Search
Member Login

Join the Texas Lyceum for their Optional Meeting:
"Look for the Helpers: Disaster Response and Recovery in Texas"
June 3-5, 2026, hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Discover our Speakers

 

Nelson Balido

Chairman
Border Commerce and Security Council / Balido and Assoc.
Texas Lyceum Class of 2006

Mr. Balido serves as President and CEO of Balido and Associates and as Founder and Chairman of the Border Commerce and Security Council, where he leads initiatives that strengthen economic competitiveness and cross-border security. He previously served as President of the Border Trade Alliance and was appointed by the President of the United States to lead the Private Sector Division at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He also served on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, where he received the Department of Homeland Security’s highest civilian honor, the Outstanding Public Service Medal.

Matt Barr

Vice President, State Government and Community Affairs
Cheniere
Texas Lyceum Class of 2023

Matt Barr is Vice President of State Government & Community Affairs at Cheniere Energy, where he leads the company’s government relations, public policy and stakeholder engagement at the state and local levels as Cheniere continues to operate and develop LNG export facilities and associated infrastructure along the U.S. Gulf Coast. He has 20 years of experience in public policy, government affairs, stakeholder engagement, community impacts and social performance.
Matt is member of the executive committee and board of directors at the Texas Association of Manufacturers, a Director of the Texas Lyceum, a trustee at the Texas State Aquarium, and a board member at Louisiana’s Committee of 100 for Economic Development. He is also active on committees at other energy and business trade associations in Texas, Louisiana, and Washington, DC.
Prior to joining Cheniere twelve years ago, he was senior director at a Houston-based public affairs firm, where he led client accounts across a number of industries, including energy and financial services. Matt served on staff for elected officials at the state and federal levels, including U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul.
Matt is a native of Dallas, Texas and holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He resides in Houston, Texas with his wife and two children.

Andrea Barefield

Council Member, District 1
City of Waco
Texas Lyceum Class of 2019

Texas Municipal League President Andrea J. Barefield has served on the Waco City Council representing District 1 since 2018. A dedicated public servant, she is focused on expanding economic, educational, and housing opportunities in her community. Andrea also serves as President of the Texas Association of Black City Council Members and on the Board of Directors for the National League of Cities. She is the founder and principal of Barefield Impact Strategies, a community engagement and strategic consulting firm that helps organizations, municipalities, and leaders build strong partnerships, navigate complex challenges, and create meaningful community impact.

Geoff Ferrell

SVP - Virtual Power Plant Business
sonnen Inc.

Geoff leads the sonnen Virtual Power Plant project team, designed to create and implement revenue-generating virtual power plant projects across the Western Hemisphere. Prior to sonnen, Ferrell championed significant technological innovations in home building and building science, as CTO of Mandalay Homes, playing a central role in contributing to the receipt of the US Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Housing Innovation Award 12 times. His education in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a proven record of excellence in energy management and revolutionary building design, has resulted in ground-breaking energy design around utility rates and VPPs for communities like Mandalay Homes in Arizona. He has consulted with NREL, PNNL, City of Fort Collins, DOE, and EPA on clean and efficient energy design projects and is recognized for innovation and leadership in the energy management and home building industries with numerous awards from the DOE, EPA, GreenBuilder and Professional Builder Magazine.  

Anita Fernandez

Co-Founder, Partner
OCI Group Consulting/OCI Development
Texas Lyceum Class of 2025

She has lived and studied in D.F., Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas, México. Anita has professional experience in state and local government, nonprofit management, education and the arts. During her time in the Texas Legislature as Chief of Staff for a Texas State Representative she led the Capitol and District offices and various community and policy initiatives, in the areas of Public Education, Transportation, Urban Affairs, Healthcare and Immigration. She was a pivotal contributor to the development of community and public affairs during her time at the Museo Alameda, the first formal Smithsonian affiliate in the U.S. and the official Latino Museum of Texas. While working in public education, she developed and implemented college readiness curriculum for the K – 12 grade levels. At OCI Group Anita works directly with clients in areas such as broadband, public education, affordable housing and small business and is part of the state legislative team.

Anita serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Managers for University Health the Bexar County Hospital District where she chairs the Public Health Committee, she is also a member of the Board of Directors of Community First Health Plans, the University Health Pension Board, the Marianist Urban Students Program, and the National Hispanic Institute. She also serves as a Director of the Texas Lyceum.

