Robert Allen Eckels

Judge Robert Eckels' legal practice is built on a decades-long career in public service and leadership of the nation's third largest county. Robert is recognized as a national leader in issues of transportation, public finance/public private partnerships, homeland security, the environment and health care.

He was the founding chairman of the Texas High Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation, a coalition of local governments, educational institutions and the private sector working to bring high speed rail to Texas. Robert left that organization in December of 2010 to accept a position as President of Lone Star High Speed Rail, LLC; a private enterprise seeking to build a high speed rail system linking the major metropolitan areas of Texas with true high speed rail service.

As County Judge of Harris County, he served as chair of the Harris County Toll Road Authority, a 500 lane mile toll road system that is the only county owned toll road system in the nation. He built partnerships with Houston METRO for the Westpark Toll Road which exceeded demand projections within weeks of completion and the Texas Department of Transportation with the Katy Freeway Managed Lanes Project which allowed years to be taken off the freeway construction schedule. With TxDoT and local jurisdictions, he built the Houston Transtar Transportation and Emergency Operations Center into a global model of interagency partnerships for transportation operations and sustained training and planning for disaster mitigation, response and recovery.

Judge Eckels received international recognition when Harris County responded to Hurricane Katrina and the floods, wind and storm surge that led to massive destruction and loss of life in New Orleans and the US Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama. The Harris County Astrodome and Reliant Park became the largest shelter operation in US history as over 250,000 residents of storm ravaged areas fled to the Houston region.

Judge Eckels, who was first elected as a state representative in his 20's, served six terms before being elected county judge - a role with executive, legislative and judicial functions for Harris County, which is home to nearly 4 million residents.