THE METROPOLITAN LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

8:00–8:10 AM 

Arrival and Breakfast

8:15–9:00 AM 

A Leadership Moment for Texas Cities 

Big question: What leadership capacity will Texas cities need to navigate the next era of metropolitan growth? 

• Moderator: Ryan Streeter, Director, Civitas Institute
• Joel Kotkin, Senior Research Fellow at the Civitas Institute

9:00–10:00 AM 

Governing for Alignment: How Austin Designed a Scalable Workforce Engine

Big question: How can public leaders move beyond fragmented workforce efforts and govern for alignment across education, industry, and economic strategy? 

The Austin Infrastructure Academy is built to train 10,000 workers a year to meet the region’s infrastructure demands. But the deeper lesson is how Austin embedded workforce strategy into capital planning and institutional governance. This session explores how city executives build durable cross-sector systems that drive outcomes—at speed and at scale.

• Laura Huffman, Partner, CivicSol
• Cesiah Kessler, President, Kessler Group

10:00–10:15 AM 

Break

10:15–11:30 AM 

Building Innovation Districts That Matter: Strategic Lessons from St. Louis 

Big question: How can public leaders shape innovation ecosystems that actually deliver on jobs, growth, and reinvestment—not just real estate plays?

St. Louis offers one of the country’s most effective models for place-based innovation—each forged through civic leadership, land strategy, and institutional leverage. This session moves beyond buzzwords to focus on what makes districts durable: aligned governance, value capture, and an economic theory of change.

• Steven Pedigo, Professor of Practice, LBJ School
• Sam Fiorello, President & CEO, Corex Innovation District

11:30 AM–12:15 PM 

Fireside Conversation: Texas’s Growth Agenda—Aligning Statewide Strategy and Local Action Henry Cisneros 

Big question: How can Texas cities align local action with statewide priorities to manage explosive growth?

• JR DeShazo, Dean, LBJ School
• Henry Cisneros, Former U.S. HUD Secretary

12:15–1:30 PM 

Peer Exchange: Making State Strategy Local 

Big question: How can local leaders translate statewide goals into practical action, and what’s getting in the way?

This moderated working lunch gives participants a chance to reflect on the morning sessions and the state’s economic priorities. Through table-level discussions, leaders will unpack how their city or agency is approaching capital planning, investment readiness, and public finance—and identify where they need new tools, partners, or political strategies to move faster.

• Facilitator: Carlton Schwab, President, Texas Economic Development Council

1:30–2:45 PM 

The AI Disruption: What It Means for Texas Cities and Their Workforce 

Big question: How will AI reshape local labor markets, and what can city leaders do now to prepare?

Artificial intelligence is already transforming industries, reshaping skills demand and putting pressure on local workforce systems. For Texas cities, the question is not if disruption will come, but how to adapt—at speed and at scale. This session unpacks the latest evidence on AI’s impact on Texas industries and explores what local leaders can do to respond. From reskilling and education partnerships to economic diversification and employer engagement, participants will examine practical strategies to future-proof their workforce while ensuring inclusive opportunity. 

• Sherri Greenberg, Professor of Practice, LBJ School

2:45–3:00 PM 

Break

3:00–4:15 PM 

Peer Exchange: Leading Through Growth Pressures 

Big question: What are the toughest strategic decisions you’re facing—and how are other cities navigating the same terrain?

This facilitated peer session is a space for candid exchange—on managing growth, balancing political risk, and finding traction across silos. No slide decks. Just real insights from fellow city, economic, and policy leaders facing the same crosscurrents.

• Facilitator: Pamela Foster Brady, Director, Executive Education, LBJ School of Public Affairs

4:00 – 5:00 PM 

Networking Reception

8:00–8:30 AM 

Breakfast Conversation: The Anchor Advantage 

Big question: How can anchor institutions—universities, health systems, and major nonprofits—become long-term partners in city transformation, not just civic assets? 

University of Texas President Jim Davis opens Day 2 by exploring how anchor institutions drive workforce, innovation, and reinvestment in Texas cities. This session highlights how anchors structure partnerships with public leaders and industry—and how cities can turn shared interest into shared action for long-term impact.

8:30–9:45 AM 

Capital at Work: How Cities Tap Financial Markets to Build 

Big question: How do senior leaders make capital investment a driver of strategy—not just a technical exercise? 

As cities manage new bonds, federal and private dollars, emerging financial instruments, and growing infrastructure backlogs, this session explores how capital is raised, how risk is managed, and how leaders govern toward long-term value.

• Martin Luby, Director, CMCM

9:45–10:00 AM 

Break

10:00–11:15 AM 

Planning Capital Investments That Drive Outcomes 

Big question: How can leaders better leverage the private sector to meet their capital needs and reduce overall risk to their communities? 

This session examines how cities access different stacks of capital and utilize alternative financing arrangements to mitigate risk, align projects with strategic priorities, build internal buy-in, and sequence investments that shape workforce, housing, and resilience agendas.

• Paul Jack, Senior Managing Director, Texas Regional Bank

11:15 AM–12:30 PM

Peer Exchange: Readiness, Capital, and Leadership Under Pressure

Big question: What trade-offs are leaders making today to keep growth on track, and what lessons are emerging in real time? 

Through candid discussion, participants share how they’re managing risk, communicating value, and driving progress across finance, planning, and policy teams. Kimberly Olivares, CFO, City of Austin

12:30–1:30 PM 

Lunch + Leadership Panel: Managing Growth in Real Time

Big question: What does it take to lead through growth pressures—not just manage them? 

