Board of Trustees

Trustee, Dallas

A general dentist practicing in Dallas for more than 30 years, Dr. Larry Herwig graduated from Texas A&M College of Dentistry in 1984 and received a bachelor of science in chemistry from Texas State University in 1981.

Originally from Corpus Christi, Dr. Herwig has been president of both the Dallas County Dental Society (DCDS) and the Dallas Academy of General Dentistry, vice president of the Texas Dental Association (TDA), and chairman of the American Dental Association’s Council on Communications.

He holds fellowships in the American and International College of Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry International, and the Academy of General Dentistry. He is currently an adjunct professor at Baylor College of Dentistry where he also serves on the admissions committee and is a mentor for the Great Expectations Student Mentor Program.

Dr. Herwig has served on both the TDA Smiles Foundation and the DCDS Foundation boards and was chair of the 2005 Texas Mission of Mercy charity event in Dallas. While on a church mission trip in southern India, he and his family set up a dental clinic and his wife, Roxanne, and daughters worked in a nearby orphanage and school.

After 37 years in public school education, Ronnye Cowell retired in 2020.  The final 15 years of her career, she served as a school administrator at the secondary level. Prior to her experience in school administration, Cowell was a dance team director for 23 years in Brazosport ISD. During this time, she received the Secondary Teacher of the Year Award from Brazosport ISD, Director of the Year Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Dance Educators Association (TDEA).

In addition to her role as an educator, Cowell is a past president of both the Texas Association Teachers of Dancing (TATD) and TDEA where she has served as the TDEA Scholarship Chairman since 1996. She remains actively involved as a contest adjudicator and an adjudicator for the Dance Educators Assessment of Learning.

Cowell established two endowed scholarships for the dance program and dance students at Texas State University.  She also recently funded the lighting renovation project in the Jowers Center Dance Studio.

Cowell graduated from Texas State in 1983, where she was President of Delta Zeta, a Gaillardian, member of Student Foundation and the Bobcat mascot. She lives in Houston with her husband, Chip. They have 3 children and 1 grandchild.

Lee Doughtie received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas State University in 1979 where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and Order of Omega.

Upon graduation, he started his banking career in Austin with First City Bank and has been with Frost Bank since 1993 where he was the Downtown Austin Market President. He is presently the Director of Business Banking Administration at Frost Bank’s headquarters in San Antonio. Doughtie served on the McCoy College Institute for Global Business Advisory Council and has been on several other Boards in Austin including Westminster Manor, People’s Community Clinic and The Salvation Army-Austin Area Command. 

His wife, Dawnelle, is a 1982 graduate of Texas State University and they are members of The Bobcat Club and the Texas State Alumni Association. They are proud parents of three children, Elizabeth, Phillip and Wynn.

Trustee, Austin

Luna is currently a principal at HillCo Partners in Austin, Texas where she directs the firm’s Appropriations Practice. She draws on her years of legal and legislative experience to focus primarily on issues involving state budget and revenue, health care policy and finance, and other general government issues.

Previously, she maintained a private law practice and was a partner at the Watts Law Firm before joining HillCo Partners in 2006. She also worked as a Child Protection Services case worker prior to attending law school.

Luna represented District 33 (Corpus Christi) in the Texas House of Representatives from 1993 until 2006. She was the first Hispanic woman elected to the Texas House of Representatives from Corpus Christi. During her tenure in the House, she served on the Appropriations, Ways and Means, and Calendars committees. She was also appointed to the Legislative Budget Board.  She spearheaded legislation including state budget and tax revenue, children’s issues, special education, coastal management and protection, teacher and state employee pay raises, and health care.

Luna has won numerous awards and recognitions from professional and civic organizations, including Texas State University’s prestigious Walter Richter Humanitarian Award (1997).  Luna currently volunteers with local nonprofit organizations, her church and the Diocese of Austin.

She received her Bachelor of Social Work from Texas State University in 1979.  Luna received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1985.

Trustee, Austin

Mitchell is a business development executive for Bridge Partners, a Seattle-based management consulting firm that helps large organizations drive growth, adapt to change and create enterprise value.

With more than 25 years of experience with high-profile public, nonprofit and early stage companies, Mitchell previously was the vice president of operations at Upland Software and served as the director of finance and operations at the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. Prior to the foundation, he spent 14 years at Dell Inc. where he held various leadership positions in finance, operations and marketing. He also worked in public accounting for KPMG in Austin.

Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Texas State University and is a former CPA. In his spare time, he enjoys time with his family, golf, running and community service working with several nonprofit organizations.

Trustee, Houston

With more than 25 years of public accounting and industry experience, Irvine, a Certified Public Accountant, is the managing partner of ABIP, P.C. His public accounting experience has been with large local CPA firms as an auditor and consultant. Irvine’s audit experience has an emphasis in privately held companies, manufacturing, construction, real estate, technology and numerous service providers. As a consultant, he has worked with businesses in numerous industries to increase profitability, analyze cash flow, streamline accounting processes, assist in software implementations, secure financing, general business consulting and best practices implementation.

In 1999 Irvine departed from public accounting to be controller and chief financial officer of a privately held software company with revenue in excess of $50 million. During his tenure, he was responsible for all financial aspects of the operation and assisted with the acquisitions and mergers of other software companies.

Irvine graduated magna cum laude from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. He is a member of the Houston Chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

New Braunfels

Christian Rundberg is an executive account manager for Medtronic, the world's largest stand-alone medical equipment development company. He has previously served as a senior account manager for General Surgical Products at Covidien and as a territory manager and sales trainer for Progressive Medical.

He received his bachelor of business administration in marketing from Texas State University in 2001. During his time as a Bobcat, he was president of Students in Free Enterprise. He also attended Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile, from 1991 to 1995.

Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, Rundberg now lives in New Braunfels with his wife, Richelle (Chelle), a high school English teacher at Canyon High School, and their six children.

Trustee, Madison, Ala.

Bardwell is a Weights and Mass Properties engineer with The Boeing Company. He received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from Texas State University in 2000. While he attended Texas State, he was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Residential College for Brogdon Hall. In 2016, he was honored with the Young Alumni Rising Star Award from Texas State.

While working on the Space Shuttle Program for The Boeing Company, he earned a Master of Science in Physics from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2005 and a Master of Engineering in Engineering Management from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. With NASA and Boeing, he is developing the Space Launch System which provides a critical heavy-lift capability, powering people and cargo beyond our moon and into deep space.

Bardwell has been honored with the Stellar Award from the Rotary National Awards for Space Achievement, the NASA Space Flight Awareness Award, and the Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Modern-Day Technology Leader.  He also serves as a mentor to high school and college interns at Boeing through the National Society of Black Engineers.

Trustee, San Antonio

Dr. Virginia Barlow, a family practice physician with an emphasis in geriatric care, is currently associated with Centric Physicians in San Antonio, Texas. The company’s primary focus is on post-acute and nursing home care.

Barlow began her career at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon, WV, where she provided family practice and obstetrical care from 1997 - 1999. Since beginning her career, she has held various roles including family practice, Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director. Barlow has touched many lives through her work in hospitals located in Coudersport, Pennsylvania, Potsdam, New York, The Woodlands, Texas and Kerrville, Texas.

From 1997-1999, Barlow served on the Medical Executive Committee and Ethics Committee. She was also an elected member on the Physician Advisory Board for the Catholic Health Association of the United States of America from 2000 – 2004. The advisory board met twice a year to formulate a plan of action on topics such as “The Utilization of Birth Control in the Catholic Healthcare Setting,” “Care of the Poor and Disparaged Persons” and “Physician Burnout.”

From 1996 – 2000, she served annually as a physician volunteer for Faith in Practice, a non-profit organization formed for the sole purpose of providing medical and surgical care to the under-served in the mountainous region surrounding Antigua, Guatemala.

Barlow graduated from Texas State University in 1979, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. In 1987, she began the Biology – MD Program at the University of Houston to fulfill her pre-medical requirements. She was accepted at The University of Texas Medical Branch of Galveston and ultimately graduated with a medical degree in May of 1994. She went on to complete the Memorial Southwest Family Practice Residency program in Houston, TX on June 30, 1997.

Trustee, Dallas

Bradshaw has made a career in higher education in both medical research and health care administration for the past 35 years in Houston and Dallas. He has extensive start-up experience at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Rice University, and Baylor College of Medicine. He also held the position of chief administrative officer for the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, the oldest nursing school west of the Mississippi. Currently, he serves in the president’s office at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Much of his experience in these institutions included the design and construction of not only brick-and-mortar facilities, but also long-range planning and fundraising. He had the distinction of being the first employee of the Institute of Molecular Medicine at UT-Houston with operations housed in a single office. Today, known as The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, the Institute now resides in its own 230,000 square foot research facility in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. A great deal of the success of the Institute and other similar entities was a direct result of philanthropy.

