Helping Texas Become a Leader in Clean, Electric Transportation - in All Its Forms.
Staff
Tom "Smitty" Smith
Executive Director
Tom “Smitty” Smith served as the State Director of Texas Public Citizen for over 30 years, working to ensure clean air and water
and to address the elements contributing to global climate change.
He was a key leader in developing policies that resulted in
Texas' renewable energy boom of the 1990s and early 2000s,
and was an integral architect of the
Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP)
to address air quality in Texas non-attainment cities.
Once transportation emissions surpassed those of utilities
as the #1 cause of greenhouse gas emissions in 2017,
Smitty shifted his focus to help Texas transform into an electric transportation leader by becoming TxETRA's first Executive Director. He also serves on the national board of Plug-In America.
Stacey Abel
Policy and Communications Director
Stacey Abel has an extensive background in public policy and nonprofit advocacy. She has worked on renewable energy and sustainability issues while serving in leadership positions with the Texas Senate; Texas Environmental Defense Fund; Texas SEED Coalition
(Sustainable Energy and Economic Development); California Coalition for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Technology (CEERT);
and the Texas Renewable Energy Resources Alliance (TREIA).
"It's been a privilege to be part of the renewable energy evolution in Texas and I'm excited that we're on the brink of a similar tipping point with electric transportation in this state." Stacey works on a variety of issues including emerging technologies, geographic and income equity, partnerships and communications. She is the editor and publisher of print and social media as well as
TxETRA's monthly newsletter.
Laura Morrison
Director of Community Initiatives
lauramorrison.txetra@gmail.com
Armed with a Bachelor's and Master's in Mathematics from
The University of California, Laura Morrison moved to Texas in 1981
and became an engineer at Lockheed - eventually helping the company develop business compliance systems. Laura served two terms on the Austin City Council, working with a broad sector of stakeholders on a myriad of issues critical to the City and its residents, including emerging technology adoption and oversight of the public electric utility, Austin Energy. Laura currently works with local governmental jurisdictions, regional bodies, and communities around the State to develop and implement EV policies, incentives, ordinance changes, and charging infrastructure - all with a focus on equity and broad outreach. She also works with communities on air quality, transportation and climate plans.