Fort Worth Inc. - July-August 2020

“

We Grow Together

One Step

” At A Time

Congratulations to Larry Autrey, managing partner for Whitley Penn, on being named to The 400: Fort Worth Inc.’s compilation of 400 of the Most Influential People in Fort Worth.

“From a young age I was taught to be humble and work hard. During tough times, we have to figure out what we are doing right and where we can do better. We grow together one step at a time and adapt so that we remain valuable resources. I am honored to be recognized among The 400.” – Larry Autrey

whitleypenn.com

PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE for the

Through a $175M public/private partnership with the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, Hotel Drover and Mule Alley has re-emerged as a carefully restored destination within the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District.

"As a fourth generation Texan, the Texas spirit was embedded in my upbringing and I care deeply about the need to preserve and restore our city's heritage and legacy. The new Mule Alley and Hotel Drover project transcends typical development, and will be an iconic destination for generations to come."

Craig Cavileer, MANAGING PARTNER

Contents / THE 400

July / August 2020

8 / The 400

Innovation is a recurring theme among this year’s honorees, involved in everything from tackling homelessness to testing autonomous vehicles. From arts to business and education to professions, here’s our annual take on 400 of the Most Influential People in Fort Worth.

16 / Arts and Leisure

Stewards of the city’s visual arts, music and theater scenes

20 / Banking and Finance Investments, equity and all things finance

38 / Economic Development

Expanding the city’s reach in business and tourism

42 / Education

Shaping the next generation of Fort Worthians 48 / Government Lawmakers and politicians in both the city and the state

/ Industry From food and beverage to oil and gas

/ Nonprofits Organization leaders making a difference 76 / Philanthropy The city’s most prominent donors

80 / Professional Services Influencers in marketing, human resources, law and other fields

100 / Real Estate Builders and flippers, buyers and sellers 118 /

A Fort Worth Inc. Special Issue

Michael Thacker, the Bell senior executive who leads the team that develops new technologies for use in the company's products. Photo by Truitt Rogers

Sit Still

The worst thing you can do is nothing.

Many of us like the thrills that come with riding a roller coaster — the buildup of energy climbing the hills, the kinetic energy on the drops and the acceleration on the loops and turns that come together to get our hearts racing. The key to what would normally be a terrifying two minutes is the assurance that at the end of the ride, we’ll walk away without actually being hurt. Unfortunately, the economic roller coaster most of us are riding with our businesses right now does not come with that same assurance.

In mid-February, our economy was on cruise control with stock market record highs before the pandemic set in, resulting in the nastiest stock market crash since the Great Depression. Wall Street then experienced one of the fastest comebacks in more than 80 years, followed by a four-month continual wave of ups and downs.

The economic crisis that the Wall Street roller-coaster ride represents has carried over to most small businesses, our company notwithstanding. Advertising and events make up 90% of our company’s revenue. When businesses were shuttering in March and advertisers were pulling back their ad budgets, we made a decision to cancel our May issues of Fort Worth Magazine and Fort Worth Inc., which are responsible for over 13% of our annual revenues.

By early June, all was working according to plan as the COVID-19 curve had begun to flatten. This all changed on June 25 when the city hit us with a left hook, restricting outside events to 100 people, causing us to

push our annual Best of Fort Worth party to October. And, just yesterday we got hit with another shot as we were informed that DFW Airport had shut down part of Terminal C that houses both our Fort Worth Magazine and Fort Worth Inc. stores that were just opened last year.

I take solace in reminding myself that some of life’s greatest lessons are learned when we are dealing with life’s most difficult situations. If nothing else, this economic crisis is compelling small-business owners to move much more rapidly than they would have otherwise. It’s forcing us all out of our comfort zones, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

There are lots of opportunities (decisions to be made) around us today if we look for them. I once read of three leaders (an optimist, a pessimist and a realist) that were busy arguing about a glass of water when an opportunist walked by and drank it. Small-business owners can do nothing and hope things go back to normal before they run out of capital, or they can innovate and capitalize on business opportunities that present themselves.

Hal A. Brown owner/publisher

Fast. Friendly. Fair.

Here's the deal.

AUTO GROUP

What We’re Reading

A few book recommendations from Fort Worth’s 400 Most Influential People

Jason Smith, principal, Law Offices of Jason Smith

All I Ever Wanted: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir by Kathy Valentine

Leah King, CEO, United Way of Tarrant County The Last Lecture by Randy

Mattie Parker, executive director, T3 - Tarrant To & Through Partnership

Marianne Auld, managing partner, appellate section chair, Kelly Hart & Hallman The Next Election by Landon Wallace

Pausch

Delta Epiphany: Robert F. Kennedy in Mississippi by Ellen B. Meacham

Rhett Bennett, CEO, Black Mountain Chaos Monkeys by Antonio García Martínez

Estrus Tucker, co-founder, DEI Consultants Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

Grant James, EVP, market president, CapTex Bank Ben Hogan: The Myths Everyone Knows, the Man No One Knew by Tim Scott

Dione Kennedy, president/CEO, Bass Performance Hall A Woman Is No Man: A Novel by Etaf Rum

Michael Thacker of Bell, with a mockup in Fort Worth of the Bell Nexus.

Photo by Truitt Rogers

The 400

Here’s our annual take on influence in Fort Worth from arts to business.

BY SCOTT NISHIMURA / PHOTOGRAPHY BY OLAF GROWALD AND TRUITT ROGERS

The 400: How We Did It

“The 400” is compiled by Scott Nishimura, executive editor of Fort Worth Inc. Managing editor Samantha Calimbahin and interns Malena Bell, Jessica Strange, and Renee Umsted collaborated in production of this issue of the magazine.

Innovation is our idea for the theme of this year’s feature piece that introduces Fort Worth Inc.’s annual issue of “The 400: 400 of the Most Influential People in Fort Worth.” Of course, at the time we came up with the idea, COVID-19 didn’t exist. That became another layer to the interviews we ran with a number of our influencers on topics ranging from next-generation transportation to housing, education and economic development.

The magazine’s editorial staff, for the third straight year, produced “The 400,” drawing on our knowledge of the market and its rich history. We examined influence across a range of sectors locally from the arts to business, education, economic development, government, professions, nonprofits and philanthropy.

Because community is the way Fort Worth goes, we look annually at community participation, compiling, for one, a robust database drawn from the makeup of numerous nonprofit and civic boards to use as a tool in gauging influence. We looked toward big themes Fort Worth thought leaders have identified as key in moving our fast-growing city forward. We asked for ideas from the people we speak to daily and even ran segments of our list by them for feedback. We heard ideas, too, many pitched to us by denizens of “The 400” and other community members. COVID-19 forced a late re-examination, with some new faces making their way on as a result. This year’s list has 424 influencers.

Attacking Homelessness: Flora Brewer

Flora Brewer, a Fort Worth developer and investor with a long history of being interested in homelessness, won praise — and awards — for buying the run-down Palm Tree Apartments on Race Street in Fort Worth, a district that’s in fast transition today to higher uses, and converting it to 100% permanent supportive housing for people who were homeless. Brewer says all tenants were previously “unsheltered,” meaning they were staying in city parks and other similar places.

Skeptics wondered whether it would be possible to replicate Brewer’s project, given likely neighborhood opposition. “I made many abortive attempts to try and buy another property,” she said in an interview.

Brewer, through a nonprofit called New Leaf Community Services formed in 2019, acquired a 3-acre vacant lot early last year at 4444 Quail Trail in the Fair Oaks Addition in West Fort Worth near River Oaks, and

she’s organized a coalition to get it built. It will be a $4.75 million project, 48 units, twelve 1,700-square-foot fourplexes, with four units of equal size.

Developers Randy Gideon and Tom Purvis are joining as project managers; Gideon, a longtime Fort Worth architect, designed the buildings. Brewer said she has locked up the funding from First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth ($1 million), her own Paulos Foundation, City of Fort Worth Housing Finance Corp., and the Amon G. Carter, Sid Richardson, Ryan, and Morris foundations. The project will be 100% permanent supportive housing.

was acquiring other lots around it in preparation for his ongoing upscale redevelopment. As Brewer tells it, Riddick had made an unsuccessful run at the Palm Tree’s listing broker and conferred with Brewer. She called the broker and was able to take the property under contract and close on a purchase.

That was in the summer of 2015. Brewer paid about $700,000 for the property and put in about as much for a total $1.4 million, all funded by her foundation, which owns it and maintains tax-exempt status. “We had it renovated and leased fully by June 2016,” she says. “It all happened very, very fast.”

“It’s a really terrific location. We’ve got all the financing in place. We’re just finishing the contracts with the City of Fort Worth. Once that’s done, we’re going to break ground.”

– Flora Brewer, on new permanent supportive housing project, West Fort Worth

DRC Community Solutions to End Homelessness, the former Day Resource Center and the nonprofit that does on-site case management for Brewer’s Palm Tree Apartments, will do on-site case management for the new property. It’s the first project under a $5 million city allocation to the HFC for this kind of development.

“It’s a really terrific location,” with access by Trinity Metro bus to retail and other services, Brewer says. “We’ve got all the financing in place. We’re just finishing the contracts with the City of Fort Worth. Once that’s done, we’re going to break ground.”

Brewer has acknowledged a stroke of luck in being able to secure the Palm Tree site, while developer Pretlow Riddick

The foundation has disclosed in federal IRS filings that the 24-unit property does about $230,000 per year in gross rents, and Brewer confirmed that is current. It pays $3,300 per unit per year to DRC for case management, and it provides nighttime security twice a week. Maintenance costs run high. “It is the 1955 gift that keeps on giving,” she says. A fully permanent supportive housing development in a for-profit model would be very difficult because of factors such as the case management fees, Brewer says. “It does not work,” she says. The foundation could easily sell the Palm Tree, but Brewer wants to be part of the solution. “Hardly a day goes by when I don’t get a call from a broker.”

Transit in Arlington? Mayor Jeff Williams

Arlington is a city not known for transit, or historically interested in it. But city leaders want to change that — it’s a matter of what’s most effective. The city has completed two pilot programs with autonomous shuttles in its entertainment district — one with vehicles in traffic, the other not — and is in development on a third that could mesh with the popular Via rideshare program Arlington is participating in, using

Developer Flora Brewer, at her Palm Tree Apartments permanent supportive housing project on Fort Worth's Race Street. Photo by Olaf Growald

Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

Photo by Truitt Rogers

minivans. Arlington is in conversations with regional transportation authorities on potential east-west and north-south solutions.

Next year, the city, North Central Texas Council of Governments, and General Motors will launch a pilot funded by COG and GM to create and test an autonomous, electric, rubber-wheeled vehicle on an elevated steel platform to be built between the GM Arlington plant over Texas State Highway 360 to the Arlington Logistics Center. The vehicle would pick up completed truck interiors at the logistics center and drive them to GM. Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams, an oddity among U.S. mayors in that he's an engineer, believes the technology and infrastructure can be created at a fraction of the cost of light rail and, importantly, be significantly less intrusive to neighborhoods in construction and operationally.

Williams says it’s important to note that other solutions will could come along. “We probably have not seen the technologies that are ultimately going to be transporting us,” he says. “We have opened up our city as a laboratory. We are going to be looking at all these technologies.”

shuttles over the road to the airport.

“I think this is going to stay with us for a very long time.” – Michael Morris, transportation director, North Central Texas Council of Governments, on impact of COVID-19

One day, such an elevated network could connect, say, the University of Texas at Arlington to South Arlington, down the spine of South Cooper Street, and run north to DFW Airport, Williams said in an interview. He sees the possibility of a central, multi-modal station that links various transit modes. Regional cargo-carrying like GM’s could help fund operations in the future.

‘“This is the real state of the future,” Williams says. If Arlington chooses not to continue with the GM vehicle after the pilot, the automaker would still use it to transport parts between the plant and logistics center.

Arlington also is participating in broader regional conversations about highspeed rail, hyperloop, and urban air taxi. Arlington’s interested, say, in a stop on a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth, Williams says. But it would first have to join a regional transportation authority like Trinity Metro or figure out another way to fund it.

Transportation King: Michael Morris Michael Morris, as director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, gets to help the region define its priorities for everything from roads to public transit — and then hunt funding. His office is launching three transportation studies, including one that will focus on the western half of the metroplex, at the request of local leaders. Right now, in Tarrant County, he’s interested in better connecting Arlington within itself, and to DFW Airport and Trinity Railway Express to the airport, and extending TEXRail south to Fort Worth’s Medical District. Morris is advocating for a westbound high-speed rail line to Fort Worth from Dallas if the proposed privately funded Texas Central Partners line connecting Dallas to Houston goes forward. If Fort Worth got such an extension, the line could extend to Mexico. Morris also is looking into an array of next-generation technologies, like hyperloop, in which vehicles travel at high speeds through sealed tubes.

Overlaid on all of this is the unknown impact that COVID-19 will have on transportation in the future. “I think this is going to stay with us for a very long time,” Morris said in an interview.

Arlington is experimenting with nextgeneration technologies that could solve its problems, creating a north-south line and connections to the airport and Trinity Railway Express. Twenty-passenger, autonomous elevated vehicles could connect the Trinity to DFW Airport via the CentrePort station, which currently runs traditional

The first segment of TEXRail, which launched service between the Near Southside’s T&P Station, Fort Worth Central Station and DFW Airport last year, was originally slated to run all the way to the Chisholm Trail at Altamesa Boulevard but was later truncated. TEXRail has $38.9 million in leftover funding that can be applied to the medical district station. Morris is pressing for completion of an environmental assessment, and authorities are negotiating with the Union Pacific Railroad and Fort Worth & Western Railroad for right of way. TEXRail would run beneath the UP line. Fort Worth & Western has questions about liability on its right of way, Morris says. “We’re in conversations about how best to purchase insurance for this particular purpose,” he says.

Conversations about high-speed rail to Fort Worth are early, with Morris focused on environmental clearance for Texas Central. What’s not clear is how a Fort Worth-Dallas extension would connect to the Dallas line, who would operate it, or whether another technology such as hyperloop could surface as a better alternative. Once environmental clearance is complete, “it’ll be a whole lot easier to figure out who’s interested,” Morris says.

Logistics and COVID-19: Mike Berry Mike Berry has had an interesting perspective of the impact of COVID-19 in his job as president of Hillwood, developer of the 26,000acre AllianceTexas master-planned community and major international logistics hub in north Fort Worth.

Movement of goods has spiked through Alliance’s logistics tenants, like UPS, FedEx, General Mills, Walmart, Craftsman, and Tom Thumb. “It’s been interesting to watch, in a positive way,” Berry says. “I don’t have access to numbers. We can only gauge in terms of what you see, what you hear. Hiring. Aircraft movements. Alliance is a very critical, central supply chain logistics hub.”

Many of AllianceTexas’ companies have been hiring through the outbreak of COVID19. “Walmart, Amazon, logistics,” he says.

“Fidelity Investments has been hiring. The financial service companies have had a huge spike in business. A lot of people are just having to transact. I was a little surprised by that.”

COVID-19 disrupted the world’s supply chain, including for badly needed medical goods. AllianceTexas, which is about 50% built-out, is front and center in regional conversations about whether COVID-19 presents opportunity for the region to bring business like manufacturing and distribution to the U.S. that's currently located in places like China.

Berry agreed this spring to serve on the Fort Worth NOW task force, cochaired by Mayor Betsy Price, banker Elaine Agather, and businessman John Goff, to look into ways to help local business restart and determine whether COVID-19 presents economic development opportunities for Fort Worth.

year’s presumptive Democratic nominee for president, would approach China and U.S. trade policy if he were elected.

“Not to be political, but if Trump stays in office, I think they’re pretty sustainable,” Berry says of the tariffs. “You’ve got to balance economics and impact of tariffs on consumer prices in the U.S. It’s a long strategy. Every business is different. Every company’s going to have to make a different decision. Mexico’s going to be attractive to some. Vietnam’s going to be attractive to some. The U.S. will be attractive to others. Nobody’s going to bring back 100% of their manufacturing. Asia is still a huge market.”

“No one’s asking the kids these questions. Are you on track to graduate? What about FAFSA? Do you have postgraduate plans? Are you taking the tests?” – Mattie Parker, Cradle to Career

Post-COVID-19, assuming there is a post-COVID-19 period, “I think we’ll see continued expansion and growth in the sections that are part of our backbone again,” Berry says. “Logistics, supply chain, e-commerce. [Business will] replenish inventory, at higher inventory levels probably, just to protect and buffer against any future disruption.”

President Trump’s high U.S. tariffs on goods coming in from China and other countries — along with factors such as efficiency, reliability, and cost of transportation — had already triggered conversation about prospects for onshoring business before COVID-19 struck.

“We need to reduce our reliance on offshore sourcing,” Berry says. “We need to do everything we can to create an environment where U.S. manufacturing can be encouraged to reshore.”

U.S. tariffs have closed the cost gap with China to an extent. Are they sustainable? What’s not clear is how Joe Biden, this

Berry predicts major investment in new distribution technology coming out of COVID-19, such as autonomous surface vehicles. Hillwood is teamed up with Bell and Uber on the development of urban air taxi — manned and unmanned — in the region. Such vehicles could be used to carry passengers and deliver cargo, and the Jetson-esque vision has captured the public imagination.

Testing of autonomous surface vehicles is much farther along, Berry says. “That’s where most of the attention is going right now, because it can happen faster” than autonomous air vehicles, he says. “I think you can grow that at a fairly rapid pace.”

At Bell, Michael Thacker, the senior executive who leads the company’s team in developing new technologies for use in Bell products, can give a timeframe for when Bell’s first vehicles might be ready to go. But more important is the necessary infrastructure — vertiports and charging infrastructure for the electric vehicles.

“Building that out will take years,” he said during an interview in mid-March at the company’s Fort Worth headquarters, just before shelter-in-place orders took effect. “It’s not just a vehicle. Building and flying a vehicle is not the hardest part.”

Educating Our Children: Mattie Parker

Fort Worth thought leaders have coalesced around a number of key issues that present impediments in moving the fast-growing city forward on strong economic footing. One allencompassing umbrella covers children from when they’re born, all the way through high school, and ensuring they’re prepared for adult life — in jobs, college and community.

Mattie Parker earlier this year left her job as chief of staff to Mayor Price to join a new nonprofit called Cradle to Career as CEO, whose mission is aimed at helping shepherd Fort Worth children along to readiness.

With primary backing of the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Cradle to Career’s first initiative will be the Tarrant To & Through Partnership, which will pay to send counselors into six Fort Worth high schools this fall to boost guidance to students. Not clear yet is how the school district, which is moving to a combination of in-person and online instruction beginning this fall in response to COVID-19, will handle its many outside partners who send people into the schools every year.

Tarrant To & Through is teaming up with the TCU College Advising Corps, which will send college advisers into the Dunbar, Poly, Eastern Hills, O.D. Wyatt, Western Hills and Diamond-Hill Jarvis high schools to coach basics ranging from filling out financial aid forms to taking the ACT and SAT tests.

“No one’s asking the kids these questions,” says Parker, who has a law degree. “Are you on track to graduate? What about FAFSA? Do you have post-graduate plans [for after high school]? Are you taking the tests?”

Local school districts, Tarrant County College, and universities in the area have struck partnerships to try and improve college access and affordability, pointing out that most in-demand and well-paying jobs of the future require college. Many high school students don’t complete a FAFSA, the form used by colleges and universities to determine eligibility for financial aid.

“There’s still the belief that college is unaffordable,” Parker says. “It’s not just about high school anymore.”

Mattie Parker, of Cradle to Career.

Photo by Olaf Growald

Arts and Leisure

Our art and culture influencers include Fort Worthians who run some of the city’s most treasured attractions and cultural draws.

Arts and Leisure

Brad Barnes President and GM Fort Worth Stock Show

Brad Barnes took over the top job at the Fort Worth Stock Show in 2010. Barnes’ role has been much broader than running the major annual livestock show and rodeo. The Stock Show has worked closely with the City of Fort Worth through the years to improve the Will Rogers Memorial Center, home to the Stock Show. The public-private partnership has helped the Will Rogers become a top equestrian and livestock facility in the U.S. The Stock Show has invested more than $60 million in improvements and expansion at Will Rogers since moving here in 1944. The latest improvement, Dickies Arena, opened last fall and is new home to the rodeo. Barnes is vice president and secretary of the Event Facilities Fort Worth nonprofit, which capped the city’s costs for the arena and guaranteed to raise the rest.

Kay Fortson

Chair

Kimbell Art Foundation

The niece and sole heir of Kay Kimbell, founding benefactor of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fortson grew up around art and culture and has spent her adult life carrying out the mission of her uncle to create a world-class museum in Fort Worth. The resulting Louis Kahn-designed Kimbell Art Museum, Renzo Piano Pavilion, and acclaimed collection are recognized globally. Fortson’s husband, Ben, is a director of the foundation, which owns and operates the museum. Kay Fortson, who became president of the Kimbell Art Foundation in 1975, gave up that post in 2018 to the couple’s daughter, Kimbell Fortson Wynne.

Kathleen Culebro Artistic director Amphibian Stage Productions

It’s been 20 years since Kathleen Culebro co-founded Amphibian Stage Productions in Fort Worth to produce innovative theater. Raised in Mexico City, Culebro has produced over 100 plays in Fort Worth and New York. Amphibian focuses on premieres but also puts on developmental pieces that allow directors and playwrights low-pressure opportunity. Its comedy series draws emerging comics. “De-Cruit” workshops for veterans send actors into Fort Worth’s Green Bay prison to teach classes in the vets’ pod on managing PTSD. COVID-19 forced the shutdown of Amphibian events, but it’s moved to keep full-time staff employed and insured. It’s launching Shake It Off, an online program for anyone impacted by anxiety and trauma, based on De-Cruit. Costumers are making PPE for staff and patients of the James L. West Center for Dementia Care and John Peter Smith Hospital.

Michael

Fouraker

Executive director Fort Worth Zoo

Michael Fouraker became director in 1993 of the award-winning zoo, one of the city’s top attractions and catalyst for conservation. Fouraker is a board member of the International Rhino and International Bongo foundations and Zoological Association of America.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Having guests at the zoo”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Losing an opportunity when an election did not favor my candidate, so I remained in the zoo world.”

CAUSES Fort Worth Zoo, conservation programs, Belgian Malinois rescue

READING NOW Caribbean, by James Michener

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “Make us aware, despite social distancing, how closely connected and dependent we all are upon community.”

Ben Fortson Director Kimbell Art Foundation

Ben Fortson has been a director, executive vice president and chief investment officer since 1975 for the Kimbell Art Foundation, which owns and operates the Kimbell Art Museum. Wife Kay Fortson became president of the foundation in 1975 and stepped down and gave that post in 2018 to the couple’s daughter, Kimbell Fortson Wynne. Fortson also is general partner of Kimbell Royalty Partners; the foundation holds a stake in the partnership. Fortson has been CEO of Fortson Oil Co. since 1986 and has 60 years in the oil and gas industry. Fortson is a trustee emeritus of TCU. He’s also a member of the Exchange Club of Fort Worth.

Karen Johnson Hixon President

Ruth Carter Stevenson founded the Amon Carter Museum, following the desire of her father, the oilman, philanthropist and newspaper publisher Amon Carter Sr. Stevenson died in 2013. Today, it’s Stevenson’s daughter, Karen Johnson Hixon, who has the helm of the museum, a noted repository of seminal American art. Hixon’s brother, Mark L. Johnson, serves on the board.

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Arts and Leisure

Dione Kennedy President and CEO Performing Arts Fort Worth

Dione Kennedy is CEO of Performing Arts, entity that owns Bass Hall. Kennedy holds a bachelor's from the University of Cincinnati. She serves on the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., and Visit Fort Worth boards.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “You experience a live show in the moment, and I miss that.”

READING NOW “When time permits, I’ll get back to a couple of books currently on my nightstand, a New York Times bestseller, White Fragility, and a novel my sister sent me, A Woman Is No Man.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The arts community is passionate about helping those in need, and that’s been inspiring. When we get to go back to our museums, theaters and performance spaces, I hope we’ll return with a renewed or newfound appreciation for just how incredible our arts scene truly is.”

Marla Price Director Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

Marla Price joined the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as chief curator in 1986. Price was appointed acting director in April 1991 and director in January 1992, and the museum has continued to grow in stature during her tenure. She was instrumental on the building committee that oversaw the construction of the Modern’s new building, designed by Tadao Ando and completed in 2002. Price received a BA from Mary Washington College and a PhD in art history from the University of Virginia, with a dissertation on the American painter Milton Avery. She worked previously as deputy information officer and then associate curator of Twentieth-Century Art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Eric Lee Director Kimbell Art Museum

Eric Lee became the Kimbell Art Museum’s fourth director in March 2009. Lee has overseen the construction and opening of the Renzo Piano pavilion. Lee has also led acquisition efforts, including Michelangelo’s “Torment of Saint Anthony,” the artist’s only painting in the Americas. Before the Kimbell, Lee was director of Cincinnati’s Taft Museum of Art and of the art museum at the University of Oklahoma. He worked at the Yale Center for British Art and on the staff of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. A native of North Carolina, Lee received his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD, all in art history from Yale University. During COVID-19’s shutdown, the Kimbell pushed interviews, readings and photography onto its social media to engage patrons. It extended its special exhibition "Flesh and Blood" — featuring nearly 40 masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples — through July.

Andrew Walker Executive director

Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Andrew Walker was named director of the Amon Carter in 2011, making his way to Fort Worth from the St. Louis Art Museum, and has played a critical role in the way the museum has changed how it connects with the community. The museum in 2018 established Carter Community Artists, an annual initiative dedicated to working with local artists to enhance the museum’s events, connect the North Texas area with artists, and build a diverse network. Annually, the museum chooses four local artists who plan and lead programs at the museum, in the community and online. Walker was assistant director for curatorial affairs at the St. Louis Art Museum, director of collections and conservation at Missouri Historical Society, and associate curator at The Art Institute of Chicago. He has a bachelor’s in art history from Bowdoin College and PhD in art history from Penn.

Jacques Marquis

President

and CEO

The Cliburn

A native of Montreal, Jacques Marquis came to The Van Cliburn Foundation in 2012 as interim director before being promoted in 2013. The Cliburn is known internationally for its quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, first held in 1962. Marquis expanded the Cliburn’s offerings with new concerts like the Cliburn Festival, club series Cliburn Sessions, and free Cliburn in the Community concerts. He also launched the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival for 13- to 17-year-olds. COVID-19 forced postponement of this year's International Amateur to 2022. As executive and artistic director of Jeunesses Musicales Canada, 2002-2012, Marquis contributed to its dual mandate: promoting classical music and supporting development of young artists. Marquis holds a Bachelor of Music from Université de Montréal and business degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Kimbell Fortson

Wynne

President

Kimbell Art Foundation

Kimbell Fortson Wynne was named president of the Kimbell Art Foundation in 2017 after serving on its board for 27 years. The foundation owns and operates the Kimbell Art Museum. Wynne is the eldest daughter of Kay Fortson — the niece of Kimbell benefactor Kay Kimbell, who has spent her adult years carrying out her uncle’s wishes to create a world-class museum in Fort Worth — and Ben Fortson. Kay Fortson remains the foundation chair. Wynne also serves on the boards of her alma mater, TCU, and the Modern Art Museum Fort Worth.

Trinity Metro congratulates the 400 most influential leaders in Greater Fort Worth, including our President and CEO Bob Baulsir.

Under Bob’s guidance, Trinity Metro has greatly expanded its services and offers innovative solutions to meet the public transportation needs of a growing population. In addition to frequent bus service including The Dash, Tarrant County residents also enjoy commuter rail service on Trinity Metro TEXRail, on-demand options via ZIPZONE and much more. MAKE YOUR MOVE WITH TRINITY METRO TODAY!

Banking and Finance

Our influencers here run the range from bankers and credit service companies to investors who participate in Fort Worth’s growing angel community; private equity, hedge funds, and venture capital; wealth management; public finance; and insurance.

Banking and Finance / Banking and Credit Services

Elaine Agather

Dallas region chair

J.P. Morgan Chase

Elaine Agather, a longtime Fort Worth banker, became Chase Bank’s Dallas chair in 1999. Lately, she’s seen a lot of Fort Worth. In COVID-19’s wake, Agather and Fort Worth businessman John Goff agreed to co-chair the nonprofit Fort Worth Now with Mayor Betsy Price. Its mission: find ways to help businesses restart and look for opportunities to pitch Fort Worth to relo targets. Agather became chair of Chase predecessor Texas Commerce Bank in Fort Worth in 1992. She chairs Performing Arts Fort Worth, which owns Bass Hall downtown, and is a board member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and Fort Worth Stock Show. She’s married to Neils Agather, executive director of Fort Worth’s Burnett Foundation. Agather holds a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from the University of Oklahoma and MBA from the University of Texas.

Henry Borbolla III Vice president, commercial banking

Ciera Bank

Henry Borbolla III, vice president of commercial banking with Ciera Bank in Fort Worth, was elected vice chair of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport board in February. Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price appointed Borbolla to the board in October 2015. Borbolla has worked 30 years in the financial industry and includes a stint as a CFO in the manufacturing sector. Borbolla’s civic appointments include appointments to the Trinity River Authority board by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Fort Worth Charter Review Task Force by Price, and the Downtown Fort Worth Design Review Board. Borbolla received a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from TCU.

Lori Baldock

Fort Worth market president Simmons Bank

Lori Baldock was promoted to Simmons’ Fort Worth market presidency in September 2019, from Midtown Banking Center president. She is past chair of Near Southside, Inc. and serves on its board; member of Women Steering Business in Fort Worth; and graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, Intermediate Banking School at SMU, and Leadership Arlington, where she served five terms on its board.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “I have missed the many outdoor gatherings that are a staple in Fort Worth. These rescheduled events will be a great coming out for the entire city post-COVID-19.”

Daniel Berce President and CEO GM Financial

Daniel Berce has been president and CEO of the Fort Worth-based GM Financial since October 2010 when General Motors purchased AmeriCredit and renamed it GM Financial. Berce held various executive posts at AmeriCredit starting in 1990, including CEO from August 2005 to September 2010. Before AmeriCredit, Berce was an auditor with Coopers & Lybrand for 14 years and a partner with the firm. He is a CPA and a graduate of Regis University in Denver. GM Financial is the wholly owned captive finance subsidiary of GM and has operations in North America, South America and Asia.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I hope that COVID-19 doesn’t change who we are collectively. We have always been unified by a caring culture. The pandemic highlights many of our strengths — a vast and dedicated medical community, a giving spirit (the Southside CARES Fund) and a drive to do the right thing.”

Eddie Broussard Region president, Fort Worth

Texas Capital Bank

Eddie Broussard was named Fort Worth region president of Texas Capital Bank in 2019, six years after returning to Texas from North Carolina to join Texas Capital as senior vice president and commercial banking executive. Broussard is chairman of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce director, and a director of Union Gospel Mission. Broussard holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Texas Tech University.

Steven Colwick

Fort Worth market president Comerica Bank

Steven Colwick was named Fort Worth market president of Comerica Bank in May 2019, and he also serves as middle market and business banking group manager. Colwick began his career at Comerica two decades ago as a credit analyst and has spent most of his career in the middle market sector. Colwick serves on the board of the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth, and he also volunteers with Junior Achievement of Chisholm Trail, March of Dimes, and the United Way of Tarrant County. Colwick earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas State University and MBA from Texas Tech University. He also completed the SMU Graduate School of Banking program in 2007.

Banking and Finance / Banking and Credit Services

Mark Drennan

Region president Southside Bank

Mark Drennan was promoted to North Texas region president of Southside Bank in September 2017, moving up from executive vice president, commercial lending. Drennan’s banking background of nearly 20 years includes commercial banking, managing a commercial real estate group, and starting and managing a health care and seniors housing banking team. He is a former board chair for Leadership Fort Worth and graduate of the program. He served on the Vision Fort Worth Advisory Council, Texas Health Resources Research and Education Council, and board of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth. Drennan, a Fort Worth-area native, holds a bachelor’s in business administration and MBA, both from Texas Tech University. He graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jason Harvison CEO Elevate Credit

Jason Harvison was promoted to CEO of the Fort Worth-based Elevate Credit (NYSE:ELVT) in 2019, moving up from chief operating officer, a post he’d held for five years. Elevate sells credit products for nonprime customers and touts itself as remaking subprime lending with transparency. Net income for 2019 grew to $32.2 million, compared to $12.5 million the prior year. Revenue dropped 5% to $747 million, but gross profit was up on improved credit quality and lower customer acquisition costs. COVID-19 has hurt the company, which maintains it has strong liquidity. It’s allowing customers flexibility in their payments. The company in late June also announced it was shutting down a U.K. subsidiary that had been troubled by a lack of “regularity clarity”; COVID exacerbated the problem. Harvison joined Elevate in 2003. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in finance. In his free time, Harvison is an avid fly fisherman.

Jim DuBose Chairman Colonial Savings

Jim DuBose was appointed chairman of Colonial Savings in 2006, succeeding his father and Colonial founder, James S. “Jimmy” DuBose, who died 11 years later in 2017. DuBose has served on the Residential Board of Governors of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and is a former director of the Federal Home Loan Bank in Dallas. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. Founded in 1952, Colonial is headquartered in Fort Worth and is one of largest servicers of mortgage loans in the U.S., with a servicing portfolio of $26 billion. It is the parent of Colonial National Mortgage, CU Members Mortgage and Colonial Savings. It is affiliated with Colonial Life Insurance Company of Texas, DuBose & Associates Insurance and Colonial Lloyds. The private company originates about $2 billion in loans annually.

Erika Hersh

Regional lending manager, Dallas-Fort Worth PeopleFund

Erika Hersh joined PeopleFund, a specialist in microloans and other SBA products, in 2012 and currently serves as the regional lending manager for Dallas-Fort Worth. She is lauded in the small business finance community as serving an important niche in the local capital landscape. Hersh’s diverse background includes experience in lending, grant writing, community outreach, business assistance and education. She serves on the American Heart Association Circle of Red committee and is an officer in the Burleson Chamber Power of Heels committee. She also is head judge for the City of Fort Worth’s annual Business Plan Competition.

Brian Happel

Fort Worth market CEO BBVA USA

Brian Happel is responsible for development of commercial customers with revenues from $1 million to $1.5 billion. Happel earned his bachelor’s in management from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is a member of the Downtown Fort Worth Inc. board and several others. Happel played football for four NFL and three USFL teams from 1983 through 1987. Interests: golf, traveling, wine, and TCU football.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Just missing the spirit of our city.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “It was just a few years after starting my banking career when an upper management colleague named James Kimble agreed to mentor me.”

READING NOW “Everything I can about rebounding economies, along with re-reading the book Go-Giver, which emphasizes a pay-itforward approach.”

Grant James EVP, market president CapTex Bank

Grant James is CapTex Bank’s new market president for Tarrant County. His banking resume includes several stops, most recently at Origin Bank in Fort Worth. James holds a bachelor’s in marketing from TCU, and he also completed the TCU Ranch Management program. James has served on several boards, including the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, and CASA.

FIRST BIG BREAK “My big career break came in 1997 when I was offered the opportunity to have ownership and help run a small community bank based in Abilene. I had just turned 40 and left the security of a big bank to enter the unpredictable world of community banking.”

READING NOW “I am reading Ben Hogan: The Myths Everyone Knows, the Man No One Knew, by Tim Scott; The Triumphs of Joseph, by Robert L. Woodson, Sr.; and A Republic, If You Can Keep It, by Neil Gorsuch.”

Editor’s Pick Best Breafast/Brunch

Editor’s Pick Best Frozen Treat

Editor’s Pick Best Vegan/Vegetarian

Reader’s Pick Best New Restaurant

Reader’s Pick Best Seafood

Banking and Finance / Banking and Credit Services

Babby

Newland

Region bank president Wells Fargo

Babby Newland is Wells Fargo’s new region bank president. Newland, who graduated from Southwest High School in Fort Worth and started with Wells Fargo as a teenager, has nearly 40 years in banking. She has been branch manager, lender, sales and service coach, retail sales leader, and district manager. Newland has served on numerous boards, including the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and serves as a mentor to other women. In her spare time, she’s an avid runner.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I started with Wells Fargo when I was 17 years old and recently celebrated 39 years with the bank. I consider my first role, which was printing checks, to be my big break, because it is what started it all.”

READING NOW The Armor of God, by Priscilla Shirer. “I am very strong in my faith and enjoy reading a lot of Christian Bible study and religious books.”

Mark Nurdin President and CEO, Fort Worth Region Bank of Texas

Mark Nurdin wears multiple hats for Bank of Texas. He’s been executive vice president of BOK Financial since September 2019, responsible for managing two commercial banking teams. He’s also been president and CEO of the Fort Worth region since November 2009. Nurdin previously worked for Wells Fargo as senior vice president and regional manager for several years and for Banc One Leasing Corp. He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Texas Tech University. Nurdin is a member of the Visit Fort Worth board.

