Dr. John C. Tracy was recently appointed as the new director of the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) by Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University System. The position is currently held by Dr. Roel Lopez, who also is and will continue to serve as director of the Institute of Renewable Natural Resources. Tracy will assume the TWRI director position in December 2015.
Tracy, a civil engineer, comes to TWRI with extensive experience relating to water resources management. He currently serves as director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at the University of Idaho and has held this position for 11 years. He also serves as the associate vice president for research and previously served as interim vice president for research at the university.
Through interaction with faculty, Tracy has initiated and led water research initiatives that have addressed many western water resource concerns, Hussey said in the announcement memo.
As director, Tracy said he believes he can serve as a catalyst to bring together faculty at Texas A&M University with Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service outreach specialists to address the water resource issues Texas faces.
“I see the Texas Water Resources Institute enhancing its current role in addressing Texas’ water resource challenges," he said, "and I believe that Texas A&M is poised to further its role in leading the development of both technological and policy solutions to many of Texas’, the nation’s and the world’s most pressing water resource problems.”
Prior to his work at the University of Idaho, Tracy worked at the Desert Research Institute for seven years, serving as director of the Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability for four years. He was also a hydraulic engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers in California and held academic positions at Kansas State and South Dakota State universities.
Tracy received his doctorate and master’s from the University of California-Davis and his bachelor’s from Colorado State University.
