The Gulf Coast Community Resilience Conference
Thursday, March 26th, 2026 | Beaumont, Texas
Resilience Through History
About Our Event
The “Resilience through History” Conference brings together academic researchers and community to highlight and celebrate the resilient spirit of SETX. By studying and sharing the history of resilience, we aim to inform development and innovation, gain understanding of our communities, and connect with each other at present.Registration Is Open!
This event is designed for all of us — neighbors, leaders, educators, nonprofits, faith communities, responders, students, and residents who cares about the strength of Southeast Texas.
Hosted By
Theme
Resilience Through History
Date
Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time
Check In At 8:30AM
Conference Location
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Attire
Business Casual
Contact
Cfr@lamar.edu
Add To Calendar
Parking and Directions
Conference parking in Parking Lot C-1 is Free.
Clear signage will be posted on the day of the event and walking directions to the Setzer Student Center will be provided prior to the conference to ensure smooth arrival.
Event Parking Pass | Print Out And Display On Dash
Interactive Campus Map
Meals Provided By
Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts
In an effort to provide an educational experience meals have been prepared by the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University Nutrition, Hospitality and Human Services Program.
Conference Accommodations
Host Hotel
Booking Contact
Paige Dugas (409) 617-0604
A special group rate of $89 per night has been secured for conference speakers, panelists and attendees. This rate includes a daily breakfast.
We encourage you to reserve early as rooms are limited.
 |
Thursday, March 26, 2026
|
| 8:30 - 8:55 a.m. |
Registration & BreakfastBreakfast Burritos Fresh Fruit/Assorted Muffins Provided By Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts |
| 8:55 - 9:00 a.m. |
WelcomeDr. Brian Williams, Exec. Director for Center for Resiliency |
| 9:00 - 10:15 a.m. |
Research Session 1From Surviving To Thriving: Early Patterns of Resiliency From The Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century USA
Chair/Respondent | Jimmy Bryan, Professor & Department Chair of History, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ Univ. |
| 10:15 - 10:30 a.m. |
BreakFruit, Muffins, Coffee, Decaf Coffee, Hot Tea, & Water |
| 10:30 - 11:45 a.m. |
Research Session 2Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Chair/Respondent | Tom Sowers, Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ Univ. |
| 11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. |
LunchVegetarian Enchiladas,Mesquite-Smoked Beef Brisket,Grilled Chicken Thighs,Baked Cheddar Grits,Green Beans and Roll Provided By Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts
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| 1:15 - 2:15 p.m. |
Community Resilience Panel |
| 2:15 - 2:30 p.m. |
BreakGrab and Go Desserts| Mini Chocolate Pies, Praline Cookies, Lemon-Blueberry Bars |
| 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. |
Smart Storm Intro, Tributes and Acknowledgements |
Please continue to check this page for updates as event gets closer. Schedule is subject to change.
Conference Speakers
Don E. Albrecht
Keynote Speaker
Don E. Albrecht
Keynote Speaker
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 11:45 pm
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Theme: “Community Resilience through Sports”
Don E. Albrecht is a former faculty member and football recruiter from Texas A&M University. After retiring from his academic position, he has completed a book about the racial integration in Texas high school football titled "Blinded by the Lights: Texas High Football and the Myth of Integration.” He is currently working on a book about the integration of Southern College football with his son Mathew.
Rebecca Boone
Dean, Professor of History, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Rebecca Boone
Dean, Professor of History, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 9:00AM | Research Session 1
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: From Surviving To Thriving: Early Patterns of Resiliency From The Eighteenth-Century USA
Theme:"Real Lives in the Eighteenth Century: Survival and Endurance in Difficult Times”
Rebecca Ard Boone is the author of four books, War, Domination, and the Monarchy of France, Mercurino di Gattinara and the Creation of the Spanish Empire, Real Lives in the Sixteenth Century, and Real Lives in the Eighteenth Century. She earned her Ph.D. in early-modern European history from Rutgers University in 2000 and currently serves as Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of History at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University.
