Elected state leaders, agency chiefs and other state government experts will convene at the Biennial Legislative Communication Conference at The University of Texas at Austin on Oct. 13.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar will give the opening keynote on the state’s economic outlook, Texas Sen. Kirk Watson will give the afternoon keynote and more than a dozen notable presenters will discuss the budget, legislative priorities and ways to better work with the legislature.
The conference is nearing capacity and those wishing to attend should reserve a spot now. Register at lbj.utexas.edu/legislativecommunication.
An afternoon panel, “Facing the Challenges of the 85th Legislative Session” will include Porter Wilson, executive director of the Employee Retirement System of Texas; Charles Smith, executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and Whitney Brewster, executive director of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Barry McBee, Vice Chancellor of Governmental Affairs at The University of Texas System, will moderate and participate.
Wilson was appointed executive director of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) on June 1, 2015.
ERS administers programs that provide retirement, deferred compensation and flexible benefits for more than 225,000 state employees and retirees.
Wilson most recently served as associate vice chancellor for governmental relations for the Texas Tech University System. From 1996 to 2014 he served as chief of staff for Texas State Senator Robert Duncan.
He received the Texas Public Employees Association’s Public Service Award for the 83rd legislative session and was named the Department of Public Safety Officers Association’s Legislative Staffer of the Year for both the 82nd and 83rd sessions.
Smith was selected by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve as executive commissioner for the Health and Human Services Commission effective June 1, 2016. Smith most recently was the Health and Human Services chief deputy executive commissioner.
He previously served as deputy for child support at the Office of the Attorney General from 2013-2015. He was responsible for the overall delivery of child support services performed by the division’s 2,700 employees.
Smith began his career in the Attorney General’s office as a volunteer in the Child Support Division in 1988. He served as the division’s deputy director from 2004-2013 overseeing field operations.
Brewster is the executive director of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and she is the second executive director to lead the agency since its inception in 2009. She oversees 763 employees, a biennial budget of over $300 million and more than $1.7 billion in annual revenue collections for the state.
Brewster began her professional career in Alaska as director of Alaska’s Division of Motor Vehicles. Brewster serves on the Business Executive Leadership Committee, which is charged with establishing an enterprise business strategy for data center services for state agencies in Texas.
She currently serves on the executive committee of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) International Board of Directors and is the 2nd Vice President of the AAMVA regional board.
The conference, sponsored since 1998 by the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships, Inc. will offer fact-based predictions for the 2017 session.
Attendees will hear about the issues statewide elected officials expect to champion, get tips on working successfully with elected leaders in the Texas House of Representatives and Senate and network with government executives.
Other confirmed presenters include: State Senator Kirk Watson, State Representative John Otto, State Representative Larry Gonzales, State Representative Carol Alvarado, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Governor Daniel Hodge, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Lt. Governor Logan Spence, Chief of Staff of the Office of the Speaker of the House Patricia Shipton, Budget Director for the Office of the Lt. Governor Mike Morrissey, Senior Budget and Policy Advisor at Texas House of Representatives Brady Franks, Legislative Budget Board Director Ursula Parks, Texas Monthly Senior Editor Erica Grieder, Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith and Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey.