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Session Three Bryan/College Station, Texas

August 25-27, 2019

Enlighted Leadership for the Future: Leading in the Lone Star State

Leadership Texas is the longest-running and most successful women’s leadership program in the country. With more than 37 years in action, Leadership Texas puts women on a path to access and learn from influencers across the state – and become one themselves. Participants explore beyond the silos of career, family and local community to focus on and learn about the future of our state and global community.

As a leader today, or an aspiring leader of tomorrow, this innovative program helps women embrace their own powerful journey. Incorporating interactive learning opportunities and engagements with leading edge innovators and subject matter experts across industries and geographies, this is a one-of-a-kind experience. Participants can expect to exponentially broaden their network and understanding of the issues facing Texas and its place in the world. San Antonio, Laredo, Bryan/College Station and Austin – together we will explore each of these communities in unexpected ways.

Join us and: learn about new leadership models and best practices deepen your understanding of the unique cultures, resources and opportunities of these Texas

communities broaden your perspective on national issues and challenges be a part of a diverse, influential network of women and create new collaborative possibilities be empowered to share your new insights learnings to increase your personal impact at your

workplace or community.

Welcome to the enlightened leadership for the future of Texas. Welcome to Leadership Texas 2019!

With Special thanks to the Sponsors of Leadership Women. These corporations believe in helping women advance and achieve.

Leadership Texas 2019 Session 3 – Bryan/College Station

August 25-27, 2019

The George 180 Century Court, College Station, TX 77840

Appreciation to Our Company Supporter

Appreciation to Our Session Sponsors

Special Thanks to the Bryan/College Station Graduates: Penny Beaumont, LT’88, LA’90

Nancy Berry, LT’03, LA’14 Lou Blinn, LT’13

Bonnie Dunbar, LT’99 Debbie Eller, LT’13, LA’16

Kay Fitzpatrick, LT’17 Brenda Grays, LT’14

Brandi Plunkett, LT’08 Sue Robertson, LT’07, LA’14 Natalie Ruiz, LL’15, LT’18

Katie Turnbull, LT’96, LA’14 Celina Vasquez, LT’13, LA’14 Katie Womack, LL’15, LT’18

Sunday, August 25, 2019 Suggested Dress: Business Casual; Resort casual for dinner.

Time/Location Event 1:30 p.m.

to 2:00 p.m. Registration Available – The Statesman Ballroom Foyer

2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The Statesman

Ballroom

Welcome & Overview of Session Heidi K. Murray, Chief Operating Officer, Leadership Women, Inc. HEIDI K. MURRAY began her career in programming and special events at the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., working with logistics for international touring companies. From the performing arts arena, she began her 11-year career with Omni Hotels in various events management positions, including Director of Catering and Conference Planning at Omni’s flagship hotel, the Omni Mandalay Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Heidi has also served as the National Director of Sales for a destination management company, producing conventions, meetings, and a variety of special events throughout the U.S. Heidi’s work in the hotel business introduced her to Leadership Women and she has remained involved with the organization since graduating from the Leadership Pipeline Class of 2004. She first served as a member of the Leadership Pipeline Committee of the board and was a part-time contractor for Leadership Women before joining the team as the Director of Logistics and Alliances over 10 years ago. Now, she serves as the program director for the Leadership Texas and the Leadership International programs while also providing operational and logistics management for the Leadership America and Leadership Pipeline programs. Heidi has been a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) since 2001 and is active in the meeting planning community, regularly lecturing for Meeting Planners International. She serves as a Director of the Board of Dallas Black Theatre, VisitDallas, the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee – and as the Vice President of her HOA (by far her most challenging role). Heidi is a graduate of the 2015 class of Leadership Dallas, the 2010 class of Leadership Arts and holds an honors degree in communications with a minor in psychology from the University of North Florida.

