Carbon Management Dialogue: Greater Houston Region

Mr. Brad Crabtree is the Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), where he leads and directs FECM’s research and development programs.

Mr. Crabtree brings nearly three decades of experience in energy and climate policy to his role as Assistant Secretary. Prior to joining DOE, he served as Vice President for Carbon Management at the Great Plains Institute (GPI), where he cofounded and directed the Carbon Capture Coalition, which works to advance carbon management technologies to meet climate goals, create high-wage jobs, and support domestic energy and industrial production.

Sylvester Turner, Houston’s 62nd mayor, was first elected in December 2015 and re-elected in December 2019. In his final year, Mayor Turner’s theme is “execution and implementation,” as he focuses on finishing major projects and initiatives. Under Mayor Turner’s leadership, Houston has passed eight balanced budgets and rebounded from Hurricane Harvey, championed historic pension reform, and launched Houston’s first Climate Action Plan, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and leading the global energy transition. A few of Mayor Turner’s signature priorities include Complete Communities, a transformative initiative to revitalize Houston’s most under-served neighborhoods, and the Hire Houston Youth program, which provides jobs and internship opportunities for young people. He has forged public-private partnerships to improve neighborhood parks and expand Houston’s technology and innovation footprint.

Reginald DesRoches is Rice University’s eighth president. He also serves as professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and professor of Mechanical Engineering. As president, DesRoches is the chief executive officer of the university and its more than 8,200 students, 900 plus faculty, seven academic schools, the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, and many interdisciplinary institutes and centers. He previously served as Rice’s Howard Hughes Provost and William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering. DesRoches’ top priorities are to enable Rice to reach a new level of distinction nationally and internationally for impactful research, award-winning scholarship and insightful creative work. He also wants to build graduate programs that are of the same distinction as Rice’s top rated undergraduate programs while maintaining Rice’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Reverend Caldwell has been a community advocate and activist for over 15 years. He is the founder and director of the Coalition of Community Organizations (COCO), which connects communities to the invaluable resources they need and connects organizations with one another. Aside from serving as the Chair and facilitator for monthly community meetings in both 5th Ward and Kashmere Gardens (North Houston), he is also a member of the following: Port of Houston Authority Chairman’s Community Advisory Committee, Healthy Port Community Coalition, Clean Gulf Commerce Coalition, PCORI Baylor College of Medicine’s Asthma Study Advisory Committee, Texas Organizing Project, Working America, and People Before Profits.