2026

SPEAKERS

  • Nancy Chan is the founding executive director of the WoodNext Foundation, which manages the philanthropy of tech innovator and Roku CEO/Founder Anthony Wood and his wife Susan. Their philanthropic efforts are guided by their overall mission to advance human progress and remove obstacles to a fulfilling life. The WoodNext Foundation makes grants and investments in a variety of areas, including scientific and biomedical research, mental health, homelessness, education, nature conservation, disaster recovery, and economic opportunity, with a focus on addressing root causes. Because of the Woods’ strong ties to Texas, WoodNext’s geographic priority is the southern United States, though the WoodNext Foundation also makes grants in other regions, nationally and internationally.

    Previously, Ms. Chan established and led the Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning function for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI)'s Justice & Opportunity Initiative. Prior to CZI, Ms. Chan served as a director at philanthropy consulting firm Arabella Advisors, where she advised clients on strategy development, project evaluation, and grantmaking program implementation. Before joining Arabella, Ms. Chan was at SRI International (formerly the Stanford Research Institute), where she conducted research related to technology-based economic development, innovation, education, and workforce development for public- and private-sector clients globally. Before SRI, Ms. Chan was a research associate at the Urban Institute’s Education Policy Center, and also worked at Silicon Valley tech companies Adaptec and Palm, in roles including product management and engineering program management. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an electrical engineering degree from MIT, and also holds a public policy degree from Georgetown University.

  • Erin is currently the General Counsel of the Texas Space Commission (TSC), where she previously served as the agency’s first Chief Compliance Officer. Before joining TSC, Erin served in various roles at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), including Interim Executive Director, Director of the Office of Legal Services, Special Counsel to past TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw, P.E., Ph.D., and Staff Attorney for the Superfund and Dry Cleaner Remediation Programs. She also spent time in the federal government, serving as a political appointee at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in two separate roles—EPA Region 6 Chief of Staff in Dallas and Counsel to the Administrator at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    Erin holds a J.D. from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from The University of Texas at Austin.

    Erin is a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow, a Director on the Austin Bar Foundation Board, Past Chair of the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) Environmental and Natural Resources Law Section (ENRLS) Council, and the ENRLS Social Media Committee Chair. She is also engaged with the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association, the American Bar Association Forum on Air & Space Law, the SBOT Administrative and Public Law Section, and the SBOT Aviation Section.

  • Angela Colmenero currently serves as Governor Abbott's Deputy Chief of Staff. She previously served as Principal Deputy General Counsel to the Governor and has worked in his administration since 2018. In 2023, Governor Abbott appointed her to serve as the Interim Attorney General for a temporary period of time.

    Prior to joining the Governor’s office, Angela held various leadership positions for nearly a decade at the Texas Attorney General’s Office, including as Chief of the General Litigation Division and Deputy Chief of the Special Litigation Division. She also worked in private practice as a litigation attorney at a large national law firm and a litigation boutique, and she served as a law clerk to the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

    She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and the University of Texas at Austin.

  • Amanda Crawford is the Executive Director of the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) and serves as the Chief Information Officer for the State of Texas. In this role, she is responsible for the overall leadership and daily operations of DIR, an agency with an annual fiscal profile of more than $7 billion. DIR's responsibilities include protecting the state's data and critical technology infrastructure, managing a multi- billion-dollar cooperative contracts program, and providing strategic technology leadership and solutions to all levels of Texas government.

    Prior to leading the team at DIR, Mandy served at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas (OAG) for more than 17 years. She held various positions at the OAG, including

    ultimately serving for two and a half years as the Deputy Attorney General for Administration and General Counsel. Mandy is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and earned her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

  • Allison Ellsworth is the Co-Founder of poppi: the modern soda brand revolutionizing soda for the next generation. She created poppi by experimenting in her kitchen to create an apple cider vinegar-infused soda that tasted great.

    From the farmers market to a Shark Tank deal, in just five years, poppi quickly became one of the fastest-growing beverages in the U.S., culminating in its landmark sale to PepsiCo in 2025. She pioneered the brand’s cultural cache and digital-first approach, attracting a loyal community of over 1M followers, over 2B+ page views on TikTok and celebrity brand fans including Post Malone, Alix Earle, Hailey Bieber, Billie Eilish and more.

    Allison has been recognized in the 2024 Inc. Female Founders 250 and was named Founder of the Year from Modern Retail; TIME named poppi one of The 100 Most Influential Companies of 2025.  She lives in Austin, TX with her husband and three boys.  

