2026 Agenda and Information
When: Monday, August 31 – Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Where: Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas (500 W. Las Colinas Blvd)
Hosted by: The City of Irving and the North Texas Commission
Know Before You Go
Important Information for the 2026 Infrastructure Summit – Location, Parking/Transportation, Time, Attire, Food/Beverage, and Additional Info:
Registration is Closed.
Agenda
Monday, August 31
11:00 am: Registration Opens
11:30 am – 12:45 pm: Opening Lunch: Shaping Tomorrow, Infrastructure and Its Impact
- Moderator: Mayor Al Zapanta, City of Irving
- Mayor Steve Babick, City of Carrollton
- Mayor John Muns, City of Plano
- Mayor Jim Ross, City of Arlington
1:00 – 2:00 pm: How North Texas Logistics Muscle is Powering America’s Economy
- Moderator: Reggie Herman, Senior VP, Global Goods Movement, AECOM
- Kathy Wilkins, Vice President, Alliance Operating Services
- Jeremiah Kuntz, Senior Manager of State and Local Relations, Aurora
- Catherine Lovett, Manager, Local Policy and Community Affairs, Wing Aviation LLC
2:15 – 3:45 pm: International Economic Development Partnerships
- Moderator: Chris Wallace, President & CEO, North Texas Commission
- Susan Harper, Consul General of Canada in Dallas
- D. C. Manjunath, Consul General of India in Houston
- Gen. Luis Rodríguez Bucio, Consul General of Mexico in Dallas
- Manuel Salerno Abad, Consul General of Panama in Houston
- Vitalii Moshkivskyi, Consul General of Ukraine in Houston
- Simon Lai, Executive Director, Taiwan Trade and Investment Service Center, Dallas
- Javier Velez, CEO, El Dorado Foods
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Legislative Panel: Preview of the Upcoming 90th Session
- Moderator: Mark Wiggins, Legislative Officer, City of Irving
- State Senator Royce West, Texas State Senate, District 23
- Representative Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, Texas House of Representatives, District 115
- Representative Mitch Little, Texas House of Representatives, District 65
- Representative Jared Patterson, Texas House of Representative, District 106
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Reception
Tuesday, September 1
7:30 am: Breakfast Buffet Opens
8:00 am: Federal Perspectives: The Current State of Transportation Policy and Funding
- Edward Ofori, FHWA Texas Division Acting Administrator
8:30 am – 9:30 am: The Future of Transportation Funding in Texas
- Moderator: Chris Kiefer, Statewide TxDOT Client Service Leader, HNTB
- Commissioner Alex Meade, Texas Transportation Commission
- Brian Barth, Deputy Executive Director for Program Delivery, Texas Department of Transportation
9:45 – 10:45 am The Future of Transit in North Texas
- Moderator: Jill Jester, RTC Transit 2.0 Subcommittee Chair
- Karla Windsor, Senior Program Manager, NCTCOG
- David Leininger, Interim President & CEO, DART
- Paul Cristina CEO, DCTA
- Richard Andreski, President & CEO, Trinity Metro
11 am – 12:30 pm Keynote Lunch: How Texas is preparing for the Infrastructure Needs of the Future
- Senator Tan Parker, Chair, Senate Transportation Committee
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Natural Resources Panel: Planning to Meet the Demands of the Future
- Jeff Payne, COO, Freese & Nichols
- Senator Charles Perry, Author of SB 7
- L’Oreal Stepney, Chairwoman, Texas Water Development Board
- Dan Buhman, General Manager, Tarrant Regional Water District
- Oscar Garza, Director of Government Relations, ERCOT
2:15 – 3:45 pm RTC Funding Workshop: In-Depth Look at The Sources of Funding for DFW Transportation Projects and How to Utilize Them
- Moderator: Michael Morris, Director of Transportation
- Natalie Bettger, Senior Program Manager, Congestion Management and System Operation
- Christie Gotti, Senior Program Manager, Transportation Project Programming
- Lori Pampell Clark, Senior Program Manager, Alternative Fuels and Energy Program
- Jeffrey Neal, Senior Projects Manager, Transportation Planning and Project Delivery