TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY SYSTEM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Construction
Chancellor Robert L. Duncan serves as the chief executive officer of the TTU System, a position that is appointed by the Board of Regents. Hance leads TTU System policy and has direct oversight of all operations at the four universities. An Executive Leadership team guides the TTU System in areas including academic affairs, fundraising, and governmental relations, among many more.
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., became the chancellor of the Texas Tech University System on Oct. 25, 2018. Read more about Chancellor Mitchell.
Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., serves as the CEO of the TTU System, a position appointed by the Board of Regents. Mitchell works collaboratively with the Board of Regents, the TTU System Administration Executive Leadership Team and university presidents to enhance the TTU System's profile and support shared missions of advancing higher education, health care, research and community engagement.
Job Titles:
- Associate Vice Chancellor / Deputy CFO
Job Titles:
- Executive Secretary to the Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Chancellor
Job Titles:
- Executive Administrative Assistant and
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Chief of Staff, Office of the Chancellor
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- VICE CHAIRWOMAN
- Chief Strategy Officer for Barrios Technology, Ltd
- Vice Chairwoman / Webster
Mrs. Ginger Kerrick Davis of Webster, Texas, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on March 6, 2019. She was named vice chairwoman of the board on Nov. 17, 2022, where she was nominated and affirmed by a unanimous vote by the board. She currently serves as the chairwoman of the Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee. She also is a member of the Regents' Rules Review Committee. Her term expires on Jan. 31, 2025.
She has previously served the board as a member of the Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee.
She served in numerous leadership roles for NASA, including flight operations assistant director for the International Space Station (ISS), flight integration division chief and deputy director of the exploration integration and science directorate. She retired from NASA in September 2021 after 30 years of service.
Kerrick Davis became the first female Hispanic flight director in the history of NASA in 2005. In 2001, she was selected as the first non-astronaut capcom (short for Capsule Communicator), the person in Mission Control that speaks to the on-orbit crew. She served as NASA's first Russian Training Integration instructor in 1997, providing support to the first crew that would live onboard the ISS.
She began working for NASA as a summer intern in 1991 for Johnson Space Center and started her first permanent assignment in May 1994 as a materials research engineer. In 1995, she was reassigned to the Mission Operations Directorate as an instructor for the ISS Environmental and Life Support System, training both astronauts and flight controllers.
Kerrick Davis was recognized by the Texas Governor's Commission for Women for her outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the nation's space program, as well as her commitment to inspire others through giving back to her community.
In 2016, Kerrick Davis was one of five women named to the Texas Women's Hall of Fame. She was named a distinguished alumna by Texas Tech University in 2004, and she also was recognized as a distinguished alumna in 2012 by the Texas Tech Alumni Association.
Kerrick Davis was a two-year member (2014-15) of the Board of Directors for the Texas Tech Alumni Association serving on the Scholarship, Chapter Development and Academic Recruitment Committees. In 2015, Kerrick Davis taught in the STEM Master of Business Administration program at Texas Tech University's Rawls College of Business Administration.
Kerrick Davis and her husband, Samuel Davis, were married in March 2021. Kerrick Davis received a Bachelor of Science in physics in 1991 and a Master of Science in physics in 1993 from Texas Tech University. She was born and raised in El Paso, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor
Under the guidance of James Mauldin, vice chancellor and CFO, the office serves as a financial liaison to the board, foundation, donors, state agencies, management and the TTU System's component institutions and TTU System Administration.
Mrs. Debbie Montford of San Antonio was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on November 12, 2010. She was reappointed on February 1, 2011 and currently serves as the vice chairwoman of the board.
Mrs. Montford also chairs the Facilities Committee and is a member of the Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee. Her term will expire on January 31, 2017.
A native Texan, Mrs. Montford is known for being an energetic and effective community volunteer, an enthusiastic advocate for the arts, and a philanthropist. Currently, she is the Chair and President of the Dolph and Janey Briscoe Western Art Museum Board of Directors, an advisory director of the Plum Foundation, and a member of the Texas Tech University System Chancellor's Council, Matador Society, and Sociedad de la Espuela.
In 2010, Mrs. Montford was honored by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce with the Hope Award for philanthropic fundraising. She is a current member and former President of the Texas' Senate Ladies Club, a member of the Texas Women for the Arts, and a current member and past Board Chair of the Texas Cultural Trust Council. Mrs. Montford currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Cancer Therapy Research Center in San Antonio. Montford is a founding member of the Bexar County Performing Arts Center Foundation, past Chair of the Cultural Facilities Committee appointed by the Bexar County Commissioners, and former Chair of the San Antonio Symphony Board of Directors.
She was the founder of two important initiatives of the Texas Tech University System - the Campus Beautification Program, known as "Campus Care Givers", and the University's Public Art Program. Mrs. Montford was a past Board member of the Lubbock United Way, the former Marketing Chair of the Volunteer Center of Lubbock, a past Executive Committee member of the San Antonio Public Library Foundation, and a past member of San Antonio United Way Women's Council. She attended Texas Tech University and the University of Texas.