2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

The Statesman Ballroom

A Panel Discussion – “A Tale of Two Cities” Nancy Berry, LT’03, LA’14, Former Mayor of College Station, Brazos

County Commissioner, Precinct 3 Debbie Eller, LT’13, LA’16, Director of Community Development, City of

College Station Sandy Farris, Executive Director, Downtown Bryan Association Natalie Ruiz, LL’15, LT’18, Director of Economic Development, City

Manager’s Office, City of College Station Celina Vasquez, LT’13, LA’14, Brazos County Precinct 4 Justice of the

Peace NANCY F. BERRY was born in Oceanside, NY and graduated from Lynbrook High School and the University of Colorado, Boulder with a B.A. in Political Science, History and Economics. She is also a graduate of Leadership Brazos, Brazos Valley Regional Leaders Forum, Leadership Texas and Leadership America. Berry is also an alumnus of both the Bryan and College Station Citizens Fire Academies and the College Station Citizens Police Academy. Prior to her election as a County Commissioner, Berry served as Mayor of College Station from 2010-2016 and on the city council from 2004-2006. She was also elected to the Philosophical Society of Texas in 2015. Commissioner Berry has been and continues to be an active community volunteer. She has served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, Brazos Valley Symphony Society, Trustee of Blinn College, Community Foundation of Brazos Valley, advisory board of the Junior League, is a past president of United Way and a past president of the Arts Council. Berry is also a past president of the College Station Medical Center Hospital.

Time/Location Event At the state level she has served on the boards of United Ways of Texas and the Texas Commission of the Arts. She continues to serve on the boards of the College Station ISD Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club and the Transportation Advocates of Texas.

DEBBIE ELLER graduated from Texas A&M University in 1984 with a B. S. in Animal Science. Following graduation, she worked for eight years at Granada BioSciences in both the equine and cattle divisions. In 1999, she accepted a position with the City of College Station and now holds the position of Director of Community Services for the City of College Station. The Community Services Department includes Community Development, Code Enforcement and the Northgate District Management division. Through her work, she is able to learn about and raise awareness in the community regarding various needs of the residents and work to address the needs to promote a more positive community environment for people to live, work and raise a family. Debbie volunteers with numerous local organizations, including United Way, Family Promise of Bryan-College Station, Brazos Horse Committee, Brazos County Youth Commercial Heifer Show and Sale committee, Brazos Maternal & Child Health Clinic, and Girl Scouts Women of Distinction committee. In 2009, she was awarded the Jefferson Award for outstanding public service.

SANDY FARRIS is a Texas native, having been born in the dusty West Texas town of Andrews and raised among the East Texas pines surrounding the small town of Corrigan. After attending Baylor University and Sam Houston State University, she began a 34-year career in education which included 24 years as a high school journalism teacher and 10 years as the Bryan ISD Communications Director. After a whole weekend of retirement, Sandy began a new career in 2013 as the Executive Director of the Downtown Bryan Association (DBA), a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to promoting the historic downtown to the community and tourists. The DBA also owns the Queen Theatre, a classic film house that opened in May of 2018. Sandy won the City of Bryan Mayor's Impact Award in 2017 for her work to promote Downtown Bryan. In 2018, she received the Susan H. Campbell Award for Professional Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the Texas Downtown Association. At some point, she will retire AGAIN. The best advice she can give is to have a hobby. In her case, it's playing the piano and creating stained glass. Grandchildren, dogs and gardening also help.

NATALIE RUIZ is a graduate of Texas A&M University with over twenty-five years of experience in project management, administration and urban planning in both the public and private sectors. She started her career with the City of College Station and worked her way up from a frontline permitting clerk to a division manager overseeing the review, approval and permitting of all development-related projects. She served as an advisor to the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission on development projects, policies and codes. Natalie took a break from City government and owned a local consulting firm for ten years. The IPS Group specialized in creating and implementing comprehensive plans through innovative approaches to community involvement. Natalie has a history of award-winning planning at both the state and national levels including “Plan El Paso”, winner of the 2012 state of Texas American Planning Association Comprehensive Plan of the Year Award and “Connecting El Paso”, winner of the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement by the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2007 IPS Group received the state "Comprehensive Plan of the Year" award from the Texas Chapter of the APA for the City of Bryan’s Comprehensive Plan. In 2014 she joined the City of College Staff as the Director of Economic Development responsible for reinstating the department and managing local economic development efforts.

