The Center of Excellence in Capacity-building for Resilient Housing (CECREH) hosted its 2026 Summit on October 22 in the Red Raider Lounge at Texas Tech University’s Student Union Building. The gathering brought together the Center’s university teams, research fellows, students, housing practitioners, community collaborators, and representatives of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to connect housing research with the practical challenges of disaster recovery.
Welcome remarks featured CECREH Director Dr. Ali Nejat; Mr. Clay Cash, a member of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents; Dr. James Reecy, Texas Tech’s vice president for research and innovation; and Dr. Rod Williams, vice provost for outreach and engagement. Dr. Nejat’s presentation on CECREH impact and innovation introduced the Center’s work and its research-driven approach to building capacity for resilient housing.
The research fellow roundtable was moderated by CECREH Associate Director Dr. Ashley Ross of Texas A&M University at Galveston. CECREH team members Jesse Andrews, Kaifa Lu, Amin Sobhani, Temidayo Popoola, Paul Iyoha, and Mehrdad Nourbakhsh represented Texas Tech University; Miranda Sauceda and Summer Pylant represented Texas A&M University at Galveston; and Aaron Ford and Lamin Kabia represented Texas Southern University. The session centered the experiences of the researchers contributing to the Center’s work across institutions.
A dedicated session examined the Post-Hurricane Harvey Construction Quality Study. Moderated by Julia Orduña of Texas Housers, it featured Dr. Ivis Garcia of Texas A&M University and Cecelia Fontenot of Fair Housing and Neighborhood Rights. The session connected the study of post-disaster construction quality with the Summit’s broader focus on housing recovery and the experiences of communities rebuilding after disaster.
The concluding roundtable, Housing Recovery and the Road Ahead, brought together Maddie Sloan of Texas Appleseed and Julia Orduña of Texas Housers, with Dr. Nejat serving as moderator. The discussion connected the Center’s research agenda with perspectives from housing advocacy and disaster-recovery policy.
Student poster presentations accompanied breakfast and the morning coffee break, providing additional opportunities to explore ongoing research and speak with members of the research team. Dr. Nejat delivered closing remarks. An internal research workshop in the afternoon brought CECREH team members together to coordinate work across projects, discuss shared research priorities, and identify next steps.
We thank our colleagues at Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Texas Southern University, Stony Brook University, the University of Kansas, and the University of Waterloo, as well as everyone who participated and contributed their time, work, and perspectives. The Summit program and booklet and research posters are available for readers who would like to explore the work in more detail.