Lonnie Nicholson CEO EECU

Lonnie Nicholson became president and CEO of EECU in April 2006, previously serving as chief operating officer and credit union service organization president. Nicholson is a 34-year credit union veteran, working in various roles. He serves on the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce board and is immediate past president. He attended Fort Hays State University and has an MBA from Nova South Eastern University.

Martin Noto Jr.

Executive vice president, chief administrative offiicer

Inwood National Bank

Martin Noto took over as executive vice president of Inwood National Bank in April 2019, moving from First Financial Bank. Noto chairs the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce board and serves on the United Way of Tarrant County and Downtown Fort Worth Inc. boards. Noto holds a bachelor’s in marketing and an MBA in finance, both from the University of North Texas.

READING NOW Excellence Wins, by Horace Schulze, co-founder of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. “It is a great book about the difference that true excellence in customer service can make.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “Technology will change how we work. Companies will determine they do not need all of their employees in the office. So why should the company pay for the office space? I hope people care more for each other because of the realization that our lives can be quickly changed forever by a pandemic.”

Wayne Parkman Area president, Dallas and Fort Worth Prosperity Bank

Wayne Parkman has been area president in Dallas and Fort Worth for Prosperity Bank since 2009. The bank — one of the state’s largest — in late 2019 completed its merger with LegacyTexas Financial Group, giving it significantly greater share of the DFW market, with Legacy’s 42 banking centers in the region. The combined bank at the time of the merger had a combined $10.5 billion in assets, $9.1 billion in total loans and $6.5 billion in deposits. Parkman previously worked for Colonial Bank. He has a bachelor’s in agricultural business from Texas Tech University and graduated from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at SMU.

Mike Pavell Fort Worth market president Bank of America

Mike Pavell is market president for Bank of America in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. He’s also a private client advisor for the Bank of America Private Bank in Fort Worth. Pavell joined Bank of America in 1993. He’s involved in a number of community organizations, serving on the boards of Trinity Valley School, Downtown Fort Worth Inc., Davey O’Brien Foundation, and TCU Frog Club, and on the International Board of Visitors of the TCU Neeley School of Business. He is an elder and former trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth.

Banking and Finance / Banking and Credit Services

Charlie Powell President Ciera Bank

Charlie Powell has been Ciera Bank president and CEO since March 2015, responsible for its $775 million in assets and eight locations. Powell, who has a bachelor’s from the University of Texas, has more than 30 years in financial services. In the community, he has served in numerous community leadership posts, including John Peter Smith Health Network, Near Southside Inc., Fort Worth Sister Cities International, and United Way of Tarrant County.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Moved to Fort Worth in 1979 to begin my banking career at an institution chaired by the late Dee J. Kelly. He became a great friend and mentor, and I still recall his words of wisdom.”

CAUSES “Served the past three years as the chair of the JPS Hospital, and after 10 years on the board, I continue to realize the significant impact all health care organizations provide in making a quality life for our citizens.”

Mark W. Warren

Fort Worth region chairman

PlainsCapital Bank

Mark Warren has more than 35 years in banking. As Fort Worth region chairman, he oversees bank management, business development, and recruitment for Fort Worth, including day-to-day operations at branches in Fort Worth, Weatherford, Arlington, Colleyville, and Mansfield. Warren previously served as president of PlainsCapital Bank in Arlington and as senior vice president and senior commercial relationship manager at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas at Arlington. Warren is vice president of the River Legacy Foundation board in Arlington and an executive committee and finance committee member.

Terry Smith President, North Texas Division Simmons Bank

Terry Smith has more than 35 years of corporate and community banking in the DFW area. Smith played a key role in merging Simmons Bank with Southwest Bank after 2018, where Smith was chief lending officer. Smith, educated at Texas A&M University and University of Texas, is a board member for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Fort Worth Inc. and supporter of Catholic Charities with his wife.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I really believe that it was living through the Texas banking crisis early in my career in the late 1980s. I learned a lot about leadership, crisis management and doing whatever it takes to help your customers.”

READING NOW “Reading Hue 1968 about the turning point of the Vietnam War. Tough read, but stark reminder of what happens when foreign policy and domestic politics run afoul, and the public loses trust in its government.”

Rick Wessel CEO First Cash

Rick Wessel has served as CEO of the Fort Worth-based First Cash since November 2006 and vice chairman since September 2016. First Cash has more than 2,700 retail pawn locations and 20,000 employees in 24 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Colombia. First Cash focuses on serving cash- and credit-constrained consumers through its retail pawn locations, which buy and sell jewelry, electronics, tools, appliances, sporting goods, musical instruments and other merchandise and make small consumer pawn loans secured by pledged personal property. Wessel joined the company in 1992 as chief financial officer. Prior to then, he worked for Price Waterhouse LLP for nine years.

James Stokes Jr.

Executive director

Alliance Lending Corp.

James Stokes Jr. is executive director of Alliance Lending Corp., an SBA lender in Fort Worth. Stokes is the charter and past president of the North Texas Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders and serves as a board member. He also serves as secretary of the National Association of Development Companies, which like the Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders promotes the interests of borrowers and lenders in Washington. Alliance Lending was chartered in 1976 as the Fort Worth Economic Development Corp.; it changed its name to Alliance Lending in 2005.

Hadley Woerner

Region president-Tarrant County Frost Bank

Hadley Woerner has more than 36 years in banking, joining Frost in 2002 and being promoted to his current post in 2012. Woerner holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Howard Payne University. He is 2019 campaign co-chair for the United Way of Tarrant County, past board chair and current board member of Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail, treasurer of the Tarleton State University Foundation, and director of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “I miss the people. It's the people who make this city great.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Near the end of the 1980s financial turmoil, I was a young banker. The bank I was with failed, and the institution who acquired us gave me an opportunity to keep my job with one condition: to relocate to the small southwest Texas town of Uvalde and become their community market president. I took it.”

Banking and Finance / Angel Investors

Bill Buechele Managing director, business development Capital CFO Partners

Bill Buechele is chairman of Fort Worth’s Cowtown Angels investment group, run by the TechFW incubator. He is a longtime business advisor and investor with diverse experience, including private equity, technology, health care, manufacturing and energy exposure. Buechele was formerly a leader of Deloitte’s Growth Enterprise Services practice in North Texas. He has a bachelor’s and MBA, both from Indiana University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Supportive parents that encouraged me to explore different interests.”

CAUSES “The Alzheimer’s Association North Central Texas chapter for its leadership in helping the victims and their caregivers, the United Way as an efficient way to support various causes, and TechFW for its support of early-stage businesses.”

READING NOW Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Explain the World

Tyler Head President Corbett Capital

Tyler Head is president and founder of Corbett Capital LLC, a closely held investment company focusing on growth capital investments in early-stage and lower middle market companies. Prior to founding Corbett Capital LLC in 2011, Head served as an officer and F/A-18 pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1998 through 2009, attaining rank of major. Head is a founding member of Cowtown Angels and serves on the group’s steering council. Head also serves on the board of Elevate Credit in Fort Worth, a publicly traded techenabled provider of innovative and responsible online credit solutions for nonprime consumers. Head serves on the board of directors of Little Passports, a monthly subscription company for children. Head has a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Spanish from the U.S. Naval Academy and an MBA from Dartmouth College.

Carolyn Cason Investor

Carolyn Cason, retired professor and associate dean for research in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at the University of Texas at Arlington, serves on the steering council of the Cowtown Angels investing group in Fort Worth. In 1997, she joined the College of Nursing, where she led in creating the research infrastructure needed to support the PhD program, and was instrumental in defining and implementing the program focus on health care for diverse and vulnerable populations. She developed the model for the SMART Hospital, a virtual hospital in which high-fidelity interactive mannequins serve as patients. And as co-founder, she acquired private and governmental funding for it. Cason holds bachelor’s and master’s and a PhD in educational psychology.

Bob Ferguson Investor

Bob Ferguson, a Fort Worth entrepreneur and investor, also is an angel investor and member of the Cowtown Angels Steering Council. Last year, the UNT Health Science Center gave Ferguson its Vision Award, the university’s highest recognition, for his work to raise the Health Science Center’s reputation. Ferguson has been a UNTHSC Foundation member since 2009 and has been a generous donor to the health science center. He served as foundation chairman from 2014 to 2016.

Isaac Lee Software engineer

Isaac Lee, a software engineer, is a member of the Cowtown Angel Steering Council in Fort Worth. Lee is former chair of the Angels and has helped lead much of the due diligence on companies that are under consideration by the group. Lee got his start working for Lumension Technology’s Dallas office and then moved on to Accenture. He has a Bachelor of Science in software engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Stella Robertson Founder Bios Partners

Stella Robertson is founder in Bios Partners, a Fort Worth private equity firm. She’s a member of the Cowtown Angels investing group in Fort Worth and serves on its Steering Council. Robertson is known in the Fort Worth tech startup and angel community for her guidance on prospective health care investments. Robertson has over 25 years in pharmaceutical research and development, including R&D strategies, project management, clinical trials, regulatory filings for U.S. and international registrations, product launch, market support, translational medicine and medical communication. Robertson was a vice president in research and development at Alcon Laboratories. She received a PhD in biologyimmunology from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a number of patents and is the author or co-author of over 50 publications.

Left to right: Laura Mattix, Banking Officer, James Parker, Denton Market President, Martin Noto, Chief Lending Officer, Lori Martin, Vice President, Jerry Thompson, Vice President, Natalie Noto, Personal Banker, Ashley Smith, Vice President

Banking and Finance / Private Equity and Hedge Funds

Lee Bass CEO Lee M. Bass Inc.

Lee M. Bass’ net worth is estimated most recently in early July at $1.5 billion by Forbes. In November, the Bass family clarified a new ownership structure of their Sundance Square and City Center properties in downtown Fort Worth. Brother Ed Bass and wife Sasha said their Fine Line Group family office had acquired 100% interest in Sundance Square and jointly own the City Center towers with Lee Bass and brother Sid Bass. In 2017, the Bass brothers, including Robert Bass, sold oil properties to ExxonMobil for up to $6.6 billion. Lee Bass and his wife, Ramona, are major benefactors to the Fort Worth Zoo. Lee Bass holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. Bass is a director of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Sid Richardson Foundation.

David Bonderman Chairman, founding partner TPG Group

David Bonderman cofounded TPG in 1992 with partner James Coulter, who were both managing investments for Robert Bass. Today, TPG has more than $119 billion of assets under management. Forbes estimates Bonderman’s net worth at $4 billion. The firm’s corporate offices are in Fort Worth and San Francisco. In 2016, TPG founded The Rise Fund, committed to achieving measurable, positive social, and environmental outcomes. Today, it has more than $5 billion in assets under management. Bonderman has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington and a law degree from Harvard University.

Robert Bass CEO Keystone Group LP

Investor Robert M. Bass’ net worth is pegged at $4.8 billion, according to Forbes. Bass is continuing to pursue development of a supersonic business jet through his startup Aerion Supersonic, of Reno, Nevada. Bass’ American Aero FTW fixed-base operation at Fort Worth’s Meacham International Airport in April was ranked No. 1 FBO in the world by Aviation International News. Bass has a bachelor’s from Yale University and an MBA from Stanford University. Bass is former chair of the Cook Children’s Medical Center board and a director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Downtown Fort Worth Inc., and Van Cliburn Foundation. Bass and wife Anne T. Bass have been donors to Stanford, Yale, and Duke University, where one of their children attended. Bass is brother to Sid, Ed and Lee Bass.

Sid Bass Investor

Sid Bass’ net worth is estimated at $2.4 billion by Forbes. In November, Bass was part of a transition in ownership of his family’s downtown Fort Worth properties, announced by his brother Ed Bass and Ed Bass’ wife, Sasha. The announcement said Ed and Sasha Bass’ Fine Line Group family office had assumed 100% interest in Sundance Square, and that the family’s City Center towers were owned by Sid, Ed and Sasha Bass, and brother Lee Bass. The four Bass brothers were bequeathed $2.8 million each in 1959 by their uncle, oil wildcatter Sid Richardson. In 2017, the Basses sold oil properties in West Texas to ExxonMobil for up to $6.6 billion. Bass has a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and MBA from Stanford University.

Douglas Bratton Founding partner and chief investment officer Crestline Investors

Douglas Bratton founded Crestline Investors in 1997 in Fort Worth as an alternative investment management firm. The company maintains affiliate offices in New York, London, Toronto, and Tokyo. Bratton has been an investment professional with organizations using hedging strategies since 1983. Since 1989, he’s managed portfolios using these strategies on behalf of organizations associated with the Bass family. Bratton received a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina State University in 1981 and an MBA from Duke University in 1984. He is a member of the Fort Worth Zoo board.

James Coulter Co-CEO TPG Group

James Coulter and David Bonderman co-founded TPG Group, with headquarters in Fort Worth and San Francisco, in 1992, leaving posts running investments for Robert Bass to start their own firm. Forbes puts Coulter’s net worth at $2.3 billion. Coulter holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University.

Randy Eisenman CEO Satori Capital

Randy Eisenman cofounded Satori Capital in 2008 and likes to say he operates at the intersection of three passions: investing, entrepreneurship and sustainability. Eisenman and co-founder Sunny Vanderbeck built Satori, a multi-strategy investment firm, on the principles of conscious capitalism. Eisenman previously spent 10 years at Q Investments, a multibillion-dollar private investment firm. Eisenman launched the firm’s private equity business and was a partner for seven years. He was the youngest to be named partner in the history of the firm at age 25. While at Q, Eisenman founded Handango to capitalize on the emerging mobile applications market. Eisenman is vice president of the Fort Worth Country Day School board and a former board member of the Cook Children’s Health Foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Craig Kelly Principal Kelly Capital Partners

Craig Kelly is a graduate of the University of Texas and was one of the founding partners of Vintage Capital Partners Fund I in 2005. Kelly later raised two additional funds, Kelly Capital Fund I in 2010 and Kelly Capital Fund II in 2014. Kelly has raised over $350 million in private equity and has over 30 years of experience in commercial real estate. His expertise is in acquisition, development, brokerage and asset management. From 1992 to 2006, Kelly was a partner in Kelly, Geren & Searcy, a fullservice real estate company that sold in 2006 to Coldwell Banker Commercial. He served on the City of Fort Worth Planning Commission and Van Cliburn Foundation board. Kelly graduated from the University of Texas.

Ardon Moore President and CEO

Lee M. Bass Inc.

Along with serving as CEO of Lee M. Bass Inc., Lee Bass’ investment vehicle, Ardon Moore is active in the Fort Worth community. He’s president of the Fort Worth Zoological Association, an organization long led by Bass’ wife, Ramona Bass. He’s a former trustee of Cook Children’s Medical Center and All Saints Episcopal School boards. He’s also former vice chairman of the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Co., which invests the UT system’s investment assets.

Geoffrey Raynor Founding partner Q Investments

Geoffrey Raynor founded the private Q Investments in 1994 as a private investment firm specializing in hedge strategies. As of December 2019, Q manages approximately $645 million in drawn and undrawn capital and has a threeyear lock with investors, which allows longterm investments in aviation, private equity, distressed/special situations, and activist spaces. The internal partners at Q represent the largest part of the capital with about $465 million invested. Raynor is a former Bass family adviser.

Sunny Vanderbeck

Managing partner Satori Capital

Sunny Vanderbeck co-founded Satori Capital with Randy Eisenman in 2008, on the principles of conscious capitalism, which asserts all stakeholders do well when everyone’s interests are addressed. Satori looks for the same traits in the companies it chooses to invest in. Satori is a multi-strategy investment firm. Vanderbeck previously co-founded and served as CEO of Data Return, a leading provider of managed services and utility computing. The company reached a $3 billion market capitalization, making Vanderbeck one of the youngest CEOs to lead a Nasdaq company. His experiences with building, selling, buying back, and reselling Data Return, along with his subsequent involvement with dozens of private businesses at Satori, led Vanderbeck to publish his book, Selling Without Selling Out: How to Sell Your Business Without Selling Your Soul.

Clark Wen Director Crestline Investors

Clark Wen joined Crestline Investors, the Fort Worth alternative investment firm, in 2016 as vice president in the opportunistic strategies group. Familiar in Fort Worth’s startup capital circles, Wen previously was an associate director in the private equity group of Black Diamond Capital Management, focusing on special situation investments across industries such as chemicals, television network, telecommunications, and forest products. Wen also was formerly a manager in the Transaction Advisory Services unit of Ernst & Young, where he provided merger and acquisition evaluation and due diligence for several Fortune 500 companies in media and entertainment. Wen received a Bachelor of Science in business management from New York University. He is a CPA.

Banking and Finance / Venture Capital, Public Finance and Insurance

Laura Bonnell Alexander Regional managing director, Fort Worth Hilltop Securities

Laura Bonnell Alexander is a managing director at Hilltop Securities, specializing in public finance. She serves as municipal advisor to various cities, counties, school districts, universities and other nonprofits. An alumna and former math teacher at Fort Worth Country Day School, she is immediate past president of the board. She earned an MBA and a master’s in education from Stanford University and a BA in mathematics from the University of Richmond.

Gus S. Bates CEO Gus Bates Insurance and Investments

Nearly 30 years after he joined the family business founded in 1966 by his father, Gus S. Bates is happy he gave up a job working at Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant that yielded $40,000 a year in tips. Gus Bates Insurance has evolved from life insurance to a firm handling multiple lines of insurance, employee benefits and financial services. The Fort Worth company has about 60 employees. It’s known in the community for generous support of various charitable causes and following the interests of its employees in choosing what to support. The company in early July announced it was joining with Hub International.

Mark Jones CEO Goosehead Insurance

Mark E. Jones and his wife, Robyn, co-founded Goosehead Insurance in 2003 in Westlake with an independent multi-carrier franchise model. The company today represents more than 80 carriers and has more than 900 U.S. franchise partners. The company, which went public on the NASDAQ in 2018, was worth nearly $3 billion in early July. Jones, former senior partner at Bain & Co., earned a bachelor’s from the University of Alberta and MBA from Harvard University.

FIRST

BIG BREAK “Being accepted to Harvard Business School. I opened the letter from the Admissions Office on Dec. 31, 1988, and that completely changed the vector of my life.” CAUSES Foster Kids Charity. “They help kids in transition from one foster home to another.” Bochy's Place. Assist women who have escaped human trafficking.

Les Kreis Managing partner Bios Partners

Les Kreis has 25 years of investment background across the global public and private equity markets. He is managing principal at Steelhead Capital Management, a family office in Fort Worth that manages a portfolio of small business investments and startup ventures. Kreis is a founding member of the Cowtown Angels angel investing group. He was formerly a vice president at HBK Investments, a multi-strategy global hedge fund based in Dallas. During his 11 years with that firm, he managed a $3 billion global portfolio of stocks, bonds and derivatives. He was one of two professionals responsible for launching HBK’s London office, and he traded in financial markets including Japan, India, Europe, United Kingdom, Canada and the U.S. Kreis received a BBA in finance from TCU in 1994.

John Pergande CEO InsureZone

John Pergande founded the venture capital-backed InsureZone in Fort Worth with the goal of creating a real-time, multi-carrier, insurance quoting tool that provided the ability to purchase a policy via the internet. The tool, a propriety technology platform, allows the user to enter one application and receive multiple bindable quotes from national carriers in a few minutes. The company soon adjusted its strategic plan to focus on providing service to insurance agents, rather than selling directly to the consumer. In early 2013, InsureZone surpassed 35,000 agencies using the platform. Pergande holds an undergraduate degree from Yale University and an MBA from Northwestern University.

Rusty Reid CEO Higginbotham

Rusty Reid was named CEO of the Fort Worthbased Higginbotham in 1989 at 27. He implemented the firm’s single-source service model for insurance, employee benefits, and financial services and established its employee ownership structure. Higginbotham is the nation’s 27th largest independent insurance brokerage firm and Texas’ largest, with more than 1,000 employees. Reid holds a bachelor’s in business from the University of North Texas. A member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, he chairs All Saints’ Episcopal School. He’s served the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, Cook Children’s Health Foundation, North Texas Community Foundation, and Davey O’Brien Foundation.

FIRST BIG BREAK “My career began when I had the opportunity to join an insurance firm while in college.”

Luther King CapitaL ManageMent

Mark L. Johnson, Jr., CFA, CIC Principal, Vice President, Portfolio Manager

J. Luther King, Jr., CFA, CIC Principal, President, Portfolio Manager

J. Bryan King, CFA Principal, Vice President Managing Partner - Headwater Investments

Banking and Finance / Wealth Managers

Jeffrey Conner

Managing director, senior wealth strategist Northern Trust

Jeff Conner is a senior wealth strategist for Northern Trust, serving Fort Worth and West Texas, and responsible for helping clients preserve and grow their wealth through asset management, estate planning, trust administration, and private banking. Conner joined Northern Trust in November 2012, and he previously spent 19 years working for the J.P. Morgan Chase private bank. Conner earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Texas Tech University. Conner serves on the boards of the Cook Children’s Health Care System and Medical Center and Fort Worth Stock Show. He also is a member of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate. Interests: ranching, music and history.

David Diesslin Chairman and founder Diesslin Group

David Diesslin founded his firm in 1980 to provide fee-only financial planning and wealth management. Diesslin has been endorsed by Consumers’ Research Council of America as one of “America’s Top Financial Planners.” He chairs The Deena Jo Heide-Diesslin Foundation, named for his late wife. Diesslin has an MBA from The University of Dallas and bachelor’s in business from Indiana University.

CAUSES “Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center: for the life-saving work they do. Girls Inc. of Tarrant County: They're actively involved in changing girls’ lives. The Ladder Alliance: They empower women to change the trajectory of their lives. The Cliburn. HOPE Farm.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “This unique time is allowing us to look around and identify areas that may have been neglected. This allows us to address these issues: housing, education, communications; quality of life for all.”

J. Bryan King Principal, vice president Luther King Capital Management

J. Bryan King has been an investment manager responsible for micro and small-capitalization public and private investments since 1993 at Luther King Capital Management, which has more than $15 billion in assets under management. He established and leads several alternative investment partnerships, such as LKCM Capital Group, LKCM Private Discipline Management, L.P., and LKCM Headwater Investments that have $2 billion of long capital invested in public and private companies. King graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Princeton University, a ranch management degree from TCU, and an MBA from Harvard University. Interests: rural recreation, TCU sports, collecting American art and antiques, and reading. He is a member of the Fort Worth Zoo, TCU and Fort Worth Country Day School boards.

Jeff King Fort Worth Region president Northern

Trust

Jeff King opened the Fort Worth office of Northern Trust in March 2013, establishing the firm's first direct presence covering West Texas and New Mexico. Prior to joining Northern Trust, King was managing director of the J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Fort Worth, where he was market manager for over 25 years. He also ran the firm's local commercial real estate group as well as oil and gas services. King holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and real estate from TCU. He is chairman of the Van Cliburn Foundation, and he serves on the boards of the Fort Worth Zoological Association and Tarrant Transit Alliance. He is past chair of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Visit Fort Worth, Fort Worth Sister Cities International, and University Christian Church, and served as vice chairman of Cook Children's Medical Foundation and the Fort Worth Zoning Commission.

Mark L. Johnson Principal, vice president Luther King Capital Management

Mark L. Johnson is principal at Luther King Capital Management. Son of the late Ruth Carter Stevenson, who founded the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Johnson has 36 years in investments. He chairs the TCU board, is president of the Amon Carter Foundation, and serves on the Carter board, where sister Karen Johnson Hixon is president. Johnson has a bachelor’s in economics from Duke University.

CAUSES “I think that in order to maintain a strong, vibrant, and significant community like Fort Worth, one must support all aspects including the general economy, organizations that deliver health care, education, and social services, and the arts.”

READING NOW “I am beginning Surprised by Joy, written by C.S. Lewis about his conversion to Christianity. Also, for fun, I am reading David Baldacci's Walk the Wire.”

Luther King CEO

Luther King Capital Management

Luther King founded Luther King Capital Management in 1979. With headquarters in Fort Worth, the firm provides investment advisory services to high net worth individuals, foundations, endowments, investment companies, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts and estates. It had $15.3 billion in assets under management as of March. The firm has 84 employees. King earned both his Bachelor of Science in 1962 and his MBA in 1966 from TCU. His career began in 1963 as a credit analyst at First National Bank of Fort Worth. He was honorably discharged in 1968 from the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He moved to Shareholders Management Co. as a senior investment officer. In 1973, he joined the Lionel D. Edie & Co. New York investment firm as Dallas office manager. King is a member of the TCU Neeley School of Business and Amon Carter Museum boards.

Banking and Finance / Wealth Managers

David Nolet

Fort Worth market manager

J.P. Morgan Chase

David Nolet is market manager for J.P. Morgan Private Bank’s Fort Worth Region, managing a team of specialists in working with clients and prospects to grow and manage their wealth. Nolet represents the Private Bank on the Dallas-Fort Worth market leadership team. He was previously regional banking practice lead for the Private Bank’s South and Southeast Regions, managing a $220 million revenue business across 15 offices. Nolet is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he received a bachelor’s in accounting and master’s in finance. He is a CPA. Nolet is vice chairman of the foundation board for the University of North Texas Health Science Center, vice chairman of the Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation, and treasurer of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. He also serves on the board of Trinity Valley School.

Bob Semple Chairman, Tarrant County and market executive Bank of Texas Private Wealth

Bob Semple has a long history in banking, serving in various leadership posts at Bank One from 1977 through 1998. He also spent five years with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Semple is a director for Downtown Fort Worth Inc. He has served as an advisory board member of the TCU Neeley School of Business and as a director of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Foundation. Semple is a TCU graduate.

Scott Orr

Vice president, government affairs

Fidelity Investments

Scott Orr, Fidelity’s VP of government relations, works on its Texas executive team and handles regional governmental relationships. He oversees community relations, including volunteerism for 5,700 Texas employees and working with nonprofits. He’s on the North Texas Commission executive committee and The Cliburn and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce boards. He earned a BBA in accounting from Abilene Christian University and MBA from Harvard University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “My first big break was being accepted into Harvard Business School and finding out I could come from a small town and still achieve success among immensely talented peers.”

CAUSES “I’m a huge fan of The Cliburn. I played piano competitively from age 6 all the way through my senior year of high school. I’ve always loved the excitement of the Cliburn.”

Mark Steffe

CEO

First Command Financial Services

Mark Steffe is new CEO of First Command Financial Services, a financial services firm to military personnel and their families. Steffe joined First Command in March 2010. Before joining First Command, Steffe worked for TIAA and UBS Financial Services. Steffe earned a bachelor's in finance from the University of Illinois.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Landing my first ‘real’ job in financial services after college with Kemper Securities in Chicago.”

CAUSES “With five kids, the primary causes my wife and I support are whatever they are involved in.”

READING NOW Trailblazer, by Mark Benioff HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I’m curious to see if people have become accustomed to staying at home. How fast they will ‘return to normal’ once the fear of the virus is behind us.”

Peter Philpott Vice president R.W. Baird

Peter Philpott has been a senior vice president at Baird, a 6,000 employee-owned wealth and asset management firm, since 2010. He is past chairman of the Cook Children’s Health Care System and Foundation boards (2016-18) and was chair in 2018-19 of ACH Child and Family Services in Fort Worth, which is in the second phase of a pilot to assume responsibility for foster care in the region from Child Protective Services. Philpott earned his BBA degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and his MBA from The University of Chicago. Born in Western Australia, he married a Fort Worth resident and moved to Texas in 1985.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Going to graduate school.” CAUSES Cook Children's, ACH Child and Family Services, Union Gospel Mission. “All are trying to bend the curve in making kids’ lives better.”

READING NOW Lady in Waiting, by Anne Tennant

Sue Turnage

Senior vice president, senior trust officer

Happy State Bank

Sue Turnage is Happy State Bank’s new market leader for wealth and trust services in the Fort Worth area. She has more than 35 years of experience in the wealth and trust industry as an advisor and manager. She holds a business degree in banking and finance from the University of North Texas and is a graduate of the National Graduate Trust School. Turnage has been a board member for the Amon Carter Museum of American Art Advisory Council, YWCA, Tarrant Area Food Bank, Kids Who Care, her church and other organizations.

© 2020 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. IHA-25942

Achieving great things in any community takes courage, vision, and tremendous effort. What each of us does can make life better for everyone.

Congratulations Babby Newland for being named to Fort Worth Inc.’s 400 Most Influential People for 2020.

wellsfargo.com

Congratulations Lori Baldock!

Join us in commending our Fort Worth Market President on once again being named to The 400. As one of the most influential people in the Greater Fort Worth area, Lori works hard to provide the leadership and teamwork that helps move our community forward. For more than 100 years, we’ve been committed to serving our customers and helping make their financial dreams come true – and we constantly strive to get even better.

Economic Development

Our economic development influencers include much of the team that helps sell Fort Worth to business relocations and visitors. This group also helps nurture, grow, and retain the businesses and people who already call Fort Worth home.

Economic Development

Hayden Blackburn Executive director TechFW

Hayden Blackburn has been executive director of the nonprofit, 22-year-old TechFW incubator and director of its Cowtown Angels angel investing group since late 2016. Blackburn moved to TechFW from the Idea Works FW collaborative. TechFW’s programs include ThinkLab, Cowtown Angels, EpICMavs at the University of Texas at Arlington, TechNest, and M-Crew, a new mentor match that brings in outside volunteer talent. Blackburn co-founded and was the initial director of IDEA Works, launched in 2014. Blackburn has been a founder or leading contributor to the major annual Fort Worth Business Plan Competition, 1 Million Cups, Startup Weekend, Great Ideas conversations, and the Entrepreneur Summit.

Darlene Boudreaux Coach TechFW

Darlene Boudreaux, a pharma entrepreneur who came out of retirement to run the TechFW incubator for 12 years, continues to coach budding entrepreneurs through TechFW since she handed over the reins to successor Hayden Blackburn. Boudreaux founded the Cowtown Angels angel investing group within TechFW in 2016. Angel investors secured their first exit, with the $465 million sale of Encore Vision — a TechFW client and incubator tenant nurtured by Boudreaux — to Novartis in 2016. Boudreaux co-founded and was CEO of PharmaFab, a Grand Prairie third-party pharma manufacturer, from 1994 to 2006. She grew revenues to $28 million before selling the company.

Mike Brennan CEO Near Southside, Inc.

Mike Brennan has been CEO of the Near Southside, Inc., economic development nonprofit since mid-2018 when he stepped into the job from his post as the organization’s planning director. Brennan is one of Fort Worth’s thought leaders on intelligent urban design as a means of promoting economic development. He received his master’s degree in urban planning from Harvard's Graduate School of Design in 1999. On his plate today: the Near Southside’s Medical Innovation District, branded as the iter8 Health Innovation Community, in which the city’s growing medical industry and local entrepreneurial community are teaming up to explore new opportunities in an environment with attractive places to live, work and play.

Brandom Gengelbach President Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

Brandom Gengelbach this summer is expected to complete a fast ascent to top post at the Chamber, which has teamed with the city and other organizations to throw the selling of Fort Worth into higher gear. Gengelbach, who came to the Chamber in 2016 as EVP of economic development, became president last fall. In August, the Chamber board is expected to promote him to CEO.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY

“I think COVID-19 has really forced businesses to invest resources in technology to ensure all of their employees can work from home, not just select employees. I don’t believe it will take the place of in-person collaboration, teamwork and creativity. I don’t think it’ll take the place of chance encounters and meetings at social functions that result in ideas and relationships.”

Megan Henderson Marketing director Near Southside, Inc.

As Near Southside marketing director, Megan Henderson produces ArtsGoggle, Open Streets, Friday on the Green, PARK(ing) Day, and Art South. COVID-19 stopped this spring's Friday on the Green and cut deeply into creatives. A gregarious connector, Henderson organized the Southside CARES fund for grants.

FIRST BIG BREAK

“Andy Taft hired me as a temp at Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., to answer the phones for MAIN ST. Arts Festival. I went to Dillard’s and bought the most expensive suit I could afford, wore my grandmother's diamond earrings, and a nice pair of power pumps. I dressed for the job I wanted, and I am so fortunate Andy and others at DFWI saw my passion.”

CAUSES “Right now, the cause that most excites me is the effort to build a public space called Fire Station Park that would include a long-awaited skate park. The park is a $1.6 million project, and we've raised half the funds.”

The Visit Fort Worth bureau Bob Jameson has presided over since 2013 gets to take credit for record visitation and hotel bookings. The city enjoyed 9.4 million visitors and $2.6 billion in economic impact in 2018. Visit Fort Worth has launched Fort Worth Sports, Fort Worth Film Commission, and the Hear Fort Worth music association. Earlier this year, it rolled out new “Discover the Modern West” branding.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Spending time downtown, watching people enjoy the Sundance Square Plaza each day.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “My promotion to assistant front office manager at Marriott’s Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Ranch Mirage, California. It was an opportunity to work for the key mentor in my professional life.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I believe that this crisis will serve to galvanize our city in our efforts to grow responsibly and with equity.”

Bob Jameson CEO

Visit Fort Worth

Economic Development

Devoyd Jennings CEO/President Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

Dee Jennings, the longtime CEO of the Fort Worth Black Chamber, grew up in the city’s Butler Place housing project and remembers the community of free movie nights in an area of Butler called “Free Show Hill.” Jennings attended Texas Wesleyan University, where he earned a bachelor’s in business. Jennings helped reach a recent agreement among the Black Chamber, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce to team up together and look for ways to develop the city’s economy equitably, in line with goals set down in economic development plans forged by the Fort Worth Chamber and city and Fort Worth’s Race and Culture Task Force. “Now more than ever, as our city’s demographics are shifting and its population is rapidly growing, this agreement provides a roadmap for us to demonstrate diversity and inclusion in meaningful and measurable ways,” Jennings says.

Stacy Marshall

Executive director

Southeast Fort Worth, Inc.

Stacy Marshall is president of the Southeast Fort Worth Inc., a nonprofit that’s seeking to connect developers to affordable housing opportunities, help small businesses, transform neighborhoods by working with stakeholders, promote financial literacy and pitch economic development opportunities. Marshall was formerly president and CEO of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, and he worked in business development and as a consultant for various nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Marshall grew up in a small Mississippi town. After college, he moved to Dallas.

Anette Landeros President/CEO Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Anette Landeros became the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber’s new CEO in July last year, bringing more than a decade of background in government and nonprofits. At the Chamber, Landeros wants to increase membership, create new ways of measuring outreach and programming, and educate minority and womenowned businesses in how to bid for government and corporate contracts. She recently signed onto a new partnership with the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber to develop ways to grow the economy.

Mary-Margaret Lemons President

Fort Worth Housing Solutions

Mary-Margaret Lemons became president in 2017 after serving as general counsel two years and interim president. Housing Solutions is at the center of creating affordable housing options citywide and “deconcentrating” poverty. Lemons holds a bachelor's from the University of Texas at Arlington and J.D. from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I guess a babysitting job that got me an internship at OmniAmerican Bank, where I ended up being SVP General Counsel, is probably the biggest break.”

CAUSES “The WARM Place is a great resource that helps children who have lost a loved one at no cost to the family. My husband attended as a child, and my sister is now the executive director.”

READING NOW The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein. “Learning how our housing system got to where it is today is helpful as we try to redesign its future.”

Tom Martens Creative director Visit Fort Worth

Tom Martens has been Visit Fort Worth’s creative director since April 2012 and is credited with numerous accomplishments that have helped shape the city, particularly around music. Those include the Y’all Means All campaign and his founding membership in Hear Fort Worth, an initiative of the local music community to connect artists and draw awareness to local music. Martens, through Hear Fort Worth, has sought to incorporate music into events, advertising and brand activations. He’s credited with recruiting the musician T Bone Burnett to appear at Visit Fort Worth’s annual breakfast earlier this year.

Judy McDonald Executive director

Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County

Judy McDonald has been executive director of Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County since 1996, responsible for more than $65 million annually in employment, training, and child care funds that benefit businesses and citizens. She also oversees six full-service workforce centers that provide employer services, labor market information, job search assistance, career counseling, occupational training, child care information and assistance, and other support. During COVID-19, Workforce Solutions, in addition to connecting job seekers to job openings, has been disseminating information on how to file unemployment claims and gain access to public assistance, child care, and adult literacy resources.

Economic Development

Brandy O’Quinn Principal Urban Strategies of Texas

Brandy O’Quinn spent several years as senior manager for public affairs at Blue Zones Project Fort Worth, moving the city toward certification as Blue Zones healthy city. As part of that, spearheaded effort to launch The Dash electric circulator that last year began connecting downtown, West 7th, museums, Dickies Arena. As principal of her Urban Strategies of Texas, works with developers unfamiliar with the city. President, Camp Bowie District, 2000-2009. BA, political science, University of Texas; MS, real estate-sustainability, University of Texas at Arlington.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “MAIN ST. Arts Festival. Eating and drinking on patios. Kent and Co. Hugs and smiles.”