  • Gay Gaddis is an entrepreneur, author, artist and trailblazer. She’s the founder of T3, an innovative digital and marketing agency that grew into the largest woman-owned independent advertising agency in the U.S, under Gay’s leadership for over 30 years. Through her speaking career on women’s leadership, company culture and entrepreneurship, her book Cowgirl Power: How to Kick Ass in Business & Life, board work and leadership training, Gay focuses her always-on energy to empower the next generation of business leaders to take big leaps in their careers and lives. She is a contributor to Forbes and the founder of two leadership programs that she teaches at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas: Women Who Mean Business, a development program for female executives and entrepreneurs and Texas Trailblazers: Gay Gaddis Leadership, a program designed for undergraduate students. Additionally, she is the past President and Chair of the Board of Directors of Texas Exes, the official alumni association of the University of Texas, and was recently appointed to the Governor’s Commission for Women.

    Gay has received numerous awards including the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Texas, 2021 Hall of Fame Award by the McCombs School of Business, the Liz Carpenter Lifetime Achievement Award, Fast Company’s Top 25 Women Business Builders, Inc. Magazine’s Top 10 Entrepreneurs of the Year and C200’s Luminary Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

    As an artist, Gay’s bold and vibrant paintings have been shown in several prestigious galleries around the country including New York City and Santa Fe, and Texas Monthly magazine recognized Gay as one of “10 Artists to Collect Now.” Gay and her husband own and operate the historic Double Heart Ranch in the Texas Hill Country, home to Gay’s private art studio and gallery, Fossil Ridge.

  • Angela Akins Garcia grew up in the great state of Texas. She went to Marble Falls High School where she excelled in academics and athletics. Angela then attended The University of Texas on an athletic scholarship and was a member of the UT women’s golf team. She received a degree in journalism from Texas and graduated with Honors. 

    After college, Angela worked for the governor of Texas in his appointments office before continuing to work as a broadcast journalist. She worked as an on-air reporter and host for FOX Sports, NBC, and Golf Channel and finally SiriusXM where she had her own radio show. 

    Now her passions are taking care of her 2-year-old son, 4-year-old-daughter, and her husband who she says is the best! Angela’s husband is a professional golfer, and the family enjoys traveling the world cheering him on. In addition to her family, Angela is passionate about giving back to her community and beyond. Angela is the founder of The UGLI Foundation and is determined to end bullying and create a better and brighter world for everyone. Angela is also the co-founder of the Sergio and Angela Garcia Foundation which supports various organizations that help children, foster families and growing the game of golf. Angela credits her parents who raised her to be kind, compassionate, generous, and always striving to do better. 

    In addition, Angela sits on the board of the Save Muny Foundation and is a co-chair of the American Heart Association of Austin Circle of Red Campaign.

  • Nichole Bunker-Henderson serves as General Counsel for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Prior to joining the Coordinating Board, Nichole served the Office of the Attorney General for 15 years, rising from law clerk to Chief of the Administrative Law Division, and ultimately serving as the Associate Deputy Attorney General for Civil Litigation.

    Nichole has worked on diverse matters as a trial and appellate attorney and general counsel to state agencies. She is a frequent speaker on administrative law topics. During her nearly 25 years of government service, Nichole has also served as the Deputy General Counsel at the Texas Education Agency and worked for the Texas Senate and Texas Legislative Council.

    She earned a bachelor’s degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from The University of Arizona.

  • Justice Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle was appointed to the Supreme Court of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott in October 2020 and elected to a full term in 2022. She is a native of El Paso, where she grew up and attended Stephen F. Austin High School. Justice Huddle earned her undergraduate degree in political science at Stanford University and taught Spanish for a year before returning to Texas to attend the University of Texas School of Law, where she graduated with honors.

    Before entering public service, Justice Huddle practiced law at Baker Botts L.L.P. and was admitted to the firm’s partnership. In 2011, then Governor Rick Perry appointed her to serve as a justice on the Court of Appeals for the First District of Texas in Houston. She was then elected to that office in 2012.

    During her tenure at the First Court of Appeals, Justice Huddle authored over 400 reasoned majority opinions. In 2017, Justice Huddle returned to Baker Botts, resuming her practice in commercial litigation and appeals and serving as the Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Houston office beginning in 2018.

    Justice Huddle is a member of the American Law Institute, a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation. In 2018, she received the Houston Bar Association Appellate Section’s award for Outstanding Judicial Service and Leadership. In 2019, she was named a Woman on the Move by Texas Executive Women. She has served as a member of the board of directors of

    the Greater Houston Partnership, the Houston Area Women’s Center, and the Kinkaid School Investments Foundation.

    Justice Huddle is the proud mom of two teenage daughters.

  • Lisa Jammer is the Chief People and Culture Officer at DIR. In this role, she leads the vision, strategy, development, and execution of talent and culture management programs to advance the agency’s mission, vision, and core value statements. She has 20 years of human resources experience with 11 of those years in Texas state government. Prior to state service, Lisa served in a variety of human resources, treasury, and accounting roles with Indeed, Waste Management, and Continental Airlines. 

    Lisa is currently attending the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University and holds a Master of Science in Human Resource Development from the University of Houston and Bachelor of Science in Business Management from LeTourneau University. She has successfully earned the PHR and SHRM-CP designations. 

