Executive Director - Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC)

Executive Director
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC)
Houston, Texas

Mackenzie Eason & Associates has been retained by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) to recruit its next Executive Director.

H-GAC is a mature, multi-program regional enterprise operating at the intersection of regional governance, public service delivery, and complex funding administration across one of the country’s fastest-growing and most operationally demanding regions. The next Executive Director will inherit a strong foundation, an aligned and cohesive board and region, a well-respected agency, and a strong and knowledgeable staff.

CANDIDATE VISION STATEMENT

The ideal candidate will possess the vision, executive leadership, and strategic acumen to shape and advance the future of H-GAC and the 13-county region. This individual will steward and strategically deploy more than $500 million in public funding annually, while aligning the organization’s subsidiary boards, executive leadership team, and professional staff to deliver transformative solutions across one of the fastest-growing and most economically dynamic regions in the nation.

The Executive Director serves as the organization’s chief administrator while also acting as a regional thought leader, coalition builder, and trusted partner to elected officials, state and federal agencies, and community stakeholders. This role demands long-range vision, political acuity, and the ability to turn regional priorities into measurable, results-driven outcomes.

The Executive Director will address the following critical needs:

·         Articulate and advance a bold regional vision that reflects the distinct geographic, economic, and demographic needs of the region, building consensus among elected officials, partner agencies, and community stakeholders.

·         Strengthen regional collaboration by leveraging partnerships with urban, suburban, and rural leaders to advance cohesive policy implementation that benefits the entire region.

·         Lead collaborative solutions to complex regional challenges, including transportation, workforce development, and early childhood education, by working in close partnership with the governing boards of H-GAC’s subsidiary entities, alongside state and federal agencies and local governments, to develop and implement forward-looking, regionally aligned strategies.

·         Empower and align the executive leadership team to effectively implement board-adopted policies, cultivate innovation, and deliver high-performing programs.

·         Drive organizational excellence and operational efficiency, ensuring resources are strategically aligned to maximize impact in workforce development and early childhood education initiatives across the 13-county region.

·         Serve as chief steward of public trust, ensuring transparency, accountability, and strong fiduciary oversight in collaboration with subsidiary boards.

·         Champion best-in-the-nation programming, positioning H-GAC as a national model in regional planning, workforce development, and intergovernmental coordination.

ABOUT H-GAC

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is one of the largest councils of governments in the United States, serving a 13-county region of more than 7 million residents. Established in 1966, H-GAC operates as a voluntary association of local governments and a regional service platform that supports intergovernmental coordination, regional planning, and program execution across issues that affect the region’s economy, infrastructure, and quality of life.

H-GAC is distinguished by a unique mix of tools that enable impact across the full region, serving small towns and rapidly growing communities while also supporting one of the largest cities in the country. This breadth is reinforced through five affiliate boards and entities that expand the organization’s reach and flexibility: large regional bodies such as the Gulf Coast Workforce Board and the Transportation Policy Council, which is the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization, alongside smaller and more agile entities such as the Local Development Corporation (small business finance), the Gulf Coast Economic Development Di