CAUSES “Housing Channel, a 28-year-old organization created by Mayor Bob Bolen. HC builds and rehabs homes for low- to moderate-income families to purchase.”

Robert Sturns Economic development

director

City of Fort Worth

Robert Sturns has more than 25 years in local government, commercial real estate and banking operations. Sturns estimates he's been involved in more than $3 billion in new announced capital investment and 25,000 jobs via partnerships. He served 10 years in the Army Reserves, reaching captain. He has an MBA from TCU.

CAUSES “Cancer Care Services remains close to my heart, because I lost my mother to cancer.” HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The effects will be felt for years. The toll from a public health standpoint is still unknown, and there are areas of the city that were harder hit. We are going to have to figure out how to target our resources. There are areas of the city that were in high-growth stage that will have to regroup. There are other sectors of the city that were primed for investment that may not see those opportunities for a few more years.”

Bob Ray Sanders

Director

of communications

Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce

Bob Ray Sanders is a trailblazer in regional journalism, retired from the Fort Worth StarTelegram after more than 20 years. Sanders is now communications director for the Black Chamber. He is co-chair of the city’s Race and Culture Task Force, formed to examine equity in Fort Worth related to race and culture. Seven subcommittees studied racial equity and bias in criminal justice, economic development, education, health, housing, municipal governance, and transportation and made a series of recommendations to Mayor Betsy Price and City Council members, who approved 22 initiatives. Sanders grew up in Fort Worth. He graduated from I.M. Terrell High School, at that time one of Fort Worth’s four black high schools. Sanders graduated from the University of North Texas and headed into a career in journalism that spanned newspapers, radio and TV.

Andy Taft President Downtown Fort Worth,

Inc.

Andy Taft has been president of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., since 2003. DFWI is Fort Worth’s downtown advocacy organization, and it manages the downtown planning process, two Public Improvement Districts, the downtown Tax Increment Finance District, two city parks, the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival, and Parade of Lights. DFWI recently developed the JFK Tribute in Fort Worth and is working to renovate and reopen Heritage Plaza. Taft is a past chairman of the International Downtown Association and past president of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth. A native of Tampa, Florida, he graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in marketing and began his career in commercial real estate with the Florida Commercial Development Association.

Chris Strayer

Executive vice president, economic development

Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

Chris Strayer started in civil engineering but found his way to economic development. He joined the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce in February 2018 and was promoted to EVP last winter. Strayer led the Chamber in the effort to develop a regional marketing message and worked with the city to develop a new incentive policy.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “My kids’ baseball season.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “When a school superintendent in the community I was working for asked me to look at more industrial and commercial development. That was when I made the transition to economic development. From there, I’ve managed to bring in over $3.5 billion in investments and 50,000 jobs in the projects I’ve managed.”

vice president

Mitch Whitten is EVP at Visit Fort Worth, where he has outreach, brand, and the Destination Master Plan. Awareness of Fort Worth and the visitor economy have grown in five years. Whitten holds a bachelor's from SMU and master's from the University of Virginia.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

“Dining in the new restaurants, seeing old favorites. We take for granted the impact restaurants have; they help revitalize streets and neighborhoods and import tastes and ideas.”

CAUSES “A great philanthropist once said that charity provides critical needs, such as shelter and food, or adds beauty, such as the arts. My wife, Kristin, and I do what we can to support both.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “In the short-term, we need bridges to help small business and creative artists survive. Longterm, we need to be bold in marketing the city and in our vision.”

Mitch Whitten Executive

Visit Fort Worth

Education

Influencers in education are among the most critical in The 400. Community leaders, for one, have coalesced around early childhood learning and third-grade literacy as one of our city’s most important workforce and economic development gaps. And from elementary to secondary education on to colleges and universities, Fort Worth educational organizations are forming partnerships meant to shepherd our kids from cradle to college, career, and community.

Bobby Ahdieh Dean Texas A&M School of Law

Bobby Ahdieh, a Yaleeducated lawyer and Princeton undergrad, arrived in Fort Worth two years ago to take the helm of the rapidly emerging Texas A&M School of Law in downtown Fort Worth. The law school and A&M brand — an arrow in the city’s quiver of higher ed assets — continues to move up in rankings, placing 60th in U.S. News’ 2021 ranking of best law schools.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I met Mikhail Gorbachev and — long story — convinced him to let me come and work for him. Helping write speeches, no less!” CAUSES “Education and the arts, most of all. Everyone in our house is either a teacher or a student. And everyone other than me is a musician — including my eldest son, as principal violinist of the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra.”

READING NOW “Most of my reading these days is about how schools can deliver an excellent education online.”

Elizabeth Brands Head of education giving The Morris Foundation

Elizabeth Brands took over in 2017 as head of education giving at The Morris Foundation, founded in 1986 by Fort Worth philanthropists Linda and Jack Morris. Brands is at the center of an unusual new giving strategy unveiled a year ago by the foundation, under which subject matter experts in education, health care, and social services lead in solving critical challenges. The foundation's education focus is thirdgrade literacy in Fort Worth public schools, where about 30% of third graders are reading on level, a statistic identified by community leaders as a critical workforce issue. In addition to her duties at Morris, Brands last fall was named executive director at Read Fort Worth, a nonprofit formed in 2016 to send volunteer tutors into elementary schools. Brands, a former school teacher, earned a master’s from Notre Dame and doctorate in education from the University of Oklahoma.

Ashley Elgin CEO

Lena Pope

Ashley Elgin is new CEO of Lena Pope, a longrecognized Fort Worth early childhood learning nonprofit. Elgin has been in youth and family advocacy, prevention and early intervention spans for 30 years. Before Lena Pope, she worked for the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, and SafeHaven of Tarrant County.

FIRST BREAK “In the child and family arena, I became interested in working with the homeless population back in the ’80s. I ended up in the New Orleans area. We moved to the DFW area back in 1996. That’s where it all really began.”KLRD interview

CAUSES “One of the things we really evaluate is how best to support children and families and [help kids] become productive citizens. If we can prevent things from being unmanageable, if we’re there at that moment, then can’t we move mountains together?” – KRLD interview

County College

Eugene Giovannini Chancellor Tarrant

Eugene Giovannini is passing four years as chancellor this summer. Giovannini is key in Fort Worth’s push to improve educational access — a major theme. TCC has forged partnerships with local school districts and colleges, including a recent dual admission transfer agreement with Texas Wesleyan University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The spring is a wonderful time for our students to celebrate their accomplishments through special events and commencement — which I like to refer to as our College Super Bowl. I take great pride in the adaptability and resilience of our students to complete their studies online.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The majority of jobs require skills training beyond high school but not a four-year degree. COVID-19 will require our city, county and region to more deliberately match the unemployed with available jobs and training necessary to perform those jobs.”

Tad Bird Head of school

All Saints Episcopal School

Tad Bird has been head of school at All Saints, one of the city’s top private schools, since 1998. Bird, a longtime Episcopal educator as classroom teacher, coach and lead administrator, oversees operations, long-range planning, accreditation, faculty compensation and evaluation, curriculum development, and fundraising. He was previously headmaster of the Trinity School of Texas in Longview, head of upper school and dean of students at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, and associate admissions director for Christchurch School in Virginia. Bird holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from Austin College and a doctorate from the Virginia Theological Seminary. Bird is a current board member for the Episcopal Church Foundation and Hope Farm, and a lector and lay eucharist minister with All Saints' Episcopal School and Church.

Sixteen years into his post as chancellor of TCU, Victor Boschini has the university in the third phase of a plan to strengthen the school’s academic profile, endowment, and student experience, and better the workforce. Enrollment has grown, TCU launched a medical school with the University of North Texas Health Science Center, and a $1 billion campaign is in progress to raise money to fulfill the plan’s goals. Diversity and inclusion, an engaging academic and student life experience, and robust support of students are themes.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “One of my favorite things to do in the olden days was to walk around campus and talk to everyone. Now when I walk around campus, it’s like a ghost town. I find myself talking to the tulips.” – March video address

Victor Boschini Chancellor TCU

Education

James Hurley President Tarleton State University

James Hurley took over the post of Tarleton State president in August last year, after the university opened its new campus in Fort Worth’s Chisholm Trail corridor. One of Hurley’s tasks is to continue to build on the university’s niche in Fort Worth as an affordable choice.

Tarleton State — part of the Texas A&M system — has more than 13,000 students at its various campuses, and the university plans to have 9,000 students at the Chisholm Trail campus by 2030.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The incredible networking opportunities, some of our favorite restaurants and taking the kids to the zoo and the Water Gardens.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “My first big break came when the former governor of Kentucky chose me to be part of his executive cabinet, which allowed me to learn more about higher education.”

READING NOW Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

Eric Lombardi Head of school Fort Worth Country Day School

Eric Lombardi is sixth head of school at Country Day, one of Fort Worth’s most prestigious private schools, taking the job in 2015. The search committee cited Lombardi’s academic pedigree, extensive experience in independent education, and exceptional people skills in hiring him. Lombardi was division head of the middle school for St. John’s School in Houston for 16 years. He also held upper school leadership positions at schools in Oklahoma City and Oakland, California. During COVID-19 this spring, Lombardi posted video messages from the school featuring his dog Falcon and touring the empty school, inviting students to guess his location on the campus.

Molly Hyry Volunteer Fort Worth Independent School District

Molly Hyry taught English and English as a second language but has spent much of her career under the radar in influential volunteer leadership positions. She was appointed to the Fort Worth ISD’s Capital Improvement Program Citizens’ Oversight Committee, formed by the board to maintain accountability in the district's capital program.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

“Watching students perform in their spring concerts and plays. So many rites of passage have been postponed or canceled. These milestones are important.”

CAUSES “Fort Worth SPARC helps provide quality out-of-school time for all youth by supporting providers and the children they serve. Educational First Steps works with child care centers in lowincome areas to get them nationally accredited at no cost to the center. Gladney Center for Adoption creates forever families.”

Blair

Lowry

Head of school Trinity Valley School

Blair Lowry took the helm of Fort Worth’s Trinity Valley School this summer, becoming its first female head of school and succeeding Ian Craig, the former head of school. Lowry moved from Dallas’ Hockaday, where she was assistant head of school and provost. At Hockaday, Lowry was responsible for academic programming and faculty recruitment, hiring and development in grades pre-K-12. Lowry has been in education for 23 years, beginning her career in South Florida.

Tobi Jackson Executive director

Fort Worth SPARC

Tobi Jackson has served on the Fort Worth Independent School Board since 2010 and completed a two-year term as president last year. A lifelong East Side resident and a Fort Worth public school graduate, Jackson is executive director of Fort Worth SPARC, a collaboration of the City of Fort Worth, United Way of Tarrant County, all local independent school districts, after-school providers, and community leaders to generate and support after-school programs. Jackson’s area of interest is social and emotional growth for all students, focusing on on-time attendance, graduation rates, and reducing the numbers of students who have fallen behind. Jackson attended Eastern Hills Elementary School and Meadowbrook Middle School and graduated in 1978 from Eastern Hills High School. She received a bachelor’s from the University of Texas at Arlington and master's from the University of North Texas.

Mattie Parker left her job as chief of staff to Fort Worth

Mayor Betsy Price this spring to become CEO of Cradle to Career, new umbrella organization designed to help shepherd Fort Worth children to readiness for college and career. Parker earned a bachelor’s in government from the University of Texas and J.D. from Texas Wesleyan University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

“Fort Worth is experiencing tremendous growth and opportunity, and I missed seeing our city come to life.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Landing an internship in the Texas Capitol — I met my future boss while she was at the bar I was working in college.”

CAUSES “ACH Child and Family Services — our oldest daughter is adopted through the foster care system, and I am forever grateful for organizations like ACH. Recovery Resource Council — my family has a long history of drug and alcohol abuse. RRC is the real deal."

Mattie Parker CEO Cradle to Career

n

Education

Nina Petty Consultant Texas A&M University School of Law

Nina Petty has been a go-to person for re-imagining real estate through her career. At RadioShack, she helped guide the Fort Worth company through ideas for a new downtown campus that matched the retailer’s culture. Subsequently, Tarrant County College recruited Petty as vice chancellor for real estate and facilities to gain control of the over-budget plan for TCC’s downtown campus, a job she held for nearly 10 years. Petty moved in January to the Texas A&M School of Law as a consultant. The law school, which A&M purchased several years ago from Texas Wesleyan University, has purchased several pieces of property around its downtown building with vision to become a thought magnet.

Daniel Pullin Dean TCU Neeley School of Business

Daniel Pullin has been busy since being named dean of TCU’s Neeley business school in spring 2019. He sees an opportunity to create a “business school for the 21st century,” working with the community to identify workforce needs and generate new leaders, collaborate on issues, and “co-create knowledge.” The school is looking for ways to recruit underrepresented students. In June, it announced a partnership with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for MBA scholarships.

COLLABORATING WITH FORT WORTH

“It could be a micro-challenge that’s a business opportunity for a company. It could be partnership with organizations like the Fort Worth Chamber about how we catalyze the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We could be talking about what TCU can do to be part of the conversation when we’re attracting new companies.” – Fort Worth Inc. interview

Kent Scribner Superintendent Fort Worth Independent School District

Kent Scribner, hired as Fort Worth ISD superintendent in 2015, has focused the district on early literacy, middle years math, and college and career preparedness. In 2018, FWISD students earned more than $102 million in college scholarships, up from $36 million in 2015. The ISD’s number of “improvement required” schools has fallen to 11 from 24 since Scribner’s arrival. The district has formed partnerships with colleges to improve access. Third grade literacy remains a stubborn stat. COVID-19 presents daunting challenges, with Scribner announcing this summer the district will give students the choice of in-person or online teaching.

Fred Slabach President Texas Wesleyan University

Since becoming president of Texas Wesleyan in 2011, Fred Slabach has set the private university on an aggressive path that’s strengthened its niche in Fort Worth. Texas Wesleyan has made more than $50 million in capital improvements and the surrounding East Rosedale Street neighborhood, including the recently opened Nick and Lou Martin Center student union. The Texas Wesleyan endowment has doubled. The university has promoted itself as “Smaller. Smarter.-” and an affordable quality choice. Freshman applications have increased 400%, and overall enrollment has increased more than 15% since 2011. Slabach, a University of Mississippi-educated lawyer and undergraduate, was recruited last year to interview for the open chancellor’s job at Ole Miss, and one of several candidates briefly in consideration before the search committee cut the process off and hired a consultant to the committee.

Jr.

Jacinto Ramos, Jr. has served on the Fort Worth ISD’s board since his first election in 2013 and is its current president. Ramos is chief of board governance and leadership at Leadership ISD, chair of the 2019-2020 Council of Urban Boards of Education, and next president of the Mexican American School Boards Association. Ramos grew up on Fort Worth’s North Side, born to immigrant parents from Mexico. He has focused on providing a voice to disengaged and disenchanted youth.

Paula Tyler, the youth programming coordinator for the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, is well known among families as a coach to college-bound high school students. Tyler completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Texas Christian University and has worked in schools for over 40 years. She leads the foundation’s LaunchPad college application program and Children’s Author Series.

Jacinto Ramos,

Board president Fort Worth Independent School District Board of Trustees

Paula Tyler Youth programming coordinator

Fort Worth Public Library Foundation

Government

Our influencers in government include elected representatives, highly placed local government officials, and the commander of the NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base Carswell, one of Fort Worth’s largest employers.

Devan Allen Commissioner Tarrrant County

Devan Allen was elected commissioner in 2018 and took office early last year, representing a district that includes Arlington. Allen, a Democrat, experienced homelessness at a young age, growing up daughter of incarcerated parents. She worked her way through the University of Texas at Arlington, was an EMT for years, and moved into public service as district director in the Texas Senate and House and campaign manager for State Rep. Chris Turner.

CAUSES “I served on the board of DRC Solutions to End Homelessness and remain on the board of the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition. I regularly participate in the annual Point in Time Homeless Count conducted by TCHC, and whenever asked, I share my story of overcoming homelessness.”

Dana Burghdoff

Assistant city manager City of Fort Worth

Dana Burghdoff was recently promoted to Fort Worth assistant city manager from deputy planning and development director, with a hefty portfolio including development services (the former planning and development), transportation and public works, transit initiatives, water, library, property management, the city’s relationship with the Fort Worth Zoo, and changes at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Burghdoff joined the city in 1999. Burghdoff has long been a central figure in providing information and advice to city officials regarding growth and development and in representing the city to the development community. Burghdoff holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Gyna Bivens City Council City of Fort Worth

Gyna Bivens was elected to the Fort Worth City Council in 2013, representing a district that includes Stop Six. An ex-television news reporter, Bivens is president and executive director of North Texas LEAD, a consortium of major employers whose CEOs seek to increase diversity in their managerial ranks. According to LEAD data, more than 500 professionals have found employment after going through the organization’s process. Bivens previously became the first black corporate spokesperson for Oncor Electric Delivery. Bivens has served on more than 30 boards, including serving as chair of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, now Trinity Metro.

Roy Charles Brooks County commissioner Tarrant County

Roy Brooks was elected commissioner in 2004, representing a district that includes much of Fort Worth and several other cities. Brooks has long had interests in the underserved, including health care, early childhood development, and adverse childhood experiences. Brooks, a Democrat, led in developing the Tarrant County Ex-Offender Re-Entry Program. He is a Texas Wesleyan University trustee.

MISSED

MOST

THIS SPRING

“My hair salon, fine dining, being surrounded by my staff, the freedom to gather in a crowd in Sundance Square, and Jubilee Theatre.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being born into a family full of love, a commitment to service, and high expectations.”

CAUSES “I support any and every program having to do with growing our children into successful adults.”

Brian Byrd City Council City of Fort Worth

Brian Byrd, elected in May 2017 to the Fort Worth City Council district that covers a large swath of the West Side, is a longtime physician and entrepreneur. Byrd, who completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, opened his medical practice, Texas Family Medicine, in Fort Worth. In 2008, he started Texas Hospice, growing it to include branches in Fort Worth, Dallas, and San Antonio. Byrd sold Texas Hospice in 2013 to Encompass Home Health and Hospice. In 2014, Byrd became the volunteer executive pastor at Christ Fellowship Church in Fort Worth. His interests on the City Council include a campaign to revitalize the Las Vegas Trail corridor.

David Cooke City manager City of Fort Worth

David Cooke has been Fort Worth city manager since June 2014, moving from North Carolina following a national search. Cooke manages the city’s $1.6 billion budget and 6,600 employees and is responsible for implementing the policies of the mayor and city council. With 20,000 people moving Fort Worth annually, Cooke’s focus has been on meeting infrastructure needs, looking for partnerships, improving customer service, and maintaining a long perspective. Cooke has had to manage the controversial exit of former Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald and promotion and hiring of new Chief Ed Kraus. COVID-19 and its impact on the city’s finances are on the table for this summer’s budget talks. Cooke received his undergraduate degree and master’s degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Government

Gary Fickes County commissioner Tarrant County

Gary Fickes was elected commissioner in 2006, representing a district that includes northeast Tarrant County and north Fort Worth. He is seeking reelection this fall. Fickes has focused on transportation in the sprawling precinct, health care, seniors, and quality economic development. His office assisted in road projects such as the DFW Connector and North Tarrant Express. Fickes, a Republican, helped create three new schoolbased clinics in Precinct 3 and the Gertrude Tarpley JPS Healthcare Center in Watauga. Fickes served as chairman of Harris Methodist Hospital HEB and as trustee for the Harris Methodist Health Foundation. He also is past chair of the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition and has served on the National Association of Counties, Transportation Steering Committee, and the Texas High Speed Rail & Transportation Corp. Fickes also is a former Southlake mayor.

Craig Goldman

State representative State of Texas

Craig Goldman won election to the Texas House in 2012, serving District 97, which covers a big portion of Fort Worth. A fifth-generation Texan, Goldman and his father ran a gourmet food and wine store in Fort Worth before Goldman took office. He’s worked on campaigns to help elect Republican office holders at the local, state and national levels. Goldman, a Republican, holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and is a partner in several real estate investment companies.

Carlos Flores City Council City of Fort Worth

Carlos Flores was elected to the City Council and assumed office in 2017, representing a diverse district that includes the historic Fort Worth North Side and the Stockyards and part of the Alliance corridor. He followed a path of public service and interest in neighborhoods onto the council, serving as president of the North Side Neighborhood Association and the Fort Worth League of Neighborhoods, and chair of the Fort Worth Zoning Commission. Educated as an engineer at the University of Texas at Arlington, Flores worked for Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Parker Hannifin. Most recently, he was a senior contract engineer at Parker Hannifin for two years through June 2016.

Charlie Geren State representative State of Texas

Rep. Charlie Geren was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in November 2000, representing the Fort Worth area’s District 99. He serves as chairman of the Committee on House Administration, and he is a member of the Calendars, Licensing & Administrative Procedures, and State Affairs Committees. Following the 82nd Legislative Session, Geren was named by Texas Monthly magazine as one of the "Top 10 Texas Legislators," an honor he also received in 2005. Geren, a businessman, is president of the LGS Godley Ranch and Railhead Smokehouse. He’s one of a small number of legislators honored with the Champion for Free Enterprise award by the Texas Association of Business. Geren, a Republican, is a trustee of the Fort Worth Stock Show. The Texas Farm Bureau has named Geren a Star for Rural Texas in recognition of his work on property rights and water resource issues.

Kay Granger Representative

U.S. House of Representatives

Elected to her 12th twoyear term in 2018 serving her Fort Worth district, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger is top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. She’s been recognized by CQ Roll Call as one of 25 most influential women in Congress. Granger chaired the House’s powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee before the GOP lost its majority. This spring, Granger announced Tarrant County won an $8.7 million federal grant, $6 million to Fort Worth, to support coronavirus prevention and response among people at risk. Granger majored in education at Texas Wesleyan University and became a teacher. She later opened an insurance agency. Her public service began as a member of the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, and she was elected to the City Council serving the East Side and then as first woman to be mayor in 1991. Granger is a Texas Wesleyan trustee.

Kelly Allen Gray

City Council

Fort Worth City Council

Kelly Allen Gray was elected to the Fort Worth City Council in 2012, representing a southeast Fort Worth district that includes neighborhoods such as Poly, Morningside, United Riverside, Evans-Rosedale and Historic Southside, and Renaissance Square. Gray’s time on the council has been marked by disagreements with development groups that want to redevelop property in the district. Her interests have centered around affordable housing. Gray graduated Polytechnic High School and Texas A&M University-Commerce. She is a Texas Wesleyan University trustee.

Jungus Jordan City Council City of Fort Worth

Jungus Jordan was elected to the Fort Worth City Council in 2005 and was reelected last year to his eighth term. In December, he was elected mayor pro tem by council members. Jordan is a Fort Worth native who earned a bachelor’s degree from TCU and master’s from Webster University. Jordan retired as a lieutenant colonel after an Air Force career that included tours of duty in Vietnam and Germany, and a stint at the Pentagon. After the Air Force, Jordan returned to Fort Worth to work as a development officer at TCU, marketing executive for another company, and financial adviser. His interests on the City Council have centered on transportation, and he is a former chair of the North Central Texas Regional Transportation Council.

Ed Kraus Chief of police City of Fort Worth

Ed Kraus took over as Fort Worth’s new police chief in December after six months as the interim chief. It didn’t take long for Kraus to be tested in the job, which went vacant after the firing of the previous chief. Amid national protests, including ones in Fort Worth following the death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis, Fort Worth Police — including Kraus — defused escalation by kneeling with protestors. Kraus subsequently announced the city dropped charges against looters arrested in some of the protests. Kraus is a 27-year vet of the department. Kraus earned a bachelor’s from Texas Tech University and a master’s in criminal justice from Tarleton State University.

Jeff Law CEO Tarrant Appraisal District

Jeff Law is easily one of the most scrutinized public officials in Tarrant County. Chief appraiser of the Tarrant Appraisal District since August 2008, Law’s office is responsible for coming up with property valuations annually for property tax assessments. Law was previously chief appraiser of the Hood County Appraisal District and senior appraiser for the Johnson Central Appraisal District. With the COVID-19 outbreak disrupting this year’s tax protest season, Law’s office has held in-person and remote protest hearings. TAD earlier in March suspended in-building services. Law earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from TCU in finance, with a real estate emphasis. He is a top-rated instructor of Texas property tax courses.

G.K. Maenius

County administrator

Tarrant County

G.K. Maenius has been county administrator for Tarrant County since January 1988. He provides staff support to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court, which oversees an organization of about 4,000 employees and an annual budget of more than $500 million. Maenius is president of the Trinity River Vision Authority board. He is actively involved in developing software that can be used in counties throughout Texas. Before becoming county administrator, Maenius was group vice president of governmental affairs for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and executive director of the Fort Worth Crime Commission. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Southwest Texas State University.

Cary Moon City Council City of Fort Worth

Cary Moon was elected to the City Council in 2015 to represent District 4, an L-shaped district that moves from Woodhaven on the East Side up into the Alliance Corridor. Moon, a businessman who lives in the Heritage neighborhood in the Alliance Corridor, was a longtime financial executive and now investor. His entry into public service came as president of his major neighborhood association. As council member, Moon has taken active roles in two tax increment finance districts, internal audit, Fort Worth Public Housing Finance Commission, Regional Transportation Council, Fort Worth Sports Authority, and Local Development Corp. Moon grew up in Burleson and graduated from Texas A&M University. Moon disclosed on Facebook this spring that he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and, later, that he recovered.

State Sen. Beverly Powell

State senator State of Texas

Beverly Powell was elected to the Senate in 2018, serving the swing District 10. Powell, a Democrat, is assigned to the Education, Health & Human Services, Higher Education, and Natural Resources and Economic Development committees. She did not attend college immediately. At 39, she returned to complete her bachelor's at Texas Wesleyan University. As a single mom, Powell put herself through school with grants and scholarships. She holds an MBA from Texas Wesleyan.

CAUSES “One of the things I particularly love about my role as state senator is the ability to expand the scale of ‘helping’ others. My passion has long been providing educational opportunity. As a member of the Education and Higher Education committees, I am positioned to influence both the quality of Texas education and the elevation of opportunity for our students.”

Government

Betsy Price City Council City of Fort Worth

Betsy Price, Tarrant County’s former tax assessor-collector, was elected in 2011 as Fort Worth’s 44th mayor. Highly popular, Price has traversed a post-recession budget crunch; employee pension changes and public safety contract negotiations; major development confrontations; come-from-behind infrastructure planning; racial tensions over policing and broader debate over equity; rewrite of the city’s economic development strategy; searches for a city manager, police chief, and fire chief; and, most recently, COVID-19. Price launched a nonprofit she’s co-chairing to help the city’s businesses get back on their feet and identify new opportunities. Price has been a champion of healthy city initiatives, including helping lead Fort Worth to obtaining status as largest Blue Zones-certified city. She has a bachelor's from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Glen Whitley County Judge Tarrant County

Glen Whitley was elected Tarrant County judge in 2006, 10 years after being elected a county commissioner. His interests have been in transportation, sustainable communities, efficient government, air quality, higher education, support for veterans and military families, and youth and children’s issues. Most recently, Whitley has been thrust into leading in the COVID-19 crisis. Whitley is a past chairman of the Regional Transportation Council, Texas Conference of Urban Counties, and Public Employee Benefits Cooperative, which manages public employee and retiree benefits. A businessman, in 1983, he co-founded the accounting firm Whitley Penn in Fort Worth.

Dennis Shingleton City Council City of Fort Worth

Dennis Shingleton was sworn in as a member of the City Council in July 2011, serving a district that includes Fort Worth’s West Side and circles up into the Alliance Corridor. Shingleton served 32 years in the Army and retired as colonel. He was chief of staff for the 807th Medical Brigade and responsible for the training, supervision and mobilization of 4,200 physicians and medical support personnel. Shingleton subsequently retired as senior associate dean for finance and administration at the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth after 25 years. Shingleton’s interest in Fort Worth public service was stirred when he was president of the Lake Country Property Owners Association as Fort Worth annexed it in 1999. Shingleton is a graduate of Duquesne University, with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He received his MBA from TCU.

Jeff Williams Mayor City of Arlington

Jeff Williams won election as Arlington mayor in 2015, promoting a plan to create jobs and build tourism. The Texas Rangers agreed to stay in Arlington, and Williams campaigned for a successful sales tax election to build the new Globe Life Field. Williams, an engineer, recruited the Cordish Cos. to build a major entertainment complex. The city developed a $4 billion entertainment district master plan. Williams has a bachelor's in civil engineering from Texas Tech University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Opening of baseball for the Texas Rangers. It creates excitement and optimism.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being selected as the civil engineer for The Ballpark in Arlington. I worked for the then-future President, George W. Bush, future Ambassador Tom Schieffer, and Mayor Richard Greene. The experience and relationships have been invaluable.”

Capt. Jonathan Townsend Commander

NAS Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base Carswell

Captain Jonathan R. Townsend became the 12th Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in April 2017. The base has about 40 separate commands and 10,200 active duty, guard and reserve, and civilian employees, making it one of the city’s largest employers. Townsend was commissioned in 1995 through the U.S. Naval Academy and designated a naval aviator in 1997. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Master of Arts in national security and strategic studies from the College of Command and Staff at the Naval War College. Townsend's sea duty tours include serving Patrol Squadron Ten, where he deployed to Sigonella, Italy; Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico; Comalapa, El Salvador; and Bahrain.

Ann Zadeh

Fort Worth City Council

Fort Worth City Council

Ann Zadeh was elected to the Fort Worth City Council’s District 9 in June 2014, representing Downtown, Near Southside, part of TCU, South Fort Worth, West Seventh corridor, and Oakhurst. Zadeh is one of the city’s thought leaders on intelligent urban planning and use of density. Zadeh spent five years as a city planning consultant, advising municipalities throughout the metroplex. She served three terms on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, two under Mayor Mike Moncrief and one by Mayor Betsy Price. Zadeh obtained a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of California–Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of Texas at Arlington. Zadeh has coordinated events and communication for her neighborhood, Bluebonnet Hills, and worked with SteerFW’s Urban Development Task Force to hold a successful Better Block event at Bluebonnet Circle.

Harnessing the Patient’s Own Immune System to Fight Cancer

Right here in Fort Worth, NanOlogy is on the forefront of cancer drug research. Led by CEO, H. Paul Dorman, our team of dedicated researchers is in clinical development of a technology that forms submicron particles of cancer agents for targeted delivery directly to the site of the tumor. Once there, the particles are designed to slowly release drug prolonging the tumor kill without the side effects normally associated with chemotherapy. We believe the enhanced direct tumor kill is also eliciting a pronounced antitumoral immune response potentially positioning our investigational drugs as ideal companions to boost other immunoncology therapy to fight metastatic disease. Upon successful completion of clinical development, NanOlogy hopes to gain FDA approval to bring our therapies to cancer patients.

L to R: Marc Iacobucci, Mark Mitchell, Paul Dorman, Gere diZerega, Gary Fuchs, Maxwell Lea.

Leah M. King President and CEO United Way of Tarrant County

Health Care and Life Sciences

Our influencers in health care and life sciences run the gamut from the top executives at Fort Worth’s largest hospitals to entrepreneurs in Fort Worth’s emerging biotech scene, the people who run the city’s largest groups of physicians, the county’s health director (think COVID-19), and some physicians who’ve added public advocacy as an extension of their practices.

Dr.

Keith

Argenbright Director UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute

Dr. Keith Argenbright has been director of the Moncrief Cancer Institute, a Fort Worth health care anchor, since 2013. Argenbright earned his bachelor’s in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma and M.D. from Tulane. He is chief of community health sciences at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being accepted into medical school. I interview prospective medical students for UT Southwestern, and all of them, without exception, are bright and highly motivated. I am glad I got into medicine when I did, because I'm not smart enough to be accepted today."

CAUSES “I am honored to be on the board of directors of [TCU] Brite Divinity School and to support one of the things that makes TCU such a great university. My wife and I also are quite fond of SiNaCa Studios, a small glass art studio on Magnolia.”

Jerry Conatser

Chairman Cook

Children’s Health Foundation

Jerry Conatser, a longtime businessman and philanthropist with his wife, Cheryl, is chair of the Cook Children’s Health Foundation ($2 billion net assets); chair of the Health Care System; a member of the Health Plan board; and vice chair of the Child Study Center board. The couple also supports, financially and as volunteers, the University Christian Church in Fort Worth and Casa Mañana. The couple made their living in construction.

Dr. Susan Bailey Physician

Fort Worth Allergy and Asthma Associates

Dr. Susan Bailey, a longtime Fort Worth allergist and immunologist, was sworn in June as 175th president of the American Medical Association. Bailey, who became president-elect a year earlier, has been among the public voices for precautions such as wearing face masks with the emergence of COVID-19. Bailey has served on the AMA board for nine years, previously holding leadership positions including chair of the AMA Council on Medical Education. She was a member of the AMA's Advisory Panel to the Women in Medicine Project and AMA's Ad Hoc Committee on Women Physicians. Before becoming an AMA officer, Bailey was president of the Texas Medical Association and Tarrant County Medical Society. Bailey is an honor graduate of the Texas A&M University College of Medicine. Then-Gov. George W. Bush appointed her to the Texas A&M Board of Regents.

Joseph DeLeon President

Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth

Joseph DeLeon became president of Harris Methodist in 2018. He was president of Texas Health Southwest. DeLeon has served as chair of the March of Dimes Tarrant County, president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and on the North Texas Community Foundation board. DeLeon holds a bachelor’s in political science and minor in business management and a master’s in public administration, both from Texas A&M University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Becoming a Medical Service Corps officer in the U.S. Air Force.” CAUSES “The North Texas Community Foundation and the Fort Worth March of Dimes. The NTxCF has such a wide breadth of reach and impact across our community. The MOD is second to none in making an impact for moms and babies related to healthy pregnancies and premature births.”

Barclay Berdan CEO

Texas

Health Resources

Barclay Berdan has been CEO of the nonprofit Texas Health Resources, one of the county’s largest employers, since 2014, after serving in senior executive roles since joining the organization in 1986. Berdan and Texas Health led in Fort Worth’s successful campaign to become the largest U.S. city to receive Blue Zones Project healthy city certification, based on lessons learned from communities worldwide where people live longest. Berdan served as chair of the United Way of Tarrant County 2016-2017 campaign. Texas Health was ranked No. 9 on the 2019 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list and has been named No. 1 on the Fortune 20 Best Workplaces in Health Care list for four straight years. Berdan earned his bachelor’s in biology from TCU and MBA from the University of Chicago.

Elyse Dickerson CEO

and co-founder

Eosera

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson is CEO of Eosera, Inc., a fast-growing Fort Worth biotech company whose Earwax MD launch line of over-thecounter products for compacted earwax quickly reached national distribution. Dickerson, a former Alcon exec, was named one of the Top Women in Health, Wellness and Beauty by Drug Store News in 2019. Dickerson has a bachelor’s from the University of Notre Dame and MBA from SMU. Dickerson is a lifelong athlete and has completed marathons, triathlons, and an Ironman. A Fort Worth Country Day School alum, she is vice president of its board.

FIRST BIG BREAK “As crucial as my first job in my industry was, I would say the most pivotal moment in my career was being named the first female global director in the commercial organization at my former employer, responsible for $1.8 billion in revenue.”

Health Care and Life Sciences

H. Paul Dorman Chairman and CEO DFB Pharmaceuticals

DFB is a Fort Worth holding company that Paul Dorman and partners started in 1990. DFB grew from four companies and $18 million in annual sales to more than $400 million in sales. DFB sold three businesses for more than $1.5 billion. DFB continues to operate NanOlogy and Phyton Biotech. NanOlogy is in human trials on new delivery for traditional IV cancer drugs — making them into nanoparticles and injecting them into tumors. Dorman guaranteed first-year tuition for the first class of the new TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine. Dorman holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and JD, both from Tulane.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I was employed with a Top 500 company where I was responsible for management of a local technical department. My first big break came when I was promoted into having company responsibility on an international level."

Dr. Stuart Flynn Founding dean TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine

Dr. Stuart Flynn is the founding dean of the new TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, which this spring completed its first year of educating new MDs. The school is breaking new ground in medical education by having its students interacting with patients from the first year of their four in medical school, instead of waiting until much later, the traditional model. Community leaders also hope the MD program generates new physicians who want to remain in the Fort Worth area. Flynn most recently served as founding dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. He was formerly professor of pathology and surgery at the Yale University School of Medicine. Flynn received his medical degree and residency training from the University of Michigan and completed a fellowship in oncologic pathology at Stanford University.

