Upcoming events

  • Courtney Arbour, Texas Workforce Commission

    • February 01, 2023
    • 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
    • UT Club, 2108 Robert Dedman Dr, Austin TX 78712
    • 29 registrants
    Register

    Workforce Development

    About Our Speaker:


    Courtney Arbour is the Director of the Texas Workforce Commission’s Workforce Development Division where she oversees an integrated workforce development system that provides employment and training activities for the state of Texas through 28 Workforce Development Boards and 180 Workforce Solutions Offices and hundreds of Adult Education and Literacy and Apprenticeship sites.  With approximately one billion in funding administered directly or sub-granted, the activities are targeted to upskilling workers and supporting connections between workers and Texas employers.

    Courtney currently serves on the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinating Council, Texas’ National Semiconductor Centers Task Force, National Association of Workforce Boards Employment & Training Committee where she is co-chair of a subcommittee specializing in Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning.  Courtney is a Workforce Fellow with Results for America, where a group of state and local leaders from Texas are charting a path for the use of evidence-modeling in directing grant funds to achieve best outcomes.

    Agenda:

    6:50am - Coffee & Networking 

    7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

    7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

    7:50am - Speaker Introduction

    8:20am - Q&A

    8:30am - Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    Directions and Parking

    Breakfast Fees & Policy

    Show details

  • Mike George, Texas Homeland Security

    • February 08, 2023
    • 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
    • UT Club, 2108 Robert Dedman Dr, Austin TX 78712
    • Be the first
    Register

    Texas Homeland Security:  Concepts and Challenges

    C:\Users\jg13264\Desktop\George\Admin\Personnel\George photo.jpgWe'll hear a brief overview of homeland security missions, responsibilities, and organization in Texas, and a discussion of current and emerging challenges including border security, terrorism, critical infrastructure protection, and school safety.

    Note to Members: this session will not be recorded.

    About Our Speaker:


    Mike George leads the staff of the Texas Office of Homeland Security in the Texas Department of Public Safety, coordinating multi-agency development of state strategy, plans, and policy for building and employing homeland security capabilities.  Major focus areas for the office include the Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan, Texas Homeland Security Council, Private Sector Advisory Council, critical infrastructure protection initiatives, risk and capability assessments, research and analysis, and homeland security exercises.  He also leads a variety of law enforcement planning efforts for border security, counter gang, and terrorism response operations.    

    Mr. George previously served as an infantry officer and strategist in the United States Army.  His assignments included service with the Bush and Obama administrations as acting Senior Director of Preparedness Policy on the Homeland Security Council Staff, with US Northern Command as a homeland defense strategist and special assistant to the commander, and as an instructor teaching international relations and security studies in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point and the Basic Strategic Arts Program at the U.S. Army War College.  A graduate of West Point, Mr. George also completed graduate study in political science at the University of Oxford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    Agenda:


    6:50am - Coffee & Networking 

    7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

    7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

    7:50am - Speaker Introduction

    8:20am - Q&A

    8:30am - Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    Directions and Parking

    Breakfast Fees & Policy

    Show details

  • February-March Book Club - Myth America

    • February 08, 2023
    • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
    • UT Club 7th floor after our meeting

    Myth America

    by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer. This is a mighty tome, so we'll read and discuss through chapter 10 on February 8th, and complete our discussion March 8th.

    Plan to join fellow MBC members for lively  discussions in a relaxed atmosphere on the 7th floor.

    8:30 at the UT Club, 7th floor after our February 8th and March 8th meetings.


    Show details

  • Lee Clippard, Lady Bird Wildflower Center

    • February 15, 2023
    • 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
    • UT Club, 2108 Robert Dedman Dr, Austin TX 78712
    • Be the first
    Register

    The Healing Power of Nature

    Research shows that time spent in nature improves health and well-being and provides many positive outcomes for child development and growth. During the COVID pandemic, the Wildflower Center witnessed firsthand the important role it plays in providing space for community members to find joy and comfort. The Center welcomed 240,000 people last year as it celebrated its 40-year anniversary.

    People from around the world come every year to the Wildflower Center to explore its gardens, participate in enrichment programs, experience life events such as weddings and memorials, and more. As a conservation-focused botanic garden, we are dedicated to promoting native plants and creating a healthier environment, and we achieve our mission by creating defining experiences that connect people to the environment and improve well-being.

    About Our Speaker:

    Lee Clippard is the Executive Director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Lee joined the Wildflower Center in 2014. First as director of communications and then as deputy director of communications and experience, he was responsible for all aspects of the Center’s communications, marketing and guest experience efforts, including strategic communications, media relations, website, marketing, branding, social media, publications such as Wildflower magazine, admissions, the Gift Store and the Native Plants of North America database. He was appointed executive director in February 2022.

