Center For Houstons Future Inc

Program Two: Leadership Business/Civic Leadership Forum: We are not just planning Houston's future; we're cultivating the leaders who will drive it forward. Our leadership development programs identify, train, and support emerging civic and professional leaders committed to Houston's growth. These are the innovators, problem-solvers, and visionaries who will transform our region. Center for Houston's Future's Business/Civic Leadership Forum has been central to our mission and to our strategy since our founding in 2000. We encourage strong civic leadership by bringing together diverse business and community leaders, informing them about regional issues, and giving them the tools and inspiration to get more involved in the community. About 1,400 Forum alumni have used the program to build social capital and become more informed about regional issues. Through the years we have created a network of community leaders interested in civic engagement: Our alumni have run for public office, served on nonprofit boards, and launched community projects and other initiatives. In 2024, we had 50 participants. Session program presenters came from across corporate, nonprofit, and political arenas, including new Greater Houston Partnership President Steve Kean, CHF Board Chair Cindy Yeilding, and subject matter experts such as Baylor College of Medicine's Dr. Andrea Bradford, HETI Vice President Sophia Cunningham, and Collaborative for Children President Dr. Melanie Johnson. The cohorts completed "Learning Journey" projects on energy transition, workforce, education, housing, public safety, and health care. The Center also works to expand the reach and impact of the Leadership Forum with alumni engagement activities. In 2024, these included the following: Alumni Directory: This year, we unveiled our Leadership Forum Alumni Directory - an online platform created to strengthen connections and engagement in the alumni community. The directory provides users with key information such job titles and graduation years, while offering alumni a more detailed view of other's profiles, including personal bios and their Leadership Forum Learning Journeys. This powerful tool is designed to foster meaningful connections, broaden networking opportunities, and promote collaboration within our alumni network. Alumni-driven programming: This includes our in-person alumni reunions and events co-sponsored with other leadership organizations, such as Leadership Houston and American Leadership Forum, which align with the Center's Strategic Initiatives. In 2024, we co-sponsored three events: Bridging and Belonging, featuring Ben McBride; Building a New Table: Leadership and Belonging, featuring Kim Dabbs; and Making Differences Work featuring Dr. Eli Jones, Making Differences Work. A group of leadership alumni explored the creation of an alumni-driven podcast to feature discussions on issues raised in the forum and/or explored in their Learning Journeys. Forum Alumni sit on the Center's Board and provide input on the Center's strategic direction.

Program Three: Community engagement: Community Engagement is the Center's third area of focus. Knowledge is power, and we are empowering Houstonians. 2024 Event Highlights: In 2024, we once again sponsored an energy conference with Greater Houston Partnership, offered a fall version of our Summer Salon programming, and hosted our signature fall Dinner and Conversation. Future of Global Energy: The 2024 Future of Global Energy Conference was cohosted by the Center for Houston's Future, the Greater Houston Partnership, and the Houston Energy Transition Initiative in October. It spanned three days and drew about 800 attendees. Summer Salon - Fall Edition: The Center offered a primer and discussion of Carbon Capture and Storage: A Critical Tool for a Low-Carbon Future. Presented by bp, the discussion featured a short presentation from bp's Chris Walker, followed by a panel discussion with Walker, Ken B. Medlock from Rice University's Baker Institute, Colin Young from DexMat, and John Hall of Houston Advanced Research Center. Signature Event: In November, the Center hosted our most successful Dinner and Conversation. Stan Marek was honored with the Eugene H. Vaughan Civic Leadership Award for his lifetime of service. Award-winning author Steven Harrigan and Texas Tribune CEO Sonal Shah engaged in an exciting conversation, "A Texas Talk, Reflecting on the Past, Envisioning the Future." David E. Harvey, Jr., and Joe Cleary, co-chairs of the board of Harvey/Harvey-Cleary, served as event chairs and more than 300 people attended. Other Energy Events: The Center hosted hydrogen thought-leadership events at major international energy conferences including CERAWeek and Gastech; convened clean hydrogen stakeholders to discuss Texas power grid gaps and opportunities related to hydrogen, with sponsorship by CenterPoint Energy; co-sponsored a hydrogen-workforce event and co-sponsored an event to release a national DOE-requested study on advancing the nation's hydrogen market. Thought Leadership: The Center continued to exhibit thought leadership by appearing at a range of conferences, panels, and events to discuss climate and energy, leadership, and health equity; appearing in videos; and engaging with traditional and social media. All told, Center staff had more than 25 speaking engagements. Communications & Marketing: We continued to garner media attention for our initiatives and build our brand and followership. The Center had almost 30 mentions/interviews in a range of media outlets - local, national, international, trade - mostly on hydrogen and energy transition but also on health, and appeared at more than 25 panels, conferences, and events. We launched our new website in January 2024, which was created to prominently feature our Strategic Initiatives, Leadership Forum, events, research and more. The site drew nearly 90,000 views from more than 15,000 unique users in 2024. The Center's social media following grew by over 35% in 2024. We drew more than 5,000 unique visitors to our LinkedIn page and received more than 118,000 impressions on our posts highlighting our work.