Trustees

Our Board of Trustees consists of seven former Texas A&M University students, each with extensive business experience. These individuals serve seven-year terms, during which they determine our investment and fundraising policies and approve our annual budget. Our trustees also oversee many of the Texas A&M Foundation’s recognition programs, such as the Sterling C. Evans Medal Award, the Partner in Philanthropy Award and the Trustees’ Outstanding Student Award.

 

Louis “Lou” Paletta ’​78
Chair
 

Louis “Lou” Paletta is a founding partner and the chief operating officer of Kildare Partners, a private equity organization established in 2013. He formerly spent 20 years with Lone Star Funds, where he conducted fundraising and other business-related activities in his role as director of investor relations across Europe, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. He began his professional career with Deloitte and was employed by the international accounting firm for 12 years. He currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Mays Business School as chair of the fundraising committee and was named an Outstanding Alumnus of the college in 2016. He previously served on the 12th Man Foundation’s Board of Trustees as chair of the audit and finance committee. Outside of Aggieland, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Ryan Palmer Foundation, a Texas-based philanthropic organization that creates brighter futures for underserved families by offering access to education, self-care and personal development. He and his wife, Wanda, have established multiple scholarships at Mays Business School, including for the business honors and study abroad programs.

 

William “Billy” Lemmons Jr. ’83
Chair-elect
 

Billy Lemmons is a founder and managing partner of EnCap Flatrock Midstream, a venture capital firm investing in midstream energy based in San Antonio. He is an Endowed Diamond Century Club Member and a member of the Lead by Example National Campaign Council. He has also served as a representative on the Leadership Council of The Association of Former Students. He previously served on the MBA Program Advisory Board in Mays Business School and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. He and his wife, Angie ’84, are longtime benefactors to Texas A&M and have established a faculty enrichment endowment in the Department of Petroleum Engineering, two endowed scholarships for students in Mays Business School and two endowed scholarships for students in the Intelligence Studies Program at the Bush School. They also support student-athletes with a 12th Man Foundation 1922 Fund endowment. In 2020, they made a Pillar of the Aggie Network commitment to the new Aggie Park project on the Texas A&M campus. The couple has three Aggie daughters: Hayley McQuaid ’15, Kelsey Lemmons ’18 and Avery Lemmons ’22.
 

Kathleen M. Gibson ’81
Immediate Past Chair
 

Kathleen M. Gibson has been president and chief executive officer of Southwestern Medical Foundation since 2012. Previously, she spent 30 years in financial services at Citibank as president of Central U.S. Commercial and at Bank of America in various roles, including head of Asset Management Risk, president of Southwest Private Banking, head of Southwest Corporate Banking, and president of Bank of America Dallas. Kathleen has been involved at Texas A&M in many capacities, including serving as past chair of The Association of Former Students. She is an advisory board member for the Bush School of Government and Public Service, the Center for International Business Studies and the AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Forum. She is a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus, a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a recipient of the Tyrus R. Timm Honor Registry Award and the Women’s Legacy Award. Kathleen was the Campus Muster Speaker in 2018 and a Fish Camp Namesake in 2014. She and her husband, Robert, have made several endowed Century Club gifts and established the Jarvis E. Miller ’50 Excellence Fund for International Studies. They have two daughters: Catherine and Sarah ’15.
 

Otway B. Denny Jr. ’71
Trustee
 

Otway Denny retired as partner at the Houston office of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, a global legal practice that provides business law services. He serves on the College of Liberal Arts’ Development Council and was the 2012 chairman of The Association of Former Students’ Board of Directors. He has been recognized by Texas A&M as a Fish Camp namesake in 2008 and was inducted into the Corps Hall of Honor in 2013. He was also named a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus in 2016. He and his wife, Bonnie, have endowed scholarships supporting the Corps of Cadets as well as a scholarship in the College of Liberal Arts designated for students who study abroad, complete an internship or participate in a faculty-directed research project. They have also supported the MSC renovation and expansion project, Aggie athletics, The Association of Former Students and MSC OPAS. Otway and Bonnie have three daughters: Amy Stuber ’97, Lisa Arreola ’98 and Stacey Denny.


 

George N. Harris Jr. ’85
Trustee
 

George Harris co-founded Kozusko Harris Duncan, a boutique law firm with offices in Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago, in 1999 and was the firm’s managing partner for 20 years. Before entering private practice, George was a trial attorney in the Honors Program of the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, and was awarded the Tax Division’s Outstanding Attorney Award. George previously chaired the Tax Audits and Litigation Section of the District of Columbia Bar Association. At Texas A&M, George served on The Association of Former Students’ Board of Directors from 2015 to 2018, where he chaired its Compensation and Affiliation Agreement Committees and served on the Finance and Audit Committees. George was on the Board of Directors of the National Capital Texas A&M Club from 2011 to 2014 and served as pro bono counsel to the club in obtaining its tax-exempt status. He and his wife, Karen Zent ’86, recently moved home to Texas after 30 years in the Washington, D.C., region. They are Endowed Century Club members Legacy Society members, and members of the Chancellor’s Century Council.

