Board of Trustees

On Board Since 2018
Committee(s): Executive

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.

On Board Since 2022
Committee(s): Executive

On Board Since 2020
Committee(s): Executive, Audit & Finance

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.

On Board Since 2019
Committee(s): Executive, Investment    

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.

On Board Since 2019
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

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.

On Board Since 2022
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2020    
Committee(s): Investment

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.

On Board Since 2019    
Committee(s): Emeritus Council, Executive

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.

On Board Since 2024    
Committee(s): New Member
 

On Board Since 2019    
Committee(s): Investment

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.

On Board Since 2024    
Committee(s): New Member    

On Board Since 2019
Committee(s): Audit & Finance    

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.

On Board Since 2020
Committee(s): Board Development

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.

On Board Since 2021
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

Brian Francis is the Executive Director at the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Prior to his appointment, Francis served as the department’s deputy executive director. He previously served as the Texas Real Estate Commission's assistant administrator and a senior securities analyst at the State Securities Board. He started his public service at the Texas Savings and Loan Department. Francis is a full-time public servant and part-time poet and writer, having published several books of poetry and even two albums of spoken word poetry. He has been to the finals of the National Poetry Slam both as a poet and a coach.

Francis graduated from Texas State University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance. While at Texas State, he was a football team member and was a 1987 “T” Association award recipient. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and an Order of Omega honorary. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from St. Edward’s University with a concentration in financial management.

He is also a graduate of the Governor’s Executive Development Program and an alumnus of the Transformative Leadership Program at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs. Brian also served on the Leadership Council.

On Board Since 2019    
Committee(s): Investment
 

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.

On Board Since 2020    
Committee(s): Investment

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.

On Board Since 2023    
Committee(s): Investment

On Board Since 2023    
Committee(s): Investment

On Board Since 2023    
Committee(s): Investment

Jay Horn is a Senior Wealth Advisor at Trusted Capital Group in Austin in their private wealth division and a guest lecturer on Personal Finance courses at Texas State. He is a double graduate from Texas State, with an undergraduate degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, and his MBA as well.  

Since graduation, he has remained closely connected to the university as an engaged alumni, serving as current Chair of the Recent Alumni Council, Past Chair for the Young Alumni Council, and a mentor in many capacities.  He lives in Kyle with his wife, Alicia (a fellow Bobcat), and their children, Kai and Kennedy.

On Board Since 2023
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2021    
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

Carrie A. Hurt is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving the Heart of Texas with offices in Austin, Bryan, Corpus Christi, Fort Worth, Midland, San Antonio and Waco. She joined the BBB Austin team in 1995 as Communications Director and was named Vice President in 1998. In March 2003, Hurt was named President and CEO by the Board of Directors. She currently serves as a director on the Council of Better Business Bureau’s (CBBB) Board of Directors and served previously from 2006 to 2011.

Hurt has received numerous awards including being named the best small business CEO in Austin, Texas, by the Austin Business Journal in 2016. She received the 2013 AT&T Executive Leadership Award from the Austin Chamber of Commerce and in 2011, she was named a Woman of Influence by the Austin Business Journal. Additionally, she was honored with the “Yellow Rose of Texas” award from Texas Governor Rick Perry in 2009, which recognizes outstanding Texas women for their significant contributions to Texas.

In 2013, Hurt was presented an Alumni Achievement Award by the Texas State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Stelos Award for outstanding leadership from the Stelos Alliance. She is a Texas State Alumni Life Member and remains very active with the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Chi Omega Sorority, Strutters and the Stelos Alliance.

Hurt graduated from Texas State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She also served on the Leadership Council.

On Board Since 2019    
Committee(s): Board Development

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.

On Board Since 2020    
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

Dauphen Jackson is the chief financial officer and security officer of Fuquay, Inc., and has been with the company for nearly twenty years. Fuquay is a leader in infrastructure rehabilitation, underground utility construction, road and concrete construction, erosion control, sediment containment, and trenchless technology products. They provide services providing real-world solutions for the assessment, maintenance, rehabilitation, protection, and asset life extension of vital water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. Prior to Fuquay, he was a CPA with Bruhl & Huckaby CPAs.

Mr. Jackson received his bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from Texas State University in 1986. He has more than 30 years of experience in volunteerism. Currently, he serves on the board of numerous organizations around Texas, including the boards of the Wayne & Jo Ann Moore Charitable Foundation, the Greater Williamson County YMCA, Partnerships for Children, as the treasurer for Candlelight Ranch, and as the executive committee vice president and scholarships and endowments committee chairman of Rodeo Austin.

He has been instrumental in securing scholarships for Texas State University through his volunteer efforts, particularly through Rodeo Austin, and has brought several new endowment opportunities to Texas State. He owns a beef cattle ranch in Rockdale, where he enjoys working on the weekends.

On Board Since 2023    
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2022
Committee(s): Investment

Alex Kakhnovets graduated from Texas State University McCoy College of Business Administration with a degree in finance in 2008.

He serves as the National Director of Leasing for Boxer Property Management Corporation, a commercial real estate investment company with more than 18 million square feet under management in 14 U.S. markets and 1,000-plus employees spanning office, retail, and hospitality divisions.

Kakhnovets leads the office leasing division in an executive capacity and is responsible for guiding departmental strategy, transactional oversight, recruiting, marketing, and oversight of 80-plus employees. Prior to this role, Alex held various positions including leasing, property management, sales, and business development with Boxer as well as other institutional firms.

A Certified Commercial Investment Member designee and a member of CCIM Houston Gulf Coast Chapter, The Real Estate Council, the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors, and Central Atlanta Progress, Kakhnovets engages in various charities including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and ALS Association. He has also served on the TXST Development Leadership Council.

He lives in Houston with his wife, Katie, and daughter, Hazel, and enjoys cycling and spending time with friends and family.

On Board Since 2024
Committee(s): New Member

On Board Since 2024    
Committee(s): New Member

On Board Since 2024    
Committee(s): New Member

On Board Since 2021    
Committee(s): Investment

On Board Since 2021
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2022
Committee(s): Investment

On Board Since 2021
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2022    
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

Tony Ridout is a founding shareholder of Ridout Barrett, which opened in 1986 and today boasts over 50 employees with offices in Austin and San Antonio. His firm has been named one of San Antonio’s Top Workplaces by the San Antonio Express-News five years in a row and is among San Antonio’s 15 biggest accounting firms in terms of the number of certified public accountants. Several Bobcats have interned at the firm over the past three decades, and currently, there are eight Texas State alumni on staff. In 2019, the Texas Society of CPAs (TXCPA) awarded him the Meritorious Service Award.

Ridout received his bachelor of business administration in accounting from Texas State University in 1979. In 2018, he established the Anthony and Karen Ridout Scholarship Endowment, which supports scholarships for accounting students. Mr. Ridout is a member of the Visionary Society.

On Board Since 2020
Committee(s): Board Development

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.

On Board Since 2023    
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2021    
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2019    
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2024
Committee(s): New Member

On Board Since 2023
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2020    
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

On Board Since 2021    
Committee(s): Board Development

On Board Since 2019
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

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.

On Board Since 2022
Committee(s): Investment

On Board Since 2019
Committee(s): Investment

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.

On Board Since 2019
Committee(s): Investment

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.

On Board Since 2022    
Committee(s): Audit & Finance

On Board Since 1989

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.

On Board Since 1988

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.