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.
Galveston Bay Council – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
Just as natural ecosystems depend on biodiversity to thrive, the long-term preservation of the Galveston Bay estuary depends on the equitable, just and inclusive engagement of all communities throughout the watershed.
The Galveston Bay Council is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusiveness as a core policy and fundamental operating principle. It is the policy of the council to engage in an active and ongoing process that affirms human diversity in its many forms, encompassing but not limited to ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation and identification, age, economic circumstance, class, disability, geography, and religion.
The Council seeks diversity and equity to ensure that a range of perspectives, opinions, and experiences are recognized and considered in achieving the mission of protecting and preserving the Galveston Bay Estuary.
Upcoming Meeting: January 15, 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
January 15, 2025
April 16, 2025
July 16, 2025
October 15, 2025
October 16, 2024
October 2024 Minutes
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
Narragansett Bay Estuary Program Environmental Justice
Targeted Bacteria Monitoring Update
July 21, 2021
Texas Integrated Flooding Framework (TIFF) Planning Project
Monitoring and Research – GBEP Project Viewer
Galveston Bay Estuary Resilience Assessment by Houston Advanced Research Center
Regional Conservation Framework
Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study and Interim Report Alternative
January 20, 2021
January 2021 Minutes
January 2021 Handouts
Pelican Island Causeway Update
Galveston Bay Intertidal Oyster Reef Mapping and Analysis