The Texas Tribune Festival

Swaby covers public education for the Tribune. She joined the Tribune in October 2016 from the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, Swaby spent a year freelance reporting... Read More →

Bernal, D-San Antonio, has represented House District 123 since 2015. He serves as vice chairman of the House Public Education Committee and sits on the Administration and Urban Affairs committees. Previously, Bernal served as an attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and... Read More →

Brister was appointed chairman of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2017. He previously served as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court and as the chief justice of the 1st and 14th Courts of Appeals of Texas. After his term as Supreme Court justice... Read More →

Ellis represents District 9 on the State Board of Education. He serves on the board’s Committee on School Initiatives, which oversees items including charter schools, certification rules and school board member training. Ellis previously served as a member and president of the Lufkin... Read More →

Conley Johnson has served as chief financial officer for AISD since 2009. In 2018, she was appointed to the Texas Commission on Public School Finance by Speaker Joe Straus. Prior to joining AISD, Conley Johnson worked for several large urban school systems, including the New York... Read More →