Robert Earley President and CEO JPS Health Network

Robert Earley has been president and CEO of JPS Health Network, Tarrant County’s taxsupported health care system and one of its largest employers since 2009. Voters in 2018 approved an $800 million bond program to build a new mental and behavioral health hospital, new main hospital tower, new cancer center, four new regional health centers, and new ambulatory surgical care center. A political science graduate from the University of North Texas, Earley was elected to the Texas House of Representatives at age 23 and served 10 years. He joined JPS in 2005 as a senior vice president for community and government affairs. Previously, he taught courses at Texas A&M University, ran a public affairs firm in Austin, and was a television political analyst. Earley holds a master’s degree in health care administration from The University of TexasArlington’s Fort Worth Center.

Simon Fraser

President, advanced wound management

Smith+Nephew

Simon Fraser joined Smith+Nephew, the British medical technology company, in 2019 with responsibility for its Fort Worth-based Advanced Wound Management franchise. Fraser has more than 25 years in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, including wound management. He has a bachelor’s in physiotherapy from Montreal University and MBA from INSEAD in France.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I founded a company when I was 20 years old, and we enjoyed early success which allowed me to expand it and sell it 10 years later.”

READING NOW Lonesome Dove. “When I move to a new place or a new country, I try to understand and embrace the local culture.”

HOW COVID CHANGES OUR CITY “I have met many resilient people since moving here, and I’m confident these times will make us stronger."

David Endicott CEO Alcon

David Endicott has been CEO of Alcon — the major Fort Worth-based eye care products maker — since 2018, and he took the company public in spring 2019 after a spinoff from Novartis. Endicott joined the company in 2016 as chief operating officer. Wall Street, even with volatility in the stock price this spring as the market dropped and then surged amid COVID-19, views an independent Alcon favorably, given aging demographics expected to drive sales of the company’s surgical and vision care products. Endicott holds an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Whitman College and an MBA from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.

Miles Harrison President, North America Galderma Laboratories

Miles Harrison became president of Galderma’s Fort Worth-based North American unit in February 2016. Galderma is the world’s largest independent skin care products company. Harrison joined Galderma in 2014 as vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Unit. He previously had a 25-year career at Novartis, where he held several senior-level posts. Harrison is British and holds a bachelor’s degree in geography from Sheffield Hallam University.

Dr. Richard Johnston CEO, chief physician officer USMD Health System

Dr. Richard Johnston has been on the scene in North Texas since 1978, when he began his practice. His group joined the Medical Clinic of North Texas in 2004. In 2006, he became president of MCNT and was serving in that role in 2012 when MCNT became part of the merger that created USMD Health System. Johnston graduated from Texas Tech School of Medicine.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Getting out with friends and family. Going out to restaurants. Going to sporting events. I miss going to the gym. All those things that were once a part of our normal routines are now all on hold. But, it’s what we have to do to protect people.”

READING NOW “Right now, 90% of what I’m reading is medical journals from around the world, all talking about COVID-19. It’s interesting to see what’s being done to contain the virus in other countries. It will take the world to beat this.”

Dr.

Shawn Parsley

President and chief operations officer Texas Health Physicians Group

Dr. Shawn Parsley was named president of the Texas Health Physicians Group in October 2013, after becoming a member of the group in January 2011. The group has more than 850 primary care physicians, specialists, and other medical professionals in more than 250 locations. Parsley works with Texas Health Resources’ chief clinical officer and senior executive vice president to develop and implement the system’s physiciandirected population health strategy. In May 2018, his role was expanded to include serving as chief operating officer with oversight of all THPG operations. Parsley received his undergraduate degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown before graduating from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

Rick Merrill CEO Cook Children’s Health Care System

Rick Merrill, president and CEO of Cook Children’s since 2007, has led the organization through neverbefore-seen growth, including doubling the size of the Cook Children’s Medical Center campus on the Near Southside. Cook Children’s comprises eight entities — Medical Center, Physician Network, Home Health company, Northeast Hospital, Pediatric Surgery Center, Health Plan, Health Services, Inc., and Health Foundation. Cook Children’s has more than 60 primary and specialty care offices throughout North Texas. Merrill is a trustee and former chair of the Children’s Hospital Association.

Dr. Britt Nelson President Cook Children’s Physician Network

Dr. Britt Nelson has been president of the Cook Children’s Physician Network since 2009, named to that position after serving on the network’s board for 12 years and as its chair for six years. The network has nearly 300 primary care physicians and specialists with offices in Tarrant, Denton, Parker, Johnson and Hood counties. Nelson was drawn to pediatrics in medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He did his residency at the University of Oklahoma Children's Memorial Hospital. He subsequently was selected for a critical care fellowship at the University of Southern California, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Nelson was recruited to the faculty of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, but in 1990, Cook Children’s lured him back to Texas, offering him the job of medical director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Mike Sanborn President

Baylor All Saints Medical Center

Michael Sanborn took the helm of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center – Fort Worth in September 2016, leading the 538-bed acute care hospital with more than 2,000 employees and 1,000 medical staff members. Sanborn previously was president of Baylor Scott & White – Carrollton and before that, corporate vice president of cardiovascular services for the system. Sanborn holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmacy and administration from the University of Kansas.

Jyric Sims CEO Medical

City Fort Worth

Jyric Sims was named CEO of Medical City Fort Worth, one of the Fort Worth hospital district’s major hospitals, in 2017. He came to Fort Worth after serving as senior vice president and chief operating officer at Hospital Corporation of America’s Tulane Health System, where he was responsible for daily operations of two acute care hospitals with more than 500 beds and 35 hospital-based clinics. Sims joined HCA in 2011, serving as chief operating officer of St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and associate chief operating officer at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in southeast Texas. Sims received a master of health administration from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and has an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University.

Health Care and Life Sciences

Vinny Taneja Director of public health Tarrant County

Vinny Taneja has had his hands full, helping coordinate the county’s response to COVID-19. Taneja became director in September 2014. Under his leadership, the department was among the first 100 in the U.S. accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board. Taneja received a medical degree from Manipal Academy of Higher Education in India, and a master’s in public health from Eastern Kentucky University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Getting a job at Madison County Health Department in Richmond, Kentucky. I was still in school, and the public health preparedness grant came out after 9/11. I was the first regional epidemiologist to be hired in the state through that grant."

CAUSES “Meals on Wheels is just a great way to serve our community and our seniors.”

READING NOW “I wish I was reading something else other than COVID-19 guidance."

Dr.

David Winter

Chairman, president and chief clinical officer HealthTexas Provider Network

Dr. F. David Winter, Jr., has been chairman and president of the HealthTexas Provider Network, the physician division of Baylor Scott & White Health, since 2001. HealthTexas has more than 1,000 physicians. Winter also is a practicing concierge medicine physician, caring for fewer patients than a traditional practice and offering higher levels of service. Winter received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, completed an internship and residency at Baylor University Medical Center, and has been awarded a Master of Science in medical management from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Dr. Jason Terk

Physician

Cook Children’s Pediatrics

Dr. Jason Terk, a physician in the Cook Children’s network who’s practiced medicine for more than 20 years, is an advocate for vaccines, working with organizations such as the Texas Pediatric Society, Texas Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to pass legislation that benefits children and their health. “Raising my voice with others in the cause of children's health has added a special dimension to my pediatric practice,” he says. Terk earned his undergraduate degree from Hendrix College in Arkansas. He graduated in 1993 from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Minnesota.

Dr. Michael Williams President UNT Health Science Center

Dr. Michael Williams became the sixth president of UNTHSC in December 2012. Williams, who earned his doctor of osteopathic medicine from UNTHSC, became first UNTHSC alumnus to serve as president. Williams, who also is an M.D., collaborated with TCU and Fort Worth leaders to launch the TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine, which this spring completed its first year of operation. Williams practiced anesthesiology and critical care medicine in Texas for more than 20 years. In 2011, Texas Gov. Rick Perry appointed Williams to serve on the UNT System Board of Regents. Williams completed his anesthesiology and critical care training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. Williams also holds an MBA from Duke University and a master’s in health care management from Harvard University.

Shawn

Industry

Our industry influencers represent a swath of the region’s economy from food and beverage to manufacturing, defense and distribution, oil and gas, and retail. COVID-19 has affected everyone’s business.

Felipe Armenta President Chef Driven Restaurant, LLC

Felipe Armenta grew up in a San Angelo family that gathered around fresh dishes and creative cuisine. He opened his first restaurant, The Grill, in San Angelo. He and partners expanded to Fort Worth and other cities; today, Chef Driven Restaurant has 11 restaurants, including The Tavern, Press Café, Pacific Table and Cork & Pig Tavern.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Opening my first restaurant during the financial crisis of 2008. God helped guide me through it.”

CAUSES “I regularly support Cook Children's, Tarrant Area Food Bank, and local homeless shelters. These institutions provide so much support."

READING NOW “I read the Bible daily and spend time with God's word every morning. In addition to that, I am reading Shut Up and Listen! Hard Business Truths that Will Help You Succeed, by Tilman Fertitta.”

Bobby

Cox Owner and operator

Bobby Cox Cos.

Bobby Cox founded his company in 1961 with a coffee shop. Today, based in southwest Fort Worth, Bobby Cox Cos. has more than 70 fast casual restaurants, including Rosa’s Café & Tortilla Factory, in the southwestern U.S. and more than 3,500 employees in Texas and New Mexico. Cox has investments in real estate, an advertising agency, aircraft company, cattle ranching, and quarter horses. He is one of two Fort Worth members of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Strike Force to Open Texas, launched during COVID-19.

Jon

Bonnell

CEO Bonnell’s

Jon Bonnell opened his first restaurant, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, in 2001 in southwest Fort Worth. A robust catering business, Waters Restaurant Sundance Square, and two Buffalo Bros Pizza Wings & Subs restaurants followed. Bonnell, graduate of Vanderbilt University and the New England Culinary Institute, has written three cookbooks, sharing his recipes. He has appeared on more than 100 TV cooking appearances. Bonnell was “celebrity chef” for TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium for five football seasons. Bonnell’s has won “Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator each year since 2004 and has a food score of 48 of 50 on the Zagat survey, Texas’ highest. Bonnell lends his heft to numerous causes and serves on 16 local boards. COVID-19 dealt his restaurants a blow, but loyal customers have lined up daily for his $40 takeout family meal packs. Bonnell is a distance runner and Ironman.

Jim

Crawford Vice president and plant manager MillerCoors Fort

Worth

Jim Crawford took over in July 2018 as vice president and plant manager of Fort Worth’s big MillerCoors brewery, one of eight the company operates in the U.S. Crawford began his career with the company in 2006 as a business unit manager and spent his career in operations. He holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Stephen Butt President, Central Market H-E-B

Forbes pegs the net worth of H-E-B CEO Charles Butt and family at $10.7 billion. Stephen Butt, a nephew, is president of Central Market and owns a piece of H-E-B, according to Forbes. Stephen Butt and wife Susan live in Fort Worth. He is a trustee of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, board member of the North Texas Commission, and 2020 committee member of the Jewel Charity Invitational, benefiting Cook Children’s. Butt also is a trustee of the H.E. Butt Foundation.

Arnold Gachman President Gamtex Industries

At age 27, Arnold Gachman was named general manager of his family business, Gachman Metals, a recycler. Five years later, in 1974, he became its president. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries gave Gachman its lifetime achievement award in 2013 for his national leadership in the industry. Gachman, a director of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, has served on various boards, including various Baylor hospital boards, Fort Worth Club, Beth-El Congregation in Fort Worth, AddRan College of Liberal Arts Board of Visitors at TCU, and University of North Texas Health Science Center Foundation. Gachman holds a bachelor’s degree in financial management from TCU.

Industry / Food, Beverage and Recycling

Mike Hoque CEO DRG Concepts

Mike Hoque’s path to entrepreneurship started with driving a limo, which led to a limo company, which led to restaurants, and then real estate. Hoque’s DRG Concepts restaurants — Dallas Fish Market, Dallas Chop House, Chop House Burger and Wild Salsa — revitalized a piece of downtown Dallas’ Main Street. Hoque began buying real estate after that. He’s come to downtown Fort Worth with Wild Salsa and Chop House Burger. Last fall, he opened the Wicked Butcher steakhouse in downtown Fort Worth at the renovated Sinclair hotel. Hoque’s Hoque Global firm also was awarded master developer over the Evans and Rosedale Urban Village at Interstate 35 and East Rosedale Street. Hoque will oversee the development of a pedestrian-friendly, commercial and residential village. COVID-19 dealt Hoque a blow. He temporarily closed the fine dining restaurants, with Wild Salsa and Chop House Burger open for takeout and delivery.

Tim Love Chef and owner Love Style Inc.

Chef Tim Love’s restaurant portfolio keeps growing. In the last year, he opened his Gemelle Italian restaurant on Fort Worth’s West Side, and Ático, a tapas bar, in the Fort Worth Stockyards to go with his other concepts: Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Queenie’s Steakhouse, Love Shack, and White Elephant Saloon. Love is the chef for multiple major festivals, including the Austin Food & Wine, which he co-founded in 2012. After COVID-19 dealt restaurants a big blow, Love contributed to relief for unemployed restaurant workers and traveled to Washington to pitch President Donald Trump on loosening restrictions on federal payroll protection loans to small businesses. Love promotes several charities, including Burgers 4 Babies, which he founded in 2010 benefiting the NICU Helping Hands organization. Love is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.

Howard Katz

Vice president of business development, partner Standard Meat Co.

Howard Katz joined Standard Meat Co. of Fort Worth in 1978. He later moved on to help found several food companies, then returned to Standard Meat a partner after Fort Worth’s Rosenthal family rebooted the company in the mid-1990s following a sale of it in 1983. In 1997, as an adoptive parent, he launched The Gladney Cup biennial fundraiser, benefiting The Gladney Center for Adoption. He has a bachelor’s in behavioral sciences from the University of Texas.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure (Komen Tarrant County started by Rozanne Rosenthal for Katz’s wife Joan, a three-time cancer survivor)

CAUSES The Gladney Center for Adoption, Susan G. Komen, Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center (at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center), Cook Children's Medical Center, Jewish Family Services

Scott McPherson

President, CEO

Core-Mark Holding Co.

Scott McPherson has been president and CEO since June 2018 of Core-Mark, a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest marketers of food, fresh and other supply solutions to convenience stores. In 2019, McPherson moved the company’s headquarters to Westlake from San Francisco. The company’s sales rose 1.7% to $16.75 billion in 2019, and net income grew 26.8% to $57.7 million. Core-Mark saw sales declines late in this year’s first quarter, due to a drop in traffic from shelter-in-place orders. Core-Mark serves 42,000 customer locations in the U.S. and Canada through 32 distribution centers, including one in Fort Worth that McPherson previously ran. The company’s shares, traded on the NASDAQ, were worth about $1.1 billion in early July. McPherson received a bachelor’s in business from Lewis & Clark College and an MBA from the University of Portland.

Joe Lancarte

Principal

Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant

Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant was established on July 4, 1935, by Joe T. Garcia and his wife. The sprawling restaurant and patios on Fort Worth’s North Side — and the enchilada and fajita dinners and pitchers of margaritas — are a staple of the city’s life. Today, the company is owned by the Garcias’ six grandchildren, including Joe Garcia. The restaurant started in a small space, and the family has added pieces over the years, including new patios, party rooms and dining areas. Family management of the company became the subject of a lawsuit filed last year by one of the grandchildren over transparency.

Mike Micallef President

JMK Holdings Management Co.

Mike Micallef has been president of JMK Holdings Management Co., his family’s nonmanufacturing companies since June 2005. These include Reata Restaurants; the 11,700-acre Sierra La Rana development in Alpine, a masterplanned community offering ranchettes; and CF Ranch, also in Alpine. Micallef is founder of the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation. He has served on the Visit Fort Worth and TCU National Alumni boards and as a Texas Lyceum director. Micallef holds a BBA and a certificate of ranch management from TCU.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

“Attending all the great things like the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival, Main Street and all the other charity events where I get to see so many of my friends.” READING NOW “Unfortunately mainly articles about COVID-19 and how businesses are managing their way through the pandemic.”

Fritz Rahr Co-founder and CEO Rahr & Sons Brewing Co.

Fritz Rahr, with wife Erin, co-founded Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. in the fall of 2004, leaving a career in railroads and following a family brewing legacy. In 15 years, Rahr has grown its brewing capacity to 20,000 barrels per year from 2,000. The brewery has won over 90 nationally recognized awards, including six Great American Beer Festival medals, and helped drive the growth of craft beers locally. Erin Rahr serves on the Visit Fort Worth and Near Southside, Inc., boards. Fritz Rahr holds an MBA from TCU.

Doug Renfro President Renfro Foods

Doug Renfro grew up in the family business, Renfro Foods. After working seven years post-college for EDS in finance and accounting and earning a master’s degree at SMU, Renfro returned to Renfro in 1992 to help run the business his grandparents founded in 1940.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BIG BREAK? “A UNT alum at Ross Perot's EDS called the finance department at UNT and asked [for] a student to be interviewed. Flash forward, and I was a 21-year-old college graduate working with 100 smart people in the financial planning and analysis department of a huge global corporation.” CAUSES “Tarrant Area Food Bank — our family has been in the food business for over 80 years, so this is our obvious core charity. Cook Children’s. Casa Mañana — my wife and I were exposed to musical theatre as children. Our daughter is graduating this spring with a degree in musical theatre.”

Ben Rosenthal

CEO, co-president, owner Standard Meat Co.

Ben Rosenthal is CEO and co-president of Standard Meat Co. in Fort Worth, a meat processing and packaging company founded by his great-grandfather in 1946. Rosenthal and his sister, Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld, took higher roles last year in running the company with their father, chairman Billy Rosenthal. Rosenthal continues to help run Penrose, the family office of the Rosenthals. He co-founded Circa Cookery in 2017 and was previously an analyst at Goldman Sachs. He has a Bachelor of Science in financing and accounting from the University of Virginia. He serves on the boards of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and Trinity Valley School.

Billy Rosenthal Founder and chairman Standard Meat Co.

Billy Rosenthal was retired in 1994, when Outback Steakhouse asked him to return to the business of supplying steaks. The Rosenthal family more than 10 years earlier sold their Standard Meat Co., founded in 1946 by Ben Rosenthal, to Consolidated Foods, which rebranded it Sara Lee. Billy Rosenthal, grandson of the founder, organized investors to restart the Standard Meat brand, with Outback as its first customer. The company opened modern plants in Dallas and Saginaw, incorporating advanced technology. Today, Standard Meat employs over 600 people and serves large national restaurant chains, retailers and meal kit companies. In 2012, it acquired Syracuse Sausage Co., a sausage and meatball manufacturing operation in Ponder. In 2019, Billy Rosenthal’s two children, Ben Rosenthal and Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld, took higher roles in running Standard Meat.

Becky Renfro Borbolla Vice president and co-owner Renfro Foods

Becky Renfro Borbolla joined the family business, Renfro Foods, in 1985 after working eight years for a local oil company. She manages logistics and employee benefits and works with her cousin Doug Renfro, the company president, in managing sales, pricing, finance and accounting, public relations, marketing, social media, international sales and trade shows. Today, the Fort Worth company sells more than 30 salsas, peppers, relishes, and sauces internationally. Renfro Borbolla has a Bachelor of Science in business management from LeTourneau University. She is president and a founder of Women Steering Business, a nonprofit that raises money to buy livestock from youth exhibitors at the annual Fort Worth Stock Show Sale of Champions. In 2012, Texas Gov. Rick Perry commissioned Renfro Borbolla as a Yellow Rose of Texas, highest honor given to a woman by the governor.

Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld Co-president Standard Meat Co.

Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld began her food career in 2008 as sales and marketing manager for one of her family’s food businesses after she spent five years in fashion in New York. She and her brother, Ben, took higher roles last year in running Standard Meat Co. with their father, Billy Rosenthal. Blumenfeld holds a bachelor’s from Tulane University.

CAUSES “In the Rosenthal family, it is a given you will find your cause [or inherit the causes of those who came before you]. Today, I sit on several boards. I adore the Fort Worth Zoo; I have very fond memories with my grandmother and my sister and brother. [Husband] Todd and I love taking Elanor and Will there now. Cook Children's is near and dear to my heart — my father has always been a huge supporter. I inherited my position on the board of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra from my grandmother.”

Industry / Manufacturing, Defense and Distribution

Paul Andrews, Jr. CEO TTI

Paul Andrews, Jr., founded TTI — today, a global distributor of electronic components — in 1971 after being laid off from his job at General Dynamics. As a GD buyer, Andrews had difficulty finding certain components, so at TTI he focused on those parts. In 2000, he bought Mouser Electronics in Mansfield, catapulting it into catalog distribution. He bought 11 more companies. In 2007, TTI and Mouser sold to Berkshire Hathaway. Andrews and his wife, Judy, established the Paul and Judy Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth and the Paul and Judy Andrews Industrial Distribution Conference Center at Texas A&M University. They also launched the Paul E. Andrews, Jr. Foundation ($78 million assets as of 2018), focusing on education and health care, primarily in Fort Worth. Andrews attended the University of Texas at Austin and TCU.

Thomas

Ferguson

CEO AZZ, Inc

Thomas Ferguson, president and CEO since November 2013 of the Fort Worth-based AZZ, won a contract extension last fall that goes through October 2022. The global provider of metal coatings and other solutions to various industries posted a 14.5% increase in revenue to $1.06 billion for its latest fiscal year, which ended Feb. 29. Adjusted earnings per share rose 38%. Cash from operating activities was up 29.9%. Shares of NYSE-traded AZZ were worth $866.65 million in early July. The company discontinued its earnings projections, due to uncertainty from COVID-19. In extending his contract, the board cited Ferguson’s leadership in digitizing AZZ’s galvanizing business, transformation in electrical, specialty welding's international expansion, and implementation of a surface technologies business. Ferguson holds a bachelor's in industrial distribution and technology from Texas A&M University.

Greg Crouchley President Justin Brands

Greg Crouchley has the helm of the brand that dates to 1879 when H.J. Justin started a boot company from his home. In 2000, Berkshire Hathaway purchased the company. Justin’s lineup, including Justin, Tony Lama, Chippewa and Nocona Boots, is part of a bigger stable of shoe brands held by Berkshire Hathaway Shoe Holdings. Justin Brands continues to be based in Fort Worth; BH is based in Greenwich, Connecticut. Footwear News, in its FN Power List 2019, gave a nod to Justin, BH CEO Jim Issler, and Crouchley in its “Establishment” category: “The Western category continues to be a focus for Issler. Justin Boots launched a series of exotic Western boots in coordination with the American Quarter Horse Association, and the brand is banking on its George Strait by Justin Boots collection.”

Michele Evans

Executive vice presi-

dent,

aeronautics Lockheed Martin Corp.

Michele Evans is executive vice president of the Fort Worth-based Aeronautics unit for Lockheed Martin, a $20 billion-plus enterprise employing about 25,000 people and Fort Worth’s second largest employer. Aeronautics includes the F-35, F-22, F-16, C-130, and advanced development programs at Lockheed’s Skunk Works operations in California. Evans is actively involved in Lockheed Martin’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, serving as executive sponsor for the Women’s Impact Network and Leadership Forum. Evans graduated from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. She serves on the board of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Eric Fox

Senior director, government relations

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Eric Fox, the senior director of government relations for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, has worked for the company since February 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from Southwestern University. Fox is a member of the executive committee of the North Texas Commission.

Elliot Goldman Partner GL2 Partners

Elliot Goldman’s portfolio includes Liberty Bags and Carmel Towel, major niche player in promotional bags, and Lily Pad Properties, which specializes in college-town multifamily. Annual nonprofit holiday catalog, The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever, lets selected charities pitch to prospective donors. Elected to the Westover Hills Town Council in 2012, has BBA in finance from the University of Texas. At age 20, worked for Vice President Dan Quayle in the White House and, later, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

CAUSES “Love helping the organizations in The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever. They are incredibly well-run.”

HOW COVID CHANGES OUR CITY “We as a city will end up better than most. Always remember: Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.”

John Howard Hallam CEO Ben E. Keith Co.

John Howard Hallam was promoted in mid-2018 to CEO of Ben E. Keith Co., the major food and beverage distributor. Hallam is grandson of Gaston Hallam, hired by the company in 1924 to unload railcars and who in 1959, a major stockholder, became president. John Howard Hallam was promoted in 2008 to vice president. The privately held Fort Worth company, which began distributing AnheuserBusch products in 1928, had estimated sales last year of $3.7 billion and 4,000 employees, according to Forbes. Hallam has an MBA from SMU and law degree from the University of Texas.

Raanan Horowitz President and CEO Elbit Systems of America

Raanan Horowitz was named president and CEO in 2007 of the Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America, U.S. unit of the Israelbased Elbit Systems Ltd., a global provider of technology-based systems for defense and commercial applications (NASDAQ ESLT, $6.19 billion market value in early July). In 2014, 2015 and 2018, The Ethisphere Institute named Elbit Systems of America one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies,” one of two aerospace and defense companies worldwide to earn this distinction. Horowitz has been instrumental in leading Elbit Systems of America’s organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Horowitz holds an MBA from the Seidman School of Business at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s degree in electrical engineering, both from Tel-Aviv University in Israel.

Allison Mullis

Executive vice president, human resources Bell

Allison Mullis was named EVP of human resources in 2016 at Bell. Focused on “authentic” employee experience and attracting and retaining talent through “diversity, inclusion and belonging.” Joined Bell parent Textron in 2014. Holds master’s in public policy from Georgetown University and bachelor’s in microbiology and occupational therapy from LSU. Chairs United Way of Tarrant County’s strategic planning committee and helps direct Bell’s philanthropic efforts. Interests: running, yoga and reading.

FIRST BIG BREAK

“Getting a leadership job in human resources without the traditional experience.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I think the business community has learned a valuable lesson in flexibility. Our challenge is how do we drive people to engage commercially while making them feel safe?”

Sean Murphy

Vice president and general manager, Fort Worth and Corpus Christi sales

Andrews Distributing Co

Andrews Distributing significantly increased its footprint in Fort Worth, closing in 2014 on the acquisition of Coors Distributing Co. from the McMillan family, and gaining eight brewing partners in Tarrant and Johnson counties and over 3000 retail accounts. Sean Murphy manages the territory for Andrews. He has been in beer for more than 25 years and is responsible for Andrews’ Fort Worth and South Texas operations. He earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of North Texas.

Dennis Knautz

President and CEO Acme Brick Co.

Dennis Knautz was promoted to CEO of Fort Worth’s Acme Brick after his predecessor retired in 2005. Knautz, who joined Acme in 1982 as controller and moved up to vice president of finance, had already helped install a new computer system and new financial and administrative systems. He helped direct the transition, after Berkshire Hathaway paid $600 million in 2000 to buy Justin Industries, which owned Acme and Justin footwear. As CEO, Knautz broke ground on Acme’s new headquarters on the Trinity River and guided the company through the 2008 recession. In 2018 and 2019, Acme closed multiple underperforming manufacturing and sales facilities. It today operates 12 clay brick factories in four states, three concrete block facilities, and a Texas quarry operation. Knautz holds a bachelor’s in math and MBA, both from TCU. He is a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce director.

Donald Reynolds, Jr. helped complete the transition of The Reynolds Co., major Fort Worth-based national distributor of electrical components, to employee ownership after it was acquired in 2018 by McNaughton-McKay Electric Co. Reynolds remains chief operating officer of The Reynolds Co., which continues to operate under its own name and earlier this year purchased FlowZone, a leading distributor of parts for oil and gas. Reynolds Co.’s predecessor company, started by Reynolds’ grandfather in 1946, was 18th largest U.S. electrical distributor and had $650 million in 2017 revenue before it was acquired. Reynolds’ brother, Walt, remains CEO of Reynolds Co. The brothers and their wives make charitable gifts through their R4 Foundation ($19.7 million net assets as of 2018).

Donald Reynolds, Jr. Chief operating officer The Reynolds Co.

Industry / Manufacturing, Defense and Distribution

Walt Reynolds CEO

The Reynolds Co.

Walt Reynolds helped lead the transition of The Reynolds Co., a major Fort Worth-based distributor of electrical components that have gone into local projects such as AT&T Stadium, The Ballpark in Arlington, and Amon G. Carter Stadium, to employee ownership after its acquisition in early 2018 by McNaughton-McKay Electric Co. and remains as CEO. Reynolds Co., whose predecessor company was started by Reynolds’ grandfather in 1946, was 18th largest U.S. electrical distributor and had $650 million in 2017 revenue before it was acquired. McNaughtonMcKay combination resulted in the ninth largest U.S. distributor. Reynolds Co. operates under its name as a McNaughton-McKay unit. Earlier this year, Reynolds Co. acquired Flow-Zone, leading distributor of products for oil and gas. Brother, Donald Jr., remains COO. Brothers and wives make gifts through R4 Foundation ($19.7 million net assets, 2018).

Mitch Snyder CEO Bell

Mitch Snyder was named president and CEO of Bell in 2015 and has led a rebranding of the company — one of Fort Worth’s largest employers — to reflect its interests in technologies beyond its traditional history as a helicopter manufacturer. “Welcome to the future of flight” encompasses technologies such as urban air taxi and autonomous flight. Before being named CEO, Snyder was the company’s executive vice president of military business. Since joining Bell in 2004, Snyder has led the manufacturing centers and several of the company’s most significant initiatives, including the V-22 tiltrotor program. Snyder holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Kansas State University, where he is an Alumni Fellow and a Hall of Fame inductee.

Kenneth Shipley CEO and co-founder Legacy Housing Corp.

Kenneth Shipley cofounded Legacy Housing Corp. in 2005, and the Bedford company is today the fourth largest maker of manufactured homes in the U.S. Legacy offers a onestop shop, including product design, materials purchase, and manufacture at one of its three plants — in Fort Worth, East Texas and Georgia. Its 80 floor plans range in size up to 2,600 square feet. Legacy also has positioned itself in the tiny home market, selling structures between 320 and 399 square feet. Gross revenue for the year ended Dec. 31 rose to an all-time high $169 million, up 4.4%. Net profit was $28.8 million, up 34.1%. The company has pared costs during COVID-19. Publicly traded on the NASDAQ, its shares were worth $333 million in early July.

Glenn Smith CEO Mouser Electronics

Glenn Smith, while still a college student, joined Mouser Electronics as a part-time warehouse employee in 1973. He rose through the ranks, becoming president in 1988. In 2000, Fort Worth-based TTI bought the company, and in 2004, Smith was promoted to CEO. In 2007, Berkshire Hathaway bought TTI and Mouser. Today, Mouser is one of the world’s largest electronic components distributors with more than 2,400 employees, 27 offices worldwide, and more than $1.9 billion in sales. Smith recently retired from auto racing with the Porsche Club of America. His interests today: bicycling, horseback riding, running, working out at the gym, and playing tennis.

Michael Thacker Executive vice president, technology and innovation Bell

Michael Thacker became EVP in February 2017 and leads core engineering team, which develops new technology for use in products. Bell has rebranded itself “the future of flight.” That means next-generation manned and unmanned technologies for applications like passenger and cargo delivery. Joined Bell parent Textron in 1993 as an engineer. Holds a bachelor’s in aerospace engineering and a master’s from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Duke University.

CAUSES “I support the United Way, STEM activities, the Fort Worth Youth Symphony and our local church. With a large family of my own, supporting great opportunities for our youth is important to me.”

READING NOW “I just recently started A High Impact Life, by Pete Ochs. Pete is a friend and successful entrepreneur, and I am excited to read through his approach to life and business.”

Greg Ulmer became vice president and general manager in March 2018 of the F-35 Lighting II program at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth. Ulmer leads all areas of the F-35 program, including development, production, sustainment and modernization supporting three F-35 aircraft variants for three U.S. military services, eight international partner nations, and multiple foreign military sales customers. Ulmer was previously vice president of the F-35 Aircraft Production Business Unit and, before that, vice president of operations for Lockheed’s advanced development unit known as the “Skunk Works” in California. Ulmer graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering. He also holds an executive master’s degree in business management from the University of Tennessee.

Greg Ulmer Vice president and F-35 general manager Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

Rhett Bennett Founder CEO Black Mountain

Rhett Bennett started Black Mountain in 2007, and it’s generated several units: exploration and production, electric vehicle battery metals mining, commercial saltwater disposal, and frac sand mining. In 2017, Black Mountain Oil and Gas sold New Mexico assets to Marathon Oil for $700 million. Launched Black Mountain Sand to satisfy demand for high-quality, cost-effective, in-basin frac sand and Black Mountain Metals to extract Class I nickel sulfide and copper for EV batteries. Bachelor’s in business, University of Georgia.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I sold a deal to Frank Bufkin and Buffco Production in the Eagle Ford back in the day — that was a great deal for our company and the beginning of a great run in the land game for us.”

READING NOW “Chaos Monkeys. It's about Silicon Valley in its heyday — with the excesses and exuberances.”

Jon Brumley CEO Bounty Minerals

Jon Brumley has listed eight oil and gas companies on the New York Stock Exchange, six he founded, during his career. He co-founded XTO Energy, which established Cross Timbers Royalty Trust after 20 years in various positions. He was chair and CEO of Mesa Petroleum until it merged with Parker & Parsley to form Pioneer Natural Resources Co. Brumley was chairman of Pioneer until co-founding Encore Acquisition Co. and Encore Acquisition Partners with his son, Jon S. Brumley. Today, he is chair and CEO of Bounty Investments. Brumley holds a BBA from the University of Texas and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania. Brumley and wife Becky direct their giving through their Red Oak Foundation. Brumley is a member of the Fort Worth Stock Show board.

Greg Bird President and CEO Jetta Operating Co.

Greg Bird co-founded Jetta in 1991 in Fort Worth. It has more than 500 wells on the Texas Gulf Coast and in the Delaware Basin of West Texas, Southern Mid-Continent region of Oklahoma and Texas, and Appalachian Basin in Eastern Kentucky. Bird, who’s been in oil and gas for more than 35 years, formerly worked for Cawley Gillespie & Associates, a petroleum consulting firm. Before that, he worked for Hunt Energy Corp. Bird has a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University. He’s chair of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, president of the Boy Scouts of America’s Longhorn Council Foundation, and member of the TCU Energy Institute board.

John P. Boswell President John P. Boswell Oil & Gas Co.

Longtime Fort Worth oilman John P. Boswell chairs the Cook Children’s Medical Center board, is a trustee of the Cook Children’s Health Care System and Cook Children’s Home Health boards, and a member of the Fort Worth Stock Show board.

Brian Crumley Managing partner

Vortus Investment Advisers

Brian Crumley is a co-founder and managing partner of Vortus Investments in Fort Worth, with more than 20 years of principal investment experience in energy, including equity, debt, and distressed investing across several cycles. Before Vortus, he was a founding partner in 2006 of LKCM Private Discipline Partners LP. This was the first alternative investment partnership under Luther King Capital Management. Crumley previously had primary responsibility for energy investments at Sirios Capital Management in Boston. He started his energy investment career in 1998 with Natural Gas Partners in the Fort Worth offices of Richard Rainwater. Crumley is a trustee of the Cook Children’s Health Foundation and Cook Children’s Health Care System, and he serves on the Fort Worth Country Day School board. Crumley holds a BA from Princeton University and an MBA from Stanford University.

Hunter Enis is still enjoying the local celebrity that came with cashing out several years ago for a total $1 billion in sales in the Barnett Shale, with partners Dick Lowe and others. Enis has served on the TCU Energy Institute's Board of Advisors, and he founded the Hunter Enis Endowed Chair for Petroleum Geology at TCU. Enis, a Fort Worth native, graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1955. At TCU, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in geology and lettered in baseball and football. In 1986, Enis was inducted in the TCU Letterman's Hall of Fame. Enis backed the legendary Fort Worth wildcatter Lowe, who was busted at the time, which led to the big payoffs for both. Enis and Lowe also made lead gifts for the renovation of Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Hunter Enis Partner Four Sevens Oil Co

Industry / Oil and Gas

Jim Finley CEO Finley Resources

Jim Finley, out of the University of Texas with a BBA in accounting, began his career as an auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co., working primarily with oil and gas clients. In 1981, he joined Duer Wagner & Co. as CFO and, during 17 years there, became managing partner and, with his partners, moved into acquiring producing oil and gas properties. Finley went out on his own in 1997, establishing Finley Resources as an operator. Finley Resources, Finley Production, and Lonesome Oil & Gas, LLC own interests in 3,000 wells in 13 states. Jim and Charlotte Finley own Mesa Well Servicing, LP in Hobbs, New Mexico, and Mesa Southern in Jourdanton. Other investments include ownership stakes in community banks and commercial and residential real estate. Finley is active in several nonprofit causes, including homelessness.

