TREAD AND OUR WORK
The Texas Real Estate Advocacy & Defense Coalition (TREAD) is a bipartisan, member-based advocacy association that advocates for and defends Texas landowner rights on the state and local levels. TREAD monitors relevant issues in the Texas Legislature, such as property taxes, water rights, eminent domain and more.
We partner with professionals and organizations that advocate sound public policy and maintain a bipartisan commitment to evaluate and prioritize issues through good science and economics. TREAD is a voice of reason representing landowners at the Capitol.
Our rights are individual, but it takes a coalition to defend them. That’s where TREAD comes in. You can get involved by 1) becoming a member or 2) giving to the advocacy and education to keep legislators in office who support TREAD’s mission and want to protect landowners.
TREAD Coalition Boards
The Boards are comprised of passionate landowners dedicated to protecting our finite natural resources and upholding landowner rights, for existing Texans and generations to come. Armed with an array of diverse backgrounds and experiences, each board member brings a unique perspective to the challenges we face today.
Board of Directors
Lucy Johnson, Board Chair
SAN MARCOS, HAYS COUNTY
Lucy Johnson
Growing up on a Texas ranch, I have always had an appreciation for both the joys and challenges of rural America. As the mayor of Kyle from 2010 – 2014, I helped navigate my hometown through a period of heavy growth and development as it shifted from a small farming and ranching community to a prosperous, energetic city within the greater Austin metropolitan area. In 2014, I spent two years as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Rural Outreach for the U.S. Department of Education, providing a voice for education stakeholders in rural communities and representing national education interests on the White House Rural Council. Now back in Central Texas, I look forward to donating my time to lifting up and celebrating the region’s diverse voices and heritage.
EMAIL LUCY JOHNSON
Desi Tyrpak, VICE CHAIR
AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY
Desi Tyrpak
There are many associations that landowners can join; however, those associations are typically narrow in scope to a specific area of interest. The one thing that binds all landowners is the land. TREAD was initiated to protect the land and the landowner’s rights, uniting multiple areas of interest into a stronger lobbying voice. The land is precious in many ways and needs good stewards to preserve and protect it for future generations. Water is essential to life. Both are often treated like commodities to be exploited. I have to do my part so that my children and my children’s children will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the land and water as I have in my lifetime. My grandfather taught me many things. Because of him, I share his love of the land. He would say, “Take care of the land and it will take care of you.” To this day, I firmly believe in his words.
EMAIL DESI TYRPAK
Kay Pence, TREASURER
COMFORT, KENDALL COUNTY
Kay Pence
My love for rural life began in my hometown of rural Pearland where my parents taught me the importance of being a good steward of the land. After graduating from Texas A&M, I began my 35-year career in banking, specifically Trusts and Investments. My passion for the land and the Hill Country started in 2008 when my daughter and I moved to a ranch in Bandera. In 2014, I retired and planted a 10-acre vineyard at our home in Fredericksburg. My husband and I now split our time between Fredericksburg and our ranch in Comfort, where we like to escape to enjoy the beauty of the Hill Country. I currently serve on the board of Peterson Hospital in Kerrville.
EMAIL KAY PENCE
Beyrl Armstrong
DRIPPING SPRINGS, HAYS COUNTY
Beyrl Armstrong
I am a fifth generation Texan with roots to ranching and farming communities. I am an owner and principal of Plateau Land & Wildlife Management, and have spent most of my professional life working with landowners to help them become better stewards of the land. I consult with private, public, and non-profit organizations to further protection of habitat for rare Texas wildlife. A few years ago, the creek I live along was filled with silt by an upstream neighbor's non-permitted dam construction. My neighbors and I found the pollution levels did not rise enough to require remediation and there was no way to compel the clean-up of our creek. I decided then that Texas law needed to change to take into account the prior condition of a creek when determining if a polluting event had occurred. A single landowner's voice is rarely heard, so I have joined with a group of like-minded landowners, and I know that if we stand together, we can protect and enhance our natural heritage for the benefit of our communities as a whole, while protecting our rights as landowners.
