Dr. Jeronimo Cortina
Senator Don Henderson Professor in the Department of Political Science and Executive Director of the Population Health Collaborative
University of Houston
Dr. Cortina specializes in political geography, quantitative methods, population health, and American and Texas politics. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University in the City of New York.
Dr. Cortina brings extensive experience in public policy, project implementation, evaluation, and capacity building across Texas, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. A widely published scholar and sought-after commentator, his expertise has been featured in major media outlets, and he co-hosts Party Politics on Houston Public Media. He is the author of Proximity Politics: How Distance Shapes Public Opinion and Political Behavior (Columbia University Press).
Carlos Guzman, CEcD, EDFP
Director
Fort Bend County Economic Opportunity & Development
Carlos Guzman is a seasoned Economic Developer with over 20 years of experience working in local and regional organizations throughout Texas. Having worked in the Dallas and Houston metro areas with stops at the City of Dallas and The Greater Houston Partnership, Carlos has had a front row seat at some of the state’s largest and transformational economic development projects. Through his work, he has worked on projects that have resulted in $6.5B in new investment commitments.
Before coming to Fort Bend County, he was the Executive Director of the Pasadena Economic Development Corporation, the second largest community in the Houston MSA. Under his leadership, Pasadena EDC launched numerous successful initiatives that built on Pasadena’s strengths.
Carlos holds degrees from Georgetown University (DC) and George Mason University (VA). He holds certifications as a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) and Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). He is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in Portuguese.
Palak Jalan, BDS, MPH
CEO
AccessHealth
AccessHealth is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving Fort Bend and Waller Counties. Palak has played a pivotal role in transforming AccessHealth into a community-centered health home. With over a decade of experience in healthcare strategy and operations, her leadership spans care coordination, maternal and child health, digital transformation, and the integration of social determinants of health into clinical practice. Recognized by the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)for her leadership, Palak is passionate about delivering measurable impact through mission-driven execution. Palak holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from India and a Master of Public Health from the UTHealth School of Public Health. She is a member of the American Public Health Association, Delta Omega Honorary Society, and serves on the boards of Apollo Chamber Players and Executive Search Corps. She is also an active member of WBL (Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation) and Chief. She continues to drive AccessHealth’s focus on value-based care, community partnerships, and fair access to care.
David M. Oliver, Jr.
Partner
Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP
David Oliver is the Chairman of the Executive Committee at Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP, also known as ABHR. David has been instrumental in the firm’s growth since joining in 2004, just one year after its founding. Over the past two decades, he has helped shape ABHR into Texas’s premier law firm focused on complex real estate development and public infrastructure. David’s practice centers on large scale land development, with a particular focus on the acquisition and financing of critical infrastructure that supports residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use communities. He serves as general counsel and bond counsel to numerous special purpose local governments throughout the greater Houston region, advising on governance, regulatory compliance, and public finance. In addition, David works closely with private developers, representing them in negotiations with cities, counties, and other governmental entities to structure public-private partnerships that bring large-scale developments to life.
David earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University. He serves as Legal Counsel for the Fort Bend Regional Partnership.
Russ Poppe
First Assistant to the Chief Engineer
Fort Bend County Drainage District
Russ has over two and a half decades of design and program management experience in water resources and civil engineering that spans both the private and public sectors. He has extensive experience in flood risk management working with federal and state partners such as the Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Texas General Land Office and the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). He was selected by the TWDB to serve on the inaugural Region 6 San Jacinto River Watershed Regional Flood Planning Group and subsequently elected as chairman of the planning group by his appointed peers. Russ previously served as treasurer of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA), is currently President of the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) Houston/Galveston Post, is a voting member of the Lower Colorado-Lavaca Region 10 Regional Flood Planning Group representing Flood Districts, and a Houston Wilderness board member while fulfilling his duties as First Assistant Engineer at the FBC Drainage District.
Cam Yearty, CEcD, AICP
Manager, Economic Development
CenterPoint Energy
Cam Yearty serves as the Manager of Economic Development for CenterPoint Energy’s Houston electric service territory. Cam leverages more than a decade of experience in economic and community development in leading the team that promotes economic development by working proactively with state and local organizations to support their growth and economic development goals. Prior to joining CenterPoint, Cam served both the City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the City of Sugar Land Economic Development Department where he focused on Public-Private Partnerships, Site Selection, and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones. Cam holds a BA from Mercer University, as well as a Master’s of Environmental Planning & Design from the University of Georgia.