A 1983 graduate of Texas State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in management, Bradshaw is a native Texan descending from a pioneering Hays County family. He maintains an active interest in the family ranching activities in Kyle, which in 2018, marked 170 years of continuous operation along the Blanco River.  

Trustee, Harlingen

A physician relations, business development manager for South Texas Health Systems, Castaneda has served in a number of sales positions in the medical and educational fields including pharmaceutical sales, physician recruiter and a territory manager in educational sales for Herff Jones and Nystrom.

In 2012, Castaneda, who was marketing director of Treasure Hill Imaging Center at the time, was appointed by then Texas Governor Rick Perry to the Advisory Council on Emergency Medical Service (EMS). She also was appointed by Gov. Perry as a Board of Regent for Texas State Technical College where she served a six-year term. She also served on the Texas State Alumni Board of Directors in 1999 and on the Texas State Hispanic Advisory Board in 1998-1999.

Castaneda received a bachelor of arts in mass communications from Texas State University in 1982 and a master of education from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. As a student at Texas State, she was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, the journalism fraternity, and was actively involved with KTSW Radio.

She has one son, Joseph Ryan Gonzalez.

Trustee, Cypress

Edgar currently serves as Vice President of Finance for Prime Downhole Manufacturing, LLC, a privately held global provider of engineered services and manufactured products to the oil and gas industry in Houston, Texas.  She has over 15 years of financial management experience and has held various audit and controllership positions, primarily in the oilfield sector. 

She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.  Edgar earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance in 2002 (Summa Cum Laude) and her Master of Business Administration in 2004, both from the McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State University.

She is married to Matt Edgar, also a Texas State graduate who earned his Master of Business Administration in 2003.  Jodi and Matt are the proud parents of two aspiring Bobcats, Heidi and Jeffrey.  The Edgars are members of the Bobcat Club, Pillar Society, and namesakes of the Jodi and Matt Edgar Endowed Scholarship.

Trustee, Bastrop

Florez began his career as a purchasing buyer at Valley Baptist Medical Center while he attended Texas Southmost College. He then transferred to Texas State University in 1982 to study marketing and received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1984.

Supporting the launch of a new paper store concept, Florez joined Western Paper Company as a trainee in Austin. The operation quickly transformed into a wholesale paper distributor, and Florez went on to serve in a variety of roles over the course of 20 years.

Florez purchased Western Paper Company in 2000 with partner, Kevin Jerger, making it the largest Hispanic-owned wholesale paper distributor in the United States.  He became president of the company in 2003.

Western Paper was sold to Japan Pulp & Paper Ltd. in 2011 but Florez continues to serve as executive vice president of Western BRW/Bosworth, a division of JP Gould of New York.

Trustee, Plano

A Texas State University graduate, Garcia earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance in 2004. He has since been a financial advisor and owner of a private wealth advisory practice at Ameriprise Financial. He earned the Certified Financial Planning^TM practitioner designation in 2009 and provides ongoing financial advice and wealth management to individuals and businesses.

Garcia is married to Stephanie, a graduate of the University of North Texas in Denton.

Leslie Fossler is an Austin, Texas interior designer with over 38 years of commercial and residential interior design experience. She is the founder and owner of LFI which she established in 1982. She is a 1976 graduate of Texas State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences.

Fossler has branded numerous award-winning restaurant concepts, crafted luxury hotel interiors and managed large scale multi-family residential projects. She is invested in the advancement of interior design education and accreditation at the University level and has been involved in the Interior Design program at Texas State as a juror and mentor.

Fossler recently pledged to establish the Leslie Fossler Endowed Scholarship for Texas State interior design students who are minoring in business. This is the first endowed scholarship dedicated to the Interior Design Program in the School of Family and Consumer Sciences. She has served on numerous Boards in her career and has been a dedicated Board member of the Metropolitan YMCA of Austin since 1997.

Trustee, Cypress

Garcia is currently the Principal of the 3RB Consulting Group, LLC, a company that assists clients in Cyber Security and Investigative Analytical Support of data. He began his career in the Dallas Police Department in 1975 and retired from the FBI after 25 years of service in 2005 as an Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office.

