Programs

  • Strategic Initiatives Program

    Program One: Strategic Initiatives (Planning, Research and Action) Center for Houston's Future looks over the horizon at global, national, and local trends that will shape our future, and brings business, government, and community stakeholders together to engage in fact-based strategic planning, collaboration, consensus building and action on issues of great importance to the future of the Houston region. In 2024, the Center worked as follows: Energy Transition Leadership: Our energy transition work focused on ensuring Houston remains the world's energy capital as the world moves toward a low-carbon future. Based on our research and collaboration with many partners, we identified multiple opportunities to build on Houston's infrastructure base, expertise of energy companies, skilled workforce, universities, and energy innovation ecosystem. For over five years, we've led regional efforts to develop and expand a regional and Gulf Coast clean hydrogen ecosystem. CHF has been a key driver, alongside GTI Energy, University of Texas, and other nonprofits, in creating the strategy and vision for the HyVelocity Hub. HyVelocity, which launched in November 2024 and was designated for a $1.2 billion federal grant. Separately, as part of a collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership on its Houston Energy Transition Initiative, the Center created and led a Clean Hydrogen Steering Committee focused on ecosystem development. In 2024, we had 45 companies and over 200 individuals participating in various activities, including steering committee meetings, working group sessions, workshops, and trade missions. Our five working groups, in sector development, supply chain creation, international trade, marketplace development, and demand creation, each completed efforts that contributed to the region's clean hydrogen ecosystem. We also held a grid interconnection workshop and co-produced a hydrogen pipeline regulatory whitepaper. We planned and implemented an international trade mission to Japan and Korea. Twenty-five delegates from 21 Gulf Coast companies participated in the clean hydrogen trade mission that included an industry roundtable in Tokyo and participating in a major international conference in Seoul. The Center signed MOUs with the Japan Hydrogen Association and H2Korea. We also built our relationships in Europe, signing an MOU with the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Germany's largest trade association. In 2024, we also continued work with Accenture and the Greater Houston Partnership's UpSkill Houston program on clean hydrogen workforce development, creating a framework and a model to provide jobs and career paths in the hydrogen economy. Public and Media Presence: In 2024, CHF appeared at more than 25 conferences, panels, or events, including a major rollout event for the National Petroleum Council's Hydrogen study. It also had more than 25 hydrogen media mentions. Energy Education: In partnership with Children's Museum Houston and with sponsorship from CenterPoint Energy Foundation and bp, we expanded Driving the Future, our out-of-school enrichment program for students in grades 3-8 to learn about achieving a low-carbon future. In 2024, we offered the program at Galena Park ISD both as part of its summer school enrichment program and an afterschool program at two elementary schools in both spring and fall semesters, directly reaching more than 300 elementary students in 2024. Health Care: Building on the strong foundation established by our three health care reports since 2020, the Center continued to expand its health care and health equity work. In 2024, we broadened our focus to include the intersection of climate change and health; and the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Our ongoing efforts explore opportunities for collaboration among leaders in health care, business, and social services to improve community health and economic well-being in Greater Houston. Our work was bolstered by St. Luke's Health's support of two research papers. Climate Change and Healthcare: In April, we released our Climate Change and Health Care Report, which garnered media attention. The report delved into the escalating health threats posed by climate change, including heat-related illnesses and mosquito-borne diseases, while outlining critical recommendations for healthcare leaders to address these challenges. To further explore the implications of our findings, CHF hosted two expert roundtable discussions that brought together climate health experts from major local health systems, academic institutions, and national organizations. AI in Healthcare: Our focus on technological advancements in healthcare culminated in the publication of our AI and Healthcare report in October. The report generated significant interest and spurred a series of follow-up discussions with leaders from healthcare systems, the Texas Medical Center, the Greater Houston Health Collaborative, academia, and biotech startups. Conference Presentations: CHF's expertise was showcased at two notable conferences: At the Texas Heart Institute Cardiometabolic Disease Conference, we presented "An Employer Perspective on Community Health Initiatives," highlighting the crucial role employers play in promoting community health. At the HCPC Maternal and Child Health Conference, we delivered a presentation on Employer Action to Improve Maternal and Child Health. Vision 2050: We kicked off Vision 2050 in late 2023, as an exciting addition to our ongoing work that builds on the Center's long legacy of using scenarios and visioning exercises to guide our work. Vision 2050 is engaging with the community to create a long-range plan for the region. In 2024, we started to identify key aspirations and areas of concern for the future of the region. Interviews with key Houston leaders in 2024 helped to shape this initiative, and we conducted online and informal surveys to gather priorities and key aspirations, capturing a range of voices from across Houston. Those were among steps we took as we began assessing the landscape to understand what the major issues are, who/what entities are working in the area, to identify gaps, overlaps in current efforts and to build fact bases on several critical areas. We also built out a Vision 2050 framework, including a timeline, processes, and work streams. As 2024 ended, we were along the way in building out our Vision 2050 Steering Committee and a team of volunteer subject matter advisors. Steering Committee members included: Rice University President Reginald DesRoches, Kinder Institute for Uban Research Director Ruth Lopez Turley, Texas Medical Center Bill McKeon, Memorial Park CEO Shellye Arnold, Cart.com Co-founder Remington Tonar and more. Our volunteer advisors included independent consultants, those from Bain Consulting and one person from Arnold Ventures.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $732.6K

  • Leadership Development Forum

    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.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $290.1K

  • Community Engagement Initiatives

    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.
    Geographies
    Not indicated
    Dates
    Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024
    Source
    990
    No causes provided
    No populations provided
    –
    $106K