Howdy WHA Members!
Welcome back from Spring Break. I hope you were able to join us last week for our event with Mayor John Whitmire. If you missed it, a recap is available on our website!
Speaking of the mayor, some appointments you might have missed this month: Elizabeth Brock as METRO Chair, Michael Nichols as Director of Housing & Community Development, Gwen Tillotson as Chief Economic Development Officer, and CM Sallie Alcorn will serve as Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee. Full list of Houston City Council Committees
Meanwhile, the Texas primaries are somewhat behind us, with a number of runoffs across the state taking place on May 28th. You can read more about the results from the Texas Tribune. One of the big races to watch is the runoff in HD 21, a spot currently held by Speaker of the Texas House Dade Phelan.
Are you ready to make a difference in our region? Join a group of other experts and industry leaders who want to identify infrastructure and development challenges to address in the region. Join us on this month on the 3rd for our Flood Control & Drainage Committee, the 9th for our Sustainable Infrastructure Committee, the 11th for our Education & Workforce Committee, the 13th for our Government Affairs Committee, the 18th for our Quality Planned Development Committee, the 18th for our Water Resources Committee, or the 22nd for our Regional Mobility Committee. Learn more about what’s going on in the region and how you can help lead quality growth.
We also have our new cohort of WHA Rising Leaders starting later this month on April 26th. We once again had a lot of interest in the program, filled the cohort, and have started a waiting list for 2025! On May 23rd we will have our Rising Leaders’ Topgolf Tournament. This is a great event to show your support for WHA and expand your network of like-minded individuals at the same time. Funds from the tournament support the Rising Leaders program which allows us to offer it at no charge to our members!
Later this year, please join us as we host another half-day symposium on Quality Planned Development on June 21st. This educational event helps educate public and elected officials across the region quality growth. This year we will include panels on how to keep development in your ETJ, sustainability of water resources, and funding for water supply projects. It’s also a great opportunity for members to connect with public officials and each other.
Meanwhile, volunteers from across WHA are working on two major projects, updates to the 2060 Plan and our online Development Map application tool. We aim to have both of these finalized by our Public Officials and Awards Reception taking place October 9th.
I am looking forward to big things for WHA this year! Thank you for your support of the West Houston Association and working to improve quality of life for the millions of people who live, work, and play across the region!