Fior Daliso GarcÃa Lara
Assistant Professor, University of Texas El Paso
Fior Daliso GarcÃa Lara
Assistant Professor, University of Texas El Paso
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 9:00AM | Research Session 1
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: From Surviving To Thriving: Early Patterns of Resiliency From The Eighteenth-Century USA
Theme: “Rivers, Seasons, and Survival: Indigenous Resilience in 18th-Century Southeast Texas"
Fior Daliso García Lara, a native of Mérida, Yucatán, is a historian of the borderlands specializing in Native American and environmental history. She earned her Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at El Paso. Her doctoral dissertation examines the 18th-century Choctaw experience in Spanish Louisiana and the establishment of imperial frontiers from an environmental perspective. Her research has appeared in publications including “Nature, Displacement, and Choctaw Migration in the Louisiana–Texas Border in the Late Eighteenth Century” (The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, 2023) and “Piracy and Smuggling on the Eastern Colonial Frontier of the Yucatán Peninsula during the Eighteenth Century” in Coloniality in the Maya Lowlands: Archaeological Perspectives (University Press of Colorado, 2022).
Gordon S. Williams
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University Television Studio Operations Manager, SETCAST Director
Gordon S. Williams
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University Television Studio Operations Manager, SETCAST Director
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 9:00AM | Research Session 1
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: From Surviving To Thriving: Early Patterns of Resiliency From The Eighteenth-Century USA
Theme: “Documenting Joy: Celebrating Black Communities in East & Southeast Texas”
Gordon S. Williams in the filmmaker and documentarian of Beaumont’s Black History—In Moving Pictures brings to light the stories of African Americans in Beaumont. His award-winning short films, “The Example” and “They Will Talk About Us: The Charlton-Pollard Story” were the first visual media productions to document that history. He received a “Special Congressional Recognition” from United States Representative Brian Babin for this work. Beaumont’s Black History—In Moving Pictures” work was added to the collection at The Black Film & Cinema Archive at Indiana University; this is the only archive in the world devoted solely to films by and about Black people. Williams was named a Fellow of the East Texas Historical Association in October 2025.
Jimmy Bryan
Professor and Department Chair of History, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Jimmy Bryan
Professor and Department Chair of History, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 9:00AM | Research Session 1
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: From Surviving To Thriving: Early Patterns of Resiliency From The Eighteenth-Century USA
Chair/Respondent
Jean Lonie Dudley
Assistant Professor & Co-Director of the Center for Rural Resilience, Tarleton State University
Jean Lonie Dudley
Assistant Professor & Co-Director of the Center for Rural Resilience, Tarleton State University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme:"Cultivating Resilience: The Evolution of Disaster Responses in Agricultural Communities of Central Texas"
Dr. Jean Lonie Dudley is Assistant Professor of Agricultural Industries and co-director of the Center for Rural Resilience at Tarleton State University. She is a scholar and practitioner focused on agricultural community development, rural resilience, and capacity building in farming and ranching communities. Her work integrates historical analysis, community-based research, and applied resilience frameworks to inform policy and practice.
Meggan Franks
Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University
Meggan Franks
Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme: “Codes, Costs, and Compliance: A Post Katrina History of Resilient Building Policy in Louisiana, with Implications for Southeast Texas”
Meggan Franks is an Assistant Professor at Louisiana State University specializing in community resilience, participatory evaluation, and adoption of hazard resistant practices. Her research integrates mixed methods to explain how policy, incentives, and perceptions shape household decisions about better than minimum building measures. She has led applied projects with youth and adult stakeholders using participatory mapping and appreciative inquiry and is currently advancing work on resilient housing adoption and climate related anxiety as it intersects with community adoption and adaptation.
Rubayet Bin Mustafiz
Assistant Professor of Research at the LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Research and Education Center
Rubayet Bin Mustafiz
Assistant Professor of Research at the LSU AgCenter’s LaHouse Research and Education Center
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme: “Codes, Costs, and Compliance: A Post Katrina History of Resilient Building Policy in Louisiana, with Implications for Southeast Texas”
Rubayet Bin Mustafiz is an Assistant Research Professor focused on community resilience and hazard mitigation, with emphasis on how technical standards and policy shape household and builder decisions in flood‑prone regions. His work integrates historical policy analysis with applied methods to translate code requirements into practice. He collaborates with practitioners and local governments to produce actionable guidance that improves uptake of better than minimum measures in Gulf Coast communities.
