Infrastructure: Building a Secure & Connected City

Jorge Cardenas, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the City of Brownsville, will share how he transformed Brownsville from one of the "least connected" cities in the nation into a global Smart City leader. His remarks will center on using digital infrastructure as a direct driver for economic development and public safety.

Cardenas will offer Texas businesses specific insights into his leadership in installing 100 miles of city-owned middle-mile fiber. He will explain how this "gold standard" infrastructure provides the scalability needed to attract high-tech industries like SpaceX.

National Firsts in 5G: Details on deploying one of the country's first municipally-owned private 5G networks. He can discuss its use for real-time camera analytics, crowd monitoring, and providing free public Wi-Fi in city parks.

AI and Modernization: How the city is integrating Artificial Intelligence and machine learning into its operations, including a GenAI-powered system to analyze community needs and the country's first municipal "AI factory" using Nvidia Blackwell GPUs.

Public Safety Innovation: The implementation of smart systems like license plate readers to stop stolen vehicles and technology to detect unmanned aerial vehicles, particularly relevant for border security.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Successes in digital inclusivity, such as the laptop giveaway program and Smart City: Back-to-School workshops that provide technology and internet safety training to local families.

David Elcock, President of the Cyversity Austin Chapter and a CxO Advisor at Netskope, will provide the audience with a high-stakes perspective on how cybersecurity has evolved from a back-office IT function into a cornerstone of national and regional infrastructure security. His remarks would focus on "Cyber Resilience" as a non-negotiable requirement for business continuity in a hyper-connected world. He will discuss with Mr. Cardenas why protecting physical assets—like water systems, power grids, and ports—now depends entirely on the integrity of digital networks, emphasizing that a breach in one is a failure of the other.

David Stedman, President and CEO of the Laredo Economic Development Corporation (LEDC), will speak to Laredo's strategic transformation into North America’s central supply chain hub. He will discuss how the city is leveraging its status as the nation's top-volume port to diversify into high-tech and advanced industries.

Additional insight include:

Laredo 2050" Strategic Vision: His push for a unified regional strategic plan that breaks down silos between government and private entities to revitalize downtown and manage rapid growth.

The "Data City" Initiative

His flagship 5-gigawatt solar project spanning 50,000 acres, designed to provide the power and water needed to attract data centers, AI, and advanced manufacturing to the region.

Insights into Port Laredo, which handled over $354 billion in trade in 2025 (35% of all U.S.-Mexico commerce). The current expansions, including a fifth international road bridge and an elevated freight system connecting Laredo to Monterrey.Supply Chain Innovation: How Laredo is merging traditional logistics with emerging technologies like blockchain and fintech to enhance the "multiplier effect" of nearshoring.

Panelists will discuss regional collaboration:

Cardenas' vision for extending Brownsville’s fiber reach to neighboring communities like Harlingen and sharing IT expertise with other cities—such as Frisco—to prepare for major events like the World Cup. They will discuss how including underrepresented groups—including veterans, women, and minorities—broadens the "threat perspective" and improves problem-solving within security operations.