EMAIL BERYL ARMSTRONG
Lairy Johnson
JOHNSON CITY, BLANCO COUNTY
Lairy Johnson
Lairy Johnson received a B.S. and M.S. from the Stephen F. Austin University, and his experience includes projects as a hydrologist, environmental engineer, sustainability engineer and EHS manager. Lairy led soil and ground water remediation projects as well as landfill-free and energy reduction programs throughout Texas and the Southwest. Most recently, he was at the MolsonCoors Brewery working to promote the MillerCoors water sustainability programs in the state of Texas with particular focus on enhancing the water quality and quantity of the Trinity River. Working with NGO’s and the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, this watershed stewardship program has benefited over 100 landowners who have engaged in water conservation practices encompassing over 50,000 acres to date and saving almost 9 billion gallons of water. In addition, Lairy has testified before the Texas House of Representatives Natural Resource Committee on MolsonCoors water sustainability practices as a casebook example of how to engage both private landowners and corporations to address the current water issues facing the state of Texas. Now retired, Lairy serves as a consultant and speaker.
Terry Hlavinka
Terry Hlavinka
Terry Hlavinka currently serves as president of Hlavinka Equipment Co. Upon graduation from A&M, he joined the company and has worked across all departments within the Hlavinka organization. Terry is also a partner of Hlavinka Cattle Company growing crops including rice, cotton, and corn while also participating in a commercial cow-calf business. Terry is also charged with leading family real estate development, including projects within the recreational and hospitality industries. Terry remains active in all things related to Texas A&M. He also serves as a member of the Texas Private Sector Advisory Council as an appointment by Governor Abbott.
Advisory Board
Terry Anderson, Conservation Equity Partners
NACOGDOCHES, NACOGDOCHES COUNTY
Terry Anderson
Terry Anderson is a Co-Founder and Principal of Conservation Equity Management, LP. He is also the Founder and Principal of Conservation Equity Partners, LLC, a company specializing in natural resources, ecological services, and land management. Working with landowners, private equity groups, venture capitalists, state and federal regulators, realtors, and land trusts, Anderson focused a majority of his time and energy in developing integrated conservation and mitigation projects. Over his career, Mr. Anderson has been involved with the development of over 28 mitigation banks, and countless other conservation projects. Anderson is also currently a co-owner of Wildlife Systems, Inc. and is actively involved philanthropically with the Texas Forestry Association, Texas Wildlife Association, as well as current Board Trustee for Texas Wildlife Association Foundation. Terry Anderson received his B.S. in Forestry with an emphasis in Wildlife Management from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1991.
EMAIL TERRY ANDERSON
Chad Ellis, CEO of Texas Agricultural Land Trust
AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY
Chad Ellis
Chad Ellis holds the position of CEO at the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT). Chad’s interests led him to Sul Ross State University in Alpine, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Management. While earning his degree, he gained experience in several Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife management areas, and he then went on to get a master’s degree in animal science with an emphasis on range management at Angelo State University and worked as a research assistant. His first professional job was with the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), and he spent the next 13 years moving up the ranks of NRCS in increasingly responsible positions. The organization was rebranded as the Noble Research Institute during his tenure, and his most recent position was Industry Relations and Stewardship Manager, working across the nation on a variety of projects. That experience positioned him perfectly for the challenge of taking on the CEO role at the Texas Agricultural Land Trust.
EMAIL CHAD ELLIS
Dr. Robert Mace, Executive Director and Chief Water Policy Officer of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
SAN MARCOS, HAYS COUNTY
Dr. Robert Mace
Robert Mace is the Executive Director and Chief Water Policy Officer of The
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment and a Professor of Practice in the
Department of Geography at Texas State University. Robert has over 30 years of
experience in hydrology, hydrogeology, stakeholder processes, and water policy.
Robert has a B.S. in Geophysics and an M.S. in Hydrology from the New Mexico
Institute of Mining and Technology and a Ph.D. in Hydrogeology from The
University of Texas at Austin.
