Join the Texas Lyceum for their Q3 Meeting:
"Classroom to Commerce: Fueling the Texas Workforce Pipeline"
September 24-26, hosted in Sherman, Texas

CHAIR'S MESSAGE

Dear Directors, Alumni, and Guests,

Welcome to Sherman, Texas!

The Texas Lyceum is proud to host our first conference ever in the Texoma Region. When we began planning this conference, Texas held its place as the eighth-largest global economy in the world and a number seven ranking within reach. Informed by the State’s strategic plan, Texas was already building the workforce pipeline required to move up the list, in places most people had never associated with advanced manufacturing or other key sectors. Over the months of planning, we watched the Texoma Region absorb one of the largest semiconductor investments in the state, and we watched local schools, colleges, and employers sit down together to design the training that follows it.

Given the pace of that change, we built this conference around the decisions Texas leaders face right now. Which credentials carry weight in the Texas labor market? Where does education hand off to the labor market, and how cleanly does that handoff work? Which Texans does the pipeline reach today, and how will the communities it has yet to reach design what is required to support their workforce needs?

The work in front of us is practical. Employers name the skills they need. Colleges and school districts build the programs that produce those skills. The state agencies that fund and measure that work influence how quickly it scales. Leaders from these stakeholder groups will join the Texas Lyceum’s quarterly conference hosted at Austin College, which will be celebrating the 150th year in Sherman. This venue and event will showcase how education and technical training have grown together throughout the Texas economy.

On behalf of the directors and alumni of the Texas Lyceum, we welcome you to share in our 46-year tradition of big ideas, bold solutions, and civil discourse as we connect the Classroom to Commerce and build the workforce that carries Texas into its next economic tier.

Cassandra Bandy, Matt Garcia, and Rick Trefzer
Conference Co-Chairs

Thomas Miranda, Class of 2016 and Molly Quirk, Class of 2018
Honorary Chairs

2026 Third Quarter Conference, The Texas Lyceum

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Welcome to Sherman and the Texas Lyceum’s third quarterly meeting of 2026, “Classroom to Commerce: Fueling the Texas Workforce Pipeline.”

Texas has long been defined by growth, opportunity, and an economy willing to reinvent itself. Today, as the eighth-largest economy in the world, our state stands on the doorstep of even greater opportunity. But continued success is not guaranteed. The industries driving Texas forward need something that cannot be built overnight: a skilled, adaptable, and prepared workforce.

That is why we are here.

We will examine the journey from the classroom to the workplace—and ask whether our systems are keeping pace with the economy we are building. Education, workforce development, economic development, and private industry cannot operate in separate lanes. If Texas is going to compete for the industries and jobs of tomorrow, we must connect them more effectively.

North Texas—often called the “Silicon Prairie”—provides a compelling backdrop for these conversations. Extraordinary investment and economic expansion are creating tremendous opportunities, along with an urgent need for Texans prepared to seize them.

This conference reflects what makes the Texas Lyceum special. We bring together leaders with different experiences and perspectives, connect them with experts and new ideas, and create an environment where thoughtful civil discourse can lead to better solutions for Texas.

My sincere thanks go to our conference co-chairs, Matt Garcia ’22, Rick Trefzer ’24, and Cassandra Bandy ’25, whose leadership made this meeting possible. I am also grateful to our speakers, sponsors, staff, Directors, and Alumni for investing their time and talents in the Lyceum. Special thanks to our association managers, Logan Beszterda and Marine Bibes, for carefully orchestrating this conference and creating a memorable experience for us all.

I encourage you to ask difficult questions, challenge conventional thinking, and—most importantly—learn from one another. The Lyceum’s strength is not that we always agree, but that we come together, listen, and engage seriously with the issues shaping Texas’s future.

Our next chapter will be written not simply by the businesses we recruit or the investments we attract, but by the Texans we prepare for those opportunities.

That is how we keep Texas moving forward.

All my very best,

SCHEDULE