For 17 years, she served as the volunteer Project Administrator for the National Hispanic Institute (NHI) at San Antonio’s Great Debate Team, an international leadership experience for high school students. She is also a founding board member of Texas Women in Trades. Previously, she has served as the City Council District 1 Appointee for the San Antonio SA2020 Commission on Education, the Advisory Board for the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures, the Kleberg for Commissioner Advisory Council, the San Antonio River Foundation and the Southwestern University Alumni Nominations and Awards Committee. In 2016 she was recognized as Southwestern University’s Distinguished Young Alumna. In 2018 she received the NHI’s Distinguished Alumna in Community Leadership Award and has been one of NHI’s Top 100 Emerging Latino Leaders. Most recently she has been recognized as part of the San Antonio Business Journal’s 2021 “40 under 40”. She was named the National Hispanic Institute's Person of the Year for 2023. 
 

Col. Michelle Fraley

Chief, Corporate Services Officer
LUMA

Col. Michelle Fraley’s career has been defined by public service and operational leadership. Born and raised in San Juan, Michelle became the first woman from Puerto Rico to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. During a distinguished 30-year military career, she held leadership and command positions around the world, including at the White House and the White House Communications Agency during the Clinton and Bush administrations. Following her military retirement, Michelle became the first Superintendent of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau in 2017 before joining LUMA in 2021.

Commissioner Adrian Garcia

Harris County Precinct 2

Adrian Garcia is a native Houstonian and the proud son of immigrant parents and siblings. His career in public service began as a police officer with the Houston Police Department in 1980 and retired in 2003. While serving at HPD, he worked in various divisions including Patrol; Criminal Intelligence Division’s Organized Crime Squad, where he handled complex investigations that had national and sometimes international implications; he also served in the Community Services Division and then was appointed as the Director of the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office by Mayor Lanier and Mayor Brown.
In 2003 he started his career as an elected official, after being elected from a crowded field to serve on Houston's City Council from 2004-2008. As the Houston City Council Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Adrian led in the development of the police department’s Real Time Crime Center that was critical in HPD’s success in lowering the crime rate.
In 2008, Adrian was elected as Harris County Sheriff taking responsibility and providing leadership for nearly 5,000 employees and almost a half billion dollar budget. In almost seven years, he was able to save the taxpayers over $200m in operational costs, while reducing jail population and lowering the crime rate and added over 200 new deputies
to protect the streets of Harris County. Sheriff Garcia provided the vision and leadership
to the construction of the Sheriff’s Office Real Time Crime Center, the Joint Processing
Center and the new Public Safety Complex that will include a new Emergency Dispatch
Center for the Sheriff’s Office. In recognizing the potential for Houston/Harris County to be target of a domestic or international terroristic attack. Sheriff Garcia created a new partnership with the Houston FBI Office by assigning personnel to the Counter-Terrorism Unit, the personnel assigned had attended a year long training at the National Counter Terrorism Center. During his time in office, he received numerous awards and recognitions by many community and governmental agencies. In 2015, Adrian resigned as Sheriff to become a candidate to become the Mayor of Houston. Adrian has been appointed to the Advisory Board of the School of Public Administration of Texas Southern University, and is currently providing general consultancy services to various businesses within the Houston area.

Jody Gonzalez

County Administrator
Denton County 

Graduated of Texas State University, he has devoted his career to public administration and emergency services. He currently serves as County Administrator, overseeing county operations. Previously, he spent 23 years as Chief and Director of Development and Emergency Services, managing planning, the Fire Marshal’s Office, homeland security, and emergency management. He has also served on the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and the Governor’s Homeland Security Council. Jody remains active in the community through leadership roles with DCTA and Upper Trinity Regional Water District and as an Aubrey ISD Trustee.
Adam Guerra

Director of Public Safety
Coastal Bend Council of Governments

Adam Guerra is a senior executive with more than 20 years of leadership experience spanning emergency management, healthcare operations, and public safety. He has led large-scale disaster response operations across Texas, overseen multi-campus hospital operations, and directed regional homeland security and emergency preparedness initiatives. His background uniquely combines executive healthcare leadership with extensive emergency services and public sector operations. 
 

John Hryhorchuk

Senior Vice President, Policy and Advocacy
Texas 2036
Texas Lyceum Class of 2024

John leads the Texas 2036 policy team, with a focus on ensuring state leaders have pragmatic and sustainable solutions for non-partisan challenges facing the state. Prior to joining Texas 2036, John was Deputy Director of Budget and Policy for Governor Greg Abbott, focusing on school finance, property taxes and other state fiscal and budgetary matters – including how the state finances disaster recovery. John previously worked in budget and policy roles for former Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. Outside of Texas, John served in communications roles on two presidential campaigns and practiced law in New York and Washington, D.C.

Stephen Kellicker

Executive Vice President
Lower Colorado River Authority

Steve Kellicker oversees community resources, telecommunications and LCRA’s enterprise resources, including facilities, fleet, real estate and environmental laboratory services. He has more than 25 years of financial management and leadership experience in government and utility industries. Since joining LCRA in 2002, Steve has served in a finance role for various business operations within LCRA and most recently as LCRA’s senior vice president of Finance. Before joining LCRA, Steve held various finance positions supporting the Massachusetts Secretary of Administration and Finance office. Steve earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Clark University. 
 

