Dr. Ken Kramer is a native Texan, born in Brenham, a small city about seventy miles from Houston. He grew up in Houston, but his parents were from Austin and Washington Counties in Central East Texas, and they both grew up on farms. This gave him the unique experience of both urban and rural environments from an early age. Dr. Kramer's interest in environmental issues began to take shape during his time in the Army and later in graduate school at Rice University.