffin, Ph.D., George Bush School, Texas A&M; Marvin "Marty" Jones, Sprouse Shrader Smith; Sarah Rountree Schlessinger, Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts; Brian Sledge, SledgeLaw Group, PLLC
  • The Water Supply and Flood Mitigation Nexus: Can It Work? (1 hour TFMA CE credit approved) Room 104, Meeting Level I
    Moderator: Jeff Walker, Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: John B. Hofmann, LCRA; Gretchen Miller, Ph.D., P.E., Texas A&M University; Stephanie J. Moore, P.G., Daniel B. Stephens & Associates; Michael Reedy, Freese and Nichols, Inc.
  • Rewriting Reuse: It’s Just Water Zlotnik Family Ballroom Salon 6
    Moderator: Tom Entsminger, Texas Water Development Board
    Panelists: Christina Montoya-Halter, El Paso Water; Tommy O'Brien, P.E., City of Abilene; Deborah Vacs Renwick, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Anthony Wilson, City of San Angelo
12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch; Panel Discussion Back to the Future: A History of Texas Water Policy (1.25 hours MCLE credit approved by the State Bar of Texas) Zlotnik Family Ballroom
Moderator: Heather Harward, Heather Harward Consulting
Panelists: Senator Kip Averitt, Averitt and Associates; Senator J. E. "Buster" Brown, The Browns Consulting; Representative Robert Puente, San Antonio Water System; Representative Allan Ritter, Ritter Lumber