Emily Martinez

Executive Director
Coastal Bend Council of Governments
Texas Lyceum Class of 2013

Emily Martinez is the Executive Director of the Coastal Bend Council of Governments representing the 11-county Coastal Bend Region. She has more than 25 years as a leader in the Coastal Bend, serving various agencies in local government and business and economic development.
Emily joined the CBCOG in 2018 to assist the region in post Hurricane Harvey recovery before becoming the Director of Regional Economic Development in 2020. She led the region in identifying and securing over $35 million in community investment from State and Federal agencies and was later charged with allocating $180 million to Harvey affected communities to build on resilience initiatives. Emily co-founded the Regional Resilience Partnership and leveraged stakeholders through the creation of a partnership with Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, Harte Research Institute.
Emily began her career with the City of Corpus Christi in 2001 before joining the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation in 2010 where she led Business Retention and Expansion as Vice President.
Emily has a Bachelor of Political Science and Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.
Her goal is to leverage the CBCOG’s unique position as a non-partisan, non-political body as a lynchpin to build synergies between communities to apply for funding, to centralize programs, and increase services for the people of the Coastal Bend.
Emily is dedicated to public service and is actively engaged in her community through multiple boards. She has been a member of Texas Lyceum since 2013.
 

Rudy Metayer

Attorney
Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody
Texas Lyceum Class of 2024

Rudy Metayer is an award-winning attorney, government relations professional, and community leader with extensive experience representing state agencies and other governmental entities. He has served as Special Counsel to the Health and Human Services Commission and currently serves as Councilmember for the City of Pflugerville, Texas. A first-generation college graduate and the son of Haitian immigrants, Metayer holds a B.A. in Government and Philosophy, a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. He has been active in the community through initiatives such as co-authoring an honor code at the University of Texas, creating pro bono legal clinics for U.S. military veterans, and forging partnerships to improve community policing. Metayer has received numerous accolades, including recognition as a Texas Super Lawyer and awards for community service and leadership in the Austin area. He lives in Pflugerville with his wife Letisha and their three daughters.

Clint Morris

Public Information Officer, Kerr County Sheriff's Office
President, Morris Strategic Communications
Texas Lyceum Class of 2022

Clint served as PIO for the Kerr County Sheriff's Office during the catastrophic July 2025 Hill Country Flood, leading crisis communications within the Joint Information Center alongside fellow PIOs. A Master PIO candidate and keynote speaker on Public Safety Crisis Communications, he combines social science methodology with real-world emergency experience. Beyond crisis management, Clint is a business strategist, data analyst, published sociologist, and serial entrepreneur with 25+ years helping organizations understand their communities. He serves on Schreiner University's business faculty and as VP for Legacy Development for the Texas Lyceum. His work bridges strategic communications, emergency management, and social science - grounded in the belief that effective communication protects and serves communities.

Justen Noakes

President
National Emergency Management and Response

Justen brings nearly 30 years of emergency management experience spanning corporate, nonprofit, and public-safety leadership. During more than three decades at H-E-B, he built and led enterprise-wide emergency preparedness and business continuity programs supporting 160,000+ employees and hundreds of facilities. He directed responses to over 20 federally declared disasters and established key public-private partnerships with the State of Texas. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of BeforeDuringAfter, advancing resilience resources for Texas businesses. His leadership also includes service with TEXSAR and Bexar County Emergency Services District 2, supporting statewide emergency response and community resilience initiatives.

Aubrey Owens

Corporate Impact Director
USAA

Aubrey Owens is a seasoned insurance and enterprise leader with more than 25 years of experience spanning claims operations, catastrophe response, and corporate impact. Her career at USAA began in the mailroom, where she developed a firsthand understanding of service and operational excellence that would shape her leadership approach throughout the organization. Aubrey spent much of her career in claims, leading large-scale catastrophe operations and supporting members during their most vulnerable moments. Her work has focused on building resilient teams, managing complexity under pressure, and delivering outcomes when stakes are highest—experience that gives her a unique, practical perspective on resiliency in action. Today, Aubrey serves as Corporate Impact Director – Belonging, where she leads enterprise strategies that strengthen culture, connection, and community impact. She brings a data-informed, people-centered approach to advancing inclusion and ensuring organizations are prepared—both operationally and culturally—to navigate disruption and change. Aubrey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, dual MBAs in Management and Project Management, and a Data Science certification. She is actively engaged in community and industry leadership, serving on the Boards of Hillsborough College and the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB).As a speaker, Aubrey draws on real-world claims experience and enterprise leadership to explore how resiliency is built—before, during, and after crisis.