JUDGE CELINA VASQUEZ is proud and most appreciative of the opportunity to serve the people of Brazos County as Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4. She is committed to a non-compromising, constitutional application of fairness and equality in all matters presented for her judicial consideration. Daughter of Mexican immigrants with generational roots in Texas and California, Judge Vasquez earned a Bachelor of Arts in Latino Studies, a Master of Arts in Government and a Master of Business Administration from Texas Woman’s University. Prior to being elected Justice of the Peace, Judge Vasquez taught government at Blinn College and has retained membership in the Texas Community College Teachers Association. A trained

Time/Location Event educator, she served as the Community Advisor for the Texas A&M Collegiate LULAC Council.

3:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Break

4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The Statesman

Ballroom

“Leadership Lessons Learned: My LT Story” Penny Beaumont, LT’88, LA’90, Former LW Board Chair; Associate

Director Emerita, Texas Transportation Institute PENNY BEAUMONT retired as Associate Director Emerita of the Texas Transportation Institute where she served as Associate Director for Policy and Government Relations for13 years. During her 26-year career with The Texas A&M University System she led several communications/external relations programs, served as assistant deputy chancellor of engineering and was the System’s first female vice chancellor for communications. In those positions, she was actively engaged in both state and Federal legislative relations. Since her retirement from the University, Penny has been a public relations, marketing and development/fundraising consultant for public and private sector clients. Penny was the first woman employed at Texas A&M to attend LT as a member of the class of 1988 and of Leadership America in 1990. She was instrumental in recruiting members and securing financial support for LT, LA and other LW programs while serving as the first regional representative from Bryan-College Station on the LT Alumnae Board. Penny joined the Foundation for Women’s Resources (now Leadership Women) board of directors in 2002, and served for 12 years, including five years as president, the first non-founder to hold that position. At the LT 30th anniversary celebration, she was awarded the “Cathy” Award in recognition of her many years of service and contributions to the Foundation’s programs. Beaumont’s extensive public service includes being a founding board member of the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, now known as the Department of Protective and Family Services. After seven years on the DPRS board, serving under Governor Ann Richards and Governor George Bush, she was elected to the Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) board, the statewide organization for volunteers in court on behalf of abused and neglected children. She served another seven years at Texas CASA, including two terms as vice president, during which time she helped establish Voices for Children, the CASA program in Bryan-College Station. VFC began in 2001, and is now serving children in seven counties in the region. She is currently helping to establish the UP (Unlimited Potential) program, a new nonprofit to assist foster children who age out of the state system. Beaumont has also served on, and/or been president, of a number of other local nonprofit boards including the Prenatal Clinic and the Clinic’s Foundation, United Way, Health for All, the League of Women Voters, the University of New Mexico Alumni Association, and the College Station Medical Center. She was honored by Voices for Children as the 2013 Champion for Children, and was a Jefferson Award winner in 2014. In 2010, Penny and her husband Roger, Professor Emeritus of History at Texas A&M, published Imperial Divas: The Vicereines of India. She is currently writing a biography of Lady Hariot Dufferin.

4:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Break

5:45 p.m.

4545 Old Reliance Road

Bryan, TX 77808

Depart for Dinner at Messina Hof Winery and Resort Messina Hof is a family-owned business based on the three cornerstones of family, tradition and romance; and is dedicated to produce a gold medal winning wine in every varietal and to maximize opportunities developed from the wines in a tourism destination focused on the best in hospitality, food and customer service. The Messina Hof legacy began 40 years ago, with an experimental vineyard and fifty varietals of grapes. Thousands of awards and a generation later, Messina Hof continues to be at the forefront of the Texas wine industry.

6:00 p.m. Dinner

Time/Location Event to 8:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m. Depart for the Hotel

8:15 p.m. Evening concludes

Monday, August 26, 2019 Suggested Dress: Daytime – Business casual;

Time/Location Event 7:30 a.m.

to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at The George Hotel - Poppy Restaurant Breakfast is available at your leisure.

8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

Deployment to Gateway – Home of Texas Task Force 1 Guides: Stephen Bjune, Training Manager, Texas A&M Engineering Extension

Service, TX-TF1 Kathy Fraser, Director, Marketing and Communications, Texas A&M

Engineering Extension Service

9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Welcome to Texas Task Force 1 Group Rotations: Teams RED, WHITE, & BLUE Texas Task Force 1 Operational Warehouse Tour Meribeth Kahlick, Task Force Media Coordinator, TX-TF1

Participants will have the opportunity for an up close, hands on experience while discussing the different parts and pieces of the nearly 100,000 pounds of vehicles and tools in this cache that is worth over $7 million dollars.

