New director appointed for the Texas Water Resources Institute
Contact: Dr. John C. Tracy, 979-845-1851, John.Tracy@ag.tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION — Dr. John C. Tracy has been named director of the Texas Water Resources Institute effective Dec. 7, according to Dr. Mark Hussey, vice chancellor and dean for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University System.
“We are excited to have someone like Dr. Tracy join our team to lead our water programs at the Texas Water Resources Institute that support our core missions of teaching, research, extension and service,” Hussey said. “He brings a wealth of experience and talents that will serve us well.”
The institute is the state’s designated water resources institute and is part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Tracy previously was director of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute at the University of Idaho for 11 years. While at Idaho, Tracy also served as associate vice president for research since 2009 and was a faculty member in the university’s department of civil engineering.
“Texas has one of the most diverse water resource landscapes in the country,” Tracy said, “and the state must be able to address and manage a wide range of water challenges at almost a moment’s notice.”
As director, Tracy said he believes he can serve as a catalyst to bring together faculty at Texas A&M with AgriLife Research scientists and AgriLife Extension specialists to address the water resource issues Texas faces.
“I see the Texas Water Resources Institute enhancing its current role in addressing Texas’ water resource challenges, and I believe that Texas A&M is poised to further its role in leading the development of both technological and policy solutions to many of the state’s, the nation’s and the world’s most pressing water resource problems.”
Tracy currently serves as president for the American Water Resources Association and as secretary/treasurer for the Executive Management Board of the National Institutes for Water Resources. In addition, he served on the governing board of the University Council on Water Resources and was its president from 2008–2009.
Prior to his work at the University of Idaho, Tracy held academic positions at the Desert Research Institute, South Dakota State University and Kansas State University.
Tracy earned his doctorate in engineering and master’s in civil engineering from the University of California at Davis and his bachelor’s in civil engineering from Colorado State University.
