Houston Advanced Research Center
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Energy
HARC's clean energy group provides research, tools, and technical assistance as the global community works to decarbonize the electric power sector and mitigate physical climate risk. HARC's continued effort will guide policymakers and industry leaders towards improvements in areas such as electric power resilience, energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, and low impact oil and gas exploration.
Air
HARC's work in air quality research and management includes air quality modeling, emission reduction technologies, emissions monitoring technology, and policy. In addition, researchers study regional impacts of, and adaptations to, climate change. The air research program is multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, objective, and non-partisan.
Water
HARC's water research emphasizes water quality and quantity, watershed management, biodiversity and ecological function, and ecosystem informatics. Integration, analysis, and dissemination of information regarding important water issues are considered key to advancing more sustainable management of coastal watersheds, water supplies, and water quality.
Climate
HARC's climate program is a dedicated, multi-disciplinary initiative that will use data analytics to facilitate a greater understanding of climate risk in Texas, and facilitate the diffusion and adoption of climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. This program enhances HARC's ability to provide robust analyses and applied research in support of technical assistance and science-based policies for the private and public sectors.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
By implementing its vision, HARC works to find sustainability solutions to problems that demand balancing environmental quality, economic health and social equity. HARC supports the implementation of policies and technologies that promote sustainability and are based on scientific principles. HARC's mission is to provide independent analysis on energy, air, water, climate and resiliency issues to people seeking scientific answers, and to operate as a research hub finding solutions for a sustainable future.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Establish HARC as a thought leader on regional sustainability.
Impact regional sustainability through HARC's programs and activities.
Build stronger partnerships with universities and nonprofits.
Achieve wide public awareness of HARC's capabilities and accomplishments.
Educate decision makers and the public in HARC's region about improved policy and technology for sustainability.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Big Picture Analytics. Many organizations invest in collecting large amounts of data that are under-analyzed. HARC has unique skills and experience in managing data sets and providing meta and trend analysis to synthesize data into meaningful information.
Research and Program Management. HARC manages large, multi-year research efforts; coordinating the work of multiple partners and subcontractors to execute projects on time, on budget, and on scope.
Policy Development Support. HARC provides the scientific foundation for better policy decisions through a multidisciplinary team structure, and deployment of appropriate communication and technology solutions.
Partnership, Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach. HARC collaborates with institutions and individuals from the private sector, government, community groups, and academia to identify problems and investigate the scientific and policy basis for solutions to further the application of sustainability.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
HARC's website, www.harcresearch.org, provides a summary of the more significant recent achievements in the three programmatic areas of Air, Energy and Water. It is the nature of the work, however, that there is always more to be learned and to be done, and HARC is continually asking the next set of questions.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Houston Advanced Research Center
Board of directorsas of 05/26/2023
J. Todd Mitchell
Cullen Geiselman
John L. Hall
Greg Mitchell
Margaret Vaughan Cox
Thad Smith
Bruce Tough
Spiros N. Vassilakis
Raymond E. Cline, Jr.
Ramanan Krishnamoorti
L. James Lester
Paul Nelson
Lisa Gonzalez
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/26/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.