2026 Rainmakers: Building Bridges in Texas Water Policy Over 50 Years
August 6th, 2026
Written by Colin McDonald, Director of Strategic Partnerships
AUSTIN, TX - Texas Water Foundation’s 2026 Rainmakers are Andrew Sansom, Kinnan Golemon, and Ken Kramer, three legacy champions in Texas water who have each dedicated more than 50 years towards ensuring water is a statewide priority. More than the sum of their achievements, this year’s Rainmaker award celebrates what Sansom, Golemon, and Kramer have in common to tell a new story about what Texas water will need in the future.
Born before the drought of the 1950s, Sansom, Golemon, and Kramer lived through the transformation of Texas from rural to urban. They started their professional careers as Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon and as Texas voters narrowly decided against funding a canal to the Mississippi with nuclear-powered pumps.
Each man took a different career path and achieved significant milestones, but all three have one thing in common; a trademark characteristic of working towards complex solutions by building bridges and making room for the needs and values of others.
With public, private, and nonprofit portfolios, our 2026 Rainmakers ran state agencies, nonprofits, research institutes, and trade associations. They served on countless appointed committees, championed legacy legislation, and worked with governors, CEOs, and the general public to advance a secure water future for Texas. Collectively, their work reduced pollution and increased conservation, as well as participation in planning, allocating, and valuing the benefits that water provides. Together, they have worked to ensure water is a statewide priority for over 50 years.
Sansom and Kramer played critical roles in the passage of landmark Senate Bill 3 in 2007, which directed the state to protect environmental flows for rivers and bays. As a former director of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Nature Conservancy, and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, Sansom’s voice was critically important in making water for the environment a valued part of the conversation. Similarly, Kramer’s role as the director of the Texas Chapter of the Sierra Club earned a respected advocacy voice for the environment. Together, they ensured that ecosystems were legally recognized as legitimate "water users" in the face of the demands of rapid population growth.
In a parallel timeline, Golemon shaped early chapters in Texas wastewater policy by drawing on his expertise in environmental and natural resource law. As general counsel for the Texas Chemical Council and a founding member of the State Bar of Texas Environmental Law Section, Golemon built bridges between industrial stakeholders and conservationists. Golemon’s approach was grounded in the belief that economic interests and the environment can be successful together.
Sansom, Golemon, and Kramer’s efforts transformed Texas water policy from a system based on unlimited consumption and short-term economic gains into one that considers a broader range of human, industrial, and environmental needs, both now and in the future.
As a result, they demonstrated what a secure water future in Texas will require. They tell a story about the benefits of building bridges, and that the only durable solutions benefit people, industry, and the environment. As we look towards the next chapter of Texas water, we honor their story in a hopeful gaze towards the future.
Join us on September 29, 2026 at the Bullock State History Museum to celebrate Andrew Sansom, Kinnan Golemon, and Ken Kramer, and to look towards the next fifty years of water policy in Texas.
Learn more about the Rainmaker Award Dinner and reserve your table today.