Texas city managers and senior public leaders reflect on what it means to lead in high-pressure environments. Topics include executive team alignment, community expectations, fiscal discipline, and institutional capacity.

• Gina Nash, City Manager, City of Sachse (Moderator)
• David Morgan, City Manager, City of Georgetown
• Eric Walsh, City Manager, City of San Antonio

1:30–2:40 PM 

Powering Growth in a Carbon Economy: Local Strategy in State and Regional Grids 

Big question: How can cities support economic growth, electrification, and climate goals when grid planning and transmission investment are largely controlled at the state level? 

Rising electricity demand—from data centers, electrification, and clean industry—is quickly becoming a binding constraint on local economic development. This session explains how carbon management, grid capacity, and transmission planning intersect with city-level growth ambitions, even when cities do not control the grid. Participants will explore how municipal leaders can engage utilities, state agencies, and private investors early to align infrastructure planning with site readiness, reliability, and long-term competitiveness.

• Andrew Waxman, Associate Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin

2:40–3:50 PM 

Land Use After the 89th Legislature: What’s Changed and What’s Next

Big question: What’s the new playbook for local land use strategy in a post-reform Texas? 

With new legislation reshaping zoning, permitting, and housing policy, cities need a new set of tools. This session focuses on how leaders are adapting, and what governance, legal, and strategic options remain on the table.

• Jake Wegman, Associate Professor, Communication and Regional Planning, UT Austin

3:50–4:05 PM 

Break

4:05–5:15 PM 

Affordable Housing That Scales: Tools That Work in Real Cities

Big question: What models are actually producing housing, and how can leaders scale what works in politically real and fiscally smart ways? 

From land trusts and P3s to locally driven mixed-income models, this session focuses on the governance structures, funding stacks, and delivery models that are getting housing built.

• Monica Medina, CEO, Texas Housing Conservancy
• David Steinwedell, Board Chair, Texas Housing Conservancy

5:15–5:30 PM 

Closing Session: Scaling What Works

Big question: What tools, frameworks, and ideas from the past two days are worth scaling across Texas cities? 

This closing discussion synthesizes lessons and next steps, focused on what leadership in this moment demands.

• Steven Pedigo, Assistant Dean and Professor of Practice, LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin

• LBJ and UT faculty — leading experts in public finance, economic development, and urban policy
• Practitioners and executives — decision-makers who have led the very cases we will examine, from workforce academies to major infrastructure deals
• City leaders and policymakers — mayors, city managers, and public officials sharing firsthand lessons from navigating growth and governance

Joel Kotkin

Senior Research Fellow at the Civitas Institute.

Henry Cisneros

Former US HUD Secretary +4 Term Mayor of San Antonio

JR DeShazo

Dean of LBJ School

Steven Pedigo

Professor of Practice, LBJ School

Sherri Greenberg

Professor of Practice, LBJ School

Marty Luby

Director CMCM

Ryan Streeter

Executive Director, Civitas Institute

Andrew Waxman

Associate Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin

Jake Wegmann

Associate Professor, Community and Regional Planning , The University of Texas at Austin

Pamela Foster Brady

Director, Executive Education, LBJ School of Public Affairs. The University of Texas at Austin

 

Sam Fiorello

President and CEO, Cortex Innovation District

Laura Huffman

CEO & Co-Founder CivicSol

Paul Jack

Senior Managing Director, Texas Regional Bank

Cesiah Kessler

President, Kessler Group

Monica Medina

CEO , Texas Housing Conservancy

David Morgan

City Manager, City of Georgetown

Kimberly Olivares

Deputy Chief Financial Officer, City of Austin

Gina Nash

City Manager, City of Sachse

Erik Walsh

City Manager, City of San Antonio

Carlton Schwab

President, Texas Economic Development Council

David Steinwedell

Board Chair, Texas Housing Conservancy

The seminar equips city and civic leaders to govern across systems—linking land use, workforce, finance, housing, and infrastructure into a unified strategy. By the end of the program, participants will be better prepared to:

• Build cross-sector partnerships that align workforce pipelines with economic development goals
• Anticipate and address workforce disruptions created by AI and automation
• Navigate capital markets, bond structures, and public-private financing tools for infrastructure
• Modernize zoning and land use to expand housing supply and development readiness
• Structure incentives and investment deals that deliver long-term value for Texas cities
• Lead across agencies, sectors, and jurisdictions to manage growth at scale

The Initiative is designed for mid- to senior-level leaders shaping the next decade of growth in Texas cities, including:

• City managers and assistant city managers leading planning, infrastructure, and service delivery
• Economic development and workforce professionals aligning local efforts with state and statewide priorities
• State agency staff and legislative professionals working on land use, capital investment, and policy reform
• County and local leaders managing cross-jurisdictional growth and shared infrastructure
• Real estate and finance professionals bridging private capital and public outcomes
• Institutional and nonprofit partners advancing housing, innovation, and infrastructure delivery

Participants come from across sectors but share a common challenge: leading in a moment of rapid change, with high expectations and limited room for error.

Tuition is $1,195. Tuition includes all program-related costs, assessment instruments, instructional materials, most breakfasts and lunches, and some networking events. It does NOT include lodging, per diem, or travel costs. Parking instructions will be provided prior to the training and is included in the cost of the program.