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2021 Leadership Summit: A Hill Country Conservation Reunion

Presented by the Hill Country Alliance and The Hall at Jester King Brewery

Carmen Llanes Pulido presents keynote to a full room at the 2021 Hill Country Leadership Summit (Photo © Eric W. Pohl)

The Hill Country Leadership Summit is the Hill Country Alliance’s premiere annual gathering, and provides an opportunity for learning, networking, and being inspired among our region’s top community leaders, conservation practitioners, and natural resource managers.

The 2021 Leadership Summit was held online and in-person in an open-air setting on September 30 from 8 AM – 4 PM at The Hall at Jester King Brewery, followed by a networking happy hour from 4-6 PM. Thank you to all who attended, joining us in-person and online at the Leadership Summit!

We are beyond blessed to have such an incredible group of folks in the conservation community, and the opportunity to gather together and reconnect was truly lovely. Stay tuned over the next week or so for resources, photos, and more.

Presentations from the 2021 Summit

Click to view the full agenda for the 2021 Leadership Summit

The State of the Hill Country: Eight Key Metrics for a Region at a Crossroads – Jonathan Ogren, Siglo Group
Lights Out Texas: Collaborative Conservation for Migratory Birds – Joni Carswell, Texan by Nature
Implementing One Water in the Hill Country: Connecting Communities with Projects and Professionals – Moderator: Sarah Faust, Faust Law PLLC
Leading the Rural Hill Country: Young Leaders’ Perspectives – Moderator: Dana Williams, H. E. Butt Foundation
Keynote: Building Community Resilience by Investing in Local Leaders – Keynote + Moderator: Carmen Llanes Pulido, Go Austin/Vamos Austin!
Camp Bullis Sentinel Landscape: A New Frontier in Public-Private Land Conservation and Stewardship – Daniel Oppenheimer, Hill Country Alliance
Water and Equity in the Texas Hill Country – Angelica Lopez, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Creative Funding for Land and Water Conservation – Bill Moriarty, Funding Engineer
Texas Land Trends: Tracking Change and Tackling Challenges – Moderator: Roel Lopez, Director, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute

Meet our Speakers

Sky Lewey (Nueces River Authority), Karen Ford (Water PR), Annalisa Peace (Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance), and Christy Muse – Heart of the Hill Country award recipients (Photos © Eric W. Pohl)

The Heart of The Hill Country Award was created by HCA in 2019 to recognize and thank our region’s greatest natural resource champions. Previous recipients of the award, Christy Muse and Sky Lewey, presented the 2021 awards. The 2021 honorees are Annalisa Peace and Karen Ford – two individuals who have spent decades championing and stewarding the natural resources of our region.

Karen and Annalisa were each presented with a beautiful award, designed and crafted by Hill Country artist J.J. Priour using Cordova limestone and glass. Much like the limestone used in his art, Priour has deep ties to the Hill Country and his late father Damian was instrumental to the formation of the Hill Country Alliance.

Photos from the event – coming soon!

Feedback from the Summit

Did the Summit leave you feeling inspired? Did you make a connection with someone new that lead to a great partnership? Finally meet folks you had only seen on Zoom? If so, we’d love to hear about it! Please click the button below to take a brief survey which will be used to inform future Leadership Summit planning efforts.

“Just wanted to say you all did an awesome job on the Summit! The content was varied and interesting, the venue felt more like an adventure than a conference room, and the people were fun and friendly. It was informative, restorative and inspiring. Also the two women honored with the awards are two of our hardest working most undervalued community members, so thank you for recognizing them!”

Sarah B. Faust, Travis County

“Just a quick note to say THANK YOU for a wonderful event yesterday. It was my first in person HCA event, and I left feeling such positive energy and hopeful confidence in what we want to work on in Real County. Thank you for all you are doing and for all of the support you are providing all of these people and entities doing the Good Work. We feel it!!”

Amanda Griffin, Real County

“I was a virtual watcher/listener today. The program was excellent, and the virtual experience was the best I have had. I have never felt so cared for in a virtual setting. That means so much, and I am very, very grateful.”

Jonathan Grant, Hays County

Share feedback from the 2021 Summit

2021 Leadership Summit Sponsors

The Leadership Summit is made possible through the generous contributions of our sponsors – both on a corporate and individual level. This year, we were proud to roll-out six levels of sponsorship, from $250 to $5,000. All sponsorships of $250 and up received special recognition during the event. Interested in sponsoring next year’s Summit? Contact Chanee@hillcountryalliance.org.

Venue: The Hall at Jester King Brewery

While Jester King started as a small craft brewery 11 years ago, the brewery now stewards 160 acres of the Hill Country and is committed to preserving its resources. Being able to host gatherings, create and maintain trails, and grow hops and grapes onsite is “part of preserving the land… finding creative, alternative sources of using it in a sustainable way,” according to Co-founder, Jeffrey Stuffings.

Venue Photos

Additional photos of the site and grounds can be found on The Hall at Jester King’s venue page or on Jester King Brewery’s website.

Front view of The Hall, image courtesy of Jester King Brewery

Inside view of The Hall, image courtesy of Jessica Attie

Back view of The Hall, image courtesy of Hill Country Alliance

Past Leadership Summits

For more than 10 years, the Hill Country Alliance has been convening partners for an annual summit. Click the button below to explore resources from past Leadership Summit events.

Explore past Leadership Summit Information