Post FBI career, Garcia held several positions in the private sector including Global Security Advisor for Shell Oil Company and Senior VP for Vanguard Defense Industries.

Garcia is on the Board of Directors for the Pegasus Research Foundation, a 501c3 arm of the National Sheriff’s Association and a member of the FBI InfraGard National Member’s Alliance. He is also a former Board member on the North Texas Crime Commission, the Energy Security Council, and volunteers with the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo.

Garcia graduated from Texas State University in 1975 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus at Texas State in 2005.

Dr. Sergio Garcia is a teacher, advisor and expert in the fields of econometrics, finance and economic analysis. Dr. Garcia previously served as a U.S. Diplomat and has experience in real estate, derivatives, and investments.

Dr. Garcia received his Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in business administration from Texas State University in 2000. He received his Master of Business Administration in 2002 and Doctorate in Finance from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley in 2015.

Trustee, Mexico City, Mexico

Representing Archer Daniels Midland in Mexico since 1999, Gorbea is now the president and general director of ADM Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America. He developed the agricultural part of the business, becoming a leader in the imports and distribution industry within Mexico.

Gorbea serves on the boards of directors of several companies and associations, including Terminales de Cargas Especializadas, Asociación de Proveedores de Productors Agropecuarios (México), A.C., Terminales de Granos del Pacífico Ltd. (TERPAC – Guatemala), Vimifos S.A. de C.V. and ADM Grain Costa Rica S. de R.L. For five years, he also served on the board of directors for Gruma, S.A.B. de C.V.

A double major in economics and finance, Gorbea has a bachelor of business administration from Texas State University and a master’s in business administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management through Arizona State University. He also has taken some leadership courses at Harvard University.

Trustee, Midland

Gray is a founding partner and current Chief Executive Officer of Remnant Oil Company, a privately held energy upstream company headquartered in Midland. Remnant Oil Company currently owns and operates in excess of 50,000 acres, located within the prolific Permian Basin. Since 2005, Gray has directly operated over 950 wells located in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. 

He received his Bachelor of Science in business management from Texas State University in 1998. While attending Texas State, Gray was a member of the men’s golf team, earning Southland Conference All-Academic Honors. He was born and raised in Midland/Odessa and graduated from Midland Senior High School in 1993.

Outside of the energy sector, Gray has a passion for volunteering. His board involvements include his recent appointment to the board of directors to the Midland chapter of United Way, effective January 2018.

Trustee, Houston

Gutierrez joined Marathon Oil Corporation in 1999 after serving as chief of staff to South Texas lawmakers in the Texas House of Representatives. He currently serves as Senior Manager of Government and Community Relations where he leads the company’s political and community engagement. He is currently responsible for Marathon’s lobbying activities in Texas, New Mexico and Washington D.C.

Gutierrez’s dynamic role advocating Marathon's interests within the executive and legislative branches of government has taken him to numerous state capitols and jurisdictions including Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota, Arkansas, Alaska, California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. and abroad in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and the United Kingdom.

Gutierrez was born in McAllen where he attended public schools and grew up in Reynosa, Mexico. He graduated from Texas State University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication-Public Relations.

Steve Harvey is a partner with the Maxwell Locke & Ritter, LLP accounting firm in Austin Texas. Harvey is also the lead partner and Registered Investment Advisor representative for Maxwell, Lock & Ritter’s (ML&R) investment management practice, ML&R Wealth Management, LLC. He was one of the founders of the wealth management practice which was started in 1997.

Harvey graduated from Texas State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting. Harvey earned professional credentials as a Certified Public Accountant, and a Certified Financial Planner.

Harvey has been active in numerous charitable organizations in the Austin area including the Center for Child Protection, CAC of Texas, Inc. Lake Travis Education Foundation, United Way, Junior Achievement, and Meals on Wheels.

Harvey and his wife, Kristin (a Texas State University graduate) reside in Lakeway, TX with their two daughters.

Trustee, Dallas

Zach earned his Bachelor of Science in geography from Texas State University, and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. While at Texas State, he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi, Order of Omega and Gamma Theta Upsilon. He served on the College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board at Texas State since 2016.

Currently working in payment security and point of sale technology at NCR Corporation, Zach has previously held various roles in the oil and gas, and commercial construction industries.

