In accordance with The Galveston Bay Plan (The Plan), a coordinating body, The Galveston Bay Council (GBC) was created and appointed by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) in November 1995. The Galveston Bay Council continues the work of the Management Conference convened for The Plan’s creation.
This Council is charged to:
- Provide an ongoing forum for technical and stakeholder review and involvement during implementation of The Plan.
- Contribute to assessments of The Plan’s effectiveness and participate in periodic redirection of The Plan’s initiatives.
- Advise the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality during consistency reviews of eligible federal projects.
- Maintain agency commitments to implement The Plan; assure efficient cross-jurisdictional coordination and, if necessary, facilitate resolution of disputes.
- Set annual priorities for the implementation of action plans.
- Represent various stakeholder groups.
Upcoming Meeting: April 16, 2025
U.S. Coast Guard: Matthew Tilimon
U.S. Geological Survey: Mike Lee
National Marine Fisheries Service: Charrish Stevens
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service: Scott Alford
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Raven Blakeway, Ph.D.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Huy Vu
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Scott Williams
Texas Department of Agriculture: Kristin Lambrecht
Texas General Land Office: Dianna Ramirez
Texas Department of State Health Services: Kirk Wiles
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Kelly Mills
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Lindsey Savage
Texas Railroad Commission: Dean Southward
Texas Department of Transportation: Susanna Scott
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board: Brian Koch
Texas Water Development Board: Caimee Schoenbaechler
Gulf Coast Authority: Elizabeth Fazio Hale
Houston-Galveston Area Council: Todd Running
City of Houston: Winfred Colbert
Medium Local Governments – population 25,000- 500,000: Katie Wilson
Small Local Governments – population <25,000: Julie Masters
Trinity River Authority: Glenn Clingenpeel
Port of Houston Authority: Kari Sutton
Large Local Governments – population >500,000: Jonathan Holley
San Jacinto River Authority: Shane Simpson
Galveston Bay Foundation: Bob Stokes
Citizens-at-Large: Linda Shead
Underrepresented Communities: Juan Flores
League of Women Voters: Susan Bandy
Coastal Conservation Association: Shane Bonnot
Low-income Communities: Albert Gonzales
Other Conservation Organizations: Mike Lange
Nature Tourism: Rusty Senac
Greater Houston Partnership: Maria Valdez
Utilities: Jeff Dallarosa
Industry: Vance Darr
Marinas: Helen Paige
Commercial Fisheries: Tracy Woody
East Harris County Manufacturer’s Association: Ana Partin
Major Universities: Hanadi Rifai
Texas Sea Grant: Laura Picariello
April 16, 2025
April 2025 Meeting Minutes
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Funding Priorities
Presentation: Creating a Legacy of Sustainability for Houston 2026 – Elizabeth Carlson, Tricon Energy and Chair, World Cup Sustainability Subcommittee
Presentation: SPLASh Project Update – Chloe Dannenfelser, American Bird Conservancy
Presentation: Bay to Schools Project Update – Cindy Wilems, Galveston Bay Foundation
- Monitoring & Research – Jenelle Estrada
- Public Participation and Education – Zoe Gapyao
January 15, 2025
January 2025 Meeting Minutes
Presentation: 89th Legislative Update – Amanda Schar, Statehouse Group
Presentation: Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan Update: ERAP – Stephanie Glenn and Erin Kinney, Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)
Presentation: Equity Strategy Update*– Moriah Brewer, Moriah Lynn Consulting
*GBEP is no longer implementing the Equity Strategy, and it is no longer on the GBEP website.
Presentation: San Jacinto River Authority – Lake Conroe Operations – Shane Simpson, San Jacinto River Authority
Subcommittee Updates
- Natural Resource Uses – Lindsey Lippert
- Water and Sediment Quality – Christian Rines
July 16, 2025
October 15, 2025
October 16, 2024
Presentation: Big and Bold: Making of Texas’ First State Flood Plan – Reem J. Zoun, Assistant Deputy Executive Administrator, Texas Water Development Board
Presentation: Unmanned Aircraft Systems – Overview and Use – Marc Mokrech, Ph.D., University of Houston Clear Lake
Presentation: Fiscal 2026 GBEP Work Plan and Federal Fiscal 2025 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Work Plan – GBEP Staff
July 17, 2024
Presentation: Nature-Based Solutions for Flood Control in Harris County, Texas – Jonathan Holley, Harris County Flood Control District
Presentation: Spatial and Temporal Distributions of Emerging Contaminants in Galveston Bay, Texas – Yina Liu, Ph.D. and Michael Shields, Ph.D., Texas A&M University
April 17, 2024
April 2024 Field Trip Itinerary
January 17, 2024
Presentation: CCMP Update Discussion – Stephanie Glenn, Ph.D. and Erin Kinney, Ph.D., Houston Advanced Research Center
Presentation: Member Highlight – Vance Darr, Kuraray, USA
Presentation: Texas Invasives: Research, Programs & Outreach – Ashley R. Morgan-Olvera, Texas Invasive Species Institute, Sam Houston State University
October 18, 2023
July 19, 2023
April 19, 2023
Presentation: The Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project – David Miller, Coastal Water Authority
January 18, 2023
Presentation: Houston Ship Channel New Work Dredging by Leia Wilson, Port Houston.
Presentation: Port Houston Sustainability and 2050 by Trae Camble, Port Houston.
Presentation: Texas Legislative Overview – Amy Stetler, Trinity River Authority.
April 20, 2022 Meeting
July 20, 2022 Meeting
Presentation: Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA)
Presentation: The Connected Coast: Environmental Flows for Bay and Estuarine Health
October 19, 2022 Meeting
October 2022 Minutes
Presentation: An Overview of Phase One: The Galveston Bay Regional Monitoring Database