Charlie Moncrief Vice

president

Moncrief Oil Co. and Montex Drilling Co

Charlie Moncrief served in the Marine Corps after college and then went to work in his family ventures. After working in a drilling venture in Wyoming, he moved back to Fort Worth in 1980 and rejoined his father, William A. “Tex” Moncrief, Jr., and grandfather in the home office. Moncrief is a partner in Moncrief Oil Co. and Montex Drilling Co. and, with his father, oversees oil and gas operations, investments, and family ranching and serves on the Moncrief Foundation board. Moncrief attended the University of Texas and TCU, where he earned a bachelor’s in geology. Moncrief and wife Kit this year were inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, which cited their dedication to Fort Worth, philanthropy, and ranching, and affinity for quarter horses. Couple manages Moncrief Ranches in Parker County and Gunnison, Colorado. Moncrief serves on Fort Worth Stock Show board.

Mary Ralph Lowe CEO Maralo, LLC

Mary Ralph Lowe has been president and CEO of Maralo, LLC, a private oil and gas exploration and production company and ranching operation, since 1973. Lowe along with her mother, Erma Lowe, established the Lowe Foundation (net assets, $45 million as of 2018) in 1988 to support preventative or rehabilitative programs that benefit the critical needs of at-risk women and children. Lowe serves on the TCU, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation, and Performing Arts Fort Worth boards.

Jeffrey Miller CEO Vortus Investment Advisers

Jeffrey Miller, co-founder and managing partner of Vortus Investments, has over 30 years of significant financial, managerial, operational and technical experience in the global upstream industry. Miller was director of upstream for Mercuria Energy, based in Geneva and Fort Worth, and previously was president of Moncrief Oil International, a private independent oil company with a global portfolio, and managing partner of Moncrief Minerals, which focused on mineral and nonoperated assets in the Barnett Shale. He has a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Mike Moncrief CEO

Mike Moncrief

Investments

Former Mayor Mike Moncrief has maintained an active community life since he “retired” as the city’s mayor in 2011. Serves on Fort Worth Stock Show, Ben Hogan Foundation, Methodist Justice Ministry, and Kids Who Care boards. Elected to Texas House of Representatives. Elected Tarrant County judge, served 12 years. Elected to Texas State Senate, served 12. Elected mayor in 2003, implemented Directions Home, 10-year program to address chronic homelessness. Bachelor’s, Tarleton State University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Student body president at Tarleton State University” CAUSES “Methodist Justice Ministry — it's the only organization which legally protects indigent women and children from domestic violence, child neglect and physical abuse.”

READING NOW “Dee Kelly, Jr.'s third and newest book, Landon Wallace’s The Next Election.”

William A. “Tex” Moncrief,

Jr. President

Moncrief Oil Co. and Montex Drilling Co.

Tex Moncrief has added to his family’s community legacy in recent years as he approached age 100, a status he achieved in March. Five years ago, Moncrief gave an extraordinary $25 million to establish the UT Southwestern Monty and Tex Moncrief Medical Center at Fort Worth, honoring his late father, W.A. “Monty” Moncrief. That’s in addition to the $75 million Moncrief and the William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Foundation have given to the Moncrief Cancer Foundation for the Moncrief Cancer Institute in Fort Worth and the $14 million he and the foundation have given for programs at UT Southwestern in Dallas. Moncrief holds a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas. Moncrief built his fortune — estimated in 2015 at $1 billion by Forbes, before he fell off its world’s billionaires the next year — by going into the oil business his father started and making major finds.

Bob Ravnaas Chairman and CEO Kimbell Royalty Partners

Bob Ravnaas has been CEO of Kimbell Royalty Partners since February 2017. The partnership has grown to be one of the largest private owners of minerals, royalties and overriding royalty interests nationally. The Kimbell Art Foundation owns a stake. As of this spring, Kimbell had 70 rigs actively drilling on its acreage, representing about 13.7% market share of all land rigs drilling in the continental U.S. Kimbell has interests in 96,000 gross wells across 28 states and seven basins. KRP cautioned this spring that COVID-19 and “OPEC disagreements” have generated imbalance in the markets that could affect results. But Ravnaas noted 60% of first-quarter production came from natural gas, “for which the outlook appears increasingly strong.” Ravnaas received a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado and MS in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas.

Jeffrey Ventura President and CEO Range Resources

Range Resources beat Wall Street estimates for the first quarter on higher natural gas production and lowered expenses. “The Range team has met the unique challenges of working through this pandemic with dedication and compassion, making sure that our business plans remain on track, while prioritizing health and safety,” Range CEO Jeffrey Ventura said. “Range continues to make steady progress on key near-term objectives: improving our cost structure, bolstering liquidity, and operating safely while maintaining peerleading capital efficiency.” The publicly traded Range, a $2.8 billion-in-sales U.S. independent oil and natural gas producer, is one of two Fortune 1000 companies with headquarters in Tarrant County; American Airlines, the county’s largest employer, is the other. Holds Bachelor of Science in petroleum and natural gas engineering, Penn State University.

Davis Ravnaas President and CFO Kimbell Royalty Partners

R. Davis Ravnaas cofounded Kimbell’s predecessor, Rivercrest Royalties, LLC, in October 2013 and served as CFO. Ravnaas was an associate investment professional with Crestview Partners, a large New York-based private equity fund, where he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating and monitoring investments in energy and industrials companies. He started his career as an analyst in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs’ natural resources group. He holds an AB in Economics from Princeton University, MS in finance and economics from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from Stanford University.

Bob Simpson Chairman MorningStar Partners

Bob Simpson is chairman of MorningStar Partners, manager of Cross Timbers Energy, LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between ExxonMobil and MorningStar. Cross Timbers is focused on conventional oil and gas exploration and production onshore in America. Previously, Simpson was chairman and founder of XTO Energy, which became the largest producer of natural gas in America. Simpson merged XTO with ExxonMobil in 2010 in a $41 billion deal. Simpson also is cochairman and part-owner of the Texas Rangers baseball club. Simpson grew up in Cisco. He attended Baylor University, where earned a BBA in accounting and an MBA. As XTO grew in Fort Worth, he purchased a series of historic buildings downtown and renovated them. For four straight years, XTO purchased the grand champion steers at the Fort Worth Stock Show from their youth exhibitors.

Ryan Vinson CEO MineralWare

Ryan Vinson was head of oil and gas advisory for Bessemer Trust when he decided in April 2014 to jump full time to launch MineralWare, a software platform that banks, institutions, investment funds, foundations, family offices, and individuals can use to manage mineral interests. The privately held Fort Worth company has taken off, with clients such as Frost Bank signing up to use the platform, and Vinson and partners have now generated a new auction site that mineral buyers and sellers can use to trade interests online. MineralWare last year surpassed a financial goal that triggered employee bonuses of up to 50% of salary. Vinson earned a B.A. in energy commerce and petroleum land management from Texas Tech University, and a master’s degree in natural resource law studies from University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

Mitch Wynne CEO Wynne Petroleum

Mitch Wynne, with partners, took their Kimbell Royalty Partners public in recent years. The portfolio includes over 13 million gross acres in 28 states and in every major onshore basin in the continental U.S., and ownership in more than 96,000 gross wells. The Kimbell Art Foundation owns a big stake in Kimbell Royalty Partners. Wynne, husband of Kimbell Art Museum President Kimbell Fortson Wynne, has been in oil and gas since 1980.

Jerry Durant CEO

Jerry

Durant Auto Group

Jerry Durant started working in the auto business as a youth, first at his father’s wrecking yard and later at Durant Chevrolet in Granbury, which his dad bought in 1960. After graduating from North Texas State University in the late 1960s, Durant decided to open Jerry’s Chevrolet in Weatherford when he was just 22. Today, the Jerry Durant Auto Group covers 50 acres in Weatherford and sells Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hyundai, and Toyota. Giving generously to the Weatherford community, Durant has won several local awards, including Weatherford Citizen of the Year, the James Doss Award, and Weatherford College Carlos Hartness Award. Durant’s avocation is horses — racing and cutting horses. He’s earned more than $2 million from cutting horses, including the 2007 NCHA Futurity Open Reserve Championship won by Bubba Matlock and Durant's stallion Desires Little Rex.

Sam Mahrouq Chairman and CEO MEI Group

Sam Mahrouq’s businesses include 11 car dealerships, prominent Dollar Rent-a-Car franchise, MEI Auto Finance, and a real estate investment group. Most recent focus is iKON Technologies. Mahrouq’s Arlingtonbased iKON uses technology to partner with dealers so they gain visibility over inventory. Native of Jordan, graduated University of Texas at Arlington. Funded $500,000 UTA School of Business Financial Markets Lab. Arlington Museum of Art galleries named after Mahrouq family for $500,000 grant. Donor, Arlington Life Shelter, Levitt Pavilion in Downtown Arlington, Oak Ridge School.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Came when I was completing college and my resources were low. I polished and sold my vehicle for a nice profit, and the buyer was most appreciative. Upon graduation, I was selling hundreds of used cars every month to Saudi Arabia.”

Tom Durant CEO Classic Chevrolet

Tom Durant didn’t have a roadmap that put him on course for becoming the No. 1 Chevrolet and No. 1 GM dealer. He admits he might have been driven by competition with his brother, Jerry Durant, the Weatherford auto dealer. Today, Tom Durant’s group includes Classic Chevrolet in Grapevine, The Thompson Group (Commercial and Fleet) in Grapevine, Classic Mazda and Classic Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Denton, Classic Buick GMC in Arlington, Classic Buick GMC in Carrollton, Classic Chevrolet Buick GMC in Granbury, Classic Auto Group in Galveston, Classic Chevrolet Sugar Land, and Stingray Chevrolet in Tampa, Florida. He also owns Mike Brown Ford and Mike Brown Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Granbury. After graduating from Texas Tech University in 1972, Tom Durant bought the Durant Chevrolet dealership that his father owned in Granbury, putting him in the business.

Jonathan Morris CEO Fort Worth Barber Shop

Jonathan Morris represents young new entrepreneur Fort Worth wants more of. In 2014, opened Fort Worth Barber Shop on West Side, offering men’s grooming with new vibe. In January, consolidated The Lathery concept into barber shop. Converting Montgomery Street building into Hotel Dryce near Dickies Arena, coming 2021. Bachelor’s in business, Morehouse College.

CAUSES “I serve on the boards of Gallery of Dreams, Presbyterian Night Shelter and Art Tooth. I'm most passionate about supporting the local art scene.”

READING NOW “Spending a lot of time on Skift.com, tracking forecasts of how the travel industry will be impacted by COVID-19 in the months and years to come.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I'm optimistic we will be even more adamant about supporting small business.”

Robert Howard President Don Davis Auto Group

Don Davis Auto Group has been under Robert Howard’s direction for 25 years. He started his Don Davis career in 1985 when he graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington. UTA has since recognized Howard as a distinguished alumnus. Don Davis has four Tarrant County locations. For nine years, Don Davis has participated in the Santa’s Helpers Toy Drive, hosting drop-off centers and donating nearly $100,000 each season.

George Sherman CEO GameStop

George Sherman became CEO of GameStop in April 2019, bringing more than 25 years of senior management background in retail leadership at brands like Advance Auto Parts, Best Buy, Target and Home Depot. COVID-19 socked comparable store sales in the first quarter, down 17%. But e-commerce sales grew 519% and over 1,000% during the six weeks of the quarter that the stores temporarily closed to customer access. “While we delivered a loss for the quarter in total, our performance included total sales just shy of our original expectations,” Sherman said. Importantly, GameStop recorded a 43% decline in inventory and 54% decrease in accounts payable. “We continued to optimize the core business operation and maintained financial strength and flexibility.” Sherman received a master’s degree from Central Michigan University and served as an Air Force officer for nearly seven years.

Nonprofits

Our nonprofit influencers run the gamut in interests from arts to education, homelessness, and science. They’ve seen dramatic increase in demand from COVID-19-related needs. Several have long leaned into the work of early childhood nurturing and literacy, critical community issues.

Neils Agather Executive director

The Burnett Foundation

Neils Agather has stewardship of Fort Worth’s Burnett Foundation, created in 1978 with $200 million in assets by Anne Burnett Tandy to support projects ranging from horse ranching to museums. Tandy’s daughter, Anne Windfohr Marion, was president of the foundation when she died earlier this year. The foundation makes grants in arts and humanities, education, community affairs, and health and human services, chiefly in its Fort Worth home. The foundation also makes grants in New Mexico, largely in the arts. Marion founded the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe. Agather is married to longtime banker Elaine Agather, recently chosen to co-chair a Fort Worth nonprofit tasked with helping Fort Worth business rebuild from COVID-19 and find new opportunity.

Wayne Carson CEO ACH Child

Services

and Family

Educated as a civil engineer at the University of Missouri-Rolla, Wayne Carson worked for three years as an engineer but switched to social work so he could work with kids in need of families. Started working for the All Church Home in Fort Worth — now ACH — more than 30 years ago. Took over as CEO June 2000 and subsequently completed PhD, University of Texas at Arlington. ACH’s big portfolio expanded this spring when it assumed case management responsibilities from Child Protective Services in the region for all children in substitute care.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being born into an amazing family with two great parents.”

READING NOW New York Times — every Sunday. The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, by John Barry.

Rose

Bradshaw

President and CEO North Texas Community Foundation

Rose Bradshaw took over as CEO of the North Texas Community Foundation in 2017. Has worked with philanthropists, foundations, corporations, and nonprofits in North Texas, San Francisco, New York and Chicago. Foundation is among nonprofit funders locally at center of efforts to identify and back emergency needs related to COVID-19. Foundation’s grants more than $27 million, 2019. Has more than $382 million in assets.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Cheering for my daughters at their soccer and basketball games.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Meeting my Texas-born husband-to-be in the heart of New York.” CAUSES “Efforts that bring together public, private and philanthropic partners to produce broad community benefit. I can attest that nobody does partnership better than Fort Worth.”

Grant Coates President and CEO

The Miles Foundation

Grant Coates has been connected to the Miles Foundation for years, joining namesake Ellison Miles’ oil and gas business in 2001 in finance. Foundation president, 2011. Foundation given more than $20 million in grants since 1999. Focus meshes with big Fort Worth themes: early childhood education, family engagement, third-grade literacy, leadership development, and quality schools. Foundation backed startup of Best Place for Working Parents initiative with Mayor Betsy Price. During COVID-19, supported creation of web tools matching companies that are hiring with ones that laid people off, and identifying open child care slots for essential workers.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Interning for Miles Production Co. while in college.”

READING NOW Patrick Lencioni's new book, The Motive, and Ryan Holiday's Ego Is the Enemy.

Julie Butner President Tarrant Area Food Bank

Julie Butner took the new job as president of the Tarrant Area Food Bank in January and, within a few months, was in the middle of COVID-19. Food Bank, seeing demand double, dramatically increased deliveries of food to 330 community partners in 13 counties. To increase reach, set up drivethrough mobile stations. Food Bank shut down volunteer network that boxed food daily but signed up Texas Air National Guard unit to take that work. Unable to hold annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, Food Bank launched campaign targeted at loyals. Butner educated at TCU and University of Oklahoma.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The challenges of economic and social reconstruction will require community effort to be successful. A new focus on assisting those struggling will demonstrate the importance of collaboration in providing social services.”

Bruce Frankel Executive director DRC

Bruce Frankel led the Day Resource Center for the Homeless, now the DRC, through a 2015 repositioning that turned it into a housingfirst strategist in seeking solutions to homelessness. DRC staff assists people in securing housing. DRC is housing navigation partner for Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, provides on-site case management for The Palm Tree Apartments, a privately owned, permanent supportive housing property.

FIRST BIG BREAK “In 1979, I was 27, living in San Francisco and doing my clinical internship at a mental health clinic. This was just about the time then-governor of California Ronald Reagan decided it would be a brilliant idea to close all of the state hospitals, in effect putting thousands of people out on the streets. The influx of newly homeless people living with mental illness was staggering. Our director looked at me and said, ‘Figure out what to do with all these folks.’ "

Pete Geren President and CEO Sid Richardson Foundation

Pete Geren has been president and CEO of the Sid Richardson Foundation since 2011, overseeing grants support of educational, health, human service, cultural programs, and projects that serve Texans. The foundation, named afterthe legendary oilman Sid Richardson, gave gifts of $31.7 million for 2016-17. The Sid Richardson is one of 20 initial major backers of North Texas Cares, an initiative launched as COVID-19 spread to identify emergency needs. A University of Texas-educated lawyer, Geren won a special election to fill the House seat of former Speaker Jim Wright in 1989. He served four terms and returned to Fort Worth. He returned to Washington in September 2001 as special assistant to the defense secretary, and later served as acting Air Force secretary and 20th Army secretary.

Todd M. Morris Liles Executive director

The Morris Foundation

Todd Liles, son of the founders of The Morris Foundation, Linda and Jack Morris, has repositioned the foundation since joining it in 2015. In August last year, the foundation, which has long served Fort Worth’s most vulnerable populations, rolled out an unusual new strategy. Under it, subject matter experts in education, health care, and social services lead in solving critical challenges to people most in need. The foundation's main focus in education is third-grade literacy in Fort Worth public schools. In health care, it's mental health. And in social services, it’s homelessness. In each of the three “pillars,” 60% of the foundation’s future gifts will go to those emphases. “It’s not typical philanthropy,” Liles, said in an interview. “It’s activist philanthropy.” The foundation has distributed $95 million in grants since 1986, including $10 million in 2018. It estimates its gifts impact 3 million people annually.

Michael Grace CEO Catholic Charities Fort Worth

Michael Grace took over as Catholic Charities’ CEO in May 2019. Grace is a serial entrepreneur, with 25 years in business development and leadership in oil and gas, social media, music production, mining equipment, and food. Grace left business to come to Catholic Charities.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Fort Worth is really in its element to me as a pedestrian environment. I miss the energy and the buzz.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “When I was 25, I learned the ropes to business and hard work by helping my dad run his own company, Grace Fabrication.” CAUSES “My passion is poverty-ending work, which is why I find myself working for Catholic Charities. I’m also on the board at LVT Rise and have enjoyed putting some energy into revitalization projects, reentry work, and collaborating across our city to support people in need during COVID-19 and beyond.”

Laura McWhorter Chief philanthropy officer

North Texas Community

Foundation

Laura McWhorter took over as the North Texas Community Foundation’s first chief philanthropy officer in November last year, as the foundation implemented a fiveyear strategic plan expanding its reach and philanthropic services. McWhorter, educated at TCU, came to the foundation from the Texas Health Resources Foundation, where she was vice president.

FIRST BIG BREAK “I have been so fortunate to have great leaders in my life who took a chance on me, even when it sometimes didn't make sense on paper. I entered Texas Health Resources in 1997 as an administrative assistant and advanced to vice president for its foundation, becoming one of the youngest officers at the time. I am so thankful to these mentors who saw my potential and encouraged me along the way. I am extremely humbled and grateful.”

Leah King President CEO United Way of Tarrant County

Leah King was promoted to president and CEO of the United Way in November last year, moving up from chief operating officer. With COVID-19, North Texas’ United Ways were thrust immediately into regional efforts to identify and fund emergency needs through the North Texas Cares initiative.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Shopping and eating our way through the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and celebrating our anniversary, in person, at Del Frisco's. The team at Del's took great care of us as we celebrated at home.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Winning a spot on the [RadioShack] Answer Team. The team was formed back in the days when RadioShack was a powerhouse and launched the wildly successful ‘You've Got Questions. We've Got Answers' campaign. Being one of the six [store] managers selected was huge and is what brought me to Fort Worth.”

Toby Owen CEO Presbyterian Night Shelter

Toby Owen has been executive director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter, one of Fort Worth’s major shelters, since 2009. Owen has overseen an expansion of the shelter’s facility and services. The Clean Slate employment program offers jobs for residents in janitorial, staffing, and litter cleanup. PNS has been another of the agencies socked with high demand during the COVID-19 outbreak.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being hired at age 28 as the director of residential services at ACH Child and Family Services by Wayne Carson.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The homeless service providers in Fort Worth are very concerned about the anticipated number of newly homeless individuals and families in the next few months. Serious planning and collaboration are happening now so that we can all do our best to meet this new challenge.”

Todd Rainwater Chairman Rainwater Charitable Foundation

Todd Rainwater is chair of the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, founded in 1991 by Rainwater’s father, the billionaire investor Richard Rainwater, to improve the lives of children in the U.S. Richard Rainwater died in 2015 of neurodegenerative disease; Rainwater set the foundation on a path of investing millions in finding a cure. Earlier this spring, the foundation and Alzheimer's Association announced they teamed up again to fund drug discovery research As COVID-19 broke out, Rainwater signed onto North Texas Cares, a collaboration to identify and fund emergency needs. The foundation is the lead backer of a new Fort Worth college readiness initiative called Tarrant To & Through Partnership, which will send paid counselors into certain Fort Worth public high schools. The foundation made total grants of $75.9 million for 2017 and 2018.

Don Shisler President Union Gospel Mission

Don Shisler got his start at Union Gospel Mission as a volunteer in 1993 and became the president and CEO in 1995. He is currently in the organization’s second strategic plan and, in 2016, dedicated the new Scott Walker Women and Families Service building, a 28room facility for women and children.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The thing I missed most this spring was celebrating Easter with our residents and guests at UGM-TC and with friends and family.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY

“COVID-19 will likely change our city in some capacity forever. I believe our community has been made more aware of their surroundings and that will affect how we interact with one another for some time to come. However, I know Fort Worth will remain a friendly and caring community it has always been.”

John

Robinson Executive vice

presi-

dent-grant administration

Amon G. Carter Foundation

John Robinson is the longtime grant administrator at the Amon Carter Foundation, established in 1945 by the businessman Amon G. Carter and his wife, Nenetta Burton Carter. The foundation supports work in art and culture, civic and public affairs, education, health, and human services. For the five years through 2019, the foundation gave $155.89 million in grants, 41% to the Amon Carter Museum.

FIRST BIG BREAK “1) Being born to loving parents in a nurturing home. 2) Opportunity to intern at Ernst & Ernst while attending TCU.”

READING NOW “1) Lots of COVID-19 related grant requests! 2) Old Golf Digests in search of the elusive magic swing tip that I am missing.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I hope it makes everyone realize there are many things out of our control and to not be fearful, but trust in the Lord.”

Jeremy Smith President Rainwater Charitable Foundation

Jeremy Smith joined the Rainwater Foundation in 2009. He directs the foundation’s giving in K-12 education, medical research, and education-related gifts in India and East Africa. Prior to Rainwater, Smith worked in management consulting for four years, first with McKinsey & Co., serving clients in consumer-packaged goods, technology and health care; and later as an associate director with DenuoSource LLC, primarily in marketing and organizational design. Fluent in Spanish and proficient in Chinese, Smith has an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Arkansas. During college, he spent one year teaching in an elementary classroom and received a District Outstanding Teacher of the Year award.

John P. Ryan, Jr.

Chairman

The Thomas M., Helen McKee & John P. Ryan Foundation

John P. Ryan, Jr. is son of the businessman John P. Ryan, who co-founded the Ryan Foundation in 1983 with his mother Helen McKee Ryan. The foundation makes grants in health care, human and social services, education, children services, and the arts. As of December 2019, the foundation reported it had $120 million in assets and had made $75 million in grants since inception. The foundation received its initial funding from the estate of Helen Ryan upon her death in 1983. It received additional funding from John Ryan during his lifetime and from his estate upon his death in 2003. The foundation is part of a coalition of nonprofits that plans to build a $4.7 million permanent supportive housing project in West Fort Worth.

Kara Waddell President/CEO Child Care Associates

Kara Waddell joined Child Care Associates in 2014 and has led the organizing in creating what it calls “the finest possible early learning system” for families and children in need. During the early stages of COVID-19, led coalition in quickly developing a web tool called FIND! Child Care, aimed at connecting essential workers with open child care slots. Proficient in Mandarin, lived in China for 12 years, where she served families in extreme poverty for a U.S. nonprofit. Holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University and undergraduate degree from Duke University.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “Fort Worth is changing in that we are real-time seeing how COVID-19 is impacting some neighborhoods and some families more than others. I think Fort Worth, however, will ‘stay true’ to our willingness and ability to respond to families in need.”

Philanthropy

Fort Worthians are known for generosity. Our influencers profiled here include some of the city’s highest-profile contributors.

Larry Anfin

Larry Anfin and wife Karen are ubiquitous, serving on numerous boards and highly visible at fundraisers and other community events. Anfin is a grandson of the late John McMillan, who co-founded Coors Distributing Company of Fort Worth and ran it until he died in 2001. The Anfin family — Larry and his three brothers — sold the company to Andrews Distributing Co. in 2014.

Anne T. Bass

Anne T. Bass and husband Robert Bass direct their philanthropy through their Anne T & Robert M Bass Foundation, which had $85 million in net assets of the end of 2018, most recent year available. Their giving focuses on education, youth, health and human services. The foundation’s 2018 tax filing does not specify grants. Anne Bass is president of the foundation.

Mercedes Bass

Mercedes Bass, former wife of Sid Bass, is chairman of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra board, which is engaged in a search for a new music director to replace Miguel HarthBedoya, who is leaving the orchestra after 20 years. Bass also is a director of the Van Cliburn Foundation.

Ramona Bass

Ramona Bass, wife of Lee Bass, is longtime co-chairman of the Fort Worth Zoo board and one of the country’s most noted supporters of conservation. Bass led the creation of the zoo’s popular Texas Wild! area in 2001. In 1993, she and her husband founded the Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation to award grants for Texas education; community programs and projects for arts and environment; and national and regional conservation, education, and research. The foundation had $55 million in net assets as of 2018. Major 2018 gifts: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, $1 million for 2018 and $2 million in the future for an endowment to fund exhibitions; International Rhino Foundation, $200,000 for 2018 and $200,000 in the future; The Peregrine Fund for threatened and endangered birds, $500,000 for 2018 and $500,000 in the future; University of Texas, $1.5 million in 2018 and $5 million in the future; and Vanderbilt University, $5 million in 2018.

Mitzi Davis

Mitzi Davis, wife of Fort Worth & Western Railroad owner Bill Davis, is a longtime arts patron in Fort Worth. Today, she serves on the executive committee of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and on the board of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Joan Katz

Cancer and adoptions remain big volunteer passions of Joan Katz. A three-time survivor who spearheaded the establishment of the Joan Katz Cancer Resource Center in 2010 at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Katz is a member of the executive committee and survivor focus group. In 1992, Katz cofounded the Susan G. Komen Tarrant County affiliate and Race for the Cure. She is a member of the board and strategic planning and governance committees. Katz and her husband, Howard, are adoptive parents; in 1997, Howard Katz started The Gladney Cup fundraiser benefiting The Gladney Center for Adoption. Joan Katz is a member of Gladney’s Presidents Council.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Growing up in a family that made volunteerism part of my life. My parents taught me values, gratitude, leadership and helping others by their example.”

Marsha Kleinheinz

Marsha Kleinheinz and her husband, John, direct their giving through their Kleinheinz Family Foundation for the Arts and Education. Major gifts in 2018, the most recent year for which information was available, included: $2.1 million to Stanford (husband John is a graduate); $876,000 to Idea Public Schools in Fort Worth; $837,500 to Uplift Education in Fort Worth; $550,000 to the Fort Worth Zoo; $200,000 apiece to the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; $171,766 to Lena Pope; $120,000 to the Van Cliburn Foundation; $75,000 to Performing Arts Fort Worth, owner and operator of Bass Hall; $75,000 to Teach for America; and $75,000 to the Texas Tribune.

Marty Leonard

Marty Leonard was introduced to golf at age 3 by her father, Marvin Leonard, who founded the Colonial and Shady Oaks country clubs. She enjoyed a lengthy amateur career, built and owns the Leonard Golf Links teaching facility in Fort Worth, and built the Nike Research and Development building and Tech Center in the city. She’s a longtime supporter of Lena Pope. She serves on the Lena Pope, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation, and Kids Who Care boards. She is vice president of the Tarrant Regional Water District board, having first been elected in 2006. She is a graduate of SMU.

John Marion

John Marion, widower of Anne Burnett Windfohr Marion, who died earlier this year, is vice president of The Burnett Foundation, major contributor to the arts, education, human services, health care, and community. Marion also is a member of the board of Performing Arts Fort Worth, which owns and operates Bass Hall. He is the legendary retired chair and chief auctioneer of Sotheby’s North America. He married Anne Marion in 1988. Anne Marion, with her husband’s help, spearheaded the construction and opening of the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Michelle Marlow is the new volunteer Jewel Charity president, the major fundraising organization benefiting Cook Children’s in Fort Worth. TCU-educated, licensed speech pathologist has co-written two books, R Is the Roughest Sound and L Is for Lemonade, and written another, S Is the Most Delicious Sound, for children with speech impairments. Marlow is a member of the board of Fort Worth Country Day School, chair of the TCU Davies School of Communication Disorders and Health Sciences Advisory Board, and a member of the Advisory Board to the TCU Chancellor. She’s a former Junior League of Fort Worth president.

Louella Martin

Lou Martin and her husband, Nicholas Martin, celebrated the opening last summer of the Nick and Lou Martin University Center at Texas Wesleyan University, after making the lead gift for a $20 million campaign. Martin’s grandfather and father were longtime trustees. Other recent major capital gifts include Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center. Martin serves on the Texas Wesleyan, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra boards. She was Jewel Charity Ball 2020 president and serves on the Jewel Charity Invitational 2020 committee for Cook Children’s.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The Jewel Charity events we had to cancel due to the virus. The events at Bass Hall and the symphony. I missed seeing my great-grandchildren.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “Hopefully, we will have more awareness of how fortunate we are.”

Kit

Kit Moncrief and her husband, Charlie Moncrief, have supported numerous causes as philanthropists, ranchers, conservationists, and animal welfare advocates. Moncrief is president of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, vice chair of the TCU Board of Trustees, and a director of the Fort Worth Zoo, Moncrief Cancer Institute, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Moncrief co-founded Saving Hope Foundation to end animal abuse and neglect. Studied art history at SMU and ranch management at TCU.

FIRST BIG BREAK “My parents’ inspiration. My mother was head of Jewel Charity Ball and the TCU executive committee, and my father was the chairman of the Fort Worth Zoo and worked in worldwide animal conservation efforts. They taught me to be involved.”

READING NOW “The Murmur of Bees. It is about the Spanish Flu.”

Michelle Marlow

Tennison Moncrief

Rosie Moncrief

Rosie Moncrief, Fort Worth’s former “first lady,” devotes her time to issues involving children, senior citizens, health care and human trafficking. Recent board memberships include Community Hospice, The First Tee of Fort Worth, Cancer Care Services, Doris Kupferle Women’s Health Advisory Board of Harris Methodist Health Systems, Fort Worth Promotion & Development Fund, and Happy Hill Farm.

CAUSES “I feel strongly about quality of life issues. A Wish with Wings, Cuisine for Healing, Methodist Justice Ministry and working with a Fort Worth Firefighters’ Cancer Focus Group are all near to my heart.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY

“Recovery will take everyone coming together for a common cause. Our neighbors are hurting, charities are struggling, and the economic impact on our city will be large.”

Matt Rose

Matt Rose is chairman of Read Fort Worth, an initiative launched in 2016 by Rose, Mayor Betsy Price and Fort Worth schools Superintendent Kent Scribner to attack lagging literacy among the city’s third graders by pairing them with volunteer reading mentors. Less than a third of Fort Worth public school third graders read on level. The literacy stat has been stubborn, and Read Fort Worth today is on its third executive director. Rose, a longtime BNSF railroad employee, retired in April 2019. He was executive chairman for six years and CEO the prior 13. As CEO, he helped guide BNSF’s acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway in 2009. Rose helped his wife, Lisa, acquire land in Grapevine and develop The Gatehouse at Grapevine, a residential campus for women and their children in crisis, with programs designed to help them to selfsufficiency. Gatehouse opened in 2015. Rose holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri.

John V. Roach

John Roach, retired longtime chairman and CEO of Tandy Corp., remains an active supporter of TCU and other causes with his wife, Jean, through their Roach Foundation. The foundation ($8.5 million net assets as of 2018) makes gifts to education, children, health, cultural, and social causes, with the largest gifts going to TCU for general support, capital expansion and programs like the KinderFrogs School early childhood education program. Roach serves on the Neeley School of Business Board of Advisors. Roach, who graduated from TCU, joined Tandy in 1967 as a data processing manager. He became CEO in 1981 and chairman in 1983, and he held those posts until he retired in 1999. Roach was elected chair of TCU’s Board of Trustees in 1990 and led the “1990s Project,” which set the university’s agenda for 10 years. He was chair of the search committee that chose a successor to Chancellor Bill Tucker.

Ed Schollmaier

Ed and Rae Schollmaier provided the $10 million lead gift several years ago for the $72 million renovation of the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on the TCU campus, known today as the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena and home to the Frogs men’s and women’s basketball programs. Rae Schollmaier died in 2015. The couple were longtime supporters of TCU. Ed Schollmaier, retired CEO of Alcon Laboratories, remains a TCU trustee. He was formerly a member of the Neeley School of Business International Board of Visitors. Schollmaier also serves on the executive committee of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. He holds an MBA from Harvard University.

Lisa Rose

Lisa Rose is president of projectHandUp, a nonprofit that runs The Gatehouse at Grapevine, a residential campus opened in 2015 for women and their children in crisis, with holistic programs designed to help them to self-sufficiency. Gatehouse grew out of another group Rose co-founded, called First Friday, a free once-a-month practical experience to help women through challenges.

Alice Walton

Walmart heiress Alice Walton sold off a blueribbon herd of cutting horses and a ranch west of Fort Worth several years ago so she could focus on the construction, curation and opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of Western Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, where she grew up. Walton, who retains a home in Fort Worth, according to Forbes, is the world’s 17th wealthiest person, with the magazine pegging her net worth at $53.1 billion in early July. The Crystal Bridges, which opened in 2011, includes works from artists such as Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Mark Rothko. Walton began her career in finance and founded Llama Co., an investment bank. She has served as a member of the board of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University.

Professional Services

Our influencers in this wide-ranging section cut a path through advertising and public relations, accounting, business coaching, information technology, media, and the law.

Stuart Balcom CEO The Balcom Agency

Stuart Balcom grew up around the ad business; his father worked for and owned several agencies. In college, Balcom started an agency using University of Texas students as staff. After college, he worked for several agencies and then started Balcom Agency in 1993 in Fort Worth. The agency has won numerous awards, including the 2018 Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame Governor’s Award. Balcom is a cyclist and climber. He holds a bachelor’s from the University of Texas.

Gail Cooksey CEO Cooksey Communications

Gail Cooksey founded her own firm in 1994 after working as a senior marketing executive for various Texas banks, leveraging her corporate PR experience and network of DFW civic, media, government and business contacts. Cooksey was a journalist before she moved into corporate and agency PR. Today, Cooksey offers a range of services, including strategy and crisis PR, media relations, leadership positioning, issues-related communications, business development planning, community engagement, special events, creative, and web. Hillwood is a client. Cooksey has served on the North Texas Commission board. She holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas.

Jeremy Cornfeldt President iProspect

Jeremy Cornfeldt, U.S. president of iProspect, became CEO in January last year. iProspect is a digital marketing agency with service in a range of specialties, including paid search, search engine optimization, and paid social media. It touts one partnership with Facebook and EE that showed social media advertising could drive foot traffic. Cornfeldt has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Bradford College and Master of Arts in Business Communications from Emerson College. Cornfeldt has worked in advertising and marketing for more than two decades.

Ashley Freer Principal group director and head of strategy Balcom Agency

Ashley Freer, a partner at the Balcom Agency, leads a group that develops strategies for clients including Cook Children's Health Care System, Dairy MAX, Renfro Foods, The PARC, and Presbyterian Night Shelter. She was 2019-2020 president of the Junior League of Fort Worth and serves on the Mayfest board. Freer holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Lee University and a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

MISSED

MOST THIS SPRING “Mayfest and The Cliburn [International Amateur] are two Fort Worth treasures that I know we all missed. I also missed being with fellow Junior League of Fort Worth members as we wrapped up the 20192020 year. We paused volunteering, activities and events in mid-March, but have been able to support our community by re-routing unused funds of nearly $80,000 to assist nonprofits.”

Chris Gavras President The CG Group

Chris Gavras has been a strategic communications adviser in Tarrant County for more than 25 years. His firm advises nearly two dozen clients, including Fortune 100 corporations, privately held companies, several North Texas law firms, professional and trade associations, philanthropic leaders, sports entities, commercial developers, and higher education institutions. On a pro bono basis, he advises several North Texas elected officials. Gavras serves on the Leadership Fort Worth steering committee and the Davey O’Brien Foundation board.

