A Symposium on Transportation

The Texas Tribune is pleased to present a daylong symposium, in partnership with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, on transportation policy in Texas. Topics of discussion will include highway funding, urban mobility, road vs. rail, tech innovations in easing congestion and how population growth is impacting our planning for the future.

8am: Breakfast

8:30am: Transportation and the 85th Legislature

• State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, Member of the House Transportation Committee
• State Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee
• State Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, Member of the House Transportation Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Long-term Infrastructure Planning
• Moderated by Evan Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of The Texas Tribune

9:30am: The View from TxDOT

• James Bass, Executive Director of the Texas Department of Transportation
• J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., Commissioner of the Texas Transportation Commission
• Moderated by: Evan Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of The Texas Tribune

10:25am: Is High-Speed Rail on Track?

• R. Jack Cagle, Harris County Commissioner
• Tim Keith, CEO of Texas Central
• Ben Leman, Grimes County Judge
• Kyle Workman, President of Texans Against High-Speed Rail
• Moderated by Brandon Formby, Urban Affairs Reporter for The Texas Tribune

11:20am: The Future of Urban Mobility

• John-Michael V. Cortez, Special Assistant to Austin Mayor Steve Adler
• Ginger Goodin, Director of the Transportation Policy Research Center at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute
• Philip Kingston, Dallas City Councilman
• Moderated by Brandon Formby, Urban Affairs Reporter for The Texas Tribune

Noon: Lunch

12:30pm: A Lunchtime Conversation with Chancellor John Sharp

• John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System
• Moderated by Evan Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of The Texas Tribune

This symposium will be held on the 6th Floor of the Rudder Tower (Room 601), located on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station (map). A light breakfast and lunch is included. This event is free and open to the public.

Paid parking is available nearby in the University Center Parking Garage (map to garage & parking rates - not included with registration).

The Tribune's symposia are modeled on the celebrated Texas Tribune Festival. These one-day, one-topic events bring together experts to present and generate productive conversations on major issues of the day.

This event is generously sponsored by Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Union Pacific Railroad, Texas Central, Cintra and Southwest Airlines, the official airline of Texas Tribune Events. Media support is provided by The Battalion and The Eagle. Foundation support is provided by the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation.

Disclosure: though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite our events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.