Lauren Garduño has served as the President and CEO of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance since September 2022 after 35 years with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Lauren’s experience with TxDOT included over 20 years in executive management running district operations in Odessa and Abilene before completing the last five years in the department’s administration in Austin. Assignments for administration involved restructuring five of the departments’ divisions including fleet and Professional Engineering Procurement. Lauren’s final assignment included serving as the department’s Director of Planning and Project Development during a time of significant increases in the statewide Unified Transportation Program. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University, and advanced degrees in Management and Civil Engineering from Abilene Christian University, and Texas A&M University. In his spare time, Lauren and his wife Ketta manage a pure bred Charolais operation in Happy Valley Texas.