Brett Culp, Acclaimed Documentary Filmmaker
Brett Culp is an acclaimed filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and keynote speaker whose work has inspired audiences around the world. His films have featured on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. Rather than thinking as a traditional filmmaker, his projects are collaborative efforts, pulling diverse groups of people into dialogue and ultimately leading to stronger communities and greater impact. Brett has developed an expertise for creating ‘mini movements’ that inspire the heroic spirit. Brett has been featured in USA Today, Entertainment Tonight, WIRED, The LA Times, The Hollywood Reporter, and many more. The newest edition of the college textbook “Documentary Storytelling” devotes an entire chapter to Brett’s production style. Brett is the co-founder of The Rising Heroes Project, a 501c3 that supports charitable organizations and empowers community leaders.
Pia Orrenius, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Pia Orrenius is a labor economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, working on regional economic growth and demographic change. She manages the regional and microeconomics group in the Dallas Fed Research Department, is executive editor of the publication Southwest Economy and co-edited Ten Gallon Economy: Sizing up Economic Growth in Texas (2015, Palgrave MacMillan). Her academic research focuses on the labor market impacts of immigration, unauthorized immigration and U.S. immigration policy. She is coauthor of the book Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization (2010, AEI Press). She holds a PhD in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles and bachelor degrees in economics and Spanish from the University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign.
Xiuhong “Helen” You, Ph.D. Associate Director and Senior Demographer, Texas Demographic Center
Helen You oversees the Texas Demographic Center (TDC) Population Estimates and Projections program and represents the State Demographer in public engagements. She is the senior demographer and lead in developing the population estimates and projections for the State of Texas, counties, and cities. Her expertise spans a wide range of topics, including population projections and estimates, migration, fertility, mortality, health, and healthcare in Texas. Dr. You’s experience and excellence are widely recognized in the demographic research community. She presides as the Research and Methodology Subcommittee chair of the Census Bureau’s Federal-State Cooperative and serves on the Steering Committee. Dr. You presented the results of analyses of the impact of the Differential Privacy implemented in the 2020 Census at the Public Workshop on the Demographic and Housing Characteristics Files hosted by the National Academies. Additionally, Dr. You is a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern Demographic Association.
Jeremy Mazur, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources Policy, Texas 2036
Jeremy Mazur directs Texas 2036’s work in the area of infrastructure and natural resources, which includes water, oil and gas, and energy. Since joining Texas 2036 in September 2021, he has played a leading role in the energy expansion project, charting Texas’ energy future that includes cleaner oil and gas and other sources of energy. He also directs research and policy development in water.During the 88th Legislative Session, he supported legislation expanding Texas’ financial strategy for developing water infrastructure, establishing regulatory frameworks for hydrogen energy, and, among other initiatives, incentivizing regional solutions among water utilities.Jeremy’s current projects include a scenario-based assessment of how different energy portfolio pathways contribute to state economic growth, regional water market development, and enhancing the state’s policy responses to extreme weather. Drawing on over 20 years of experience working in the Texas legislature and critical state agencies, Jeremy works directly with state and legislative leaders on policy changes needed for Texas’ energy and water future.Before coming to Texas 2036, Jeremy’s legislative career began in the late 20th century as a policy analyst with the Sunset Advisory Commission. From there, he served as a Chief of Staff for State Representative Bill Callegari, and as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for State Senator Van Taylor.He also served as Director of Governmental Relations for two state agencies essential to Texas’ future: the Texas Water Development Board and, more recently, the Railroad Commission, Texas’ leading oil and gas, pipeline safety and surface mining regulator. Throughout his legislative career, Jeremy has worked on a host of issues, including water, energy, environmental regulation, housing, land use and public finance. Jeremy is an Eagle Scout.
Gabriel Collins, Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs, Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy;
Gabriel Collins is the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy & Environmental Regulatory Affairs at Rice University’s Baker Institute. He was previously an associate attorney at Baker Hostetler, LLP, and is the co-founder of the China SignPost™ (洞察中国) analysis portal. Collins has worked in the Department of Defense as a China analyst and as a private sector global commodity researcher, authoring more than 100 commodity analysis reports, both for private clients and for publication.Collins’ research portfolio is global. His work currently focuses on legal, environmental and economic issues relating to water — including the food-water-energy nexus — as well as unconventional oil and gas development, and the intersection between global commodity markets and a range of environmental, legal and national security issues. His analysis draws from a broad swath of geospatial and other data streams, and often incorporates insights from sources in Chinese, Russian and Spanish.Collins received his B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He is licensed to practice law in Texas.
Taylor Landin, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Greater Houston Partnership
Taylor Landin is Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the Greater Houston Partnership. The Greater Houston Partnership is the principal business organization serving the greater Houston region, with over 1,000 member companies that together employ about a fifth of all metro Houston workers. The mission of the Partnership is to make the Houston region a great place to live, work, and build a business.At the Partnership, Taylor leads a team of public policy and advocacy professionals who work to advance the Houston business community’s policy priorities at the federal, state and local levels. This is Taylor’s second stint with the organization where he was previously Vice President of Public Policy for three years before joining AT&T as Regional Vice President for External Affairs where he was responsible for stakeholder relations and advocacy throughout Southeast Texas.Taylor began his career working on campaigns and for elected officials. These positions included two presidential campaigns, the Office of Legislative Affairs in the White House and staff for two members of Congress from Texas.
Jeremi Suri PhD, Mack Brown Distinguished Professor for Global Leadership, History, and Public Policy, The University of Texas at Austin
Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Professor Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His writings appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media. Professor Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri hosts a weekly podcast: “This is Democracy.” He publishes a daily newsletter on history, politics, and leadership: Democracy of Hope.