  • Joseph Leadley serves as AI Strategist for the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), where his expertise extends across the hardware, systems, and strategy to usher in a more seamless and impactful Texas workforce system. 

    Joseph kickstarted his career as an engineering technician at Samsung Semiconductor more than nine years ago. In that role, he gained a nuanced understanding of the chips that power our most critical technologies—and the advanced machinery needed to make them.  

    Today, Joseph serves a founding member of the initiative to integrate AI across agency operations. His work leverages his unique, end-to-end knowledge—from the silicon in a chip to the stability of a server—to transform how government serves Texans.

  • Camila Alves McConaughey is a dedicated mother, entrepreneur, and NY Times Bestselling Author. Born and raised in Brazil to a family of farmers, she grew up with a strong connection to the taste and aroma of food made using only fresh-picked ingredients. 

    After moving to the U.S. in her teens to pursue a career in fashion, she later established herself as a well-known lifestyle expert – hosting the Food Network’s “Kids BBQ Championship” and Bravo’s “Shear Genius,” guest judging on “Chopped Junior,” and co-founding a frozen organic baby food brand, Yummy Spoonfuls. 

    Camila regularly makes appearances on morning and daytime talks shows sharing her fresh, modern approach to entertaining, beauty and cooking.

    Throughout her career, Camila has traveled the world and with each journey found a deep interest and connection to different cultures and communities around the globe. With this vision, in 2015 she launched the lifestyle and community website Women of Today with the purpose of building a space that encourages connection around content focused on family, food, fashion, wellness, home and more.

    In 2022, Camila released her first children’s book ‘Just Try One Bite,’ became an instant New York Times Bestseller. It’s a fresh and hilarious new take on picky eating with whimsical role reversals. Three kids are determined to get their parents to put down the ice cream, cake, and chicken fried steak to just try one bite of healthy whole foods. 

    In October 2023, Camila and her husband Matthew launched their own tequila brand, Pantalones Organic Tequila, the first joint venture for the couple.

    Camila currently resides in Austin, TX with her husband and three children.

  • SC Perot is a storyteller, educator and bestselling author. A proud Dallas native, she is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Stanford Law School. After practicing law, she made a bold mid-pandemic pivot to pursue her longtime passion for teaching.

    Her debut book, Styles of Joy, explores how we can discover and express joy as a practice—not a personality trait. Her signature keynote presentation centers on living JOY out loud, even in life’s most uncertain moments. Her talks are an invitation—to feel deeply, connect authentically, and reimagine what’s possible when we lead with heart.

    SC is a sought-after voice on joy, resilience, reinvention and the art of showing up. When she’s not writing, teaching or speaking, SC can be found in Nashville, TN, enjoying live music, good food, and time with her four-legged sidekick, Ranger.

  • Margo Richards is a proud sixth-generation Texan and fourth-generation Aggie with a deep love for the outdoors. Her extensive career in the travel and outdoor industries has focused on promoting and creating unique adventures across the great state of Texas.

    As senior vice president of Community Resources for the Lower Colorado River Authority, Margo oversees about 40 parks that welcome more than 1.5 million visitors annually. Richards directs strategy, business development, sales and marketing for one of the most dynamic park systems in the country. She also oversees the LCRA Meeting Services team, which organizes more than 250 events a year.

    A graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program and recognized as an Outstanding Woman in Texas Government in 2024, Margo is the chair of the Texas Travel Alliance Board and a member of the Great Springs Project trails planning committee and the Texas Wildlife Association membership committee. 

    Margo’s distinguished career illustrates her dedication to Texas and to developing future leaders. Her career includes more than 20 years of public service, including time spent as director of the Travel Information Division at the Texas Department of Transportation, director of Tourism at Visit Austin and public relations coordinator for the Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism. Her career highlights include overseeing the Don’t Mess with Texas anti-litter campaigns, marketing Texas around the world and bringing innovative activities and overnight accommodations to LCRA parks.

    Margo lives in Austin and enjoys spending time at Maysel Ranch, her childhood home, in Freestone County.

  • Lori Wagner is the District Programs Manager for TxDOT Austin District Administration with 18 years of experience in transportation-related legal audits, agreements, contracting, program management, HR programs, and more.

    Her career began in 1989 in the U.S. Navy, where she held leadership roles. After her service, she became a business owner and manager before joining TxDOT in 2007. At TxDOT, Lori managed performance-based maintenance contracts for the Central Texas Turnpike System (CTTS), advanced to the Maintenance Office in 2011, and became the Business Operations Manager in 2016.

    In 2019, she took on her current role as District Programs Manager, overseeing legal documents, audits, interoffice operations, policy development, and advising on executive decisions. Lori has led initiatives such as the Mobility35 Initiative to Address Homelessness, the Esperanza Community housing project, TxDOT’s Human Trafficking Awareness initiative, and the Mental Health Program "Tune Up Your State of Mind".

    In 2023, she received the Raymond Stotzer award for her dedication and leadership at TxDOT.