Governor Abbott Appoints Three To Red River Authority Board Of Directors
Governor Greg Abbott today appointed William “Wade” Porter, Mike Sandefur, and Joe L. Ward to the Red River Authority Board of Directors for terms set to expire on August 11, 2023. The authority provides for the control, conservation and development of the watershed and water of the Red River and its Texas tributaries.
William “Wade” Porter of Amarillo is executive vice president, senior lender, and a board member at Amarillo National Bank, as well as board member and co-founder of Lone Star State Bank of West Texas. He is a member of the West Texas A&M Ag Advisory Board, former member of the Potter Randall Appraisal District Board of Directors and the Texas Bankers Association, Independent Bankers Association of Texas Board of Directors, and board member of Cal Farley’s Boys’ Ranch and Foundation. Porter received a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Texas Tech University and graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.
Mike Sandefur of Texarkana is CEO of various real estate and other entities including Loblolly Land Company, Barkman Creek Land Company, and Barkman Bluff Farms. He is board member for Texarkana College Foundation, and previously served as president of the Texarkana College Board of Trustees and the Sulphur River Basin River Authority Board of Directors and chairman of the Financial Advisory Committee of Bowie County and the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army in Texarkana. Sandefur received a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Accounting, and a Master of Business and Public Management from Rice University.
Joe L. Ward of Telephone is a full time rancher, and operates a Santa Gertrudis cow-calf operation. He has interests in an insurance consulting business, redevelopment projects in downtown Bonham and investments in land and family-owned restaurants. He is a board member for the Fannin County Multi-purpose Complex, volunteer for the Telephone Volunteer Fire Department, director for the Bigbee Cemetery, and member of the Telephone Baptist Church. He is also a former gubernatorial appointee to the State Soil and Water Conservation Board, and formerly served on the Bonham Area Chamber of Commerce Board of directors. Ward served in the Army National Guard from 1969 – 1971 and served in the Air Force National Guard from 1971 – 1976. Ward received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University.