With more than three decades of environmental law, policy, and advocacy experience, Mary is a nationally respected environmental lawyer and non-profit program manager. She provides environmental analysis and advocacy services to non-profits, philanthropic foundations, and other organizations. Mary’s areas of expertise include water law and policy, ecosystem restoration law and policy, U.S./Mexico border environmental issues, strategy development, grant writing, strategic fundraising and non-profit management.  J.D. University of Texas; B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona.

Jay Kleberg is the founding executive director of the Gulf Trust, a conservation organization focused on providing Texas-based, science-backed solutions to some of the Gulf’s most pressing challenges. Prior to this role, Jay served as Associate Director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, was a strategic consultant to the National Parks Service and The Peregrine Fund, and has co-produced and co-directed several award-winning documentary films. He holds an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and BA from Williams College.

Don serves as Executive Director of the Harte Charitable Foundation developing and managing their investments in the stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico.  Don also serves as Chair of Gulf of Tomorrow, a new tri-national marine conservation organization. Don previously led the Gulf of Maine Research Institute from start-up to internationally recognized climate change research and adaptation organization.

Sarah Rountree Schlessinger is the CEO of Texas Water Foundation (TWF), a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to lead Texas into a secure water future. TWF works in water policy by educating, convening, and supporting the next generation of water leaders. She previously worked in groundwater policy and regulation, and has experience with international nonprofits and disaster response. Sarah was a founding director of Texas Water Trade, served as an appointed member of the Water Conservation Advisory Council for ten years, and currently serves as a director of Gulf of Tomorrow and Open ET.

Tristan “Tris” has over thirty years of applied experience in local and state governmental relations. Tris joined Longbow Partners as an equity partner and is responsible for business development, direct advocacy, and counseling Longbow’s clients on environmental, transportation, workers’ compensation, appropriations, tax, economic development, land use, telecommunications, and utility matters in connection with the Texas Legislature and on various permit and rulemaking issues before state agencies.

Over the years, Tris has successfully represented and provided strategic counsel to numerous private sector, public sector, and non-profit interests. Tris has worked in the Texas Attorney General’s Office and as the Vice President of Government Relations for The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, leading all the advocacy efforts at the state and local level. Tris also has substantial municipal government experience, having worked as a Special Assistant to former San Antonio Mayor, Henry Cisneros.

Holly serves as a Managing Director of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm supporting early-stage, high-impact social enterprises. She plays a lead role in sourcing new investments and working with the leadership of those organizations as an operating partner and board member as they grow to build capacity and achieve their maximum impact. As a member of the Foundation’s senior leadership team, based in Dallas, Texas, Holly plays a lead role in increasing the Foundation’s presence, portfolio investments, and donor partnerships in Texas and the Southwest region. Holly currently serves on the board of grantee Child Poverty Action Lab.

Holly has 25 years of public policy and leadership experience. As Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute, Holly led the team in developing and implementing major policy and programmatic initiatives on key issues of national and global importance. She oversaw the organization’s strategy on leadership development, with four leadership programs graduating over 1,000 alumni to date from around the world. Domestically, she led their efforts to push for comprehensive immigration reform and developed key alliances and partnerships in support of that effort. Globally, she shepherded the Bush Institute’s public-private partnership on global health that scaled up screening and treatment for cervical cancer for millions of women in sub-Saharan Africa.

She is a veteran of the White House, U.S. Department of Education, and Capitol Hill, where she developed her expertise in education policy. She served on the White House Domestic Policy Council staff and then as Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs at the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to that, she worked for two United States Senators on domestic policy issues. She has also consulted on education and workforce issues with major foundations, companies, non-profits, and policymakers.

Holly also served as a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, a Pahara Institute Fellow, and an Aspen Global Leadership Network member. She serves on the boards of the Gates Policy Initiative, the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, and the Dallas Assembly, and is an alumnus of the Texas Lyceum. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Leslie is a hydrogeologist and environmental scientist who is now focused on building social impact initiatives around the globe. She recently joined the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as Program Manager where she focuses on strategy, planning, and management for the genomics, epidemiology, and modeling division of their global health team. Previously, Leslie led Splash International’s award-winning, mission-aligned social enterprise, which she launched for the organization in 2019 to create and sell handwashing stations that improve health outcomes for kids in low- and middle-income countries. In just a few years, Leslie scaled this business to sell 7,000 stations and generate $3M in blended revenue from sales, impact investments, and grants. And prior to that, she used her unique blend of scientific research and business-focused strategy skills to work on community development initiatives in rural Ethiopia and environmental sustainability projects in Texas.

He first joined Texas Water Trade in 2023 as Chief Strategy Officer and brings extensive experience in the private and non-governmental organizations sectors, previously serving as Director of Policy for Audubon Texas.  From 2008 to 2019 he worked in private consulting for the Ben Barnes Group and independently, where he worked with clients on civil works projects involving brownfield reclamation, transportation, water supply, and energy.

Scott lives in Austin, Texas and earned MA and BA degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and comes from a long line of proud Texans. He recently served as the Board President of the Texas Land Conservancy, a state-based land trust.

Marcela Navarrete recently retired as VP – Strategic, Financial and Management Services at El Paso Water. In her two decades at El Paso Water, Navarrete worked her way up from accountant to be the first woman Chief Financial Officer and also led strategic and management services with scope that includes accounting, procurement, land management, customer service, information technology and human resources. She is credited with driving efficiencies and maintaining the utility’s AA+ bond rating while keeping El Paso Water and wastewater rates among the lowest in Texas. Navarrete holds an accounting degree from The University of Texas at El Paso and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has served on many community and professional Boards and in 2016 was named a Woman of Impact by El Paso Inc.