The UP Experience Blog

On Friday, we were so excited to share the news of our new speaker feature for UP 2011 – Houston UP Close. This new session in our speaker lineup will feature some incredible, talented experts from right here in Houston.

The speakers for our first ever Houston UP Close session will be:

Laura Spanjian. Spanjian joined the City of Houston in 2010 as Mayor Annise Parker’s Sustainability Director. In her position, Laura is responsible for directing and coordinating projects and initiatives that improve air, land, and water quality, and support and expand renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, recycling and composting, alternative and clean transportation, local food production, and more livable and vibrant neighborhoods. Since embarking upon Houston, Laura has initiated a weekly farmer’s market outside City Hall, as well as the “Green Office Challenge,” which encourages businesses to compete with one another to reduce water and energy consumption. In addition, she is transforming Houston into an electric-car hub, a national leader in wind-power investment, and an advocate for energy efficiency.

Dr. Stephen Klineberg. Dr. Klineberg is a  Professor of Sociology at Rice University. Stephen is a graduate of Haverford College, with an M.A. from the University of Paris and a Ph.D. from Harvard. After teaching at Princeton, he joined Rice University’s Sociology Department in 1972. In 1982, he and his students initiated the annual “Houston Area Survey,” now in its 30th year of tracking the remarkable changes in the demographic patterns, economic outlooks, experiences, and beliefs of Harris County residents. The recipient of 10 major teaching awards at Rice, including the Lifetime Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Piper Professor Award, Stephen is writing a book on the Houston studies and serving as Co-director of Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research.