Governor Abbott Appoints Eight To Texas Economic Development Corporation Board Of Directors
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed J. Pat Hickman, Vicki Hollub, Woody Hunt, Jim Lentz, Drayton McLane, Jr., Abid Neemuchwala, Scott Prochazka, and Bryan Sheffield to the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors for terms to expire at the pleasure of the Governor. Additionally, the Governor intends to name McLane chair and Hollub vice chair of the board, pending their Senate confirmation. The corporation markets Texas competitively and dynamically to businesses to let them know they can Go Big in Texas.
Pat Hickman of Canyon is chairman and CEO of Happy Bancshare, Inc. He previously served as chairman and vice chairman of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT), director of the IBAT Education Foundation, and as chairman of IBAT Services. He is a former member of the Texas Department of Banking Commissioners Council, the Independent Community Bankers of America Government Affairs and Education Committee, and the Independent Community Bankers of America Federal Legislative Committee. Additionally, he is a member of the Amarillo Community Prayer Breakfast Committee, Texas Tech Foundation Board of Directors, and the West Texas A&M University Executive Advisory Committee and chairman of the Faith City Mission Chairman of Capital Campaign. He is former chairman and vice chairman of the United Way of Amarillo and Canyon and a former member of the Canyon Main Street Economic Development Committee. Hickman studied marketing at Texas Tech University.
Vicki Hollub is president and CEO of Occidental Petroleum, an international oil and gas exploration and production company, and one of the largest U.S. oil and gas companies based on equity market capitalization. She joined Occidental’s Board of Directors in 2015. During her 35-year career with Occidental, she has held management and technical positions in the United States, Russia, Venezuela and Ecuador. She has extensive operations and leadership experience and, most recently, was president and COO, overseeing oil and gas, chemical and midstream operations. She serves on the boards of Lockheed Martin, the American Petroleum Institute and Khalifa University for Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi. She is the U.S. chair for the U.S.-Colombia Business Council and a member of the World Economic Forum and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative. Hollub received a Bachelor of Science in mineral engineering the University of Alabama. She was inducted into the University of Alabama College of Engineering 2016 class of Distinguished Engineering Fellows.
Woody Hunt of El Paso is senior chairman of Hunt Companies, Inc. He is a member of the Complete College America Board of Directors and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors, a trustee of the Texas Higher Education Foundation, and founding chairman and board member of the Borderplex Alliance in El Paso. He is a member and former chairman of the Texas Business Leadership Council, vice chairman for Texas Aspires and the Council for Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development, and an advisory director for WestStar Bank. Additionally, he is former chairman of the Texas Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee and The University of Texas Investment Management Company Board of Directors, former vice chairman of The University of Texas System Board of Regents, and was founding chairman and a board member of the Medical Centers of the Americas Foundation in El Paso. Hunt received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Arts in management from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
Jim Lentz of Westlake is the CEO of Toyota Motor North America. In this role, Lentz oversees all business for Toyota’s North America region, including Manufacturing, Research and Development, Sales, Marketing, Product Support and Corporate Resources. He is a member and former chairman of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, secretary of The Association of Global Automakers, and a member of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation Advisory Board. Additionally, he is a member of the University of Denver Executive Advisory Board and the Dallas Stars Advisory Board. Lentz received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver.
Drayton McLane, Jr. of Temple is chairman of the McLane Group. He is board chairman of Texas Central Partners, board member emeritus of the Baylor University Board of Regents, and a board member for the Geroge H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation, Baylor Scott & White Healthcare Board of Trustees, Cooper Institute, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors. Additionally, he is a member of the Baylor College of Medicine Board of Trustees, board director of Happy State Bank, and a board member of the Heart of Texas Defense Alliance. McLane received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University.
Abid Neemuchwala of Coppell is CEO and board director of Wipro Limited. He is a board member of the DFW World Affairs Council. Neemuchwala received a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication from NIT, Raipur, India, and a master’s degree in industrial management from IIT Mumbai, India.
Scott Prochazka of Houston is president and CEO of CenterPoint Energy. He is the incoming chairman of the American Gas Association and a board member of Edison Electric Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute. He is a former board member of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and former chairman of Texas Gas Association, Gridwise Alliance, and the Southeastern Electric Exchange. He is chairman of Central Houston Inc. and a board member of the Greater Houston Partnership, Junior Achievement-Houston, United Way of Houston, and the Kinder Institute. Prochazka received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Bryan Sheffield of Austin is the executive chairman of Parsley Energy, Inc. Sheffield founded Parsley in 2008 and quickly set the stage for the successful growth of the publicly-traded independent oil and gas company. He is a member of the Texas Business Leadership Council and serves on the board of the Greater Austin Crime Commission. Sheffield received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Southern Methodist University.
These appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.