Monica Farris
Asst. Professor & Director of the Applied Hazards Research Center at University of New Orleans
Monica Farris
Asst. Professor & Director of the Applied Hazards Research Center at University of New Orleans
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme: “Codes, Costs, and Compliance: A Post Katrina History of Resilient Building Policy in Louisiana, with Implications for Southeast Texas”
Monica Farris is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Applied Hazards Research Center at the University of New Orleans. Her work focuses on disaster policy, hazard mitigation, and community resilience in Gulf Coast contexts. She has led and contributed to multi-institutional research on flood plain management, recovery governance, and the translation of technical standards into local ordinance and practice. Her portfolio includes collaborations with local governments and federal partners that connect historical policy change to present outcomes in risk reduction and equity.
Dr. Brittny Bratcher-Rasmus
Assistant Professor, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Dr. Brittny Bratcher-Rasmus
Assistant Professor, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme:“Before the Pandemic: The Evolution of Public Health Resilience in Southeast Texas”
Dr. Brittny Bratcher-Rasmus is a public health educator, researcher, and advocate focused on advancing health equity through education, community engagement, and workforce development. She is an Assistant Professor at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University, teaching courses in health program planning, community health, and health literacy. With over a decade of experience in higher education, nonprofit leadership, and federal health equity initiatives, she also served as Program Director at a healthcare consulting firm managing federal contracts to create culturally responsive training programs.
Amanda L. DivinÂ
Associate Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Amanda L. DivinÂ
Associate Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme:“Before the Pandemic: The Evolution of Public Health Resilience in Southeast Texas”
Thomas Sowers
Professor and Department Chair of Political Science, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Thomas Sowers
Professor and Department Chair of Political Science, ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 10:30AM | Research Session 2
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Topic: Learning From History: Evolving Patterns Of Resiliency In Rural Texas And Beyond
Theme:“Before the Pandemic: The Evolution of Public Health Resilience in Southeast Texas”
Chair/Respondent
Dante Salgado
Captain
Dante Salgado
Captain
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 1:15PM | Community Resilience Panel
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Kayla White
Exec. Director
Kayla White
Exec. Director
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 1:15PM | Community Resilience Panel
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
BIO:
Throughout her career, Kayla has secured millions of dollars in grant funding, organized and managed countless fundraising initiatives, and helped organizations build sustainable strategies for long-term programmatic success. Her expertise has made her a sought-after speaker and facilitator across Texas. She has contributed to nonprofit conferences and civic group events statewide, most recently leading a breakout session at the 2025 Texas Nonprofit Summit, presenting at the BBB of Southeast Texas 2024 Professional Women’s Conference, and serving on a 2025 United Way of Mid & South Jefferson County panel focused on winning grant proposals. In addition, she regularly speaks to Rotary clubs and civic organizations, sharing practical, real-world insights to strengthen nonprofit leadership and impact.
Chris Robertson
Exec. Director
Chris Robertson
Exec. Director
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 1:15PM | Community Resilience Panel
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
Amanda Gibson
Chief Operating Officer
Amanda Gibson
Chief Operating Officer
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 1:15PM | Community Resilience Panel
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
BIO:
Amanda Gibson, Chief, has over a decade of leadership at and deep roots in Southeast Texas, Amanda is passionate about expanding access to care and strengthening community resilience. From mobile medical outreach after Hurricane Hurvey to regional leadership roles, she's helping build a healthier, stronger SETX.
Debbie Perkins
Exec. Director
Debbie Perkins
Exec. Director
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 1:15PM | Community Resilience Panel
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
John Rollins
Moderator
John Rollins
Moderator
Date: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Time: 1:15PM | Community Resilience Panel
Conference Location:
ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University
Setzer Student Center
4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd
Beaumont, TX 77705
John Rollins
Associate Director Community Relations & Public Affairs
jsrollins@lamar.edu