The 2026 South Central Climate Resilience Forum (SCCRF) recently took place from April 15th-17th, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas. The forum featured over 100 presenters and drew about 175 participants from multiple disciplines, including academia, city planning, environmental science, and more.
The Forum began with the Welcoming Plenary on Day 1, and featured a Tribal welcome message from Ramon D. Vasquez of the Tāp Pīlam Coahuiltecan Nation, outlining the rich indigenous history and continued influence in the region, and San Antonio Councilmember Ric Galvan showcasing the city of San Antonio’s commitment to climate resilience initiatives.
SCCRF’s keynote event was titled “A Conversation on Climate, Community, and Collaboration” and featured Colette Pichon Battle (Taproot Earth), Nicole Alderete-Ferrini (City of Pecos, Texas), and Adam Paris (ICF). The event’s diverse speakers highlighted the barriers communities face when building resilience to weather and climate impacts and offered solutions to effectively address them.
The forum’s featured panel titled “Reflecting on the 2025 Hill Country Floods: Science, Community, and the Path Forward” included Dr. John Nielson-Gammon (Texas State Climatologist, Texas A&M University), Dr. Monty Dozier (Director, Texas A&M AgriLife Disaster Assessment and Recovery Team), Erin Cavazos (Engineering Manager, San Antonio River Authority), and Sam Marie Hermite (Assistant Deputy Executive Administrator of Water Science & Conservation, Texas Water Development Board). Panelists provided their unique perspectives and multidisciplinary understanding of the July 2025 Texas Hill Country floods as moderator Alex Garcia (Chief Meteorologist, KABB Fox 29 San Antonio) prompted exploration of the event’s meteorological conditions, disaster support efforts and policy development that followed, and considerations for future resilience.
Attendees were also able to participate in one of three field trips to explore San Antonio. The first option was a tour of San Pedro Creek Culture Park, whose innovative engineering and architecture incorporates low-impact design elements, and employs strategies to improve water quality and stormwater flood control. Another field trip option was a tour of the Credit Human Headquarters, a building exemplifying sustainable design and operational efficiency with advanced systems ensuring energy performance and occupant comfort. Finally, attendees could venture to The Alamo, a site with 300 years of history and a notable tourist destination in the San Antonio area.
SCIPP team members were not only part of SCCRF’s planning committee, but they also were featured in multiple presentations across the three days. The presentation titles and the SCIPP team members involved are listed below:
- Assessing and Building Capacity for Hazard mitigation planning in Low-Capacity Communities
- Rachel Riley (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, University of Oklahoma)
- Darrian Bertrand (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, University of Oklahoma)
- Ed Hecker (National Hazard Mitigation Association)
- Exploring Data and Action Tools for Climate-Informed Decision-Making
- Darrian Bertrand (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, University of Oklahoma)
- Vincent Brown (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, Louisiana State University)
- Derek Thompson (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, Louisiana State University)
- Barry Keim (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, Louisiana State University)
- Victoria Ford (Southern Regional Climate Center, Texas A&M University)
- Alison Tarter (Southern Regional Climate Center, Texas A&M University)
- William Baule (Southern Regional Climate Center, Texas A&M University)
- Willow Jackson (Adaptation International)
- Picture This: Building Trust and Inclusion in Climate Adaptation through PhotoVoice [WORKSHOP]
- Cassandra Jean (Adaptation International)
- Sophia Kestell (Adaptation International)
- Willow Jackson (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Resilience Fellowship, Adaptation International)
- Rodrigo Leal (University of Texas School of Architecture, Planet Texas)
- Ruben Garza (Voces Unidas)
- Michelle Serrano (Voces Unidas)
- Characteristics of Resilient receiving Communities for Climate Migrants in Louisiana
- Sadé Miller (Louisiana State University)
- From Classroom Knowledge to Impact in Action: SCIPP’s 2025 Summer Internship Program
- Caylah Cruickshank (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program)
- People and Place: How Resilience Hubs Networks Expand Services and Support Communities
- Marc Coudert (City of Austin)
- Kate Jaceldo (City of San Antonio)
- Makale’a Ane (Living Pono Project)
- Sascha Petersen (Adaptation International)
- Tropicalization of the Temperate Zone: Emerging Temperature Regimes and Their Climate-Health Implications
- Scott Hemmerling (Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program)
- Barry Keim (Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program)
- Vincent Brown (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, Louisiana State University)
- Derek Thompson (Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program, Louisiana State University
To view the event’s full program, a complete list of sponsors, and more, visit sccrf.org.
Image Credit: Mae Czarnecki (Hey Miss Mae)