    Lee is a native plant and natural history enthusiast with a bachelor’s in biology from The University of Texas at Austin and a master’s in entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining the Center, he was the senior director of communications for the College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin, where for nine years he promoted the college’s educational and research programs through its websites, publications and the media.

    In his community, Lee has served as president of the Friends and Lovers of Willowbrook Reach, a neighborhood organization that works with the City of Austin to restore native habitat in a city greenbelt. FLWR’s “Grow Zone” concept was adopted by the city for other public properties. He is a current member and was also the director of Austin Samba, a large community drum and dance group focused on Brazilian Carnaval culture.

    Agenda:


    6:50am - Coffee & Networking 

    7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

    7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

    7:50am - Speaker Introduction

    8:20am - Q&A

    8:30am - Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    Directions and Parking

    Breakfast Fees & Policy

    Show details

  • Andy Brown, Travis County Judge

    • February 22, 2023
    • 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
    • UT Club, 2108 Robert Dedman Dr, Austin TX 78712
    • Be the first
    Register

    Travis County Priorities

    Judge Brown will give us the state of the county and speak to his priority initiatives, particularly around housing affordability, justice reform & mental healthcare, and economic equity.

    About our speaker:

    Andy Brown serves as the Travis County Judge. The County Judge presides over the Travis County Commissioners Court, which oversees the county’s $1.4 billion annual budget, acts as the County’s chief administrator, and is the Director of Emergency Management for the County.

    Since taking office, Judge Brown has significantly increased resources to historically underserved communities, including starting a mass COVID-19 vaccination effort prioritizing communities of color. During winter storm Uri, Judge Brown directed additional food, water, and utility support to the hardest hit areas in Travis County.

    Judge Brown focuses on investing in mental and behavioral health to help people receive care outside of the jail system, improving access to affordable housing, and increasing transparency and community participation in County business. Under Judge Brown’s leadership, the Commissioners Court voted to fund $110 million for housing for people experiencing homelessness which is anticipated to create as many as 3,000 additional housing units in Austin and Travis County through models like the Community First Village.

    Before taking office, Judge Brown helped create the Sobering Center-Austin to serve as an alternative to jail for intoxicated people, started a successful law firm, and served on local boards and commissions. He grew up in Austin and graduated from The University of Texas School of Law. Andy served as a legislative aide to former Texas Speaker of the House Pete Laney, a campaign manager for Congressman Lloyd Doggett, a law clerk for the US District Court in McAllen, finance director and senior advisor to Beto O’Rourke, and Travis County Democratic Party Chair.

    Judge Brown lives in Austin with his wife, two kids, one dog, two cats, and chickens.

    Agenda:

    6:50am - Coffee & Networking 

    7:10am - Breakfast Buffet

    7:25am - Introductions & Announcements

    7:50am - Speaker Introduction

    8:20am - Q&A

    8:30am - Have a wonderful Wednesday!

    Directions and Parking

    Breakfast Fees & Policy

    Show details

  • Watch This Space!

    • March 01, 2023
    • 7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
    • UT Club, 2108 Robert Dedman Dr, Austin TX 78712

    Upcoming Speakers in March

    Our speakers are always engaging, informative, and insightful (and often inciteful). Our members are too! Become a member and make MBC your midweek pick-me-up every week.

    We're booked right through May, join us soon and often!
     Dr Richard Rhodes Austin Community College
     Jean Anne Booth Wearable Tech for Fall Detection 
     Laura Patino

    Chief Resiliency Officer, City of Austin 
     Clay Johnston MD New Health Delivery Options 
     Alison Alter City Council Update 


    Is there a person or organization you'd like to hear from at MBC? Send your speaker recommendations to Programs@MBCAustin.org and we'll try to set that up!

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  • February-March Book Club - Myth America

    • March 08, 2023
    • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
    • UT Club 7th floor after our meeting

    Myth America

    by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer. This is a mighty tome, so we'll read and discuss through chapter 10 on February 8th, and complete our discussion March 8th.

    Plan to join fellow MBC members for lively  discussions in a relaxed atmosphere on the 7th floor.

    8:30 at the UT Club, 7th floor after our February 8th and March 8th meetings.


    Show details

  • April Book Club - My Grandmother's Hands

    • April 12, 2023
    • 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
    • UT Club 7th floor after our meeting

    My Grandmother's Hands