EMAIL ROBERT MACE
Lori Olsen, Executive Director of the Texas Land Trust Council
WIMBERLEY, HAYS COUNTY
Lori Olson
Lori Olson has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Land Trust Council since July of 2011, leading a coalition of 35 land trusts from across the state of Texas, focusing on efforts to enhance, sustain, and ensure the continued success of the conservation movement. Lori has over 22 years of experience in the field of land conservation, working with land conservation organizations in Oregon, North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. She is the former Executive Director of the Eno River Association in Durham, NC and served as a project manager for The Trust for Public Land, focusing on Central Texas conservation projects with government agency partners including the Cities of Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Travis and Hays Counties. A native Texan, Lori is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S. in Biology, and a graduate of the University of Oregon with a Master's degree in Community and Regional Planning, as well as a Master of Science degree in Public Affairs.
EMAIL LORI OLSON
Dr. Bill Fox
Dr. Bill Fox
Dr. Bill Fox is the Director of the Center for Natural Resources Information Technology at Texas A&M
University and an Associate Professor & Extension Range Specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service. He is on the faculty in the Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management Department
at Texas A&M University in College Station. Over the years he has focused on land management strategies for a diverse suite of landscapes ranging
from rehabilitation of highly disturbed military training lands to restoration of oil/gas development, the
influence of vegetation communities on water resources in working landscapes, and most recently, the
impacts of land management on ecosystem goods and services in rangelands. Dr. Fox was part of the
nationwide team that developed the Integrated Social, Economic & Ecological Conceptual (ISEEC)
Framework that has been used to define interactions between biological and socio-economic
subsystems. He serves as a Technical Advisor for the Texas – Grazing
Lands Coalition. Dr. Fox holds a B.S. degree in Range Science from Texas A&M University, a M.S. in
Animal & Range Sciences from New Mexico State University and a Ph.D. in Rangeland Ecology &
Management from Texas A&M University.
EMAIL Dr. Bill Fox
Jessica Karlsruher
Jessica Karlsruher
Jessica Karlsruher has more than 20 years of experience with trade associations and nonprofit organizations. She began her career at the Texas Capitol and after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Jessica worked in the Governmental Affairs department of the Texas Association of Realtors® (TAR) where she coordinated lobby days and other grassroots efforts, hosted leadership and PAC conferences and lobbied on behalf of TAR. Jessica left the Realtors® after four years of service to work in Washington, DC in state society management including board development, volunteer recruitment and state advocacy efforts. She transitioned into nonprofit fundraising, raising awareness and funds for patient advocacy organizations during the rest of her time in DC. In 2013, Jessica moved back to continuing to serve in the nonprofit advocacy space and has been with TREAD since 2019. Her roots run deep as a 6th generation Texan, a landowner and a steward of Texas land and resources. Jessica is a proud member of the Texas Wildlife Association, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers, Texas Land & Mineral Owners Association and serves on a Pipeline Safety Standards Committee with the American Petroleum Institute.
EMAIL Jessica Karlsruher
JORDAN
MARKETING FELLOW
JORDAN
Jordan Winkler majors in Economics and minors in Energy Technology Management and Accounting at Texas Christian University. Jordan has a wide variety of skill sets from experiences in corporate research, energy policy, financial services, sales, and marketing. Jordan has joined TREAD as a marketing fellow to expand TREAD’s values across Texas. You can reach Jordan at marketing@treadcoalition.org.
EMAIL JORDAN
Madalyn
GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FELLOW
MADALYN
Madalyn Richards will graduate from Texas A&M University in the fall of 2024 with her Bachelor's in Agricultural Communications and Journalism and a minor in Agricultural Economics. She wants to eventually pursue a career in ag policy so that she can work to support farmers, ranchers, and landowners from a governmental standpoint. Madalyn has joined TREAD as the government affairs fellow with the hope of gaining experience in legislative affairs and utilizing her communication skills to further TREAD's mission. You can reach Madalyn at govaffairs@treadcoalition.org.
EMAIL MADALYN