Canine Team Search & Rescue Christy Bormann, Training Coordinator, Texas A&M Engineering

Extension Service, TX-TF1 Team Member During this segment participants will hear about search and rescue/recovery as well as hear about a brief overview of Hurricane Harvey Search and Rescue efforts.

Briefing Room – Disaster Preparedness: The State, Your Community and Your Family Susann Brown, Training Manager, Texas A&M Engineering Extension

Service; former member of TX-TF1 Lou Blinn, LT’13, Instructor, Incident Management; Business Manager,

Product Development, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service Participants will hear about Wide Area Search and learn to develop a mindset to prepare, act and survive in a disaster involving your community.

Time/Location Event 11:00 a.m.

to 11:40 a.m.

Buses depart for Disaster City – A Windshield Tour “Training First Responders around the World” Emergency responders climb into the mangled steel and glass that was once a bustling passenger train. Behind the wreckage, another search and rescue team uses canines to sift through a building's rubble left from a terrorist attack or natural disaster hoping to find survivors. Families who were moments ago shopping in strip malls are now trapped beneath several tons of steel beams and debris, with friends nearby struggling to survive inside a collapsed movie theatre. Welcome to Disaster City, a place where tragedy and training meet - a place where anything is possible. Located in College Station, Texas, this 52-acre training facility is situated adjacent to the TEEX Brayton Fire Training Field and delivers the full array of skills and techniques needed by today's emergency response professionals. The mock community features full-scale, collapsible structures designed to simulate various levels of disaster and wreckage which can be customized for the specific training needs of any group. Emergency responders from across the globe venture to Disaster City for search and rescue training and exercises.

12:00 p.m.

Center for Infrastructure

Renewal, 1041 RELLIS Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807

RELLIS – (Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity and Selfless Service) America’s Newest Center for Transformative Research and Education The RELLIS campus is a collaborative ecosystem built to foster advanced research, technology development, testing and evaluation, higher education, and hands-on career training. RELLIS is currently seeking corporate, government, and educational partners for applied research opportunities. The RELLIS Campus site owns a proud and diverse history dating back more than 75 years. Under a variety of names, the venue, north of the Brazos River and west of the City of Bryan, has played a key role both in protecting the nation during wartime and forging advancements in scientific understanding. The nearly 2,000-acre tract of land, mostly cotton fields surrounding the small, unincorporated community of Riverside, became the Bryan Army Air Field in response to the U.S.‘s entry into World War II. After the Korean War, full ownership transferred to Texas A&M University and was rechristened as the Riverside Campus in 1988. In May of 2016, Chancellor Sharp announced the transformation of Riverside Campus into the RELLIS Campus, named for the six Aggie Core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service. The innovative campus is now a technology and testing research hub that facilitates collaboration between private and public sector companies and provides unique educational opportunities for students.

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Center for

Infrastructure Renewal, 1041

RELLIS Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807

Keynote – A View from Space Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, LT’99, TEES Eminent Professor; Director,

Aerospace Human Systems Laboratory; Member, National Academy of Engineering; 2013 Inductee, ASF Astronaut Hall of Fame

DR. BONNIE J. DUNBAR is a distinguished academic, scientist, former NASA astronaut, pilot, and educator. Dr. Dunbar is currently on the faculty of Texas A&M University-College Station where she serves as TEES Eminent Professor; Director, Aerospace Human Systems Laboratory; and, among other accolades, is a Member of the National Academy of