Deanna Rodriguez

President/CEO
Entergy New Orleans
Texas Lyceum Class of 1996

Deanna Rodriguez is president and CEO of Entergy New Orleans, an electric utility that serves more than 211,000 customers in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is responsible for the company’s safe and reliable service, financial performance, customer service, regulatory and public affairs, resource planning, economic development programs and charitable contributions. Before assuming her current role in 2021, Rodriguez served as vice president of regulatory and public affairs for Entergy Texas. She previously served as vice president of regulatory affairs for Entergy New Orleans, where she worked closely with the New Orleans City Council to launch the first Energy Smart program. The comprehensive energy efficiency plan was developed in collaboration with the New Orleans City Council and continues assisting customers today. As vice president of corporate contributions for Entergy from 1999 to 2003, Rodriguez oversaw the creation of the Entergy Charitable Foundation and the company’s volunteer program, Community Connectors. Earlier, she served as director of external affairs, where she led the effort to secure $200 million in community development block grant funding to help Entergy’s Louisiana, Mississippi and New Orleans operating companies rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Before joining Entergy in 1994, Rodriguez was the minority affairs liaison for the State Bar of Texas, where she created the Texas Minority Counsel Program, a corporate partnership responsible for increasing participation of minority and women lawyers in the State Bar of Texas. She serves on the boards of directors for The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana’s International Women’s Forum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, The Youth Empowerment Project and the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. Rodriguez received a master’s degree in public affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin.

Francisco Sanchez

Senior Advisor
Hagerty Consulting

Francisco Sánchez Jr. is an internationally recognized leader in emergency management, disaster recovery, resilience, and crisis leadership. Most recently, he was appointed by former President Biden to serve as Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he led the agency’s transformation efforts and oversaw recovery operations for major national disasters, including the Maui wildfires, Hurricanes Helene, and the Francis Scott Key Bridget collapse. Previously, Francisco helped lead homeland security efforts in Harris County, Texas for three county judges and served on command staff for four of the nation’s 10 most costly natural disasters. Francisco is on the advisory board at the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program at the Naval Postgraduate School.

Darin Smith

Director of Clinical Programs
Peterson Health 

Darin Smith serves as Director of Clinical Programs at Peterson Health, overseeing Trauma, Stroke, and Cardiac accredited programs. He brings a diverse clinical background in emergency and flight nursing, including experience in critical access and Level I trauma centers, as well as five years in rotor-wing transport. Since 2010, Darin has remained engaged with Peterson Health in various roles. His leadership has advanced key initiatives, including a robust Whole Blood program, a high-functioning Level IV Trauma designation, and DNV-accredited Stroke and Chest Pain programs. Darin is a graduate of Schreiner University.

Eduardo Soria Rivera

Executive Director
Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience

Eduardo Soria Rivera, the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resiliency (COR3), holds a degree in Law and is a Certified Public Accountant with over 28 years of professional experience in accounting, finance, and law. In 2014, he founded his consulting firm, which he successfully led for over a decade.Mr. Soria Rivera participated in the management of recovery funds for hurricanes Hugo and Georges. Since 2017, he has continuously worked with FEMA federal funds related to hurricanes María and Fiona, collaborating with various agencies and public corporations in the management and oversight of these funds. He also worked in the administration and management of federal funds allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).

Throughout his career, he has served as an expert witness in local and federal courts in cases related to accounting, finance, fraud investigations, internal controls, and business valuation.
Over the past 20 years, he has provided consulting services in technical areas, including federal fund management, forensic accounting, and business valuation. Additionally, he has worked on analyzing and resolving contractor claims in the construction industry, developing a specialization in this field.
Before founding his consulting firm, he held significant positions in Puerto Rico's Office of Management and Budget, where he gained valuable experience in public administration. Mr. Soria Rivera is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, where he completed his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He also obtained a Juris Doctor from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.

Ronald Stewart

Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery
UT Health San Antonio

Ronald M. Stewart is a surgeon from San Antonio, Texas. He’s the Chair of the Department of Surgery at UT Health San Antonio and University Health (since 2008). He’s the immediate Past-President of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and served as the Chair of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma from 2014-2018, and medical director of trauma programs for the ACS from 2018-2022. Since 1996 he’s been the Board Chair of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC), which leads the trauma and emergency health care system of a 27,000 square mile area.

Wandaliz Turner

Director of Community Relations
TWU Jane Nelson Institute for Women's Leadership
Texas Lyceum Class of 2024

Wandaliz Turner serves as the Director of Community Relations with the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership. She holds a bachelor's degree in government and a master's degree in political science with a graduate certificate in history, all from Texas Woman’s University. Wandaliz is an Army Veteran and former Texas Law Enforcement Officer; she has also served in workforce development and employer relations, county government, and the non-profit sector in North Texas. Wandaliz lives in Denton, TX.