PROGRAM OF EVENTS

5:45 PM

Doors Open

6:00 PM

Dinner Service Begins

6:45 PM

"Welcome & Acknowledgment

6:50 PM

Harvey Remembrance Moment

6:55 PM

Higher Ground: Protecting the Vote When Crisis Hits

Chris Hollins, Houston City Controller; former Harris County Clerk

Dr. Melissa Marschall, Rice University

Chris McGinn, Texas Association of County Election Officials (TACEO)

Teneshia Hudspeth, Office of Harris County Clerk

7:40 PM

Open Q&A

7:50 PM

Poll Worker Recruitment Spotlight

8:00 PM

Closing Remarks

CHRISTOPHER MCGINN, PHD

Christopher  McGinn is a Professor in the Department of Environmental, Earth, and Geospatial Sciences at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, North Carolina, where he has served on the faculty since 2014. He holds a B.S. in Geography from East Carolina University (2000), as well as an M.A. in Applied Geography (2005) and a Ph.D. in Geography (2012) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Dr. McGinn’s academic and research expertise spans political geography, electoral spatial analysis, geospatial technologies, and food security. His published work covers topics such as the statistical analysis of COVID-19 and by-mail voting, rural food insecurity, and evaluations of digital geospatial data sources. Over his career, he has served as a Principal Investigator and Co-PI on multiple major research and capacity-building grants funded by federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, and the USDA.

In addition to his research, Dr. McGinn has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, where he has overseen the growth of the association to over 700 members representing 229 of the 254 counties in Texas.  Dr. McGinn has served on numerous panels and delivered numerous invited presentations nationwide on election administration, ballot dynamics, and GIS applications. He is a Certified Elections Registration Administrator and an active member of professional associations like the Association of American Geographers (AAG).

Texas Association of County Election Officials

CHRIS HOLLINS

Chris Hollins is a native Houstonian who has served as Houston City Controller since January 2024.

As the independently elected Chief Financial Officer of the nation’s fourth-largest city, Controller Hollins provides oversight of a budget exceeding $6 billion and manages the City’s $6 billion investment and $14 billion debt portfolios. Hollins is deeply committed to transparency, fiscal responsibility, and results-driven operations, using his office’s auditing authority to bring new ideas and best practices to City departments that result in cost savings and a higher standard of service to Houston residents.

Prior to his service as City Controller, Hollins led the 2020 elections effort in Harris County as County Clerk, gaining national acclaim for protecting and expanding voting rights for 2.5 million Houston-area voters during the most important election of our lifetime. Hollins’s innovations – which included drive-thru voting, 24-hour voting, online mail ballot tracking, and tripling the number of early voting centers – led to eye-popping record voter turnout despite the ongoing global pandemic.

Hollins and his wife, Morgan, live in Houston’s Third Ward with their daughter, Vivian, and their son, George.

Houston City Controller