Time/Location Event Engineering. Dr. Dunbar graduated from Sunnyside High School, Sunnyside, Washington, in 1967; received a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in ceramic engineering from the University of Washington in 1971 and 1975, respectively, and a doctorate in Mechanical/Biomedical Engineering from the University of Houston in 1983. Between 1971 and 1978 Dr. Dunbar worked in the private sector for Boeing Computer Services and Rockwell International Space Division and conducted research at Harwell Laboratories in Oxford, England. Dr. Dunbar joined NASA in 1978 and retired from NASA in September 2005. During her time with NASA, Dunbar served as assistant director at Johnson Space Center Deputy Associate Administrator at NASA Headquarters and deputy associate director for Biological Sciences and Applications. Her achievements in space contributed to setting various benchmarks for NASA, logging 1,208 hours in space on five flights. Dunbar’s first spaceflight, STS-61A, was on space shuttle Challenger in 1985. As the payload commander on STS-50 aboard Columbia in 1992, Dunbar helped complete the first dedicated United States Microgravity Laboratory flight, which laid the groundwork for International Space Station science operations. In 1995, Dunbar flew aboard Atlantis on STS-71, the first space shuttle to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. On her final mission in January 1998, Dunbar served as payload commander on STS-89, the eighth Shuttle-Mir docking mission. The crew transferred more than 9,000 pounds of scientific equipment, logistical hardware and water from space shuttle Endeavour to Mir. Dunbar was responsible for all payload activities and conducted 23 technology and science experiments. Dr. Dunbar received numerous honors, including NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Award in 1993 and NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal in 1998 and 1991. Dunbar retired from NASA in September 2005 to serve as president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Museum of Flight in Washington.

1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Welcome to RELLIS and the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) Kelly Templin, Campus Director, RELLIS Dr. Zachary Grasley, PhD, PE, Director, Center for Infrastructure

Renewal (CIR); Presidential Impact Fellow and Professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering

KELLY TEMPLIN is the Director of the Texas A&M System’s RELLIS Campus. He previously served as the City Manager of the City of College Station, Texas and Seabrook, Texas. He has also worked for the cities of Auburn, Alabama and Oxford, Ohio. Kelly hold degrees in Architecture and Urban Planning from Texas A&M University. Kelly has been married to Lisette for 26 years. He is a third generation Aggie and father to three Aggies. Kelly enjoys carpentry, hunting, bird dogs, military history and shredding his pastures on his John Deere tractor.

ZACHARY GRASLEY, PH.D., PE is a Presidential Impact Fellow and Professor in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and in the Materials Science & Engineering Department at Texas A&M University (TAMU) in College Station, TX USA. Grasley is also the Director of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) and serves on the Board of Advisors for OSC Concrete, Inc. He received a BS in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University in 2001, followed by an MS (2003) and PhD (2006) in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the advisement of David Lange. Grasley started as an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in 2006 before leaving for an Associate Professor position at Virginia Tech in 2012. He returned to TAMU as an Associate Professor in 2014.

2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Center for

Infrastructure Renewal, 1041

TTI: 70 Years of Innovation and Impactful Research The Future of Transportation Panel Katie Turnbull, LT’96, LA’14, Executive Associate Director, Texas A&M

Transportation Institute (TTI); Regents Fellow, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents

Time/Location Event RELLIS Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807

Kay Fitzpatrick, LT’17, Senior Research Engineer, Texas A&M Transportation Institute; Regents Fellow, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents

Katie Womack, LL’15, LT’18, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Transportation Safety, Texas A&M Transportation Institute

KATIE TURNBULL an Executive Associate Director at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). She is also an Executive Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University. She maintains a diverse research portfolio, with current projects focusing on automated and connected vehicle applications supporting transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians, and developing a transformational mobility plan for the Texas A&M University Campus. Active in the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, she served as the Chair of the TRB Executive Committee in 2018 and is currently Chair of the Executive Committee’s Subcommittee on Planning and Policy Review. Dr. Turnbull is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. Recent awards include the Regents Fellow Award from Texas A&M University System in 2015, the W.N. Carey, Jr. Distinguished Service Award from TRB in 2014, and the Ethel S. Birchland Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) in 2013. In 2012, she was named a lifetime national associate of the National Research Council

KAY FITZPATRICK investigates how roadway design and traffic control devices affect safety and operations on the transportation network. Her work has influenced changes in several key transportation reference documents including the Institute of Transportation Engineer Traffic Engineering Handbook, the Federal Highway Administration Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and the AASHTO Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets. She led the research team that identified roadway design criteria for speeds greater than 75 mph that have been included in the Texas Roadway Design Manual. Another of her research passion is identifying treatments that can improve conditions for pedestrians. Her research projects on the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons and the Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons have affected their designs, their inclusion in national reference documents, and their acceptance within the United States and Canada. Dr. Fitzpatrick is active in several professional societies including being co-chair of the 2003, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2020 Urban Street Design Symposiums. She has been honored with the Texas A&M University System Regents Fellow Award in recognition of exemplary service to not only the profession, but also the university, the state of Texas, and at the international level.

