Vice President, Communications
Merrill helps Texans better understand the research, data and policy choices shaping the state's future. Before joining Texas 2036, she spent more than three decades advising Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and nonprofits across Texas on strategic communications and public affairs.
Statewide, 54% of Texas students met grade-level expectations in Algebra I this spring. But that number conceals a wide range of performance across the state’s 20 Education Service Center regions. That range becomes visible when you look at the map below. Percent of Students on Grade Level in Algebra I in 2026, by ESC Region…
The latest 2026 STAAR EOC results show encouraging progress for high school students across Texas. According to preliminary data released by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on June 10, the percentage of students meeting grade-level expectations increased in every end-of-course subject. Students posted gains in Algebra I, Biology, English I and English II. 2026 English…
Over the last 25 years, Texas natural gas production has more than doubled. And it continues to grow, establishing Texas as the stronghold for U.S. and international energy security. If Texas were an independent country, it would be the third-largest natural gas producer on earth, behind the rest of the United States and Russia. But…
Nonprofit organizations’ fundraising success is all too often measured on one too-highly-weighted metric: the ratio of program expense versus administrative expense, or what is often referred to as overhead. “What that metric actually measures is how little an organization invests in itself,” wrote one fundraising expert earlier this month. “Overhead is not the opposite of…
Texas reached 31.7 million residents in July 2025, adding more than 391,000 people in a single year. We rank in the top four states for percent growth and lead the nation in numeric change. By headline measures, Texas is still very much a growth story. Yet, the shape of that growth is changing. The U.S….