Schedule of Events
March 13, 2026
8:30 – 9:00 AM
Arrival & Registration
- Coffee & light breakfast
- Networking among public safety leaders, engineers, faculty, and invited guests
9:00 – 9:10 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Dr. Charlie McCormick – President, Schreiner University
Dr. William Rector, MD – President, Upper Guadalupe River Authority Board
Focus:
- Institutional commitment to public service
- Why Schreiner is uniquely positioned to host TIHRR
- The importance of risk reduction-focused leadership in Texas
- Vision for long-term statewide impact
9:10 – 9:30 AM
State of Texas Update
Senator Pete Flores – Texas State Senate, District 24
9:30 – 9:50 AM
The Institute Vision & Three-Year Strategic Plan
Dr. Jason Boswell – Project Lead, Texas Institute for Hazard Risk & Readiness
Focus:
- Why TIHRR is needed now
- Overview of the 3-Year Development Plan:
- Year 1: Establishment, partnerships, pilot training, CTP alignment
- Year 2: Dashboard deployment, statewide cohort development, FEMA engagement
- Year 3: Institutionalization, expanded training cycles, research publication, and grant expansion
- Integration of risk reduction, intelligence, and readiness frameworks
- The role of public safety and investigative methodologies in hazard mitigation
9:50 – 10:20 AM
Technical Infrastructure & Engineering Partnership
John Dorman, Vice President – Strategic Planning Emergency & Risk Management, AECOM
Focus:
- Engineering support for flood modeling and mitigation planning
- Real-time dashboard development & data architecture
- Alignment with FEMA CTP and state flood planning
- How public-private collaboration strengthens statewide resilience
- Long-term infrastructure and technical sustainability
10:20 – 10:30 AM
BREAK
10:30 – 10:40 AM
Academic & Research Collaboration
Dr. Larry Schooler – University of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communications
Focus:
- Research integration opportunities
- Hydrology and modeling collaboration
- Positioning TIHRR as a research-to-practice bridge
10:40 – 10:50 AM
Academic & Research Collaboration
Dr. David Maidment, Director of the Center for Research in Water Resources, University of Texas Austin
Focus:
- Graduate student engagement & research pipelines
- Statewide academic consortium model
- Positioning TIHRR as a research-to-practice bridge
10:50 – 11:10 AM
Panel Discussion: “Risk Reduction as Prevention”
Moderated by: Dr. Boswell
Panelists:
- Dr. Liv Haselbach – Lamar University Civil Engineering
- John Dorman – AECOM
- Tara Bushnoe – General Manager, UGRA
- Robert Boyd, P.E. – Comal County Engineer
Discussion Points:
- Why risk reduction is a long-term economic strategy
- The importance of data-informed decision making
- Bridging academia, engineering, and field operations
- Supporting rural counties and under-resourced jurisdictions
11:10 – 11:20 AM
Law Enforcement & Public Safety Perspective
Focus:
- Operational realities of flood events
- Need for better early warning integration
- Interagency coordination
11:20 – 11:40 AM
The Road Ahead: Next Steps & Cohort Formation
Dr. Jason Boswell
- Formation of the TIHRR Advisory Cohort
- Upcoming grant submissions (FEMA, TWDB)
- Pilot training timeline
- Working group invitations
- Timeline toward FEMA CTP application
- Discussion Tables following closing remarks
11:40 – 12:00 AM
Closing Remarks
- Reaffirm commitment
- Call to collaborative action
12:00 – 12:30 PM
Networking & Strategic Discussion Tables
Discussion tables:
- Engineering & Flood Intelligence Integration
- Law Enforcement & Public Safety Coordination
- Academic Collaboration & Student Pipeline
- County Implementation and Risk Reduction Efforts