He and his wife, Kristin, also a Texas State graduate, live in Dallas with their two Great Pyrenees dogs, Lady Bird and Jackie.

Trustee, San Antonio

Ison is the founder of San Antonio-based Rebecca Creek Distillery which opened to the public in October 2009. He has a decade of experience as CEO of a family-owned insurance and risk management company.

Ison’s entrepreneurial prowess led to mastering the use of blending old and new technology to produce the award-winning Rebecca Creek Brand which has grown to become one of the largest craft distilleries in North America. 

Additionally, Steve is an active member of The Entrepreneurs’ Organization San Antonio Chapter and is a sought-after speaker at leadership and business development programs and seminars.

Ison earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas State University in 1991 and lives in San Antonio. He has three children— Ashlyn, Ava and Austin.

Dauphen Jackson is the Chief Financial Officer and Safety Officer of Fuquay, Inc. and has been with the company going on twenty-one years. Previously, Jackson worked in public accounting for over twelve years.

Jackson received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Texas State University in 1986.

Jackson is a big proponent of education and has volunteered with Rodeo Austin for over 30 years, currently serving as Secretary/Treasurer and Chairing the Scholarship and Endowment Committee. He also serves on numerous boards of other organizations and a Foundation around Texas. 

Trustee, Temple

Koch is the senior vice president of accounting, tax, finance and governmental affairs for McLane Company Inc. in Temple. Prior to joining McLane in 1989, he was employed as a consultant with the national accounting firms Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche, where he was designated as a Texas tax expert for national consultation, and as personal financial management coordinator for the Austin/San Antonio region.

A current member of Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s Business Advisory Group, Koch holds accounting and Master of Business Administration degrees from St. Edward’s University in Austin. He has earned professional credentials as a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Certified Financial Planner.

Koch serves as the sole Trustee for the Callaway Scholarship Foundation and the Callaway Family Trust. He also is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Central Texas Food Bank, where he chairs the Finance Committee, and sits as an Executive Committee member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association.

He regularly testifies before various state legislatures on a variety of technical tax, pricing and regulatory matters, and has been published in numerous professional publications.

Trustee, Austin

A native of Louisiana, Morgan obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1987 from Texas State University, and began his lifelong career in providing associations insurance and other member benefits.

Following the 1999 acquisition of UTA insurance company which Morgan helped build, he co-founded Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA). Under his leadership, AMBA has become the preeminent national provider of public sector retiree associations member benefits.

As of December 2016, Morgan retired from AMBA, and spends his time in Maui, Hawaii, and Austin with family and friends. Morgan is a lifetime Texas State Alumni Association Member, Bobcat Club Member, and is involved with numerous corporate and charitable organizations.  

During a 50-year career in the dental hygiene and dental industry professions, Kathleen O’Neill-Smith received numerous honors including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Baylor College of Dentistry. She served as President of the American Dental Hygiene Association, the Texas Dental Hygiene Association and the Dallas Dental Hygiene Society.

Her professional presentations included Thammasat University in Thailand, Beijing Medical University in China as well as in Ottawa, Canada, and numerous educational seminars throughout the United States.

O’Neill-Smith received a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from Baylor College of Dentistry and a Master's Degree in Health Professions Allied Health Administration/Education from Texas State University in 1979. She received a Leadership Certificate from the Leadership Texas Program and served on the first dental hygiene committee to the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners.

Trustee, Fredericksburg

Phillips, an orthopedic and hand and microvascular surgeon, received his bachelor’s degree in education and physical education with honors in 1977 from Texas State University where he was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2007 and became a Distinguished Alumnus in 2012.

He received a medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. His medical training included a hand and microvascular fellowship at the University of California at San Diego Medical Center. He also completed an orthopedic residency and research at Martin Luther King/Charles Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles in 1994 and an Orthopedic Hand Fellowship at the University of San Diego California in 1995.

The surgeon practiced in Arlington, Texas, for 20 years until two years ago, returning to his hometown of Fredericksburg where he is an orthopedic surgeon at Hill Country Memorial Hospital.

Phillips was promoted to a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2010. He has served in several operations over the years with tours in Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal for Operation Enduring Freedom. He also was named 807^th Medical Brigade Major of the Year in 2002. He continues to serve in the U.S. Army as a medical officer and surgeon.

