Texas Climate Adaptation

The Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategies symposium is a project initiated by Stefan Wray, a student in the midcareer graduate program of the LBJ School of Affairs. The symposium evolved from an assignment in Professor Bill Spelman’s Policy Development course requiring students to identify a pressing local policy challenge and propose a viable solution. Wray was joined by fellow LBJ graduate student Nora Ankrum in completing the assignment, which explored the role of municipal leadership and regional collaboration in climate change resilience strategies. Out of this effort, they developed the concept for a conference and were joined by Alyssa Burgin of the Texas Drought Project and Sascha Petersen of Adaptation International and the Institute for Sustainable Communities. Burgin and Petersen were instrumental in further refining the idea and helping to organize the event. The team is grateful for the encouragement they received from LBJ faculty and staff and thankful to the many others who helped along the way.