 

Dan Allen Hughes Jr. ’80
Trustee
 

Dan Allen Hughes Jr. is chief executive officer and president of Dan A. Hughes Co. LP, Hupecol Operating Company LLC and Hughes Legacy LLC. He has been active in the oil and gas industry for 40 years, during which he has presided over domestic and international oil and gas fields. Dan chairs the Sul Ross State University Borderlands Research Institute Advisory Board and is a member of the All-American Wildcatters. He formerly served on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission from 2009 to 2015 and as chairman from 2013 to 2015. At Texas A&M, he served on the presidential search committee from 2013 to 2015, while he is a current member of the 12th Man Foundation’s Champions Council and the Lead by Example National Campaign Council. He was named an Outstanding Alumnus of Mays Business School in 2013 and a Texas A&M Distinguished Alumnus in 2019. He and his wife, Peggy ’82, are donors to the university’s Berg-Hughes Center for Petroleum and Sedimentary Systems, where he serves as chairman of its Advisory Board. They also contributed to the Kyle Field redevelopment and other athletic facilities as well as to Corps of Cadets scholarships. They have three children: Dan Hughes III, William and Elizabeth.

 

Gina Luna ’95
Trustee
 

Gina Luna is a founding partner of GP Capital Partners, an SBIC fund focused on making lower middle market debt and equity investments primarily in Texas and the Gulf Coast Region. She founded Luna Strategies in 2016, where she counsels companies on complex strategic issues and growth initiatives. Prior to that, she held executive roles with JPMorgan Chase & Co. for 22 years. Today, she serves on several private and public company boards, including Roku Inc. and Tetra Technologies Inc. Gina is also the founding chairman for Houston Exponential, an organization focused on building the innovation ecosystem in Houston. She holds positions on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas – Houston Branch, CHI St. Luke’s Health System, The Welch Foundation, The Welch Institute, Baylor College of Medicine and the Greater Houston Partnership. She is a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame inductee and was named one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women in 2018. At Texas A&M, she serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for Mays Business School. She and her husband, Carl ’91, support The Association of Former Students, the 12th Man Foundation and Mays Business School. They have two sons: Tyson and Carson.

 

Former Texas A&M Foundation Trustees

These individuals have previously dedicated their time and service to our Board of Trustees.

  • Jorge A. Bermúdez ’73 (2015-2021)
  • T. Randall Cain ’82 (2013-2020)
  • P. W. "Bill" Toler ’76 (2012-2020)
  • George K. Hickox Jr. ’80 (2011-2018)
  • Van H. Taylor ’71 (2010-2017)
  • Charles H. Gregory ’64 (2009-2016)
  • Richard Kardys ’67 (2008-2015)
  • John E. Bethancourt ’74 (2007-2014)
  • Thomas Saylak Jr. ’82 (2006-2013)
  • Melbern G. Glasscock ’59 (2005-2012)
  • Bob J. Surovik ’58 (2004-2011)
  • Ray A. Rothrock ’77 (2003-2010)
  • James A. Mayo, Jr. ’70 (2002-2009)
  • Jerry S. Cox ’72 (2001-2008)
  • Roderick D. Stepp ’59 (2001-2007)
  • L. Lowry Mays ’57 (2000-2001)
  • Robert W. Harvey ’77 (1999-2006)
  • Jesse W. Curlee ’67 (1998-2005)
  • James A. Creel ’69 (1997-2004)
  • Jon L. Hagler ’58 (1996-2003)
  • Weldon D. Kruger ’53 (1995-2002)
  • Carroll W. Phillips ’54 (1994-2001)
  • Bill E. Carter ’69 (1993-2000)
  • H. Andrew Hansen II ’71 (1992-1999)
  • Richard A. Williford ’55 (1991-1996)
  • James S. Moore ’52 (1990-1997)
  • W. Mike Baggett ’68 (1989-1998)
  • Joe B. Foster ’56 (1988-1995)
  • A.W. "Head" Davis Jr. ’45 (1987-1994)
  • John R. Hill Jr. ’44 (1986-1993)
  • William C. McCord ’49 (1985-1991)
  • Harvey Cash ’33 (1984-1990)
  • Richard E. Haas ’45 (1982-1988)
  • Robert Smith III ’61 (1981-1987)
  • E. L. "Pete" Wehner ’41 (1979-1986)
  • Joe Hiram Moore ’38 (1978-1985)
  • James L. Sewell ’27 (1972-1981)
  • Kenneth E. Montague ’37 (1972-1984)
  • R.A. "Murray" Fasken ’38 (1972-1980)
  • Leslie L. Appelt ’41 (1972-1989)
  • Edward E. Monteith Jr. ’43 (1971-1983)
  • John A. Crichton ’37 (1963-1977)
  • W.T. Doherty ’22 (1963-1971)
  • A.F. Mitchell ’09 (1953-1970)
  • William P. Machemehl ’33 (1953-1978)
  • Herman F. Heep ’20 (1953-1960)
  • Sterling C. Evans ’21 (1953-1959)
  • R. Wofford Cain ’13 (1953-1971)