Silva is currently the director of Silva, Otting, & Silva, LLC, a consulting firm in Harlingen, Texas. The firm allows him to utilize his background assisting cities with urban planning and municipal management issues in addition to negotiating grants from State and Federal agencies on behalf of his clients.

Silva’s background includes experience as City Manager of Pharr, Texas, and City Manager for the City of Mercedes, Texas. While in these roles, he was able to be instrumental in many projects including the construction of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge, the largest land crossing for fruits and vegetables between the U.S. and Mexico, and the development of the Mercedes Outlet Mall, which attracts over 7 million visitors and helps improve the quality of life for Mercedes residents. 

In addition, in 2017, he established the Harlingen Triple-Double Basketball Academy, an academy dedicated to providing skills training to female basketball players and assisting the players to receive athletic and academic scholarships. He also founded a The Silva Educational Leadership Foundation, a family foundation dedicated to providing educational scholarships to help young women attend college and become leaders in their community.

Silva graduated from Texas State University in 1987 with a degree in political science and a minor in geography.

Prior to joining the firm, Soefje spent seven years at one of the world’s largest international accounting and advisory firms. Soefje also spent 12 years at Arthur Andersen, LLP. She has also served as a national instructor on qualified plan topics and supervised technology initiatives.

Soefje studied accounting at Texas State University from 1985 to 1988 before transferring to the University of Houston - Clear Lake, where she completed her undergraduate degree.

Trustee, Austin

Stricklin is the chairman of Far West Capital. Prior to joining Far West Capital, he was president and CEO of State Bank and Texas United Bancshares in La Grange. Texas United grew from $80 million in 1997 to more than $1.8 billion in assets by February 2007, with 41 locations prior to its merger with Prosperity Bancshares.

In 1996, Stricklin was senior vice president at Bank One Mortgage in Dallas. He also held several management positions with Bank One in the community bank division, including president and CEO of Bank One in Abilene. He also served on the board of Prosperity Bancshares Inc., formerly Texas United Bancshares, until he joined Far West Capital in 2007.

Trustee, Harlingen

Treviño is currently the Executive Director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation in South Texas. He has over 25 years of experience in the public and private sector including municipal government planning, economic development, marketing of engineering services, business development, and governmental relations.

He has served in various leadership roles in the South Texas area including former Executive Director of the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, former Director of Business Development with Halff Associates, former City Commissioner with the City of Harlingen, and former Director of Planning and Code Enforcement with the City of Weslaco.

In 2015, he facilitated a partnership between the City of Weslaco and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to develop a mixed-use incubator aimed at promoting education, entrepreneurship, and economic development.

Treviño received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography Urban and Regional Planning from Texas State University in 1988, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He is also the proud father of Allison and Sydney Treviño.

Trustee, Houston

Turner currently works for Baylor College of Medicine as the Administrator of the section of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in Houston, Texas.

Turner is a dedicated Bobcat leader serving on the Texas State Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2011-2018, including terms as the Board’s President, First Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Immediate Past President. He also is an avid supporter of Texas State athletics and previously served on the Bobcat Club Leadership Council. In 2021, he was honored as the Young Alumni Rising Star Award recipient by Texas State.

Turner earned his bachelor of healthcare administration degree from Texas State University in 2007. While at Texas State, he was a member of the Eta Rho Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity and served as a student leader in various campus organizations including the Interfraternity Council, Student Foundation, Student Organizations Council, and Student Government, where he led the efforts to re-establish the Student Government’s Supreme Court. 

Additionally, he earned master’s degrees in healthcare administration and business administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. He resides in Houston and is actively involved in the Houston community and serves in a variety of local and community organizations.

Trustee, Fort Worth

Villegas is an attorney with Cohen Villegas PLLC where he specializes in wills, trusts, probates, and immigration. He also has experience as a litigation attorney with Counsel on Call, as a law clerk with Community Legal Aid Society, and was a legal intern with Villanova University and West Virginia University. Prior to receiving his law degree, he was an athletics trainer and teacher for Fort Worth and Mansfield Independent School Districts.

Villegas received his bachelor of arts in Spanish and bachelor of exercise and sports science degrees from Texas State University in 2002. He went on to receive his doctor of jurisprudence degree from Villanova University in 2011. He is a lifetime member of the Texas State Alumni Association.

