Staff

Carson Barr

Conservation Program Associate

Carson Barr is the Conservation Program Associate at Texas Water Trade.

Carson graduated with a B.S. in Geography with a concentration on Resources and Environmental Studies. While earning his degree he completed an undergraduate thesis about the viability of a groundwater conservation district for Llano County, Texas with notable hydrogeologist Dr. Robert Mace of the Meadows Center as his thesis advisor. After graduation, Carson assisted Dr. Mace on a groundwater inventory study contracted by Travis County. After finishing his work with the Meadows Center, he went on to intern for Clearwater Underground Water Conservation District in Bell County. Outside of work Carson enjoys camping, tabletop roleplaying games and scuba diving. He is eager to continue his work in environmental stewardship with Texas Water Trade.

Sharlene Leurig

Chief Executive Officer

Sharlene Leurig is Chief Executive Officer of Texas Water Trade.

She is a sustainable water finance expert with extensive experience in Texas on long-range water planning, infrastructure finance and water transactions. Formerly, she directed the Texas Environmental Flows Initiative, a collaboration of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the Harte Research Institute, The Nature Conservancy and several other groups, to purchase water for the bays and estuaries of the Texas Gulf Coast. She also chaired the Austin Water Forward Task Force, which developed a groundbreaking 100-year water plan approved unanimously by the Austin City Council in 2018. She holds a BA in Physics and English from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was a fellow in the MIT-USGS Science Impact Collaborative, focusing on the role of science in multi-stakeholder resource planning and dispute resolution. Ms. Leurig lives in Austin.

Quinn McColly

Conservation Finance Director

Quinn McColly is the Conservation Finance Director at Texas Water Trade.

Dr. Quinn McColly comes to Texas Water Trade with a unique background that combines practical market experience with academic research. Quinn earned his Ph.D. in Coastal and Marine System Science at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M—Corpus Christi. He studied with Dr. David Yoskowitz’s Socio-Economics Group, where he wrote his dissertation Market Mechanisms and the Efficient Allocation of Water. He came to the Harte Research Institute after a long stint in the world of finance, working as a floor trader on the Chicago Stock Exchange for a decade before moving laterally into an advisory position in private wealth management. He earned his master’s degree at TAMU-CC in Environmental Science after defending his thesis Evaluating the Interest of Voluntary Buyers in an Ecosystem Services Exchange. During his undergraduate work at Indiana University and Columbia College, he studied liberal arts with concentrations in environmental studies, history, and philosophy.

In his free time, Quinn enjoys cycling, sailing, gardening, and anything his 6-year-old daughter Abilyn wants to do. Quinn is excited to join Texas Water Trade to continue to explore creative conservation finance strategies, is enthusiastic about the opportunity to restore and protect environmental flows of water, and is motivated by his desire to brighten the future for the children of today and tomorrow.

Kristin Rodriguez

Director of Development

Kristin Rodriguez is the Director of Development at Texas Water Trade.

She comes to Texas Water Trade with 15 years of development experience in Texas. She previously focused on health and human services, creating meaningful partnerships and raising critical funds to support the missions of the American Heart Association and Clayton Dabney for Kids with Cancer. During her tenure at the American Heart Association, she was the recipient of the Cass Wheeler Award for Integration.

Kristin is a native Texan and a graduate of the University of Houston. She and her husband live in Houston and have two daughters.

Christine Rosales

Senior Executive Administrator

Christine Rosales is the Senior Executive Administrator to the Chief Executive Officer and supports the Texas Water Trade Board of Directors and Advisory Council.

She is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of Texas Water Trade. Chris comes to Texas Water Trade with years of experience as a detail-oriented and effective administrator. Before joining our team in 2019, she worked as a Faculty Coordinator at The University of Texas at Austin and as an Executive Assistant at the Dell Medical School and previously as an Executive and Exhibitions Assistant at a non-profit photography organization in Houston.