Jennifer Henderson President J.O. Design

Jennifer Henderson founded her own marketing communications shop in 1988, offering PR, brand development, marketing, communications, social media, and graphic design. In 2013, she founded The Cause Agency in Fort Worth, offering marketing and PR to local nonprofits at discounted rates. In 2017, Cause launched its first fundraiser, Common Thread, choosing six causes and recruiting artists to design T-shirts for those organizations, awarding a pro bono marketing services prize to the contest winner. Henderson has a Bachelor of Arts in marketing from Texas Wesleyan University. She is a member of the Near Southside, Inc. board.

Professional Services / Advertising and Public Relations

Jeff Ireland CEO Enilon

Jeff Ireland founded Enilon, a digital marketing agency, in 2005 in Fort Worth. Clients include Bell, Acme Brick, Flexjet, Clarus Glassboards, SMU, and Texas Health Resources. Before Enilon, Ireland founded VirtuallyThere, one of North Texas’ first web development firms. Its clients included American Airlines, Citigroup, and Justin Brands. Ireland holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from TCU.

Linda Pavlik CEO Pavlik & Associates

Linda Pavlik has more than 30 years as a communications specialist. Firm specializes in public and corporate engagement, creating synergy among entities in the public and private sectors, and public policy development. Clients have included Fort Worth, Dallas and Arlington; economic development corporations; North Central Texas Council of Governments; State of Texas; DFW Airport; and feds on issues such as land use, transportation, environment, energy, and housing. Former journalist Pavlik has been raising money to launch a local nonprofit news organization. Bachelor's in journalism, University of Oklahoma.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “I missed all of the spring festivals, holidays and artistry of the season. I also miss being out in our ‘big, little city’ for cups of coffee or quick lunches. What is great about Fort Worth is that I always run into a friend.”

George Popstefanov CEO PMG

George Popstefanov left his native Macedonia for the U.S. and opportunity and ended up at TCU at age 19. After college, he joined a small digital agency and worked there for several years before founding the PMG digital agency in 2010. PMG, whose services range from SEO to social media, has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies, and it’s generated a second Fort Worth company, Koddi, a digital agency for the travel industry, which appeared on the 2019 Inc. 5000 with $27.3 million in revenue and 1,489% three-year growth. PMG today has offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, London and New York. Its clients include Apple, Beats by Dre, Sephora, Old Navy, Cole Haan, and SurveyMonkey.

Frost Prioleau Co-founder Simpli.Fi

Frost Prioleau co-founded Simpli.fi, an online advertising company whose data-driven platform helps clients build targeted local campaigns, in 2010 in Fort Worth. The company has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing U.S. companies. It recently moved its headquarters offices from just outside downtown Fort Worth into the heart of the renovated Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Prioleau is a graduate of Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering management systems.

Kasey Pipes

Partner, co-founder Corley + Pipes

Kasey Pipes is cofounder of the 10-year-old Corley + Pipes, a government affairs firm with Washington and Fort Worth offices that promises to secure results in D.C. for Texas clients. Ten years in politics as an adviser. Chief speechwriter for California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and served President George W. Bush five years. Written two books, including the 2019 biography After the Fall: The Remarkable Comeback of Richard Nixon. Bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University and master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Getting selected as a college intern for Congressman Pete Geren in 1995. That led to being an intern for former President Ronald Reagan, and that led to working for Congresswoman Kay Granger on Capitol Hill and then to working for President George W. Bush in the White House.”

Holland Sanders CEO

Holland Collective

Holland Sanders launched agency 2016, focusing on brands and storytelling and bringing collective resources to bear. Clients have included M2G Ventures, developers of The Foundry, West Side. Sanders grew up Arlington, started late, graduating University of Texas at Arlington 2009. Worked for Concussion agency, moved to Fort Worth Opera. Became marketing director.

READING NOW “I am using this time to educate myself on business strategy and innovation as we all look toward shifting our small businesses in this new world.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I think COVID-19 will fundamentally change the way people interact with each other. Our leaders, businesses, and community will need to focus on ways to rebuild trust and compassion through responsibility and flexibility — thinking of the greater good.”

Clark Rucker

Marshall Searcy

Marianne Auld

Professional Services / Advertising and Public Relations

Red Sanders President Red Productions

Red Sanders started his successful entertainment enterprise at age 12. Earned bachelor’s in radio, TV and film and entrepreneurship from TCU, 2004. Sanders stayed in Fort Worth. Today, his Red Productions is full-service, script-to-screen media production company specializing in national TV commercials, digital content, brand films, corporate communications. Founded Red Entertainment, film and TV development, and Backlot Studio & Workspace, with 12,000 square feet rentable office space and sound stage. Produced several feature films. Helped found Fort Worth Film Commission.

FIRST

BIG BREAK “While at TCU, I had a small production company I ran out of my house, when one day, Coca-Cola called the school wanting to get a student to help with a video campaign. That led to many other projects and taught me the value of big-brand clients.”

Bret Starr Founder and CEO The Starr Conspiracy

Bret Starr founded The Starr Conspiracy in 1999 on the Near Southside, becoming one of its creative anchors. Starr came up with the idea for the B2B marketing agency when, after working in sales and marketing leadership roles for HR tech companies, he tired of hiring agencies he had to train in his business. Starr has a bachelor’s in English literature from Southwestern University and a master’s in criminology from the University of North Texas.

Ken Schaefer President Schaefer Advertising Co.

As owner and namesake of Schaefer Advertising, Ken Schaefer has built the agency on core values centered around the company’s mission to “Make Life Better.” Schaefer Advertising, in operation nearly 25 years, has won numerous awards in health care, real estate, and destination and entertainment. Schaefer has served on numerous community boards and today is a member of the Near Southside, Inc. board. He holds a BBA in marketing from Stephen F. Austin State University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “We live in an amazing city, but what makes it most special is the people. The social connections that take place in restaurants, on sidewalks, in churches — all were truncated. I truly missed that.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “COVID-19 creates an opportunity for us to rethink everything.”

Allen Wallach CEO PAVLOV

Allen Wallach has led his PAVLOV agency to annual billings of more than $10 million, clients including DFW Airport, Chesapeake Energy, Dean Foods, Texas Motor Speedway, and TCU. Wallach, co-founder of Concussion agency, bought out partner 2013, rebranded PAVLOV. Invented and sold Koozball, first foam football/drink koozie, after got into 7-11 and Walmart. Bachelor's in ad/PR, TCU.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “TCU baseball, MAIN ST. Arts Festival, and the Colonial/ Charles Schwab Challenge PGA Golf Tournament. Those annual events tell me that spring has officially sprung!” FIRST BIG BREAK “Convincing the management company of Choctaw High Stakes-Bingo [now Choctaw Casinos] I could handle their marketing account at 23. That set me up in business; they became my longest-running client at 15 years.”

Tom Stallings Founder Mosaic Strategy Partners

Tom Stallings and partners co-founded Mosaic in 2017 in Fort Worth as a full-service public affairs firm using proprietary data analysis to equip clients with knowledge on constituents, stakeholders and target audiences and help win support for publicfacing projects, campaigns and initiatives. Immediate past president, nonprofit Alliance for Children and helped agency close deal for new headquarters. Ex-chief of staff to County Judge Glen Whitley and former Congressional chief of staff and Senate policy advisor. BBA and MBA, both TCU.

FIRST BIG BREAK “First job on Capitol Hill. I practically begged a chief of staff in the U.S. Senate for any position in the office. He offered a position with a starting salary of $18,000 a year, and my rent was $1,500 a month. Those were some really long days, but it laid the foundation.”

Julie H. Wilson CEO The Reasons Group

Julie Wilson is immediate past chairman of Visit Fort Worth, tourism bureau. Treasurer, North Texas Community Foundation. CEO of Reasons Group, a business development consultant specializing in marketing strategies and conflict management. Wilson was vice president of Blue Zones Project Fort Worth, helping manage the well-being initiative to the city. Before that, she was vice president-urban development for Chesapeake Energy Corp. for seven years from 2006 to 2013, beginning with the height of neighborhood gas leasing over the Barnett Shale. Wilson was previously a longtime advertising agency executive in Fort Worth. She also formerly owned a group of franchise hair salons and ice cream shops. Wilson holds a Bachelor of Arts from New Mexico State University.

Thomas S. Brandon Jr. Member Whitaker Chalk

Thomas Brandon serves on Whitaker Chalk’s executive committee. He has extensive experience in employment law and commercial litigation, including preventing litigation representing employers. Brandon also provides counsel to churches, ministries, secondary and graduate level educational institutions, health care facilities, municipalities, school boards, and individuals challenging dismissals or grievances in those settings. Brandon earned his law degree from Baylor University.

Vianei Braun Shareholder Decker Jones

Vianei Lopez Braun heads Decker labor and employment section and is chief development officer. Clients: public and private companies, health care, nonprofits, government, professionals, execs. 5.0 Preeminent AV rating, Martindale-Hubbell. Princeton undergrad, University of Texas law. Chair, Fort Worth Public Library Foundation. Lives with pack of rescue Chihuahuas and SEC lawyer husband Jason.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY

“Overall, I have been impressed by employers’ adherence to CDC guidelines and their creativity in finding ways to enhance employee safety. A ‘new normal’ has evolved, including things like employees lining up for temperature checks and customer-facing employees wearing masks. And businesses who transitioned to remote work may now find it hard to transition back. I expect a lot of employment law challenges as we move forward.”

Laura Hilton Hallmon

Partner, Fort Worth Cantey Hanger

Laura Hilton Hallmon is a career-long employment law litigator. She focuses her practice on harassment and discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour disputes and restrictive covenants prohibiting competition, and avoidance of litigation with effective employment practices and compliance. Hallmon is board-certified in labor and employment law and rated AV Preeminent by MartindaleHubbell. Hallmon holds undergraduate and law degrees, both from Baylor University.

Jay Rutherford

Partner

Jackson Walker

Jay Rutherford has more than 25 years representing management clients in employment law. Counsels clients on hiring, discipline, compensation, employee benefit plans, insurance benefit disputes, management training, employment handbooks, employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, reductions in force, noncompetes, protection of confidential information. Board-certified labor and employment law. AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. BS, Texas Tech University and JD, University of Texas.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Rangers baseball”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Getting a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship that allowed me to attend college.”

READING NOW The Institute, by Stephen King, and The Happiness Advantage, by Shawn Achor

Caroline Harrison Managing partner Pham Harrison

Caroline Harrison has been managing partner of Pham Harrison since 2015. She specializes in employment litigation, avoid, and counseling employers in employment law. Harrison is board-certified in labor and employment law. She has a Bachelor of Art from the University of Texas at Arlington and law degree from Texas Wesleyan University.

CAUSES Tarrant Area Food Bank. “Volunteering with my seventh-grade daughter and exposing her to the issues that our community faces every day take on a deeper meaning for me.”

READING NOW Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I think that people are going to want to work from home more often, and I wonder if we will see more empty office space and/or sharing of office space.”

Jason Smith primarily represents individuals in employment and personal injury trial and appellate matters. He’s board-certified in civil appellate law and AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Smith holds a BA in political science from St. Mary’s University and a law degree from Texas Tech University.

CAUSES “Since 1984, I have been active in Tarrant County Democratic politics, trying to push for more equality and economic fairness. I led the Hillary Clinton campaign effort in Tarrant County in 2008 and 2016. In 2019, I joined with others to keep over 800 food service worker jobs at FWISD from being privatized. I led the recent successful effort to remove a Confederate veteran monument at the Tarrant County Courthouse. And in the early 2000s, I led the effort to convince the City of Fort Worth to build Fort Woof Dog Park.”

Jason C.N. Smith Principal Law Offices of Jason Smith

Professional Services / Lawyers

Marianne Auld

Managing partner and appellate section chair

Kelly Hart and Hallman

Marianne Auld remained chair of Kelly Hart’s appellate section after she was elevated to managing partner 2017. Works primarily complex civil appeals in labor disputes, antitrust matters, oil and gas issues, claims against Class I railroads. Works with trial teams in high-stakes litigation. Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, DRC Solutions to End Homelessness boards; Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra executive committee. BA and law degrees, Baylor University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being born to my remarkable parents. In a professional sense, my first big break was being hired as a law clerk for the great Judge Tom Reavley on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. That experience changed not just my career, but my life. To this very day, at 98 years old, he defines integrity, professionalism, and service.”

John Allen Chalk Executive committee member

Whitaker Chalk

John Allen Chalk, who has practiced law for 45 years, is one of the region’s top lawyers in alternative dispute resolution. Negotiator, litigator, arbitrator, mediator. Applies cost-benefit and risk analysis to help clients. Focus commercial transactions and litigation, regulatory matters, health care, ADR. Received Tarrant County Bar Association’s highest honor, Blackstone Award. Law degree, University of Texas.

FIRST BIG BREAK “My first job as the preaching minister for a church in Dayton, Ohio, at 19 years of age.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “More interest in and concern for the neediest. More humility about our accomplishments. New appreciation for the richness of our ordinary lives. Less racial prejudice. More sensitivity regarding unintended consequences of our individualistic selfishness and narcissism.”

Brian Barnard

Senior counsel Haynes and

Boone

For more than 35 years, Brian Barnard has provided counsel on general corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, reporting requirements and corporate governance. He was named as a BTI Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting Group in 2018 based on nominations from general counsels and other legal decision-makers. Barnard advises clients on a full range of corporate governance issues, including directors' duties. He earned his law degree at Texas Tech University. He serves on the Cook Children’s Health Foundation, Health Care System and Health Plan boards.

Marvin Blum Managing partner

The Blum Firm

Marvin Blum has been a career-long expert on business succession planning, estate and taxation on transfers of wealth. Founded The Blum Firm, 1980. BBA in accounting and law degree, University of Texas. Treasurer and director, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

“The personal connection and camaraderie with my work family; iced tea moments with my wife at McKinley's Bakery & Café, where I recharge my batteries.”

CAUSES “Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, where I'm now in my 42nd year as treasurer because as our maestro promotes, ‘Life is better with music’; founding member of the Multicultural Alliance where we celebrate Fort Worth's rich diversity.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES US “When social distancing subsides, we'll be more appreciative of the many relationships we share that make Fort Worth such a connected community.”

Clark Cowley Member

Whitaker Chalk

Clark Cowley is one of Whitaker Chalk’s experts on intellectual property, representing corporations, other business entities, entrepreneurs and individuals in copyright, trademark and other IP issues. Clients range from sporting goods to pharmacy technology and film in the U.S. and abroad. Cowley is AV-Rated Martindale-Hubbell Preeminent. He holds a BBA from Abilene Christian University and a law degree from Baylor University.

Ralph Duggins Partner

Cantey Hanger

Ralph Duggins represents clients in complex commercial cases, including mergers and hostile takeovers, contract disputes between public companies, claims for insurance coverage, and oil and gas litigation. Clients have included Berkshire Hathaway Corp., City of Fort Worth, ExxonMobil Corp., Fort Worth Independent School District, Sabre Corp., and Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Co. Duggins is a recent past chair of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. He holds a BA in political science from SMU and law degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

One of a kindness. Advertising

head. Servant heart.

Ashley’s intelligence and compassion make her exactly the person we want influencing our city – and our clients.

Congrats to Ashley Freer Principal, Group Director and Strategy

Professional Services / Lawyers

Janet Hahn Shareholder Decker Jones

Janet Hahn advises clients in business and corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, and estate and probate. Hahn began working at Decker Jones as a legal secretary in the 1980s. She attended night school to earn a paralegal degree and become the firm’s first paralegal. Hahn then attended night school to obtain her undergraduate degree and finally earned her law degree from Baylor University while working full time at the firm. Hahn is vice president and a founder of Women’s Steering Business, which raises money to buy livestock from young women exhibitors at the Fort Worth Stock Show’s annual Sale of Champions. She’s served on the boards of The Women’s Center of Tarrant County, Tarrant County College Foundation, and Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center.

Dee Kelly Jr. Partner

Kelly Hart and Hallman

Dee J. Kelly, Jr. specializes in civil litigation at the trial and appellate levels in commercial matters, including business transactions, contract claims, tort actions, and oil and gas disputes. Kelly represents individuals, private business interests and Fortune 500 companies. He also maintains an active administrative law practice representing parties before state and federal agencies. Kelly is a novelist on the side, having recently turned out his third book under the pseudonym Landon Wallace, The Next Election. That follows Come and Take It and The Election. Kelly holds BA and law degrees from the University of Texas. In 2016, he stepped down as Kelly Hart’s managing partner after having taken the post over from his father, Dee Kelly, Sr., who died.

David Keltner

Partner

Kelly Hart and Hallman

David Keltner is one of the state’s top appellate lawyers. Formerly a Justice on the Texas Court of Appeals, Keltner has been lead counsel in over 300 appellate decisions. His legal writings have been cited favorably by Texas courts. Honors: Go-To Appellate Lawyer in Texas by Texas Lawyer; Top 10 Lawyers in Texas for the last 12 years, by Texas Super Lawyers; Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, by the Texas Bar Foundation; Appellate Lawyer of the Year, by Best Lawyers; Blackstone Award for excellence and courage in the practice of law, Tarrant County Bar Association. Keltner holds a BA from Trinity University and law degree from SMU.

Jim Lane Partner

Law Office of Jim Lane

Jim Lane has practiced law for more than 50 years, maintaining a wide range of practice areas: criminal, aviation, personal injury, and family law. Lane has defended criminal charges in the state and federal courts, including police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. Lane was a captain in the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps. He’s a licensed commercial pilot and helicopter pilot. Lane received his law degree from Baylor University. He’s a former Fort Worth City Council member and a current elected member of the Tarrant Regional Water District board. Lane won re-election last year despite a well-financed campaign to oust him over accusations of lack of transparency at the water district.

Jack Larson Principal

Mellina Larson

Jack Larson and his partner founded their firm in 1997 with a focus on real estate. Larson has been eager to lend his time to the community. He is board president for Kids Who Care, vice president of the Ballet Concerto board, and past president of the TCU National Alumni Association and TCU board member; past chair of the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County; past chair of the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth; and past board member of ACH Child and Family Services. In 2015, Larson received the TCU Alumni Service Award. He’s been an office holder at his children’s’ Fort Worth ISD schools. He holds a BBA from TCU and law degree from the University of Virginia.

READING NOW "Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. A gift from one of my dearest friends, this book teaches us to fully commit to and embrace each moment of our lives.”

Andrew Lombardi has been general counsel of Crescent, Fort Worth company and adviser with more than $10 billion investment capacity and assets under management, since January 2018. BBA from TCU and law degree, SMU. Cook Children’s Health Foundation and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce boards.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING "Fort Worth is known for the friendly demeanor of its residents. Growing up here, I can attest to that city characteristic. I look forward to the day when we can again head out to dinner with friends in downtown or along Magnolia, or attend one of the many festivals Fort Worth has to offer."

CAUSES “My wife and I are avid supporters of Cook Children's Medical Center. We have a 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter and are extremely blessed to have such a world class institution available to us here in Fort Worth.”

Andrew Lombardi Senior vice president and general counsel Crescent Real Estate LLC

Professional Services / Lawyers

Shayne Moses Founding partner Moses, Palmer & Howell

Shayne D. Moses, a founding partner of Moses, Palmer & Howell, L.L.P., is board-certified in civil trial law. He’s represented companies and individuals in an array of matters, including oil and gas, banking, insurance products, construction, contract and appellate matters. He has negotiated oil and gas leases, assisted companies with acquisitions, mergers and sales, and tried complex divorce, trusts and probate cases. He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell. Moses has been actively involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters for more than 30 years and is a member of Fort Worth Sister Cities. He has a BA in psychology from the University of Texas and law degree from St. Mary’s University.

Brian Newby

Managing partner Cantey Hanger

Brian Newby, Cantey Hanger’s managing partner, maintains his public/regulatory practice. Clients include leaders in education, water, transportation and health care. Newby has taken to trial, arbitration and mediation hundreds of cases involving commercial business disputes, construction defects, public and private contract claims, personal injury and employment agreements. His practice includes representing clients before state and federal administrative hearing boards. Newby was chief of staff to Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Newby began his career as an Air Force lawyer in the JAG Corps. He formerly managed over 450 military lawyers and paralegals nationwide in a reserve component of the Air Force and retired recently at the rank of major general. He has a BA from Texas Tech University and law degree from the University of Texas.

Andrea Palmer Director of coverage and litigation

Higginbotham

Andrea Palmer provides in-house advice for the Higginbotham insurance and benefits agency, and analysis and advocacy for clients on coverage, litigation, and other matters. President-elect Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association; chair of State Bar of Texas Aviation Section Council; vice chair Tarrant County Corporate Counsel Section. BA in history, University of Texas, and law degree, Baylor University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Getting into the University of Texas. As a first-generation college graduate, it changed my life.”

CAUSES “I think art is really important to give context to life and help us process how we feel, especially in challenging times. So, I support the Cliburn, the Modern, the Kimbell, the FWSO. And feeding the community is even more important now than ever, so I support Taste Project and the Tarrant Area Food Bank.”

Scot Pierce Member

Whitaker Chalk

Scot Pierce is a commercial litigator, corporate finance, and bankruptcy attorney, with a large part of his practice dedicated to representing contractors, businesses, financial entities and secured creditors. AV-Rated Preeminent, Martindale-Hubbell. Director, Presbyterian Night Shelter. BBA, Texas A&M University, law degree, University of Texas.

CAUSES “We support the Presbyterian Night Shelter, First Presbyterian Church, MHMR Visions, the Texas Bar Foundation, UT Law, and the North Texas Humane Society. We believe there is very little difference between us and the people we help, so it is our way of showing gratitude for what we have.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I think jobs where we have demonstrated an ability to effectively work remotely during the crisis will change the paradigms for a lot of businesses in our city.”

Amy Ott

Partner

The Blum Firm

Amy Ott is board-certified in estate planning and probate law. A CPA, she has served on the board of the Texas Society of CPAs and as chair of the Advanced Estate Planning Conference Planning Committee. She is policy chair for Leadership Fort Worth and has served the Baylor Scott & White All Saints Women’s Health Council and Junior League of Fort Worth. Ott has a BBA and master’s in finance, both from Texas A&M University, and law degree from Texas Tech University.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I believe we will begin thinking more about how we can be better prepared in all aspects of our lives — personally and professionally. Whether it is updating our wills or estate plans or the restructuring of a company's supply chain, in an uncertain world we cannot afford to be unprepared.”

Andrew Rosell Shareholder Winstead PC

Andrew Rosell practices corporate law and leads Winstead’s Investment Management and Private Funds Industry Group. Ex-partner, Kelly Hart and Hallman, and ex-general counsel, Kleinheinz Capital Partners. Trustee, Cook Children’s Health Care System, Health Foundation and Health Plan. Law degree, SMU.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The patio at Pacific Table.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “The collarbone, Spring Break 2002.”

CAUSES “Cook Children's Medical Center is an organization committed to improving the health of the children in our community. This goes beyond health care. The Promise of Cook Children's calls upon its team to improve the life of every child in our community. Watching this happen inside and outside the hospital walls is inspiring.”

READING NOW “A lot of memes.”

Clark Rucker Partner

Kelly Hart and Hallman

Clark Rucker has a broad-based energy practice, representing oil and gas exploration and midstream companies, propane and liquefiable fuel companies, water management companies, royalty and mineral funds and companies, and large land owners. Active, Tarrant County Bar Association’s Energy Section and Tarrant County Young Lawyers. Ninth year on CASA board, member First Tee of Fort Worth board. BBA marketing and finance, TCU, law degree, University of Texas.

CAUSES “CASA of Tarrant County — I have been on the board for eight years and served in a variety of positions, including president. CASA does amazing work advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children in Tarrant County (which has one of the three highest rates of child abuse in the state) and truly maximizes donor dollars.”

Robert Simon Member

Whitaker Chalk

Robert Simon is a fourth-generation Fort Worth lawyer who focuses in bankruptcy, bankruptcy litigation, and general insolvency. Simon entered private practice as a bankruptcy lawyer in 1991. He has represented nearly every type of party: debtors, trustees, banks, nonbank lenders, unsecured creditors, equity holders, local taxing authorities, municipalities, official creditor committees, ad hoc creditor committees, asset purchasers, new equity investors, court-appointed professionals, and defendants in preference and fraudulent transfer litigation. Simon strives to resolve disputes informally through negotiation, outside of bankruptcy. Simon has an undergraduate degree in history from Yale University; Master of Arts in war studies from Kings College, University of London; and law degree from the University of Texas.

Ryan Scharar Principal The Scharar Law Firm

Ryan Scharar is an attorney and CPA whose practice focuses tax planning and compliance for closely held businesses. He launched his own firm in 2014. Scharar is a director of the Texas Society of CPAs, vice president of the Fort Worth CPAs, and past president of the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association. He has a BBA from Stephen F. Austin University, MBA from Baylor University, and law degree from Michigan State University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “No doubt, baseball! I miss the Texas Rangers. I miss bringing the family to TCU baseball games. And most of all, I miss being on the field and helping coach my boys little league teams!”

CAUSES “We're active members at Arborlawn United Methodist Church, where I serve as a trustee. Our children attend Daggett Montessori.”

Andrew Wambsganss

Principal attorney

Brown Pruitt Wambsganss

Dean Forman & Moore

Andrew Wambsganss represents multiple domestic and international companies. His practice includes domestic and international business transactions and litigation, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate transactions, oil and gas, governmental relations, public law issues, labor/employment disputes, commercial litigation and church/nonprofit organization transactions. Wambsganss is a certified mediator. He has a BA from the University of Texas at Arlington and law degree from the University of Texas.

Marshall Searcy Partner

Kelly Hart and Hallman

Marshall Searcy has long been regarded as one of the state’s best civil litigators, and his practice focuses on commercial litigation, legal malpractice defense and personal injury defense. He has tried hundreds of cases throughout Texas and the U.S. Highlights include successful defenses of multiple antitrust claims against a major oil company; federal bribery charges against a public corporation engaged in government contract work; and a taxpayer charged with federal tax evasion “aggregating into the billions.” In 1990, he was elected as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Searcy has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1997. He has a BA and law degree, both from the University of Texas.

Sharen Wilson District attorney Tarrant County

Sharen Wilson, as DA, created county’s first special teams for prosecution of intimate partner violence, adult sexual assault, and elder financial fraud, and county’s first conviction integrity unit. Restructured office’s diversion program into a highly successful option for low-income and minority first-offenders and began partnership with L. Clifford Davis Legal Association to hold expunction and nondisclosure clinics. Graduated Amarillo College, Texas Tech University, and Texas Tech School of Law.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Thursday night at the MAIN ST. Arts Festival.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being hired by the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office out of law school. It set the course of my life: criminal law, prosecution, and living in Tarrant County.”

READING NOW "Come and Take It by local author Landon Wallace (née Dee Kelly Jr).”

Professional Services / Consultants

Larry Autrey Managing partner Whitley Penn

Larry Autrey, managing partner of 500-employee Whitley Penn, has more than 30 years tax, advisory and business valuation with public and private clients. Cook Children’s Health Foundation board. BBA, accounting and finance, Texas Tech University, MBA, data analytics, Abilene Christian University.

CAUSES “Cook Children's Hospital, United Way, ACH Child & Family Services, North Texas Community Foundation and Community Enrichment Center, because they are the backbone of supporting our children and often overlooked members of our community.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The world is focused on regionalization versus globalization, and we are positioned to be the best opportunity for rebuilding the region’s supply chain in North America.”

Tom Buxton CEO Buxton

Longtime Tandy Corp. real estate executive Tom Buxton left Tandy and started his own analytics firm in 1994. Buxton built the industry-leading Fort Worth firm on incisive analysis meant to provide clients recommendations on where to locate, based on who their customer is, where they are, and what value they have to the company. Today, Buxton estimates it’s worked with more than 5,000 retail, restaurant, consumer packaged goods, health care, private equity, and public sector organizations. Buxton has been named a top influencer of retail by the National Retail Federation, one who “influences the future of retail real estate” by Retail Traffic Magazine. Under his leadership, the company has been featured on the Fast 50 list by Fast Company, a silver award winner in the “Most Innovative Company of the Year” category at the American Business Awards.

Kenneth Barr CEO Barr Consulting Group

Former Fort Worth

Mayor Kenneth Barr is a consultant on governmental relations and public affairs. Barr was elected to Tarrant County College’s District 7 last year to a term that ends in May 2025, replacing longtime trustee Louise Appleman, who left the board. Barr was elected mayor four times, and he retired in 2003. Barr served 11 years as a member of the North Texas Tollway Authority, including chairman, and he played a key role in the development of several road projects, including the Chisholm Trail Parkway. He is chair of the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth, and he serves on the executive committee of the Van Cliburn Foundation. Barr grew up in Fort Worth, attended public schools, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business from TCU. His father, Willard Barr, was mayor from 1965 to 1967.

Robert Fernandez CEO Fernandez & Co.

Robert Fernandez founded his own public accounting firm in 1987. Fernandez performs accounting, tax and consulting for small and midsize businesses, provides part-time controller/CFO services, and works with international public accounting firms on special projects and audits. Fernandez serves on several boards, including the executive committee of the Fort Worth Zoo. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University.

FIRST BIG BREAK

“Starting my CPA career after college with the international firm now known as Deloitte provided tremendous opportunities to learn about the business world and gave me confidence and financial stability to start volunteering in the community.”

READING NOW A Very Stable Genius, by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig

Allyson Baumeister Principal, Fort Worth CliftonLarsonAllen

Allyson Baumeister, immediate past chair of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, joined CliftonLarsonAllen in September 2015 when her previous firm, Sanford, Baumeister & Frazier, merged into CLA. Baumeister became part of Sanford when she merged another firm into it. Baumeister serves clients of various sizes, primarily focusing on business tax and consulting. Baumeister is a past chair of the Texas Society of CPAs, Junior League of Fort Worth Finance Council Sustainer advisor, and an elder at Faith Presbyterian Church. She has a BBA from Texas A&M University.

Mike Flynn is a busy man at this time of year. His Southland firm has a singular mission: Get the lowest possible tax assessment for its clients and pare the burden of tax administration. Southland uses a proprietary platform called Southwise in its work. Flynn has more than 30 years in property tax consulting. He holds a BBA from TCU. Flynn serves on the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce board and several other boards. He is a Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County volunteer.

Mike Flynn Co-founder and president Southland

Professional Services / Consultants

Tony Ford President and senior executive coach

Success

Fort Worth

Tony Ford has founded several companies, and he spends his time today coaching others and cheerleading Fort Worth entrepreneurship. Founding CEO, RIDE TV, for horse lifestyle; founding partner, Sidelights, Inc., seller of reflectors for trucks and rail cars; founder, distributor of tanning lotions and related products; founding executive, photo lab chain. Won Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” for supporting entrepreneurship. Senior partner, Kasper & Associates, M&A firm. Bachelor’s, Oklahoma State University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The people — especially our entrepreneurs. Every day, their ideas, questions and hopes for the future challenge me. As an executive coach, my work is very personal and interactive. Coaching vis-à-vis Zoom is OK, but being across the table from these dynamic leaders is much more rewarding.”

John Mackel CEO and managing partner Weaver

John Mackel has been with the Weaver public accounting firm in Fort Worth for 20 years and was promoted to CEO in 2015. Mackel has served on Weaver’s executive committee since 2009. He has focused his practice on audit, attestation and advisory services, primarily in oil and gas, renewable energy and investment management, including hedge funds, private equity and broker dealers. He began his career in audit for KPMG. Mackel has a BBA from Sam Houston State University.

Darien George Founder and managing partner Mackenzie Eason

Darien George founded Mackenzie Eason, an executive search and consulting firm, and Talent Metrics, an AI cloud-based software that measures an organization’s culture and provides intelligence for executives on how to build a strong culture. Has worked with Fortune 50 companies, private equity firms, and top CEOs. In 2019, co-wrote Broken Handoff: Saving Your Assets, a book with insights into owning, buying, and selling a business. BBA, University of Texas at Arlington. Soccer, scuba diving, traveling, and serving nonprofits.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Going to Joe T's and the people.”

CAUSES “Having grown up in Fort Worth and attended school at predominantly low-income schools (Morningside Elementary, Dunbar Middle, and North Side High School), I feel we must do everything we can to level the playing field.”

Dic Marxen President and CEO CCRA Travel Commerce Network

Entrepreneur Dic Marxen retired at age 30 with enough money from the sale of a tech company he had cofounded. About a dozen companies later, he was invited by a friend to look at CCRA Travel Commerce Network, an old agency in Fort Worth with some upside. Marxen liked the company’s procedures for inbound traffic to its call center, good client base, and software selling hotel packages to travel agencies. Marxen made some big improvements, like buying the largest independent call center in the U.S. for corporate travel. Today, CCRA is a leading provider of digital international commerce products and services to companies like hotels, travel agencies and airlines. Marxen sees opportunity in travel niches like leisure, luxury, weddings, adventure, disability, and LGBT. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in industrial engineering from Texas Tech University.

Catherine Holt Co-founder DEI Consultants

Catherine Holt and partners, including community leader Estrus Tucker, is co-founder of DEI Consultants, a Fort Worth-based firm specializing in diversity, equity and inclusion training and follow-up implementation for corporations, nonprofits and membership organizations. Holt is an affiliate professor at TCU, teaching the Introduction to Women and Gender Studies course. Holt has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and master’s degree from Northwestern University.

Sean Menke President and CEO Sabre Holdings

Sean Menke was promoted in 2016 to CEO of Sabre Holdings, leading software and technology company that powers travel worldwide. Menke leads more than 9,000 colleagues across a global network of development, sales, operations and corporate teams. Menke joined Sabre in 2015 as president of Sabre Travel Network. Travel Network processes $120 billion of global travel spending annually by connecting airlines, hotels, rental car companies, cruise lines, destinations and travel services to more than 425,000 travel agents and corporate travel managers. Under Menke’s leadership, Sabre Travel Network won major new business opportunities, increased market share, and led innovation to enable the sale of more customized fares and related products. Menke has an MBA from the University of Denver and BS in economics and aviation from Ohio State University.

Professional Services / Consultants

Bob Mitchell Executive recruiter

WhitneySmith

Co.

Bob Mitchell spent years in banking and insurance before he jumped over to executive recruiting for the WhitneySmith Co. in Fort Worth. Mitchell’s process includes personal screening, interview, reference checks, and preemployment assessments. Mitchell has been a banking executive dating to the ‘70s, and he later co-founded an insurance company. He serves on the advisory board of a major bank in Fort Worth. Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Loyola University and a Master of Science in financial services from The American College.

Vince Puente President, sales and marketing Southwest Office Systems

Vince Puente and his brother, Buddy, joined their father’s Southwest Office Systems firm in 1972 and have worked to keep the company ($15 million in sales and 55 employees) on the leading edge of document technology trends. Puente was educated at the University of Texas at Arlington. Puente serves on several nonprofit boards.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING

“Due to the pandemic, we all lost the spring of 2020.” FIRST BIG BREAK “I was a delivery driver and allowed to sell supply items. They asked me to try giving the sale of equipment a try, even though I was only 18 and my only sports coat was corduroy and it was summer. That was a game-changer for the direction of my life. (Next to meeting my bride, Mona, and my Lord!).”

Whit Smith President WhitneySmith Co.

Whit Smith founded the WhitneySmith fullservice human resources firm in 1989 in Fort Worth, currently providing services to more than 1,500 companies across U.S. and Canada. Serves as expert witness and consulting expert in matters relating to Title VII discrimination, age, disability, sexual harassment, mitigation (employability and job search effort), recruitment practices, policy issues and tort claims involving negligent hiring, negligent retention and wrongful termination. Has bachelor’s in personnel management and marketing, University of Texas, completed Southwestern Graduate School of Banking program, SMU. Director, Baylor Scott & White All Saints Foundation, former board chair, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Nancy Tartaglino Richards Founder and chairman First Preston HT

Nancy Tartaglino Richards founded First Preston HT in Dallas in 1988, recognizing the need for single-family residential asset management. Merging real estate and technology, First Preston since then has serviced more than 400,000 single-family homes with a combined value of more than $40 billion. She and her business partner endowed the annual Richards Barrentine Values and Ventures Competition at TCU’s Neeley School of Business, an international business plan competition for undergraduate entrepreneurs that the university wants to lever to draw new business to Fort Worth. This year’s grand prize, before the competition was cancelled during COVID-19, was to be $100,000. Total prizes: more than $200,000.

Breck Ray President and executive recruiter Ray Partners

Breck Ray has more than 35 years in executive search, the first 20 with his father’s firm, Paul R. Ray Co. In 2002, he formed Ray Partners, focusing on search for executives whose cash compensation is at least $225,000. Industry focus: energy, aerospace and defense, consumer and industrial products and services, private equity portfolio companies, hedge funds and financial institutions. Ray has an undergraduate degree in real estate and finance from the University of Arkansas.