Trustee, Austin

Weaver is nationally recognized for his work in primary care transformation and value-based care. As market president for Innovista Health Solutions, he is leading the performance of physician accountable care organizations throughout Texas. Before assuming this leadership role, he was the president and CEO of Austin-based Integrated ACO, one of the most successful physician-led ACOs in the country. 

In recognition of his industry leadership, Dr. Weaver recently was awarded the ACHE Robert S. Hudgens Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year in 2016. He also received the 2016 Modern Healthcare “Up & Comers” Award, and was named to Becker’s Hospital Review list of “Rising Stars: 25 Healthcare Leaders Under 40” in 2015, and awarded the Young Alumni Rising Award from Texas State University in 2016.

Weaver holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Texas State and a doctor of healthcare administration degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He also serves on the Board for CareBOX Program, a local nonprofit organization that provides personal care supplies and lifesaving nutrition to cancer patients. 

Trustee, Austin

Brad Westmoreland began his career in Texas politics in 2004 in the Texas House of Representatives. After several years of service in the Legislature with increasing roles and responsibilities, he joined the private sector as part of the State Government Affairs team at Genentech Inc., a member of the Roche Group. In this role, he represents one of the largest biopharmaceutical manufacturers before governors, state legislatures and agencies, delivering results to advance public policy and ensure access to treatment for Genentech’s patients.

He currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Makarios International and as a member on the board of directors of the Texas Healthcare and Bioscience Institute, the Missouri Biotechnology Association and the Advisory Board of the McCoy College of Business Administration at Texas State University.

Westmoreland and his wife, Jill, are graduates of Texas State University and reside in Austin with their four children.

Lubbock

Co-founder of two successful companies, DTC Media Group, LLC and Zubeldia Energy Services, LLC, Sandra Zamarripa Zubeldia launched an innovative media group company in 2010 that transfigured the traditional mediums of advertising. Due to the rapid growth and the success of her advertising network, her company was highly sought out and purchased in 2014 only four years after the company was founded. 

Immediately after selling her first company, Zubeldia founded her second company and ventured into the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin. In 2012 she launched Zubeldia Energy Services, LLC a well service company that specializes in logistics, infrastructure of  fluids and the completion of oil and natural gas wells. Within one year, Zubeldia Energy Services, LLC grew into a multimillion-dollar energy company that is currently a leading provider of well services in the Permian Basin Region.  

Zubeldia has been very effective and successful in an industry where women are not frequently found in executive roles.  Through her company, she has supported countless national and international nonprofit organizations. She serves as a mentor to young teenagers and young women from all walks of life, and has created a huge impact in many lives through her life’s story and business platform, donating millions of dollars to local community organizations. 

A graduate of Texas State University, Zubeldia earned her bachelor of business administration degree in 2000.  While at Texas State, Zubeldia participated in the first-ever entrepreneurship class taught by Sam Barshop, the founder and CEO of La Quinta Inns. She also was the president of the Hispanic Business Student Association and a member of Delta Gamma. Zubeldia also holds a master of business administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurship from Texas Tech University.

Trustee & Honorary Lifetime Member, San Marcos

A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Nash has served as vice chair of The University of Texas Marine Science Advisory Council, member of the university’s Ex-Students Association and member of the Board of Directors of KLRU Public Telecommunications Council.

A former Texas State University System Regent, Nash is a member of the Texas State University Communication Studies Advisory Board and served on the College of Fine Arts & Communication Advisory Board between 2006 and 2009.

Nash is a community advisory director of Wells Fargo Bank in San Marcos. She also has served as chair of the City of San Marcos Ethics Review Commission and as a sustaining member of the Junior League in San Marcos.

Trustee & Honorary Lifetime Member, San Marcos

Pendergast received a Bachelor of Science from Canisius College in accounting and his Doctor of Law from the University of Tulsa.

On the Board of Directors of CHR Solutions, Pendergast co-founded and served as CEO of Fiber America Inc., a facilities-based broadband fiber optic network serving Austin and San Antonio. In 2002, he successfully merged the company with El Paso Global Networks.

At San Marcos Telephone Company for 20 years, Pendergast held the positions of general counsel, vice president of finance and accounting, and president and CEO. In 1993, he facilitated the merger of San Marcos Telephone Company with Century Tel. 

Pendergast later served as president and CEO of the Austin Community Foundation.