KATIE WOMACK is a Senior Research Scientist in the Center for Transportation Safety at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). She has managed the Behavioral Research Program at TTI since 2002 and has been with the Institute since 1977. She has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sociology and Psychology. During her 40-year career at TTI she has been managed a wide variety of sponsored research on traffic safety issues, spanning areas of occupant protection, impaired driving, distracted driving, teen driving and education, older drivers, and bicycle safety. She studies driver and passenger behavior, attitudes, influences on change, and traffic safety culture. Ms. Womack has been a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician since 1998 and has studied various aspects of child restraint use and misuse since 1987. She is currently coordinating an annual statewide child passenger safety conference for Texas. She was named TTI Trinity Researcher of the Year in 2000.

3:00 p.m.

George Bush Presidential Library

and Museum, 1000 George Bush Drive

West, College Station, TX 77845

Depart for the Bush School of Government and Public Service – “Building Leaders of the Future” The Bush School of Government and Public Service was founded in 1997, under President George H.W. Bush's philosophy that public service is a noble calling. Since then, the Bush School has continued to reflect that notion in curriculum, research, and student experience and has become a leading public and international affairs graduate institution. The Bush School offers four graduate programs for all students aspiring to careers in public service.

Time/Location Event Degrees in Public Service and Administration, International Affairs, and International Policy, as well as an online Executive Master in Public Service and Administration, develop principled leaders for professional careers in public service. The Bush School also offers Graduate Certificates in Advanced International Affairs, Homeland Security, Nonprofit Management, Public Management, and National Security Affairs.

3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Auditorium, George Bush

Presidential Library and Museum, 1000 George Bush Drive

West, College Station, TX 77845

Welcome to the Bush School of Government and Public Service Frank Ashley III, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and

Senior Professor, The Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University

DR. FRANK B. ASHLEY III is the senior associate dean for Academic Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. He came to the Bush School from the College Board, where he was senior vice president of Membership and Higher Education Engagement. As senior associate dean, Ashley oversees graduate education and research activities as well as strategic planning, faculty affairs, student affairs, program development, diversity, assessment, communications and external relations, student services, and extended education programs in the Bush School. Ashley also teaches a course in Managing Diversity in Public and Non Profit Organizations. Ashley earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana College and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Alabama. He began his academic career as a science teacher and coach. His previous appointments include faculty positions and service as dean of the College of Education and interim provost-vice president for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Commerce as well as director of Admissions and associate dean for Undergraduate Studies and Teacher Education at Texas A&M University’s College of Education. From 2007 to 2010, Ashley served as vice chancellor for Academic Affairs for The Texas A&M University System, where he served as chief academic officer for the System, and represented the System at the state level on all academic issues. In 2010, he was named vice chancellor for Recruitment and Diversity and chief of staff. In this position, he collected and analyzed System data on diversity and assisted System universities and agencies in recruiting and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff.

4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Auditorium, 1000 George Bush

Drive West, College Station, TX 77845

Women and World Peace Valerie Hudson, PhD, Professor and George H.W. Chair, Department of

International Affairs, The Bush School of Government and Public Policy, Texas A&M University; Director, Program on Women, Peace and Security.

