State legislators, key decision makers and industry leaders to discuss
education, health care, infrastructure, natural resources, economics and more at two-day event, hosted by the Texas Tribune, on challenges and solutions in rural communities.

The Texas Tribune will host a free, open-to-the-public two-day event, The
Future of Rural Texas: A Texas Tribune Symposium , on Nov. 12 and 13 at Texas A&M University in College Station. The symposium, the first event focused on rural Texas for the nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide news
organization, will bring together Texas lawmakers, stakeholders, and industry leaders to discuss the most pressing issues facing the state’s sprawling rural communities.

Full schedule and registration available at texastribune.org/events .

MONDAY, NOV. 12
At 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12, The Future of Rural Texas will kick off with a keynote conversation on The 86th Legislative Agenda with state Reps. Trent Ashby , R-Lufkin; Drew Darby, R-San Angelo; Mary Go nzález , D-Clint; Poncho Nevárez , D-Eagle Pass; and Four Price , R-Amarillo, with Texas Tribune Co-Founder and CEO Evan Smith moderating. The event will be held at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, 1002 George Bush Dr. West, College Station, TX 77843. The opening-night reception, 7:15 p.m. to 9 p.m., will include complimentary light bites and a cash bar.

TUESDAY, NOV. 13
Tuesday, Nov. 13, will feature a full day of programming and events in the Century Ballroom at the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center, 177 Joe Routt Blvd., College Station, TX 77840. A light breakfast and lunch are included with complimentary RSVP. Paid visitor parking will be available Cain Garage (not included in registration).

7:30 a.m.: Breakfast and Expo Open

8:20-8:40 a.m.: Setting the table: What is Rural Texas?
● Tom Luce , founder and chairman of Texas 2036

8:45-9:05 a.m.: Public Opinion and Rural Texas
● Jim Henson , director of the Texas Politics Project

9:15-10:05 a.m.: Educating the Next Generation
● Kim Alexander , superintendent of the Roscoe Independent School District
● Jimmie Don Aycock , former state representative. and former chair of the House Public Education Committee
● Sylvia Leal , senior program officer for Education and Economic Development at the T.L.L Temple Foundation
● Cheryl Sparks , president of Howard College
● Moderated by Alana Rocha , multimedia reporter for The Texas Tribune
10:15-11:05 a.m.: Investing in Infrastructure
● Will Conley , chairman of CAMPO and a former Hays County commissioner
● State Rep. Ben Leman , R-Anderson, and former Grimes County judge
● State Rep. Geanie Morrison , R-Victoria, chair of the House Transportation Committee
● Bill Stockton , executive associate agency director for the Interdisciplinary Research Group at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute
● Moderated by Brandon Formby , urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune

11:15 a.m.-12:05 p.m.: Preserving Natural Resources
● Blair Fitzsimons , CEO of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust
● Marilu Hastings , vice president for sustainability at the Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation
● State Rep. Kyle Kacal , R-College Station
● Roel Lopez , director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
● Moderated by Andrew Sansom , executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University

12:05 p.m.: Lunch

12:40 p.m.: Introduction: Bruce Esterline, senior vice president for strategic initiatives and grants at the Meadows Foundation

12:45-1:35 p.m.: The View from Rural Communities
● Donnie Allred , Oldham County judge
● Shelley Brophy , mayor of Nacogdoches
● Alma Moreno , San Patricio County commissioner
● Ramiro Rodriguez , mayor of Palmhurst
● Moderated by Evan Smith , Co-Founder and CEO of The Texas Tribune

1:45-2:15 p.m.: The State of the Rural Economy
● Glenn Hegar , Texas comptroller of public accounts

2:25-3:15 p.m.: Building an Economic Future
● Becky Garlick , executive dean of Blinn College
● Arleene Loyd , executive director of the Gainesville Economic Development Corporation
● Joe Outlaw , professor and extension economist in the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University
● Ines Polonius , CEO of Communities Unlimited
● Moderated by Alana Rocha , multimedia reporter for The Texas Tribune

3:25-4:15 p.m.: Ensuring Rural Health
● Debra Flores , director of the West Texas Area Health Education Center at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health
● John Henderson , president and CEO of the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals
● Susan Rushing , CEO of Burke
● State Rep. J.D. Sheffield , R-Gatesville
● Moderated by Marissa Evans , health and human services policy reporter at The Texas Tribune

EVENT DETAILS:
Out-of-town attendees can reserve a room at the Texas A&M Hotel & Conference Center in advance. All panels from this event will be livestreamed here .

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS:
The Texas Tribune is committed to promoting civic dialogue and discussion on today’s biggest issues. In tandem with this live event, the Tribune has produced a Future of Rural Texas Community Conversation
Toolkit , a step-by-step guide to hosting a Symposium watch party and to sparking meaningful conversations on how the issues discussed at the symposium impact your family and community.

Download the toolkit here and find Symposium watch parties happening near you.

This event is presented by Educate Texas, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Greater Texas Foundation, Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation, Meadows Foundation, St. David’s Foundation, Still Water Foundation, Rebuild Texas, T.L.L. Temple Foundation and Texas Pioneer Foundation.

Major sponsors include Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, Episcopal Health Foundation, Texas Central, Texas Farm Bureau, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Texas Association of
Community Colleges, the Texas Wildlife Association, Oncor, Texas Agriculture Council, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Texas State University System, Texas Municipal League, Corteva Agriscience™ The
Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, WGU Texas, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Association of Dairymen, Texas Rural Water Association, Texas Corn Producers Association, the Texas Tech University System, Texas Living Waters Project, Texas Electric Cooperatives, Pearson and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.

This event is supported by Texas Citrus Mutual, the Farm Credit Bank of Texas, the Independent Cattlemen’s Association of Texas, Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council, Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, Texas Poultry Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Western Equipment Dealers Association, Texas Grain and Feed Association, Texas Forestry Association, Association of Rural Communities in Texas, the Texas Grain Sorghum Producers Association, Texas Agricultural Aviation Association, AgWorkers Insurance, Texas Seed Trade, the City of Bryan, the Texas Veterinary Medical Association and Bob Turner-Rural Issues Consulting.

The event is hosted by Texas A&M University.