Our Mission
The Center for Community Resilience Research Innovation and Advocacy (CCRRIA) at UTRGV advances equitable resilience in the Rio Grande Valley by forging robust partnerships with vulnerable populations, integrating rigorous interdisciplinary research, and catalyzing innovative practices and advocacy. We seek to empower communities before, during, and after crises—drawing on both scientific knowledge and local wisdom—to build adaptive capacity, reduce risk, and promote recovery, health, and justice.
Our Vision
A vibrant border region where all communities are resilient: able to anticipate, withstand, adapt to, and recover from environmental, health, and social challenges; where UTRGV serves as a trusted ally and knowledge hub; where innovation, inclusivity, and shared leadership shape policies and practices that protect and uplift lives.
Conference Workshop 2025
November 17 and 18, 2025
The Center for Community Resilience Research Innovation and Advocacy (CCRRIA), with the support of the Houston Endowment for Civic Engagement, the Department of Sociology, and the School for Interdisciplinary Programs and Community Engagement, invites you to participate in its third annual conference titled “Communities Organizing Community: Catalyzing Transboundary Knowledge Co-production into Action” to be held on November 17 and 18, 2025 at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Ballroom in its Edinburg Campus. (ADD Map of Ballroom location)
Read MoreConference Workshop 2024
Sharing Leadership Towards Community Resilience
Converging UTRGV Emergency Management and the Broader First Responder Community: Sharing Leadership Towards Community Resilience.
Climate Change
Plenary Panel Climate Change, Vulnerable Populations, and the Future of Preparedness
Exploring Challenges to Public Health
The COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it posed to communities around the world demonstrated the necessity of enhancing the resilience of communities to infectious disease outbreaks.
Pathways to Successful Transdisciplinary Collaborations
Inter and transdisciplinary “team science” approaches promote innovation and improve the efficiency of research, collaboration and training.
The Risk Communication Imperatives
Everyone can participate in infectious disease prevention. One way to do this is to follow recommendations from health authorities. Barriers to following recommendations include confusion when guidelines change, risk perception and tolerance, and lack of trust in authority figures.
Conference Workshops 2023
Academia’s Perspective
Community Resilience from Academia’s Perspective - The Ethics of Resilience Research: Redistributing Power Under Extreme Conditions
Plenary Student Panel
Student And Young Scholars’ Panel: The Future of Resilience
Discussion among City/County Judges
County Government Visions of Community Resilience Convened by Christian Corrales
Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez
Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza
Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda
Community Resilience
Community Resilience from the First Responder/Emergency Management Perspective
Community Resilience
Community Resilience from the Advocacy Perspective - Lawyering in extreme conditions