Estrus Tucker's DEI Consultants specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion training, and implementation for corporations, nonprofits and membership organizations. Principal consultant for city’s race and culture initiative that examined inequity. Tarrant County Workforce Development Board and Brite Divinity School Board of Visitors, TCU. Lives in Como, where grew up. BS in psychology, University of Texas at Arlington.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY

“Further revealed critical racial disparities and the impacts of economic inequities and systemic racism. It has ignited a broader-based, more racially diverse coalition of equity advocates that will demand demonstrable systemic changes, greater transparency and diverse independent citizen oversight. The narrative of who we are as a city is changing. How it changes depends on all of us.”

Estrus Tucker Principal and co-founder DEI Consultants

Thomas S. Brandon Employment & Non-Profit Organizations

Professional Services / Media,

Richard Connor Publisher Fort Worth Business Press

COVID-19 has dealt the Fort Worth Business Press a blow, as it has all media, but publisher Rich Connor adapts. Pre-COVID-19, the Business Press drove a lot of value through distribution of its twice-daily electronic newsletters, and the FWBP is piling in on the online content even more. “We have been working around the clock to provide news coverage from all angles,” Connor told readers in May. “Our vehicle has been online news on our digital platforms. We have a sizable and loyal following with our twice-daily newsletters, and we just unveiled a redesigned and expanded website. We’ve printed one paper in the last month and published two e-editions, which contain all the news and advertising that appears in a printed edition.” Connor stirred up the local media landscape last year when he announced he planned to launch a nonprofit newspaper called the Fort Worth Press. Nothing new on that lately.

Bud Kennedy Columnist Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Bud Kennedy, a journalist at the Fort Worth StarTelegram since 1981, is one of the recognizable faces around Fort Worth. He’s kept Star-Telegram readers informed in print and online on popular topics ranging from restaurants to politics. Kennedy fires out a mix of straight news reporting and opinion. During COVID-19, he’s taken readers on for having lax attitudes about personal protection. “Folks, calm down,” he said in one recent column. “We’re having a pandemic.” It says in Kennedy’s bio that he’s covered seven political conventions, 16 Texas Legislative sessions, and at least one major plane crash: Delta Air Lines Flight 1141, which crashed during takeoff. Also says, “He made his first appearance in the paper before he was born: He was sold for $600 in the adoption classifieds.”

Deborah

Ferguson Anchor NBC

5

Deborah Ferguson, under normal circumstances, isn’t hard to find. She co-anchors the “NBC 5 Today” daily weekday show from 4:30 a.m.-7 a.m. That leaves her time for the numerous nonprofit lunches and dinners she emcees with verve. COVID-19 has quashed the banquets, at least for now. Ferguson’s favorite project has been the Fort Worth ISD’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy downtown. Ferguson joined the station in 1991 after starting her career as a reporter and anchor for WBAP radio. She’s won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and a Gracie Award for Outstanding Anchor – News, given by American Women in Radio and Television. She has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from TCU.

Tom Head CEO Blackmon Mooring/BMS Catastrophe

Tom Head has been president of Blackmon Mooring and BMS Catastrophe since 2007, leading a commercial and residential restoration and construction company that’s handled jobs worldwide. Head started with the company as its Houston general manager in 2004 before moving up. Under Head, the company several years ago built a new advanced headquarters and plant on Airport Freeway in Haltom City. The plant handles the restoration of items, such as damaged documents. Head has a BBA in marketing from the University of North Florida.

Jack Rattikin, Jr. Chairman Rattikin Title

Jack Rattikin, Jr. is the second president of Fort Worth’s Rattikin Title (1969-2004) and the company’s current chairman. Son of the founder, Rattikin grew up in the family’s title business.Rattikin graduated with a BBA from the University of Texas in 1956 and, one year later, a law degree from UT. Rattikin joined the Army, and after service, he practiced criminal law before joining the title company in 1969. Rattikin served as president of the Texas Land and Title Association from 1974-1975 and the American Land and Title Association from 1984-1985.

Victoria Wise CEO Tanglewood Moms

Victoria Wise’s media group, spawned by her influential Facebook group, Tanglewood Moms, today includes Madeworthy Magazine, Tanglewood Moms site and blog, social media, and marketing agency. Radio, TV, film and photo major, TCU. Launched Tanglewood Moms Facebook, 2011. Quickly gained steam. Launched site and Hark Social agency, 2015. Started Madeworthy, 2017. Member, Facebook Small Business Council.

CAUSES

“I am on the board of the Lone Star Film Festival, and I co-launched a group called Heart Work to help connect Fort Worth women who are committed to better understanding systemic racial injustice. Through online discussions led by a diverse team, we bring conversations to the table that need to happen so that real change can occur. We encourage our members to find their place in the movement which can first start within our own homes.”

Real Estate

Real estate is a collective of people who trade in the changing of our city’s skyline and neighborhoods, from architects and engineers to brokers, construction company owners, homebuilders, developers, and investors.

Gerald Alley CEO Con-Real

Gerald Alley had a consulting contract with the City of Fort Worth to help minority business owners position themselves for contracts. When that dried up, he and his brother Troy founded their own construction company, Con-Real. That was the 1980s. Today, the Arlington-based Con-Real is coming off a joint venture with Manhattan Construction in which it built the Texas Live! Entertainment complex in Arlington. Alley has been working lately on making the company much more efficient and infusing technology as a way to keep Con-Real on the cutting edge and able to recruit new talent. Alley holds a bachelor’s from the University of Arkansas and MBA from SMU.

John Avila Chairman Byrne

John Avila was working as a senior executive at another construction company when he got wind that Byrne, a venerable but waning Fort Worth firm, was for sale. Avila bought the company in 1995, revitalized it, and grew it to about $450 million in contracts, from $20 million. Major clients include DallasFort Worth Airport. Avila’s son, Matt, is CEO today. Avila retired as brigadier general from the National Guard after completing 32 years of service. He has a BS in architectural engineering from the University of Texas and is a 1997 graduate of the U.S. Army War College. He is a director of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.

READING NOW “I am reading Vietnam memoirs. I served in ’69-’70.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “We will be more efficient and productive in how we execute business, health care and education.”

Sasha Bass Co-owner The Fine Line

Group

Ed Bass and wife Sasha Bass announced in the fall they have taken 100% interest in Sundance Square and recruited Henry S. Miller Co. to manage the property, including Sundance Plaza and all leasable space. The Basses said they are ready to take Sundance, whose popularity surged with the addition of the heavily programmed plaza and more restaurants, shops and offices built around it, to the “next level” — but didn’t specify what that meant.

Bob Benda CEO

Westwood Contractors

Bob Benda has successfully diversified the client portfolio of Westwood Contractors since he became CEO in 1987, expanding it to include hospitality, health care, and commercial office. Before joining Westwood, was a senior executive for several Fort Worth companies, including The Bombay Co. Holds bachelor’s in political science from University of Minnesota. He is a board member of ACH Child and Family Services Foundation.

CAUSES “ACH Child and Family Services, Southwest Christian School and Tarrant County College Foundation. Each in its own unique way invests significantly in the betterment of our community through the lifting up of individuals through education, support and advocacy.”

READING NOW “Silk Roads, by Peter Frankopan. A great history of the trade routes from Asia to the Middle East and their economic and cultural impacts on the world.”

Ed Bass Co-owner

The Fine Line Group

Ed Bass and wife Sasha Bass announced in the fall they have taken 100% interest in Sundance Square and recruited Henry S. Miller Co. to manage the property, including Sundance Plaza and all leasable space. The Basses said they are ready to take Sundance, whose popularity surged with the addition of the heavily programmed plaza and more restaurants, shops and offices built around it, to the “next level” — but didn’t specify what that meant.

Michael Bennett CEO

Bennett Benner Partners

Michael Bennett began his career in Texas, then spent a dozen years practicing in Europe and New York before returning to Fort Worth and joining his firm in 2004. He became CEO in 2008. In Europe, he was responsible for a variety of notable corporate and mixed-use projects throughout central and eastern Europe. Bennett has personally led the design of many of the firm’s signature projects, including Frost Tower, MOLA at the Fort Worth Zoo, Erma Lowe Hall at TCU, Martin Center at Texas Wesleyan University and the Woodshed Smokehouse, and led the firm’s involvement in Sundance Square Plaza. Bennett has a bachelor’s in music theory and composition from TCU and a master’s in architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Real Estate

Scot Bennett

Fort Worth regional director

The Beck Group

Scot Bennett is regional director of The Beck Group Fort Worth, responsible for pitching the firm’s construction and architecture services. Recent construction projects included The Shops at Clearfork and Sundance Plaza. Over 25 years, design and construction. Bachelor’s, architecture, Woodbury University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “As a runner and cyclist, if it were not for the Trinity River and the wonderful trails we have in Fort Worth, I would have definitely lost my mind.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “As an architect and a builder, my thoughts always go first to how this will impact the built environment, our clients and our business. Our urban spaces, our buildings, our transportation systems are candidates for change, but we must need to make sure we are leading with focus and not just reacting to fear.”

Joseph Berkes

Realtor

Williams Trew

Joseph Berkes got his start in Fort Worth real estate at age 15, delivering yard signs around the city for his mother, Mary Anne McCarthy, also a Williams Trew Realtor. He now runs the Joseph Berkes Group at Williams Trew, specializing in luxury. Berkes graduated from Arlington Heights School in Fort Worth.

Mike Berry President Hillwood

COVID-19 has seen activity surge at Hillwood’s AllianceTexas logistics tenants, and a number, like Amazon, are hiring, Mike Berry, the CEO, says. Even a major tenant like Fidelity Investments is hiring as more people transact, Berry says. Hillwood — and its 50% land availability — are front and center as city and business leaders try to determine — Mayor Betsy Price, banker Elaine Agather and real estate investor John Goff are co-chairing a task — whether COVID-19 has produced possibilities for new business like offshore distribution to come back onshore to a giant logistics hub like Alliance. Alliance already is a laboratory for nextgeneration logistics technology like autonomous trucking and freight delivery by drone. Berry is a member of the task force.

Andrew Blake Founder Presidio

Interests

Andrew Blake formed Presidio Interests, 2006. Developed or redeveloped and repositioned more than 180,000 square feet urban infill commercial and mixed-use properties, value $40 million-plus. Bachelor’s, Vanderbilt University; MBA, University of Texas. Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth board.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY Tragically, some lives have been and will be lost, and many people are and will experience major financial challenges. Because Fort Worth is innovative and resilient, people and businesses are already quickly adjusting. Fort Worth could benefit from an inflow of talented people and companies from major coastal metros as companies rethink their geographic footprints and people seek cities with enough big-city urban elements like walkable districts, strong arts/creative scene, good restaurants, but with greater housing affordability/variety, lower taxes, better access to open spaces.”

Flora Brewer CEO Paulos Cos.

Business owner and community activist Flora Brewer earned plaudits for her successful redevelopment of the old Palm Tree Apartments on Race Street in Fort Worth into 100% permanent supportive housing. Has organized coalition that’s acquired lot near River Oaks for second permanent supportive housing project. Master of Public Administration, University of Kansas.

READING NOW “An outstanding new book I'm reading by Shinn and Khadduri is In the Midst of Plenty: Homelessness and What to Do About It.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I'm afraid the virus and its effect on the economy will push many residents over the edge into poverty and housing instability. I hope we will come out of this with a better understanding of the precarious lives of those whose income falls below 50% of the area median income.”

Robbie Briggs President and CEO

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International

Robbie Briggs leads more than 500 real estate professionals at Briggs-Freeman. In 2010, he led the BriggsFreeman brokerage to its affiliation with the Sotheby’s International Realty network. As of 2017, Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s was the No. 5 affiliate in the $108 billion network of more than 900 offices worldwide. That same year, Briggs-Freeman had more than $3 billion in sales across North Texas and was the No. 1 seller of homes priced more than $1 million in Dallas, Dallas County, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Highland Park, University Park, Preston Hollow, Midway Hollow, Southlake, Westlake and Trophy Club. In 2016, Briggs-Freeman brokered the historic sale of the W.T. Waggoner Ranch, the largest ranch in the U.S. within a single fence, offered for $725 million.

VISION CREATIVITY INTEGRITY

Worth Inc.

Awards

Join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of exceptional leaders in the Greater Fort Worth business community at the fourth annual Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence Award presentation. Thursday, September 10, 2020 Fort Worth Club 6:00 pm - Cocktail Reception 6:30 pm - Welcome + Dinner 7:30 pm - Awards Program Black tie optional Program emceed by Four Day Weekend $250 - Individual ticket

$2,500 - Table of 10 To purchase tickets, visit fwtx.com/fwinc/eoe

Real Estate

Todd Burnette Managing director JLL

Todd Burnette is managing director in charge of JLL’s Fort Worth office. In the last 30 years, Burnette has negotiated more than 28 million square feet of office and industrial space leases, acquisitions, and dispositions in Fort Worth. Additionally, he has recently completed over 1,200 acres in site selection services for corporations and public entities. He has a BBA from SMU.

Suzanne Burt

Realtor

Burt

Ladner Real Estate

Suzanne Burt cofounded Burt Ladner Real Estate with Laura Ladner, and the agency has grown to be one of the largest in Fort Worth. Burt has served a number of charities, including Junior League of Fort Worth, American Cancer Society, Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, Safe Haven of Tarrant County, ACH Child and Family Services, and Presbyterian Night Shelter. She has a bachelor’s from Texas State University.

FIRST

BIG BREAK “When I first started in real estate at William Rigg, I would work all day, and at night, my husband would pack up dinner, and we would drive every neighborhood to get a feel for the houses and the people. I knew that when I got clients, I was going to set myself apart by truly knowing the pulse of this city.”

Craig Cavileer Vice president Majestic Realty

Craig Cavileer is Majestic Realty’s top local executive overseeing the ongoing redevelopment of Fort Worth Stockyards property that Majestic owns with Fort Worth’s Hickman family. Mule Alley redevelopment was drawing tenants, corporate relos, and activity before COVID-19. Hotel Drover under development at the end of Mule Alley. Bachelor’s, Texas State University.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being hired by Lincoln Property Co. in California, as leasing director for the retail group. After graduation in '86, Texas went into major recession. At 24, my dream of being a commercial developer was at risk.” HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “The psychology of the customer and how they perceive their personal safety is very important. I would like to see our country align on the clarity of the messaging, the science and the facts as we take the steps to recovery this summer.”

Will

Churchill Co-owner

Frank Kent Enterprises

Will Churchill and his twin sister, Corrie Watson, triggered the latest rush to West Magnolia Avenue on Fort Worth’s Near Southside when they sold their Honda dealership and another piece of real estate. In a 1031 tax exchange, re-invested proceeds in a number of Near Southside properties, including on West Magnolia, rehabbed them, and set out to sign tenants they wanted. Among those were popular local brands like Heim Barbecue, which went into partnership with Churchill and Watson, and Melt Ice Creams. Churchill and Watson greatgrandchildren of car dealer Frank Kent. Today own and run the Kent auto dealerships, real estate, and other businesses. They sold Kent & Co. Wines. Churchill and Watson led the development and opening of a disabledaccess playground called Dream Park at Fort Worth Trinity Park; Churchill’s wife, Rachael, is Dream Park president.

Johnny Campbell President and CEO City Center Management

The downtown landscape changed in January for Johnny Campbell when Ed and Sasha Bass announced they’d taken 100% interest in Sundance Square and had gone outside and signed Henry S. Miller Co. to manage the properties. Campbell, CEO of Sundance Square and longtime manager, will continue to run the City Center Towers office buildings. The same announcement clarified Ed and Sasha Bass own the City Center Towers with Ed Bass’ brothers, Sid Bass and Lee Bass. Campbell, graduate of the University of Houston, was a longtime Rouse Co. executive when he joined Sundance Square in 2001. Under Campbell’s leadership, and following the Bass family’s longstanding merchandising plan, Sundance Square sales and foot traffic took off. Campbell is a director of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the North Texas Commission.

Bruce Conti CEO Conti Warehouses

Bruce Conti made his money in warehouses. His properties around Fort Worth include the former Fort Worth Star-Telegram plant and historic Ranch Style Beans. Conti in recent years built the DFW Neurological Recovery Center from scratch in one of his buildings on Fort Worth’s West Side to provide a rehab setting for his son, who suffered a catastrophic, debilitating infection. The center gained recognition for its advanced tools and therapy, and Conti and his wife Lee Anne opened it to other patients. Conti has invested in consumer businesses, including Wild Acre Brewing Co. and Trinity River Distillery, located in the Ranch Style Beans facility. Wild Acre recently opened a taproom in another building Conti owns on Camp Bowie Boulevard and signed other tenants, including Colonel’s Bikes and the Lazy Daisy coffee shop.

Bob McCarthy, CEO

Real Estate

Stephen Coslik CEO

The Woodmont Co

Stephen Coslik cofounded Woodmont in 1980. The company has developed 67 retail centers and more than 10 million square feet of space and grown to more than 150 employees. Today, it manages 15 million square feet of retail space. Bachelor’s, San Diego State University. Urban Land Institute member.

CAUSES “Organizations such as Kinderplatz, Fort Worth Academy and Boy Scouts of America that have supported or assisted my two youngest children.”

READING NOW “Make it a point to read a wide spectrum of news including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Fox News.”

Michael Crain Broker/partner

Williams Northern Crain

Michael Crain added another piece to portfolio last year when he joined Ty Williams and Will Northern in forming Williams Northern Crain. Was selling under Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s. District 3 director, Fort Worth City Councilman Brian Byrd. He and wife Joanna run nonprofit Foodie Philanthropy, which they founded in Beijing when Crain was U.S. Embassy chief for President George W. Bush. BBA, Texas A&M University; JD,Texas A&M School of Law; MBA, Rutgers University.

CAUSES “My wife Joanna and I founded Foodie Philanthropy, which has helped support many worthwhile charities: The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, Hope Center for Autism, The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever, The Women's Center of Tarrant County and Girls Inc. The 2021 recipient is The Taste Project, which has a pay-what-you-can model and works to ensure our most vulnerable are not forgotten.”

Michael Dike

Co-founder and president

Village Homes

Michael Dike, a graduate of the University of Texas, took a job with a leading production homebuilder in Austin after college but realized he didn’t like the design approach. Co-founded Village Homes in Fort Worth,1996, with developer Jim Harris, designing and building homes inspired by pre-War World War II design. Builds townhomes, condos, single-family homes in neighborhoods such as Linwood Park, Riverhills, River District. Cook Children’s Health Foundation trustee.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Jim Harris supported the founding of Village Homes back in 1996. We are still business partners today.”

CAUSES “Cook Children’s, because it is an amazing place for children to get the best care and the organization is a model. Como Lions Heart, because Carol Brown has such a big heart for education and care for the Como community.”

Crawford Edwards President Cassco Development Co.

Crawford Edwards is the fifth generation of his family who’s involved in managing the legacy ranching business. COVID-19 has dealt a blow to two anchors of The Shops at Clearfork: Neiman Marcus’ parent is in bankruptcy, and AMC Theatres’ is trying to negotiate a deal to remain solvent. Edwards has a bachelor of general studies degree from TCU and participated in the TCU Ranch Management program.

Tony

Creme Senior vice president Hillwood

Tony Creme leads planning and implementation of the industrial building program, largest component of Hillwood’s 26,000-acre AllianceTexas project, and works with new and existing corporate residents to understand operational needs and provide solution for their distribution and logistics requirements. From Syracuse, moved to Dallas to attend SMU. Summer intern twice at AllianceTexas. Hillwood hired full time in marketing after graduation with BBA, 21 years ago. Credited by Hillwood for key role in AllianceTexas’ growth to more than 500 companies from fewer than 50.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Although I've worked in Fort Worth for over 20 years, we recently just moved here and are still in the exploratory stage of learning about the city and trying new places. Every weekend was a new adventure with my family, but unfortunately that was put on hold for a few months.”

Jason Eggenburger Principal 97w

Jason Eggenburger founded 97W with Steve Halliday in 2013. The firm’s urban vision can be seen in numerous spaces around Fort Worth, including Taco Heads on Montgomery Street, Craftworks Coffee shops, and the Cowtown Cycle Party headquarters. Eggenburger earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design at Texas A&M University and Master of Architecture from Clemson University. After school, he moved to New York to practice urban architecture. In spring 2012, he relocated to Fort Worth.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I'm not sure I know the answer to this yet. I’ve been researching the ways that it might affect architectural decisions, from the way we arrange spaces to how we touch door handles and restroom fixtures. I believe in some ways, we were already making strides in this direction. Let’s all watch and see how we respond as a city.”

Tom Galbreath President Dunaway Associates

Where there’s development in Fort Worth, Dunaway Associates is often in the middle, from its civil and structural engineering services to planning and landscape and how projects interact with the surrounding environment. Tom Galbreath began his career at Dunaway in 1985 and has over 30 years in landscape architecture/planning and civil engineering management. He holds a BS in architecture and master’s in landscape architecture, both from University of Texas at Arlington.

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I think it is greater than just our city; it is really going to change our world. I am concerned that many of our small businesses that make Fort Worth unique will not have the resources to withstand the economic challenge.”

Randy Gideon Co-founder L2L Ventures

Randy Gideon has come on board as project manager, with Tom Purvis III, to build a 100% permanent supportive housing project in west Fort Worth for a coalition led by developer Flora Brewer. The project would follow the model that Brewer set in buying and renovating the old Palm Tree Apartments on Race Street in Fort Worth. Gideon and James Toal joined the Kirk Voich Gist architecture firm in Fort Worth in the early 1990s, and the firm became Gideon Toal in 1997. Both announced their retirement in 2008.

John Goff Chairman Crescent Real Estate,

Inc.

John Goff, Richard Rainwater founded Crescent Real Estate Equities, early 1990s, to buy real estate. In 1998, Goff formed Goff Capital Partners to buy real estate debt and acquired $4 billion, commercial loans and debt securities. Crescent sold to Morgan Stanley, $6.5 billion, 2007. Two years later, Barclays Capital partnered with Goff company to re-acquire Crescent. Goff CEO, new Crescent Real Estate Holdings. In 2015, Goff Capital Partners and Crescent formed GP Invitation Fund I, raised $200 million to buy real estate. In 2017, Goff took full control, Crescent. Goff combined Crescent Real Estate Holdings and Goff Capital Partners. Today, Crescent Real Estate. Last year, Crescent formed and closed GP Invitation Fund II, $250 million. Forbes pegs Goff’s net worth, $1 billion, July. This spring joined Elaine Agather and Mayor Betsy Price in nonprofit to look for restart amid COVID-19 and ID new opportunities.

Susan Gruppi Founder and co-president M2G Ventures

Susan Gruppi and twin sister, Jessica Miller Essl, co-founded M2G commercial real estate firm, 2015. The two branded and are developing The Foundry, West Side; have taken on three adaptive reuse projects, Near Southside; consulting in redevelopment of Stockyards. Responsible for finance, development, strategy, value creation, equity financing. BBA, TCU.

CAUSES “The company’s capstone is a social impact arm focused on changing the way we treat mental health. Following the loss of a loved one to bipolar disorder in 2017, we channeled our heartbreak into action by launching M2G’s mental health initiative. We have set out to raise awareness and drive advocacy through strategic projects across multiple channels. These projects include the production of a visionary short film, ongoing fundraising initiatives, and a partnership with UT Southwestern.”

Dak Hatfield President Hatfield Advisors

Dak Hatfield’s Hatfield Advisors has completed more than $100 million of commercial development and redevelopment projects since 2005, blending historic and new market tax credits with conventional debt and equity to put up a portfolio of urban projects: multifamily, medical and creative office, retail, and mixed-use. Over 20 years in real estate investment, property development and large-scale project management. BBA, finance, real estate emphasis, TCU.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Spring in our household is usually jam-packed, and this year, it was oddly slow and calm. What I miss the most is probably watching my sons play sports, dinner with friends and Joe T's margaritas on the patio.”

READING NOW “I mostly read magazines and industry-related material. I do love a good podcast though, everything from true crime to business related.”

Brad Hickman CEO Hickman Enterprises

Brad Hickman is his family’s lead representative in the partnership with Majestic Realty to redevelop a major portion of the historic Fort Worth Stockyards, formerly held by the late Holt Hickman, Brad Hickman’s father. Renovations to the old horse and mule barns – Mule Alley – had drawn tenants, corporate relocation and activity before COVID-19. The Hotel Drover is under development on the western end of Mule Alley.

Real Estate

Donald Horton Founder and chairman D.R. Horton, Inc.

Donald Horton broke ground in 1978 on his company’s first home in Fort Worth. Today, Horton has delivered more than 755,000 homes to U.S. customers. Arlington-based company today operates in 43 of homebuilding’s top 50 American markets and ranks among the top five in 31. D.R. Horton has 7,000 marketing associates in 29 states and 89 markets. Publicly traded company closed 2019 at $17 billion in revenue, up 9%. Net income per common share up 13%. Net sales orders for the fourth quarter up 10%. Company began to see COVID-19 impact in March and April. Horton said company in strong financial position and would maintain cash flow by limiting land purchases and development spending, and adjusting product offerings, incentives, pricing, sales pace, and inventory level. NYSE-traded shares worth $21 billion in early July. Forbes puts Horton’s net worth at $1.6 billion.

Russell Laughlin Executive vice president Hillwood

If part of the impact of COVID-19 means a much more aggressive push toward development and use of autonomous vehicles in global distribution, Russell Laughlin’s group at Hillwood — developer of Fort Worth’s AllianceTexas international logistics hub — will have a lot of say in it. Laughlin oversees the management, operation, land and infrastructure planning, and entitlements of AllianceTexas, a 26,000acre, mixed-use, master-planned community. Laughlin has been instrumental in the development of AllianceTexas and DFW area in leading long-term regional planning initiatives. The development encompasses more than 50 million square feet, more than 525 corporate residents, and over 62,000 employees.

Jack

Huff Principal Transwestern

Jack Huff has negotiated over 1,150 transactions since 1986, with a total consideration in excess of $1 billion. Prior to a merger with Transwestern, he was a founding member and principal at NAI Huff Partners, formerly NAI Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell. Huff’s specialties include tenant representation, brokerage of office buildings, urban land and parking structures. Huff has a bachelor’s in real estate and finance from the University of Texas. Huff is a director of the Downtown Fort Worth Inc. board.

Jamey Ice CEO 6th Ave Homes

Jamey Ice has added another new business to his portfolio: 6th Ave Storytelling, a creative marketing agency for small businesses. Ice, a musician in the band Green River Ordinance, moved into real estate with best friend Jimmy Williams, flipping homes on Fort Worth’s Near Southside. In 2014, they started a real estate company, 6th Ave Homes, buying, selling and renovating old houses. They estimate they have bought, sold and restored more than 90 historic properties. In 2016, Ice and Williams expanded the company to include agents, designers and renovation experts. The company subsequently pulled off its first commercial development, the renovation of a space in the South Main Village into The 4 Eleven event venue. Ice also is in restaurants – Brewed — with partners.

Nick

Martin Principal Martin Land & Investments

Nicholas Martin and wife Lou Martin last fall celebrated the opening of the new Nick and Lou Martin University Center at Texas Wesleyan University after making the lead gift. Latest of a number of major gifts the Martins have made in recent years. Made living in lumber, PVC, and siding. Cites Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Texas Wesleyan, Boys & Girls Club of Fort Worth, Fort Worth Country Day School, All Saints Episcopal School, United Way of Tarrant County, Cancer Care Services, Cook Children’s, and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as causes he likes to support. Former chairman, North Texas Community Foundation.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “Going out to dinner, seeing friends and family.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “Returning to the U.S. after serving in WWII.”

Ryan Matthews Managing director JLL

Ryan Matthews is a member of JLL’s Fort Worth tenant representation team, responsible for developing new business relationships, financial analysis, lease structure, and purchase and sale negotiations for corporate office users. His specialty is office tenant representation. Recently, Matthews disposed of a portfolio of several buildings downtown being sold by XTO as it merged into ExxonMobil. Matthews has a BBA from TCU and law degree from Texas A&M School of Law. He is a Cook Children’s Health Foundation trustee.

Real Estate

Bob McCarthy CEO Cheyenne Construction Co.

Entrepreneur Bob McCarthy has three different businesses in his portfolio: concrete, police uniforms, and investments. Cheyenne Construction Co. is a major concrete contractor. Recent contracts included the Interstate 35W reconstruction in Fort Worth, the Waterside development in southwest Fort Worth, and the Neiman Marcus at The Shops at Clearfork. McCarthy also owns Gotcha Covered, a retailer of uniforms and other accessories to public safety employees. His Marketocracy is an investments firm. McCarthy is a longtime member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Fort Worth Chapter. In recent years, relocated his offices to East Lancaster Street homeless corridor, has led in efforts to try and reduce numbers of homeless.

Jessica Miller Essl Co-owner M2G

Ventures

Jessica Miller Essl and twin sister, Susan Gruppi, co-founded their M2G commercial real estate firm, 2015. The two branded and are developing The Foundry, West Side; tapped Near Southside vibe and taken on three adaptive reuse projects; consulting in major Stockyards redevelopment. Miller Essl oversees landlord and retailer consulting, marketing, leasing, strategy, value creation. Leads company’s consulting relationship for the Mule Alley development in the Stockyards, developing brand and strategy that drew Lucchese and Shake Shack. BBA, finance, real estate, leadership concentration.

CAUSES “M2G Ventures has raised $250,000 to date to bring the UTSW Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care at Moncrief Cancer Institute to Fort Worth. My life’s biggest accomplishment is getting to see the impact that the center is making.”

Stacie McDavid CEO McDavid Investments

Stacie McDavid opened and ran a franchise of 32 fitness centers by age 22. Today, CEO of McDavid Investments Co., which has real estate and other investments. Oversees McDavid equine breeding, training, and ranch. Avid competitor, National Cutting Horse Association. Inducted into NCHA Non-Pro Hall of Fame, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, and, last year, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. Board member, Fort Worth Zoo and MD Anderson Cancer Center; vice president, National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and Museum.

FIRST BIG BREAK “In high school, the Texas Woman’s track coach spotted me throwing small footballs out of the stadium. Hence, a fullride scholarship.”

CAUSES National Cowgirl Museum. “We all need heroes. These women’s stories need to be told.”

Terry Montesi CEO

Trademark Property Co.

Terry Montesi founded Trademark Property in 1992, and it’s worked on more than $3.9 billion, 18 million square feet of retail and mixed-use properties in the U.S. In Fort Worth, besides its own Waterside and West Bend developments, it handles leasing for Alliance Town Center and Foch Street Warehouses. In Dallas, it handles leasing for the Galleria Dallas. Montesi and Trademark have committed to the core tenets of Conscious Capitalism. Montesi is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers board. In Fort Worth, he serves on the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and Union Gospel Mission boards. BBA, University of Mississippi; MBA, University of Texas.

Sandra McGlothlin

Co-founder Empire Roofing

Sandra McGlothlin cofounded Empire Roofing in 1982, growing it to become largest commercial roofing company in the Southern U.S. with 12 locations, including one in Mexico. Success spawned new companies: Empire Disposal handles commercial construction, front load, and residential waste disposal. And Empire Texas Equities is a real estate investment firm specializing in industrial properties, development, and raw land. McGlothlin has won numerous industry awards: first woman to receive the Industry Leader Award of the North Texas Roofing Contractor Association; Latina Legends Entrepreneurial Award; Wells Fargo/ United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year Award; NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award; and Hispanic Chamber Businesswoman of the Year Award. She has served numerous community boards.

Paxton Motheral Vice president

Cassco Development Co.

Paxton Motheral and Crawford Edwards — cousins and descendants of the Edwards ranching family — today, with other members of the family, run the Clearfork development in the heart of the Chisholm Trail highway corridor. COVID-19 poses a threat: Neiman Marcus’ parent is in bankruptcy, and AMC Theatres’ is trying to negotiate a solution to remain solvent. Motheral has a BBA in finance and a real estate emphasis from TCU and a master’s in real estate development from MIT.

David Motheral CEO Motheral Development

Businessman David Motheral, who helped drive the formation of the Fort Worth South economic development group that played a major role in revitalizing the Near Southside, has been working for several years on revitalizing Hemphill Street and giving it a similar toolbox. Motheral has been one of the leaders working with the city on mapping out a plan. In 1980, Motheral was seeking a business loan to renovate a building on West Magnolia Avenue. To get the loan, Motheral, at the prodding of Bob Bolen, agreed to sign for a federal streetscape grant for West Magnolia. Motheral had to form a neighborhood association to receive the grant. That neighborhood association ended up being Fort Worth South — today, Near Southside, Inc. BBA, management, University of Texas.

Rosa Navejar CEO The Rios Group

After 25 years in banking followed by 11 years as president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Rosa Navejar 12 years ago founded The Rios Group — experts in subsurface utility engineering and utility coordination. Markets include transportation; electric and water transmission; municipal streets and drainage; water and wastewater; and the development of hospitals, universities, and schools. Rios today has 59 employees and offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, The Woodlands, Round Rock and San Antonio. Rios is minority-woman owned. Navejar is infrastructure chair for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, member of the North Texas Commission executive committee and Visit Fort Worth board, and a Texas Wesleyan University trustee.

Harold Muckleroy CEO Muckleroy & Falls

Harold Muckleroy and partner Max Falls have been setting the company up for the next generation of leaders and owners for several years. Muckleroy founded Muckleroy Construction in 1979, and Falls came on board as partner in 1995. The company built two signature projects: a warehouse for the electronics component distributor TTI, Inc., and a corporate headquarters for its Mouser Electronics unit in Mansfield. Muckleroy’s son Zach came on board in 2009 as a partner. In 2013, Muckleroy and Falls began putting the firm on a growth path. Two more partners joined, and the company won the contract for the True Worth Place resource center and day shelter for the homeless in East Fort Worth. Earlier this year, the company moved to new headquarters on 3200 Riverfront Drive, fronting the Trinity River.

Steve Murrin Owner River Ranch

Steve Murrin’s family bought a ranch west of Fort Worth in 1934. Murrin still lives at the West Fork Ranch. After he graduated from the University of Texas in 1960 and served in the Air Force, Murrin entered real estate as a broker and later as an investor and developer. He and partners brought Wild West shows and rodeo back to the Cowtown Coliseum. Murrin is the owner of River Ranch, a Western-flavored venue, and a partner in Billy Bob’s Texas. He’s been a central figure in tensions in the Stockyards over the major ongoing redevelopment of property now held in partnership between Majestic Realty and Fort Worth’s Hickman family. The schism — Murrin is on the side of authentic; he questions the other side’s intentions — has disrupted friendships, partnerships, and family.

Ken

Newell CEO

Trinity Lakes

Ken Newell and his brother, David Newell, developed the Riverbend Business Park years ago in East Fort Worth. In recent years, Ken Newell has been focusing on a development just across Loop 820 from Riverbend: Trinity Lakes, a 1,600-acre, mixeduse project he began developing in 1999.

A Trinity Railway Express train station is under construction on the Fort Worth-Dallas line that stops at the CentrePort/DFW Airport station. Newell grew up in development. His father Jack started developing industrial property in 1954.

Will Northern Broker/partner

Williams Northern Crain

Will Northern expanded on his growing niche in Fort Worth real estate last year, merging his Northern Realty firm with the residential agency of Realtor Ty Williams and Realtor Michael Crain to form the new Williams Northern Crain, which has capabilities in residential, commercial, and property management. Northern remains on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission, appointed by Mayor Betsy Price. He has a bachelor’s in entrepreneurial management from TCU. Northern is a director on the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors board.

Real Estate

Brian O’Neill Principal, Fort Worth Pacheco Koch

Brian O’Neill oversees Fort Worth office — and its new Waterside location. At its inception in 2009, the office focused on public infrastructure design. Since then, the office has added land development, stormwater management, transportation, traffic and inspection, land surveying, landscape architecture, and land planning as specialties. Under O’Neill, the office has grown from three employees to nearly 70. Director, North Texas Commission and United Way of Tarrant County. O’Neill has a BS in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “The community. Fort Worth is an incredible community, and a pause to that social fabric is something I miss.”

CAUSES “I am proud to be in a position to serve any organization that helps to enrich the fabric of Fort Worth.”

Ross Perot, Jr. Chairman

The Perot Group

Hillwood Developer Ross Perot Jr. has to be happy with the early impact of COVID-19 on the sprawling AllianceTexas development in North Fort Worth. Activity has surged at major logistics tenants, and a number are hiring. Hillwood — and its 50% land availability — front and center as city and business leaders try to determine — Mayor Betsy Price, banker Elaine Agather and real estate investor John Goff are co-chairing a task — whether COVID-19 has produced possibilities for new business, like offshore distribution, to come back onshore to a giant hub like Alliance. Alliance already is a laboratory for next-generation logistics technology like autonomous trucking, urban air taxi, and freight delivery by drone.

