welcome
Mission Statement
The University of Houston’s Board of Visitors is a leadership group of private sector opinion leaders and University advocates that serves to advance the University of Houston and improve the University’s image in Houston and throughout the region. Board of Visitors members represent a broad array of expertise, interests and connections and serve as ambassadors and strategic partners for the University.
To find out more about the Board of Visitors and other volunteer opportunities at the University of Houston please contact our volunteer office at bov@uh.edu or call 713-743-9116.
Steve Stephens (’80)
Chair, Board of Visitors
Chief Executive Officer
Amegy Corporation
Victor Barcot (’95, M.B.A. ’97)
Managing Director
Houlihan Lokey
Jeffery Beauchamp (’69, M.S.M.E. ’73)
Entrepreneur and Private Investor
Maury Blackman (’92)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Premise Data
Robert Boblitt, Jr. (F.S. '81)
President and Chief Operations Officer Silver Eagle Distributors
J. Downey Bridgwater (’84)
President, Houston Market Comerica Bank
John Butler, Jr.
Chairman
J.R. Butler & Co.
Kim Clarke (’81)
Vice Chair, Student Success Task Force
Chief Human Resource Officer
Kirby Corporation
Judy Cook (J.D. ’89)
Vice President and Secretary
Mark and Judith Cook Foundation
Marcus Cosby
Senior Pastor
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
Anette Edens (M.B.A. ’77, M.Ed. ’89, Ph.D. ’94)
President/Psychologist
Cornerstone Recovery
Aggie Foster (’78, M.B.A. ‘86)
Community Volunteer and Arts Patron
Lily Chen Foster (M.A. ’92)
Retired Actress
Lance Funston (’67)
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Core Care America and Ultimark Products, LLC
Jo Furr (M.Ed. ’95)
Retired Educator and Community Volunteer
Bernard Harris, Jr. (’78, M.B.A. ’99 UHCL)
Chief Executive Officer
National Math + Science Initiative
Chaille Winston Hawkins
Director
The Winston Charitable Foundation
Elvin Hayes (’85)
President
King’s Valet and Rossi, USA
Craig Jones
Vice Chair, Power Athletics Task Force
President and Chief Executive Officer
Long Lake Ltd., Woodmere Development Co.
Walter Jones (’65)
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
WestStar Mortgage Inc.
Kathryn Ketelsen
Co-Founder and Chair
Project GRAD
John King (’92)
America’s Vice Chair – Assurance Services
Ernst & Young LLP
Robert Kneppler (’85)
Chair, Student Success Task Force
Managing Director
Marsh Wortham, a division of Marsh USA, Inc.
Aylwin Lewis (’76, M.B.A. ’90)
Chair, Third Ward Economic Empowerment Task Force
Former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Potbelly Corporation
Glenn Lilie (Honorary Doctorate Degree ’16)
Chief Executive Officer
G. Terrell Ventures Inc.
Wayne Luckett (’74)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Branwar Wine Distributing Co.
Nick Massad, Jr. (’73)
President and Chief Executive Officer
American Liberty Hospitality, Inc.
Jerad McMayon (’00)
Co-Founder and Partner
OFS Energy Fund
David McMenamin (’74)
Managing Partner
Carson Wealth
Sonny Messiah-Jiles (’74)
President
Defender Media Group
Laura Murillo (’89, M.Ed. ’98, Ed.D. ’03)
President and Chief Executive Officer
Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Judy Nyquist
Chair, Public Art Task Force
Community Volunteer and Arts Patron
Marvin Odum, III (M.B.A. ’95)
Chief Executive Officer
816 Group
Pamela Chambers O’Rourke (’95)
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Icon Information Consultants LP
Jack Pogge (’75)
Former President, Chief Operating Officer and Director CSG Systems International, Inc.
Ricky Raven (’83, J.D. ‘86)
Partner
Reed Smith LLP
Maria Rios (FS ’88)
Owner and President
Nation Waste Inc.
Lillie Robertson
Philanthropist
Samuel Schreiber (’74)
President
Chain Bridge Bank
Helen Shaffer
Vice Chair, Third Ward Schools Task Force
Community Volunteer and Arts Patron
Former Director of Religious Education
St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
Stephanie Sherrodd
President and Chief Executive Officer
TDECU
Gregory Shoemaker (’79)
Chair, Power Athletics Task Force
Global Head of Supply Chain
Hewlett Packard Inc.
Michele Verma, Ph.D.
Chair, Third Ward Schools Task Force
Community Volunteer and Chair
Alley Theatre Education Community Engagement
Bruce Williamson (M.B.A. ’95)
Executive Chairman
Southcross Energy Partners
Judy Bozeman (’70)
Chairman and President
UH College of Business Foundation
Brent Chinn (FS ’82)
Immediate Past President
UH Alumni Association Foundation
Drue DaSilva (’93, M.S. ’99)
President Elect
UH Alumni Association Foundation
Les Haulbrook
President
Houston Cougar Foundation
Raúl Ramos
President
UH Faculty Senate
Laurie Rutherford (’86, M.B.A. ’91, M.S. ’04)
President
UH Alumni Association Foundation
Michael Sachs (’97)
Treasurer
UH Alumni Association Foundation
Lisa Shumate (M.B.A. ’17)
Associate Vice President and General Manager
Houston Public Media
Barrett Sides
Director
Houston Public Media Foundation
Vissett Sun (’93, O.D. ’95)
Past President and Board Member Foundation for Education and Research in Vision, Inc.
