Coastal Issues Forum: On the Road

Gary Guillroy, President, Restore Little Bay Foundation

Gary P. Guillory, DDS, MBA (Retired), earned his bachelor’s degree from Rice University in 1983 with a double major in Biochemistry and Biology. He completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery at the University of Texas Dental Branch in 1990 and later earned an MBA from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 2019.

Gary’s interest in environmental science began early. While a student at Clear Lake High School, he received a scholarship from NASA’s Johnson Space Center to participate in the Clear Creek Basin Water Quality Study during the summers of 1977 and 1978. These formative experiences fostered a lifelong appreciation for nature and a strong commitment to environmental stewardship.

In 2025, Gary focused his attention on the health of Little Bay in Rockport, Texas, conducting an in-depth review of historical water-quality studies. In response to growing concerns about the bay’s ecosystem, he helped establish the Restore Little Bay Initiative, later becoming the Restore Little Bay Foundation, in February 2025.

Jason Pinchback, Founder of Clean Water Impact, LLC

Jason Pinchback is a ninth-generation Texan with more than three decades of experience in water resources and environmental management across both the public and private sectors. He recently retired from the Texas General Land Office after 28 years of state service, following earlier roles with the Lower Colorado River Authority, the Texas House of Representatives, and Texas State University’s Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.

After retiring from state service, Jason founded Clean Water Impact LLC, an environmental consulting firm dedicated to advancing sustainable water quality and water supply solutions that support healthy communities and resilient ecosystems. His work encompasses watershed and coastal water-quality assessment, water restoration strategies, data analysis and synthesis, stakeholder and agency facilitation, environmental investigations, grant and funding strategy support, and implementation-focused technical advising. Clean Water Impact currently serves clients throughout the Texas Gulf Coast and the Texas Hill Country.

In 2025, Jason was nominated as a Fellow at the Harte Research Institute (HRI) at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. He currently serves as the Institute’s sole Fellow, leading applied initiatives to address complex coastal and watershed water-quality challenges.

Jason Pinchback is a ninth-generation Texan with more than three decades of experience in water resources and environmental management across both the public and private sectors. He recently retired from the Texas General Land Office after 28 years of state service, following earlier roles with the Lower Colorado River Authority, the Texas House of Representatives, and Texas State University’s Meadows Center for Water and the Environment.

After retiring from state service, Jason founded Clean Water Impact LLC, an environmental consulting firm dedicated to advancing sustainable water quality and water supply solutions that support healthy communities and resilient ecosystems. His work encompasses watershed and coastal water-quality assessment, water restoration strategies, data analysis and synthesis, stakeholder and agency facilitation, environmental investigations, grant and funding strategy support, and implementation-focused technical advising. Clean Water Impact currently serves clients throughout the Texas Gulf Coast and the Texas Hill Country.

Ashley Bennis, Coordinator of the Clean Coast Texas Collaborative

Ashley Bennis is the Coordinator of the Clean Coast Texas Collaborative, an initiative of the Texas General Land Office Coastal Management Program’s Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Program. Her professional background is in environmental planning and risk management, with a focus on working alongside Texas coastal communities to strengthen planning processes and adopt updated policies that support long-term coastal resilience.

Ashley is a Certified Floodplain Manager, which enhances her understanding of the role hydrology plays in building resilient communities. In her role as coordinator, she leads collaboration with public and private partners to research and develop innovative policies, techniques, and funding mechanisms that advance the successful implementation of low-impact development (LID) and nature-based solutions (NBS) across coastal communities.

Through this program, Ashley also guides the grassroots organization Coastal Bend Alliance for Sustainable Stormwater (CBASS), engaging a broad range of stakeholders on topics related to ecosystem services, environmental and development policies, and water quality improvement.

Charlie Belaire, Founder of Roadside Habitats of Texas

Born in 1946 along the bayou between Fannett and Port Arthur, Texas, he was educated in the Fannett and Beaumont public school systems. He pursued higher education in engineering, chemistry, and mathematics at Lamar State College of Technology, the University of Texas, and the University of Houston, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

He began his professional career with the Texas Parks Department at the Seabrook Marine Laboratory on Galveston Bay from 1971 to 1975. In 1975, he entered the environmental consulting field and, in 1980, founded Belaire Environmental, Inc. (BEI) in Rockport, Texas. In 2022, BEI was acquired by Anchor QEA, and he retired in 2023.

His career highlights include appointment by Governor Bill Clements to two terms on the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission; restoration of more than 20,000 acres of coastal habitat in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas; and recognition as a national leader in seagrass restoration. Over the course of his career, he completed more than 3,000 projects across the United States, Belize, the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, the Bay of Campeche, and other regions.

Since retiring, he has launched Roadside Habitats of Texas, a community-based initiative that has completed 15 diverse habitat restoration projects within Aransas County to date.