Bobby Patton CEO TCRG Properties

Bobby Patton’s investments run the range of oil and gas properties, office buildings, ranches, cutting horses, and a minority stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. Patton bought a 343-acre ranch from investor Jon Winkelreid. And when Alice Walton put 90 horses on the sale block, Patton bought many of them. More recently, he hired a former Fort Worth mutual fund manager to launch a venture capital fund — meshing with Fort Worth leaders’ desire to have the city’s wealthy families investing in local early growth companies. One investment confirmed earlier this year: Gozova, an on-demand delivery service for large items such as furniture. Patton’s VC fund invested with Ed and Sasha Bass. Patton is a graduate of the University of Texas.

Bob Pence Chairman Freese and Nichols

Bob Pence led Freese and Nichols through the years that followed 9/11 and into an expansion that continues today. Under his leadership, Freese and Nichols added 12 offices, more than doubled its workforce, and added service lines in urban planning, oil and gas, and coastal engineering. The Fort Worth firm became the first engineering/ architecture firm to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and received national honors for ethics and for employee satisfaction. Pence is familiar in the community, having served in leadership roles for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Communities in Schools in Greater Tarrant County, and numerous other organizations. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, both from Texas A&M University. He is an Army veteran.

Phillip Poole Owner TownSite Co.

Development consultant

Phillip Poole has more than 30 years development experience in architecture, urban design, real estate marketing and financial analysis. He specializes in complex projects with numbers of stakeholders. Poole is also often invited to bring his thoughts to bear on broad developmental issues. He is a director of the Cultural District Alliance and Founders Council member of the Tarrant Transit Alliance. Poole holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Virginia Tech University.

Chris Powers CEO Fort Capital

Chris Powers’ Fort Capital is in the middle of developing The River District, a mixed-use community on Fort Worth’s West Side, just off of the Trinity River. Powers says this will be Fort Capital’s last ground-up development, and that he’ll steer his investors’ dollars into investments that don’t take moving dirt. One direction he’s moving in: warehouse and distribution, which he says he likes with the continued growth of online commerce. Powers, who graduated from TCU, has been investing in real estate since before he left college, starting in rental houses.

Real Estate

Ronnie Pruitt President U.S. Concrete

U.S. Concrete, Inc., which posted $1.5 billion in 2019 sales, is a leading supplier of concrete and aggregates for large-scale commercial, residential and infrastructure projects in high-growth markets across the country. The Euless-based company holds leading market positions in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Pruitt has more than 25 years in the industry.

Tom Purvis III Co-founder L2L Ventures

Tom Purvis III has come on board, as project manager with Randy Gideon, a coalition led by developer Flora Brewer that's about to break ground on a new permanent supportive housing project in West Fort Worth near River Oaks. The model would follow what Brewer did in redeveloping the old Palm Tree Apartments on Race Street into permanent supportive housing.

Pretlow Riddick

President and principal Criterion Development

Pretlow Riddick is one of a number of Dallas developers who have trooped over to Fort Worth and found value. Riddick, who founded Criterion Development Partners in 2004 in Dallas, began buying property several years ago in the sleepy-but-enticing Race Street corridor — adjacent to mature neighborhoods such as Oakhurst and just down Belknap Street from downtown — and Scenic Bluff. Riddick rebranded the corridor River East and has been redeveloping the property into urban mixed-use. Riddick earned a BBA from the University of Texas and MBA from George Washington University. In 1999, he established A Better Neighborhood Foundation to invest in faith-based community developments in the inner city.

Ramon Romero, Jr. CEO

Ramon Romero Corp.

State Rep. Ramon Romero’s investments are on the ground, mostly in and around the Poly neighborhood where he grew up. They include a pool construction business and stone company he founded and a business of flipping and investing in old houses. Romero headed for the Legislature, winning election to the District 90 seat after first mounting an unsuccessful run for Fort Worth City Council District 8. Romero actively manages his investments and businesses. He likes to retell a piece of advice from his father about money: If you make money, spend it but spend it on something that gives you return.

Paris Rutherford Principal Catalyst Urban Development

Paris Rutherford’s Dallasbased Catalyst worked with the City of Fort Worth, via public-private partnership, to develop a difficult-to-develop strip fronting West Lancaster Street downtown into urban mixed-use. The SODO district, as it’s branded, is in development. For more than 30 years, Rutherford has built a track record in the creating market-leading, mixed-use and residential districts.

Al Saenz CEO Multatech Architects Engineers

Alfred Saenz has been president and CEO of Multatech since 1999. The firm’s projects have included the DFW Airport Central Utility Plant Systems Upgrade, Love Field Modernization, Parkland Central Utility Plant, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Generator Upgrade, and DFW International Airport Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program. Saenz has served numerous community organizations. He was the 2019-2020 chair of the North Texas Community Foundation.

Bob Scully Senior vice president CBRE

Bob Scully is senior vice president within the CBRE Corporate Advisory Services division in Fort Worth. A 28-year real estate veteran, Scully has handled more than 1,200 assignments, including corporate tenant representation, project leasing, acquisitions, dispositions, build-to-suits, sale-leasebacks, lease restructuring and renewals, subleases and corporate consulting. Scully has completed 75 million square feet of lease and sales transaction work for corporate, institutional and local owner and user clients. During the last two years, Scully closed 42 industrial and office lease and sale transactions totaling almost 4 million square feet, valued at more than $142 million. Scully is consistently recognized as one of CBRE’s top producers, receiving its DFW Top 20 Producer’s Award in 2007 and 2008.

Brent Sparks Director HKS Fort Worth

Brent Sparks runs the Fort Worth office for HKS Fort Worth. HKS’ Fort Worth studio has been serving North Texas for 12 years. Fort Worth projects have included the Moncrief Cancer Institute and True Worth Place. He’s been Fort Worth principal since 2004. Sparks has a BBA in architecture from Texas Tech University.

Eddie Vanston Developer

Eddie Vanston’s latest completed historic adaptive reuse project is the Near Southside’s Dickson-Jenkins Building Lofts, nee the Branch-Smith Building. The circa-1926 warehouse was an apparel factory. Years later, Branch-Smith Printing acquired the building. Vanston turned the building into industrial-style loft condos. Vanston, a transplanted New Yorker, for more than two decades has been buying historic Fort Worth buildings and converting them to residential. The Supreme Golf Warehouse and Markeen Apartments are two projects. Vanston maintains higher prices are pushing developers like him out of the Near Southside. He’s one of a chorus of voices worried about impact of high rents on the Southside’s creatives.

Jake Wagner Co-CEO Republic Property Group

Jake Wagner is co-CEO, with Tony Ruggeri, of the Dallas-based Republic Property Group, the development partner on the 7,200acre Walsh development in far west Fort Worth. Walsh selected Republic as master developers in 2015. At the time, F. Howard Walsh III of Walsh Holdings said the family chose Republic based on innovative vision, youth and experience. “They will be able to grow with this community,” Walsh said. Wagner and Ruggeri took over as co-CEOs of Republic in 2013. Wagner has worked for Republic since 2006. He holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of Texas.

F. Howard Walsh III President Walsh Cos.

F. Howard Walsh III took over last fall as president of Walsh Cos., as longtime Walsh executive G. Malcolm Louden retired. Walsh heads the real estate division and is his family’s representative in the ongoing redevelopment of the former Walsh Ranch, in partnership with Republic Property Group of Dallas. He is the son of F. Howard Walsh, Jr., who died in 2016. Walsh III’s grandparents, F. Howard Walsh and Mary D. Walsh, were prominent Fort Worth philanthropists.

Corrie Watson Co-owner

Frank Kent Enterprises

Corrie Watson and her brother, Will Churchill, triggered the latest rush to West Magnolia Avenue when they sold a car dealership and another piece of real estate. They re-invested in properties, recruited tenants they wanted, including Heim Barbecue and Melt Ice Creams. Great-grandchildren of car dealer Frank Kent and today own Kent dealerships, real estate, other businesses. Sold Kent & Co. Wines last year. Led development and opening of inclusive-access playground at Trinity Park, Dream Park. Gave to city. Serves on boards, Near Southside, Inc., Ladies on The Lamb, which buys champion lambs from girls who show, Fort Worth Stock Show.

READING NOW “I am reading Jessica Simpson’s memoir. It is a wonderful book about faith, falling and rising again, but never completely losing your faith.”

Real Estate

Rick Wegman Principal-agent

Christie’s

International

Real Estate/Ulterre

Rick Wegman has his hands in several ventures: HGC Residential Development, Christie’s International Real Estate/Ulterre, C.W.I. Interior Decorating, and 24 Doors Property Management. He and founding member John Giordano built HGC into one of the city’s most admired and longstanding design/ build firms, in business for more than 20 years. He’s a luxury specialist at Christie’s. Wegman is a TCU graduate, with a doctorate in clinical psychology.

READING NOW “Fortitude, by Congressman Dan Crenshaw.”

HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “I believe this unprecedented time has showcased how unified we are as a city and how supportive we are of each other.”

Ty Williams Broker/partner

Williams Northern Crain

Ty Williams made his next move up last year when he merged his RJ Williams & Co. residential brokerage into a new firm with partners Will Northern and Michael Crain, with residential and commercial brokerage and property management. All three partners are Texas Real Estate Commissioncertified instructors. One of WNC’s charity focuses is Trinity Habitat for Humanity; Williams’ wife, Carmen, a WNC agent, grew up in a Habitat house.

FIRST BIG BREAK “My first big break really comes in two parts. The first was a big one when my dad passed away. His passing forced me to grow up and focus on what mattered most: surrounding yourself with the right people. The second part was moving from Dallas to our wonderful city, Fort Worth. Fort Worth is a big city but with a small-town feel. You can do big things that make a real impact.”

Anthony Wonderly Principal Olympus Property

Anthony Wonderly is principal, with his brother, Chandler, of the Fort Worth-based Olympus Property, which they founded in 1992. Today, it owns 17,000 multifamily units across 10 states. Olympus Property manages the properties. The company’s properties are in Texas, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Utah, and New Mexico.

John Zimmerman Agent Compass

John Zimmerman recently moved his group to Compass from Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. Zimmerman has been a top-producing agent for 30 years. He was deeply involved in the development of Tarrant County’s luxury Montserrat and La Cantera neighborhoods. Zimmerman studied finance and real estate at the University of Arkansas.

Martha Williams Realtor

Williams Trew

Martha Williams cofounded Williams Trew in 2000. Ebby Halliday Real Estate acquired the firm in 2014, and Williams continues to sell houses for Williams Trew, which operates as a division of Ebby Halliday. Williams, who grew up in Fort Worth, specializes in the relocation of corporate executives. Williams is a member of the boards of the Fort Worth Zoo and The Cliburn. She was co-chair of the Van Cliburn Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Gala and is a former president of the Junior League of Fort Worth. She is a graduate of the University of Texas.

A BIAS FOR TRUTH. GO PUBLIC™.

Global. National. Regional. Local. Personal. KERA 90.1 and keranews.org are uniquely qualified to deliver the most up-to-date news from around the world and across North Texas. Bringing context and clarity to developments with COVID-19. From live updates to in-depth analysis, tune in and log on to stay informed.

KERANEWS.ORG

Religion

Our religion influencers include the leaders of some of the city’s biggest religious institutions, educators, and one retired pastor who continues to inspire even as he enters hospice care.

Andrew Bloom

Rabbi Congregation Ahavath Sholom

Andrew Bloom has been rabbi at Congregation Ahavath Sholom since 2011. Studied education and history at the State Teachers College — Seminar Hakibutzim in Tel Aviv, earned bachelor's. Entered Rabbinical School at The Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies in Jerusalem, received ordination and master’s. Appointed to Fort Worth COVID-19 education/child care advisory committee. Serves on Mayor Betsy Price’s Faith Cabinet and board of DRC Solutions, a nonprofit that fights homelessness.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Being able to serve in the [Israeli] army as a combat medic. It taught me how to interact with people from all backgrounds. It allowed me to understand my path was going to be in healing.”

CAUSES DRC, Unbound Fort Worth, Compassionate Fort Worth, Feeding Children Everywhere, Habitat for Humanity

Chauncey Franks Life and Character Coach TCU FCA

As chaplain for the TCU football team, Chauncey Franks oversees the Fellowship of Christian Athletes ministry at the university. The ministry reaches more than 300 TCU coaches and student athletes through weekly Bible studies, pre-game chapels, life skills development, mentoring and discipleship. Originally from Lockhart, Franks received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, where he also played football and was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. After graduating, Franks also worked as a college football coach and graduate assistant. Franks has been with FCA since July of 2004. In 2010, Franks began to serve as the TCU FCA life and character coach. In his spare time, Franks can be found bass fishing and trolling for new Texas barbecue.

Tim Bruster

Senior pastor First United Methodist Church

Dr. Tim Bruster became senior pastor of the 6,000-member First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth in 2003. He graduated magna cum laude from Centenary College in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in religion. In 1985, he graduated cum laude from Perkins School of Theology at SMU with a Master of Divinity and went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree from Perkins. Bruster formerly served seven years as senior pastor of First UMC Georgetown and three years as pastor of the Westchase Campus of First UMC in Houston.

Bruce Datcher

Pastor

Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church

Bruce Datcher, who spent his early adult years as an entrepreneur, answered the call to serve as interim pastor of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in southeast Fort Worth in July 2003. A year later, he was installed as Ebenezer’s new pastor. Datcher developed programs that provided mentorship and college aid to students in the church’s Stop Six neighborhood. And he led the church in the planning and construction of a 15,000-square-foot community center that today puts on programming to help seniors keep from being isolated, including meals, social activities, health education, and exercise. Datcher serves on Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price’s Faith Cabinet. Datcher holds a Bachelor of Biblical Studies from Aspen Christian College and a master’s degree from Aspen Theological Seminary. He is a PhD candidate at the Newburg Theological Seminary.

Adam Greenway

President

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Adam Greenway was elected the ninth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth in February 2019. Greenway previously served as dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the school experienced record enrollment under his leadership. Greenway has co-edited two books — The Great Commission Resurgence: Fulfilling God’s Mandate in Our Time and Evangelicals Engaging Emergent: A Discussion of the Emergent Church Movement — and has contributed to several others. He holds bachelor’s from Samford University; Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary; Ph.D. in Evangelism and Apologetics from Southern Seminary; and Master of Nonprofit Administration from University of Notre Dame.

Cody McQueen is lead pastor of Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth, the nondenominational Bible church founded in 1980 that’s become one of the county’s largest churches, with locations in Fort Worth, Parker County, and Burleson and about 10,000 regularly in attendance. The church, closed to inperson services during the first several months of COVID-19, reopened in early July, issuing tickets to ensure limited capacity and adequate social distancing; promising sanitizing of worship and high-traffic areas before, between and after services; requiring the wearing of masks; and ensuring a contactless environment. McQueen came to Christ Chapel after graduating from the Dallas Theological Seminary with a Master of Theology.

Cody McQueen Lead pastor Christ Chapel Bible Church

Michael

Miller

Dean TCU Brite Divinity School

Michael Miller joined TCU’s Brite Divinity School in 2019 as executive vice president, dean, and associate professor of theology. Miller previously served as academic dean of Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio, an historic educational institution of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. He has also taught at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, and United Theological College of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), he holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of the West Indies, master’s degree from Columbia Theological Seminary, and PhD from Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of Freedom in Resistance and Creative Transformation and Reshaping the Contextual Vision in Caribbean Theology.

Ryon Price Senior pastor Broadway Baptist Church

Ryon Price was called in September 2017 as pastor of Broadway Baptist Church, which has long engaged in its Near Southside neighborhood and problems such as homelessness. Price is a graduate of Texas Tech University and Duke Divinity School. He serves on the steering committee for Compassionate Fort Worth and is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Brite Divinity School at TCU.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “All the cool stuff just starting to happen in the Near Southside.”

FIRST BIG BREAK “A mentor encouraged me to set my sights a little bit higher. That made all the difference.”

CAUSES “Broadway Baptist Church — of course. Also, Kids Hope USA and all the efforts being made to make this a more equitable place to live for all people.”

Michael Olson Bishop Catholic Diocese

of Fort Worth

Michael Olson was installed in January 2014 as fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth. It’s not been an easy tenure for Olson, who a year ago posted a video to the diocese Facebook page, defending his management of several matters including personnel issues that led to a local group of Catholics asking for his removal. Olson noted the diversity of the diocese, including its more than 1 million self-identified Catholics in 28 counties; 90 parishes; and 19 schools. “We are a diverse Catholic population that makes known the diversity and the richness of the people of God,” he said. “I have always made it a priority to provide a safe environment for you and to uphold the standards necessary for a clergy that will give you pastoral care that you can trust.” In March 2011, he earned his doctorate in moral theology at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome.

Karl Travis Retired pastor First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth

Karl Travis, the longtime pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Worth, is dying. He moved into hospice care earlier this year, but that didn’t stop Travis from continuing to inspire. He’s blogged over the Caring Bridge site, giving updates. In mid-May, Travis reported he’d rallied after entering hospice. “Entering hospice care meant disconnecting my fancy drugs. Then, stunningly, I dropped 30 pounds in three weeks, stopped taking morphine altogether, and got out of bed. I haven’t felt this good in two years. I should have gone on hospice months ago!” His ending to that post: “I am attempting to release expectations and simply to enjoy each day as the gift it is. I know that my recent improvement is reprieve, not exoneration. These days are stolen. The outcome will be the same. But only three weeks ago, I didn’t expect these days, and nonetheless, here they are. Here I am! L’chaim! To life!”

Russ Peterman Senior minister University Christian Church

Russ Peterman became senior minister in 2017. Earned his Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary and was ordained in 1995. Serves on the Compassionate Fort Worth task force, faith workgroup of the Read Fort Worth initiative for third-grade literacy, and Mayor Betsy Price’s Faith Cabinet.

MISSED MOST THIS SPRING “As a congregation, UCC has been doing innovative and creative ministry, finding new ways to connect, but I miss being able to see one another's faces.”

CAUSES “I love to support the DRC and the Presbyterian Night Shelter; they are doing incredible work for the most vulnerable. I am also proud to lend my support to TCU and Brite Divinity School.”

READING NOW “This summer, I am doing a sermon series on the ‘Anatomy of Hope.’ I'm reading books about how people find hope when our world is turned upside down.”

Brian Zimmerman Senior rabbi

Beth-El Congregation

Brian Zimmerman took the post of senior rabbi at Beth-El Congregation in 2016, stepping in for the retired Ralph Mecklenburger. Zimmerman is a 12th generation rabbi, following his father and grandfathers. Raised in New York, Zimmerman studied film and broadcasting at Boston University, where he received his bachelor’s degree. He moved to Hollywood, intending to work in film, but recognized his call to be a rabbi. After receiving his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, Zimmerman was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in New York in 1993. Zimmerman has merged his passions — Judaism and film — through temple classes and other outside commitments. In 2015, he was featured as one of Tablet Magazine’s “15 American Rabbis You Haven’t Heard Of, but Should.” Other interests: Bruce Springsteen and scary movies.

Thank you to our 20-21 Strategic Alliance Partners: AMERICAN EXPRESS, BLUE JEAN NETWORKS, CEO COACHING INTERNATIONAL, C-SUITE SUPPORT, CULTURE INDEX, DON WILLIAMS GLOBAL, ELLERBE FINE FOODS, FORREST PERFORMANCE GROUP, FORT WORTH INC, HIGGINBOTHAM INSURANCE, LYNSKEY MANAGEMENT SERVICES, OASIS, ORIGIN BANK

Sports

Our sports influencers come from a world of professional and collegiate sports, ranging from the Dallas Cowboys to the Texas Rangers, Texas Motor Speedway, TCU, and the Charles Schwab Challenge. Chief among their concerns this spring: responding to the threat posed by COVID-19.

Ray Davis Co-chairman and managing partner Texas Rangers Baseball Club

Ray Davis is chairman and CEO of Avatar Investments, L.P., a family-owned diversified investment company. Prior to Avatar, Davis spent more than 30 years in energy. In 1994, he co-founded Energy Transfer Partners, taken public in 2004. He was co-CEO and co-chair until he retired in 2007. Davis is a principal owner, the managing partner and co-chairman of the Texas Rangers. He became a principal owner and co-chairman in August 2010; the Rangers have since won four American League West Division titles and two A.L. pennants and advanced to the playoffs five times. Davis has overseen substantial growth in the business side of the franchise. The $1.2 billion Globe Life Field was to open this spring before COVID-19 put off Major League Baseball’s season. Forbes pegged Davis' net worth at $1.8 billion in early July.

Jerry Jones Owner Dallas Cowboys

Jerry Jones, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Cowboys, continues to build on the value of the NFL franchise he purchased for $150 million in debt in 1989. With AT&T Stadium, built in Arlington in 2009 and the team’s centerpiece, the Cowboys were the most valuable sports franchise in the world, at $5 billion, Forbes estimated a year ago. Forbes estimates Jones’ net worth at $8 billion. Jones made his money in oil before turning to football. Jones in recent years took a majority stake in the publicly traded energy firm Comstock Resources, which has focused on Louisiana’s Haynesville shale. Jones has said he is on the lookout to buy more assets.

COVID-19 MUSINGS “There is no question we're going to get back as a country. There is no question, and when we do, as we always do, we'll be better than we ever were." – Media call, after NFL Draft

Jeremiah Donati Athletic director TCU

Jeremiah Donati was appointed TCU’s athletic director in 2017, the university’s eighth in its history, taking over for the departed Chris Del Conte. Donati’s most recent project was the new, $113 million Legends Club & Suites on the east side of Amon G. Carter Stadium. The venue is set to open with the first home game of the 2020 football season, if COVID-19 allows that to occur. Other projects Donati has played in include new video boards for soccer and swimming and diving, resurfacing of the Sheridan and Clif Morris Football Practice Fields and Moncrief Field at Amon G. Carter Stadium, football locker room improvements, and graphics and banner updates in the Schollmaier Basketball Complex. Under Donati, TCU athletics has grown to 22 sports, the most in the Big 12 Conference, with the announcement of the addition of women’s triathlon in fall 2022.

Gary Patterson

Head football coach

TCU

Gary Patterson’s latest accolades as TCU head football coach since 2000 included two Frogs players taken in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. He’s won national coach of the year 22 times, and is currently the nation’s second-longest serving collegiate head football coach. TCU’s profile surged after Patterson’s Frogs won the 2011 Rose Bowl. Patterson and his wife, Kelsey, give back to Fort Worth through The Gary Patterson Foundation. During his downtime this spring, Patterson, an avocational musician, headed to the studio and cut a country album.

COVID-19 MUSINGS "I used to write music when I was younger. I actually sent somebody some of my music, and somebody's going to record it. I've always wanted to be able to. They've already been in the studio, they've already put it on tracks, and we're going forward." – ESPN interview

Eddie Gossage

President and general manager

Texas Motor Speedway

Eddie Gossage has been with Texas Motor Speedway since it held its first auto race in 1997, starting with the raceway as vice president and general manager. President since 2004, Gossage has been one of the area’s best salesmen, often calling the speedway as important an economic driver as any other attraction locally, including the Dallas Cowboys. The speedway hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, and the NTT INDYCAR Series. The speedway estimates it contributes about $300 million to North Texas. Because of COVID-19 this spring, NASCAR was forced to postpone its O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 weekend at the speedway. But fans were treated to the virtual O’Reilly Auto Parts 125.

Roberson has been tournament manager of the PGA Tour’s annual stop in Fort Worth at Colonial Country Club since 1985. This year, Roberson, who’s arguably most visibly connected to the community through the substantial annual charitable contributions the tournament makes, had a challenge the Colonial has never seen before: running a tournament — the Charles Schwab Challenge, the PGA Tour’s first since COVID-19 shut the tour down after just a handful of tournaments earlier in the year — with no fans allowed. Roberson’s responsibilities include coordinating with marketing, operations, charity, special events, media relations, volunteers, budget oversight, and strategic planning. Roberson also has to help coordinate with the PGA Tour, TV networks, club staff, city, title sponsor, and other partners.

Dennis Roberson Tournament manager Charles Schwab Challenge

Dennis

Transportation

Fort Worth Inc.’s 2020 transportation influencers range from traditional airlines to railroads and general aviation to public transit and innovators responsible for developing next-generation passenger and cargo-carrying technologies.

Bob Baulsir CEO Trinity Metro

Bob Baulsir was named president and CEO of Trinity Metro — the local transit authority — in April 2019. Baulsir’s plate is full in trying to help fast-growing Fort Worth in its mission of luring more people out of their cars and onto transit. He’s in community conversations on establishing priorities for transit and extending the TEXRail commuter rail line to the medical district from T&P Station. Trinity Metro’s new Dash electric bus service connected downtown, West Seventh, museums, and Dickies Arena. Most recently, Baulsir and the Trinity Metro staff have had to manage through COVID-19. Baulsir joined Trinity Metro in 2014 as TEXRail project manager with more than 30 years overseeing large transit projects, including rail development, construction, rail facilities and bus rapid transit. He holds a bachelor’s in business management from the University of Phoenix with coursework at the State University of New York.

Sean Donohue CEO Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

Sean Donohue is CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports and a lynchpin to North Texas’ status as a major economic center. The airport, the world’s fourth busiest, moved up to No. 2 in May, behind China’s Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and ahead of No. 3 Chicago O’Hare International Airport, with the rankings changing due to COVID-19’s impact, according to a VariFlight analysis. DFW has 1,800 employees, an annual operating budget of $800 million, and a $3 billion capital improvement program. DFW Airport produces more than $37 billion in annual economic impact for the region and hosts 64 million customers each year. The airport has nonstop service to more than 200 destinations on five continents. Donohue joined DFW in October 2013. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and economics from Boston College and grew up in Massachusetts.

Bill Davis Chairman Fort Worth

&

Western Railroad

Oilman Bill Davis has grown the Fort Worth & Western Railroad, chartered in 1988 to buy trackage in Fort Worth from Burlington Northern Railroad Co., to more than 276 miles of track through eight counties in North Central Texas from the original 6.25 miles. The short line railroad interchanges with the Union Pacific, BNSF and Kansas City Southern in Fort Worth and the Texas Pacifico short line railroad at San Angelo. Davis and the Fort Worth & Western have been in the middle of conversations about commuter rail in Tarrant County for years because Fort Worth & Western owns critical right of way needed for passenger rail. Trinity Metro is in conversations with the FWWR about the southern extension of TEXRail. Davis has generously supported the Tarrant County Archives, donating items from his personal collection.

Katie Farmer Executive vice presi-

dent, operations BNSF

Katie Farmer was named BNSF’s executive vice president for operations in September 2018, with responsibility for the Fort Worth company’s operations. Farmer began her career in railroads in 1992 as a management trainee at BNSF. She moved up to vice president over the scheduling of railroad operations in July 2017. Farmer is active in the community, currently serving as a trustee on the Cook Children’s Health Foundation and TCU boards and a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra executive committee. She’s a Junior League of Fort Worth Sustainer, past chair of the Intermodal Association of North America, and past president of the National Freight Transportation Association. Farmer holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing and an MBA in finance, both from TCU.

Jeff Davis Chairman Trinity Metro

Jeff Davis, chairman of Republic Title in Fort Worth since 2004, has been a central figure in the region’s expansion of transit. Davis is chairman of the board of Trinity Metro, the local transit authority, and past chairman of the Tarrant Transit Alliance. Davis also is former chair of the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth. Davis received his bachelor’s degree in religion from Princeton University and law degree from SMU. He practiced commercial law for several years before he opened a law practice and title company in Fort Worth. At 27, he was elected to Fort Worth’s first single-member City Council district and served two terms representing East Fort Worth. Davis was president of Safeco Title in Fort Worth for 16 years before he joined Republic Title as Fort Worth chairman. Interests: the Texas Rangers, theater, and wine.

Carl

Ice

President and CEO BNSF

Carl Ice was promoted to president and CEO in January 2014, moving up from president and chief operating officer. Ice began his career in railroads with Santa Fe Railway in 1979. He later held positions in operations, finance, and information systems before moving into executive management. Ice holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Kansas State University. He serves on the Association of American Railroads board. Ice also is leadership committee chair for the Salvation Army DFW Advisory Board, a member of the Salvation Army National Advisory Board, and immediate past chair of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association board.

Transportation

John Kleinheinz Principal Texas Central Partners

John Kleinheinz, a successful former Fort Worthbased hedge fund manager and philanthropist with his wife, Marsha, is a principal in the Texas Central Partners proposal to build a privately funded high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. The group completed an initial $75 million round of financing in 2015. Other partners included developer Jack Matthews of Dallas and billionaire Drayton McLane, Jr. of Temple. Tarrant County officials want to extend the high-speed rail line from Dallas to Fort Worth and, eventually, south to Mexico. Kleinheinz, who graduated from Stanford University, began his career as an investment banker and established Kleinheinz Capital Partners in Fort Worth in 1996. Kleinheinz closed the fund in 2012 and returned its capital to investors. The Kleinheinzes support various causes related to arts and culture in North Texas, including the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Doug Parker CEO

American Airlines

Doug Parker has been CEO of American Airlines, based in Fort Worth and Tarrant County’s largest employer, since 2013, following the merger of US Airways and American. Parker was chairman and CEO of US Airways and, before that, CEO of America West Airlines prior to its merger with US Airways. COVID-19 has dealt American and other airlines a big blow; American reported it lost $2.2 billion in the first quarter. In response, it obtained $5.8 billion in federal payroll assistance to support airline jobs; dramatically lowered capacity to save money; implemented voluntary leave and early retirement; set itself up to borrow; and implemented an array of precautions to protect employees and customers. Parker earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Albion College in 1984 and an MBA from Vanderbilt University in 1986.

Bill Meadows Member Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Board

Bill Meadows is chairman emeritus at Hub International Services, the major insurance broker, but better known to North Texans for his public service. Meadows is a member — and former chair — of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Board, joining it in 2014 as a representative of Fort Worth. He’s helping promote proposals to bring high-speed rail to North Texas and Fort Worth. Meadows is a former member of the Texas Transportation Commission. Meadows also formerly served on the Tarrant Regional Water District board, Texas Water Development Board, and Region C Water Planning Group. Meadows served as executive vice president of The Rigg Group in Fort Worth before Hub acquired it. Meadows earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, where he also served as a trustee.

Reed Pigman Jr. CEO

Texas Jet

Reed Pigman seized on an opportunity to sell fuel, shelter aircraft, and serve private pilots and their passengers at Fort Worth’s Meacham International Airport, opening Texas Jet in 1978. It’s a perennial award winner, this year receiving Best Independent FBO nationwide in a much-followed survey of private pilots by Professional Pilot Magazine. Pigman graduated in 1973 from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s in business. He is a licensed airline transport pilot with a LearJet rating.

FIRST BIG BREAK “In 1978, I saw an opportunity on Meacham Field to start Texas Jet, an executive terminal for private aircraft. We've gone from two hangars to nearly two dozen.”

CAUSES “Fort Worth Chamber, Jewel Charity, Lena Pope. A long time ago, a very wise man told me I had an obligation to give back to our community.”

Michael Morris

Director of transportation

North Central Texas Council of Governments

Michael Morris has been called “The King of DFW Politics” by the Dallas Observer. As North Texas’ top transportation planner, Morris wades into politics more than occasionally. Morris has been on the transportation staff of Council of Governments, the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for the DFW area, since 1979. Part of what’s on his plate today: Better connecting Arlington and Trinity Railway Express to DFW Airport, extending TEXRail to the Fort Worth medical district; promoting highspeed rail into Fort Worth; and assessing the viability of technology such as hyperloop. Morris received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering from State University of New York at Buffalo.

FIRST BIG BREAK “Andrea Wheaton accepting a date with Michael.”

Alicia Winkelblech

Senior officer for strategic initiatives

City of Arlington

Alicia Winkelblech has over 17 years in transportation and planning. Directs Arlington’s Office of Strategic Initiatives, which explores new approaches to city planning and transportation. Those include two completed pilots for autonomous shuttles, a third under development, and rideshare launched in 2017. Winkelblech received her bachelor’s in environmental design from Texas A&M University and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Washington.

READING NOW “I try to balance work and family, so I am reading The Whole-Brained Child.” HOW COVID-19 CHANGES OUR CITY “When we look back, I believe the pandemic will have ushered in a new level of comfort related to remote city planning, with more opportunities to conduct business in virtual ways. I think it is too early to see the impacts on the transportation system.”

Elaine Agather 21

Neils Agather 73

Bobby Ahdieh 43

Laura Bonnell Alexander 32

Devan Allen 49

Gerald Alley 101

Paul Andrews Jr 64

Larry Anfin 77

Keith Argenbright 55

Felipe Armenta 61

Marianne Auld 86

Larry Autrey 92

John Avila 101

Susan Bailey 55

Stuart Balcom 81

Lori Baldock 21

Brian Barnard 86

Brad Barnes 17

Kenneth Barr 92

Robert Bass 30

Lee Bass 30

Sid Bass 30

Anne T Bass 77

Mercedes Bass 77

Ramona Bass 77

Ed Bass 101

Sasha Bass 101

Gus S Bates 32

Bob Baulsir 125

Allyson Baumeister 92

Bob Benda 101

Rhett Bennett 67

Michael Bennett 101

Scot Bennett 102

Daniel Berce 21

Barclay Berdan 55

Joseph Berkes 102

Mike Berry 102

Tad Bird 43

Greg Bird 67

Gyna Bivens 49

Hayden Blackburn 39

Andrew Blake 102

Andrew Bloom 119

Marvin Blum 86

David Bonderman 30

Jon Bonnell 61

Henry Borbolla III 21

Victor Boschini 43

John P Boswell 67

Darlene Boudreaux 39

Rose Bradshaw 73

Thomas S Brandon Jr 85

Elizabeth Brands 43

Douglas Bratton 30

Vianei Braun 85

Mike Brennan 39

Flora Brewer 102

Robbie Briggs 102

Roy C Brooks 49

Eddie Broussard 21

Jon Brumley 67

Tim Bruster 119

Bill Buechele 28

Dana Burghdoff 49

Todd Burnette 104

Suzanne Burt 104

Julie Butner 73

Stephen Butt 61

Tom Buxton 92

Brian Byrd 49

Johnny Campbell 104

Wayne Carson 73

Carolyn Cason 28

Craig Cavileer 104

John Allen Chalk 86

Will Churchill 104

Grant Coates 73

Steven Colwick 21

Jerry Conatser 55

Jeffrey Conner 34

Richard Connor 98

Bruce Conti 104

David Cooke 49

Gail Cooksey 81

Jeremy Cornfeldt 81

Stephen Coslik 106

James Coulter 30

Clark Cowley 86

Bobby Cox 61

Michael Crain 106

Jim Crawford 61

Tony Crème 106

Greg Crouchley 64

Brian Crumley 67

Kathleen Culebro 17

Bruce Datcher 119

Mitzi Davis 77

Ray Davis 123

Bill Davis 125

Jeff Davis 125

Joseph DeLeon 55

Elyse Dickerson 55

David Diesslin 34

Michael Dike 106

Jeremiah Donati 123

Sean Donohue 125

Paul Dorman 56

Mark Drennan 22

Jim DuBose 22

Ralph Duggins 86

Tom Durant 70

Jerry Durant 70

Robert Earley 56

Crawford Edwards 106

Jason Eggenburger 106

Randy Eisenman 31

Ashley Elgin 43

David Endicott 56

Huner Enis 67

Michele Evans 64

Katie Farmer 125

Bob Ferguson 28

Thomas Ferguson 64

Deborah Ferguson 98

Robert Fernandez 92

Gary Fickes 50 Jim Finley 68

Carlos Flores 50 Stuart Flynn 56

Mike Flynn 92

Tony Ford 94

Ben Fortson

Geren 74

Randy Gideon 107 Eugene Giovannini 43

John Goff 107

Craig Goldman 50 Elliot Goldman 64

Eddie Gossage 123

Michael Grace 74 Kay Granger 50 Kelly Allen Gray 50 Adam Greenway 119 Susan Gruppi 107 Janet Hahn 88

John Howard Hallam 65 Brian Happel 22 Miles Harrison 56 Caroline Harrison

36

Amy Ott 90

Toby Owen 74

Andrea Palmer 90

Mattie Parker 44

Doug Parker 126

Wayne Parkman 24

Shawn Parsley 57

Gary Patterson 123

Bobby Patton 112

Mike Pavell 24

Linda Pavlik 82 Bob Pence 112

John Pergande 32 Ross Perot Jr. 112 Russ Peterman 120 Nina Petty 46

Peter Philpott 36

Scot Pierce 90

Reed Pigman Jr. 126

Kasey Pipes 82

Phillip Poole 112

George Popstefanov 82

Charlie Powell 26

State Sen. Beverly Powell 51

Chris Powers 112

Marla Price 18

Betsy Price 52

Ryon Price 120

Frost Prioleau 82

Ronnie Pruitt 114

Ramos Jr. 46

Ravnaas 69

Renfro 63

Renfro