Richard Whiteley (’93, J.D. ’99)
Board Member
UH Law Foundation
Alvin Zimmerman (’64, J.D. ’67)
Chair
UH Foundation
DON BACIGALUPI (’83)
Founding President, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
FRED S. COUPLES (FS ’80)
President, Couples Bates Golf Design Group
RICHARD "RACEHORSE" HAYNES (J.D. ’56)
Attorney, Richard Haynes & Associates PC
ERIC M. HILTON (HONORARY DOCTORATE ’85)
Former Vice Chairman, Hilton Hotels Corporation
THE HONORABLE WILLIAM P. HOBBY (HONORARY DOCTORATE ’97)
37th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Hobby Communications
REVEREND WILLIAM LAWSON (HONORARY DOCTORATE '93)
Pastor Emeritus, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
CARL LEWIS (FS '82)
President and CEO, Carl Lewis Entertainment Group
JOHN T. MCNABB II
Founding Chair, Board of Visitors
Chairman, Corporate Finance, Growth Capital Partners LP
DARYL WILKERSON (FS ’80)
Vice President, Support Services, University of Chicago Medicine
BOARD OF VISITORS TASK FORCES
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
CHAIR: TBD
Objectives
- Serve as community ambassadors for the UH College of Medicine by communicating the beneficial impacts the College of Medicine will have on the population of the greater Houston area, Texas and the beyond.
- Assist with relationship building by opening doors and making introductions to potential donors, business and civic leaders, and community partners, both regionally and nationally.
- Support and advise development of the college in areas such as community relations, alumni engagement, community health and healthcare needs.
- Foster partnerships between the UH College of Medicine and federally qualified health centers by initiating relationships with key players in the changing health-care environment.
POWER ATHLETICS
CHAIR: GREGORY SHOEMAKER (’79), VICE CHAIR: CRAIG JONES
OBJECTIVES
- Support and promote the University of Houston Department of Athletics mission – Building Champions for Life – by engaging with the student-athlete experience at UH.
- Energize the UH fan base and the City of Houston to maximize revenues that can be re-invested ensuring sustained success by helping fill athletic venues.
- Allow student-athletes to develop and compete on the national level by supporting the development and maintenance of state-of-the-art athletic facilities.
- Ensure that UH students, student-athletes and constituents are part of a Tier One, nationally relevant athletics program by attracting and retaining top athletic leadership.
- Create an enduring legacy for alumni and fans through multiple generations by continuing to build and enhance athletic traditions.
STUDENT SUCCESS
CHAIR: ROBERT KNEPPLER (’85), VICE CHAIR: KIM CLARKE (’81)
OBJECTIVES
- Partner with Career Services to review and expand external contacts for student opportunities, identify industry gaps for connections, and participate in professional volunteer training opportunities.
- Explore opportunities to support student recruitment efforts by leveraging contacts in Houston and other markets.
- Support the continued growth of the Scarlet Seals of Excellence, a program in which students demonstrate learning outside the classroom in preparation for post-graduation opportunities.
THIRD WARD ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
CHAIR: AYLWIN LEWIS (’76, M.B.A. ’90)
OBJECTIVES
- Encourage the creation of partnerships between UH and the community by supporting existing programs and providing expertise on future needs.
- Provide insight into developing and growing programing, in partnership with the C.T. Bauer College of Business, through small-to-medium sized business incubation programs such as the SURE™ program and The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship.
- Illuminate the strengths of Third Ward businesses for increased business activity between the UH business community and Third Ward enterprises.
THIRD WARD SCHOOLS
CHAIR: MICHELE VERMA, VICE CHAIR: HELEN SHAFFER
OBJECTIVES
- Create a lasting relationship between the UH community and the Third Ward community through outreach and service-learning that results in increased student success and college and career readiness.
- Develop partnerships between the University, the University of Houston Colleges, and the Third Ward community to support the identified needs of Third Ward Schools.
- Promote impactful collaborations between the University, the University of Houston College of Education, and the Third Ward Community to support, effect, and communicate progressive change in Third Ward Schools.
PUBLIC ART
CHAIR: JUDY NYQUIST
OBJECTIVES
- Provide insight into developing and reviewing strategic partnerships and prospects to support the Public Art program and its funding priorities.
- Foster and strengthen engagement opportunities for visitors and the community to tour the collection, exhibitions and explore the System’s collection.
- Support strategic programs and events related to the upcoming 50th Anniversary milestone in 2019.
- Advocate for the Public Art program, both locally and nationally, bringing awareness to the collection and its exhibitions.
- Identify opportunities to introduce the new Director to key stakeholders in order to foster the development and growth of the Systemwide Public Art program.