Luncheon Sponsor
About the speaker:
Edward M. Emmett
Harris County Judge
Edward M. Emmett became Harris County Judge on March 6, 2007, following Robert Eckels’ resignation. Voters later elected Judge Emmett in his own right on Nov. 4, 2008.
A member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987, Judge Emmett was chairman of the Committee on Energy, a member of the Transportation Committee, and represented the state on numerous national committees relating to energy and transportation policy.
In 1989, President George H. W. Bush nominated Emmett as a Commissioner at the Interstate Commerce Commission. After being confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate, Judge Emmett served on the commission for three years.
Judge Emmett has a wide breadth of experience in transportation and logistics policy. He was named one of the Top 20 Logistics Professionals by the Logistics Forum in 2003, and the Transportation Clubs International gave him its “Transportation Person of the Year” award in 2005.
As county judge, Judge Emmett also is director of Harris County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, a role that took on special significance when Hurricane Ike struck the Gulf Coast in September 2008. Judge Emmett was widely praised locally and nationally for his calm leadership during and after Ike’s devastating landfall.
Judge Emmett also serves on numerous boards and committees, including chairman of the Harris County Juvenile Board and the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Executive Steering Committee. He also is a board member of: the Joint City-County Commission on Children; the Advisory Board of the Tejano Center for Community Concerns; the Houston-Galveston Area Council; the Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Policy Council; and the American Society of Transportation and Logistics. Judge Emmett also is a member of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee.
During his tenure, Judge Emmett has received numerous awards from local, national and international organizations.
Judge Emmett attended Bellaire High School. He graduated from Rice University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 with a Master of Public Affairs degree.
Judge Emmett and his wife, Gwen, have been married for 35 years and have four children and seven grandchildren.