DR. VALERIE HUDSON joined the faculty of the Bush School in 2012 as the George H.W. Bush Chair. An expert on international security and foreign policy analysis, as well as gender and security, she received her PhD in political science at The Ohio State University and comes to Texas A&M University from a senior faculty position at Brigham Young University. Hudson directs the Bush School’s Program on Women, Peace, and Security. In 2009, Foreign Policy named her one of the top 100 Most Influential Global Thinkers. Her co-authored book, Bare Branches: Security Implications of Asia’s Surplus Male Population, and the research it presents, received major attention from the media with coverage in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Washington Post, BBC, CNN, and numerous other outlets. The book also received two national book awards. Her co-authored book is Sex and World Peace, published by Columbia University Press and named by Gloria Steinem as one of the top three books on her reading list. Her most recent book, with Patricia Leidl, is The Hillary Doctrine: Sex and American Foreign Policy, published in June 2015. Hudson was also recently named a Distinguished Scholar of Foreign Policy Analysis by the International Studies Association. Dr. Hudson has developed a nation-by-nation database on women, the WomanStats Database (http://www.womanstats.org/ ), that has triggered both academic and policy interest (the latter includes its use by both the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and various agencies of the United Nations). Using this data, Hudson and her co-principal investigators from The WomanStats Project have published a wide variety of empirical work linking the security of

Time/Location Event women to the security of states, with research appearing in International Security, the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Peace Research, Political Psychology, and Politics and Gender.

5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Free Time to Explore George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum

6:30 p.m. Depart for the Hotel

7:00 p.m. Buffet Dinner at The George

8:00 p.m. Evening Concludes

\

Tuesday, August 27, 2019 Suggested Dress: Travel Attire.

Time/Location Event 7:45 a.m.

to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at The George Hotel - Poppy Restaurant Breakfast is available at your leisure.

8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

The Statesman

Ballroom

“What’s Behind Your Decision?” Brandi Plunkett, PhD, LT’08, Executive Director, Center for Executive

Development, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University DR. BRANDI PLUNKETT joined the Center for Executive Development (CED) at Texas A&M University in late 2014. In the role of Executive Director, she is responsible for the overall administration of the CED as well as the strategic and financial performance of the Global Programs within the center. Throughout her 29-year career in the education and training field, Dr. Plunkett has developed or championed the expansion of programs across multiple areas. Her last 19 years working within the university system include graduate, administrative and leadership roles at the system and college level. As Program Director for one of the largest divisions in the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, an organization that trains more than 100,000 students annually worldwide, she created and led the enterprise-based Leadership Development Program and directed four additional programs as well. She was a public school teacher for 10 years, during which time she also trained teachers on the use of continuous improvement in the classroom in both Texas and the US. She returned to Texas A&M in 2000 earning a Master’s and Ph.D. in Educational Human Resource Development in 2006. A sixth-generation Texan, Dr. Plunkett grew up in the Texas Hill Country and calls San Antonio her hometown. She has a large extended family and two hopelessly spoiled dogs, an Aussie/border collie mix named Bella and a Boston terrier mix named Lilly.

9:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Break

10:15 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

The Statesman Ballroom

News You Can Use – The Texas Central Train Holly Reed, Managing Director, External Affairs, Texas Central HOLLY REED brings her love for Texas and for taking on big ideas to her role as Managing Director, External Affairs, for Texas Central. As a native Texan, she is passionate about bringing the train to her home state and sharing its benefits – transforming how people think about travel, putting people to work and saving lives. Working on the Texas high-speed train is a perfect fit for Holly, as it builds on her career of working on other transformative projects involving critical

infrastructure. During Holly’s 25-year career at AT&T, she helped facilitate network deployments of high-speed internet, mobility networks, and communication infrastructure. Her background there includes leadership roles in Customer Service, Strategic Planning, IT, Sales, Marketing and Communications. At Texas Central, Holly leads the team supporting the external initiatives of the multi-billion dollar project driving awareness of the positive impacts on jobs and economic development, growing support and coordinating with State, Local and Federal stakeholders. Her responsibilities include public policy, outreach, government relations and branding, media and communications activities. Because tackling big projects is close to her heart, you might find Holly hiking or traveling in some remote corner of the globe. In her spare time, she can also be found running at White Rock Lake, playing golf or other sports with friends and family or attending anything involving her beloved Texas Aggies.

11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Final Thoughts Heidi Murray, Chief Operating Officer, Leadership Women, Inc.

11:30 a.m. Session Three Adjourns

Session 4 –Austin, TX Renaissance Austin Hotel October 6-8, 2019 9721 Arboretum Blvd., Austin, TX 78759 Reservation Deadline: Room Rates: Wednesday, September 11, 2019 Standard Rooms- $169/night + 15% tax Hotel Reservations: 1-800-468-3571