Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University System, recently named Dr. John C. Tracy as the new director of the Texas Water Resources Institute(TWRI). He will assume his position in December 2015.
“We are excited to have someone like Dr. Tracy join our team to lead our water programs at TWRI that support our core missions of teaching, research, extension and service,” Hussey said. “He brings a wealth of experience and talents that will serve us well.”
Tracy said he is eager to begin as TWRI’s director.
“Texas has one of the most diverse water resource landscapes in the country,” he said, “and the state must be able to address and manage a wide range of water resources challenges at almost a moment’s notice. TWRI has the necessary capabilities to connect resources of the Texas A&M System to water resources communities across Texas.”
Tracy comes to TWRI after serving as director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at the University of Idaho for 11 years. While at Idaho, Tracy also served as associate vice president for research since 2009 and was a faculty member in the university’s Department of Civil Engineering.
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, 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.”
Tracy currently serves as president for the American Water Resources Association and as secretary/treasurer for the Executive Management Board of the National Institutes for Water Resources. In addition, he served on the governing board of the University Council on Water Resources and was its president in 2008–2009.
Prior to his work at the University of Idaho, Tracy held academic positions at Kansas State University, South Dakota State University and the Desert Research Institute, where he also was the director of the Center for Watersheds and Environmental Sustainability for four years.
Tracy received his doctorate in engineering and master’s in civil engineering from the University of California at Davis and his bachelor’s in civil engineering from Colorado State University.
Explore this Issue
Authors
As the former communications manager for TWRI, Kathy Wythe provided leadership for the institute's communications, including a magazine, newsletters, brochures, social media, media relations and special projects.