Mrs. Montford is married to John T. Montford, a business executive who is a former member of the Texas Senate and former Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. They have three children, Melonie Montford DeRose, Mindy Montford, Dr. John Ross Montford, and two grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Chancellor
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Secretary of the Board
- Special Advisor
Keino McWhinney
Secretary of the Board of Regents and
Special Advisor to the Chancellor
keino.mcwhinney@ttu.edu
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations
Job Titles:
- CHAIRMAN
- Chairman / Lubbock
- President and CEO of the Griffin Companies
Mr. Mark Griffin of Lubbock, Texas, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on March 6, 2019. He was named chairman of the board on Nov. 17, 2022, where he was nominated and affirmed by a unanimous vote by the board. He previously served the board as vice chairman (2020-22). He also currently serves the board as chairman of the Regents' Rules Review Committee and vice chairman of the Facilities Committee. His term expires on January 31, 2025.
He previously served the board as a member of the Facilities Committee and as a member on the Regents' Rules Review Committee. He also previously served as the chairman of the Carr Foundation Board of Trustees.
Griffin served as chairman of the 14-member search committee responsible for identifying and recommending Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center's ninth president. The search concluded in May 2020 with the selection of Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., as the university's first female president.
Griffin is President and CEO of The Griffin Companies and Pro Petroleum Inc., which are wholesale fuel marketing, distribution and storage companies. He previously served as a TTU System Regent from 2005-09.
He is a member of the Texas Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, State Bar of Texas and the Lubbock County Bar Association, director of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, and former director Plains Capital Bank.
He is a former board member of Covenant Health System and the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, and a former trustee of Lubbock Independent School District.
Griffin received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.
A Lubbock native, he and his wife, Claudia, have three children and five grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for State Relations
Mr. Clay Cash of Lubbock was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on March 13, 2023. He currently serves the board as vice chairman of the Regents' Rules Review Committee and vice chairman of the Carr Foundation Board of Trustees.
Cash is one of the principles in the Cash Family Office, which comprises ranching operations, real estate holdings and oil and gas investments. He also is president of the Cash Family Foundation and previously served as vice president of Atmos Energy, in addition to several leadership roles during his career with the company from 1994 until his retirement in 2018.
He is a board member of the Texas Rangers Association Foundation and the Ranching Heritage Association, which supports the National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University (TTU). He previously served on several board of directors, including the Texas Tech Foundation, Inc., Midland Chamber of Commerce and Lubbock Chamber of Commerce.
Cash earned a bachelor's degree in business administration management from TTU's Jerry S. Rawls College of Business in 1997. He and his wife, Ashley, have four children. In addition, Cash comes from a family of Red Raiders, including his parents Don and Kay Cash, who earned degrees in industrial engineering and education, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance & Investments Committee
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Facilities Committee
Mr. Dustin R. Womble, a resident of Lubbock, Texas, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on March 6, 2019. He currently serves the board as chairman of the Facilities Committee. His term expires on Jan. 31, 2025.
He has previously served the board as a member of the Finance & Investments Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. He also previously served as vice chairman of the Carr Foundation Board of Trustees.
Prior to his appointment to the Board of Regents, Womble served Texas Tech University as a member of the Rawls College of Business Advisory Council and as a member of the executive committee of the Texas Tech Foundation.
Womble founded Interactive Computer Designs (INCODE) in 1980 while he was enrolled as an undergraduate student at Texas Tech University. In 18 years, he grew INCODE from a sole proprietorship to a $6 million national enterprise before selling it to Tyler Technologies (TYL:NYSE) in 1998, and joining the company as executive vice president.
During his time at Tyler Technologies, Womble was responsible for product strategy at the corporate level and had operational responsibility for the Local Government Division in Lubbock, Texas, along with the Courts & Justice Division in Plano, Texas. While on the leadership team at Tyler, the company grew to a market cap of over $9 billion and more than 5,000 employees. He retired from Tyler Technologies in 2016, but continues to serve on the Tyler board of directors.
In 2014, Womble invested in Metallenium, LLC and assumed the role of chairman of the board for the company. He also serves as a board member of TRUNO and on the board of directors of Lubbock Christian Schools.
Womble earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in management information systems, magna cum laude, from Texas Tech University in 1981. Womble and his wife, Leisha, have resided in Lubbock since 1977. Leisha is a current Texas Tech University student. Together, the Wombles have three daughters, Brooke, Brianne and Alyssa and three sons, Blake, Brett and Luke.
The Facilities Committee consists of all nine board members and oversees use and occupancy of system property, and the planning and location of construction, maintenance and repair of system physical facilities.
Mr. Jad Zeitouni of Lubbock, Texas, was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents as the Student Regent for a one-year term, expiring May 31, 2025. He is the 19th student to serve on the board and is the seventh to represent Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC).
As a Student Regent, Zeitouni serves on the Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee.
Zeitouni is a student at TTUHSC where he is pursuing a Doctor of Medicine degree from the School of Medicine and studying public health in the Julia Jones Matthews School of Population and Public Health.
He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in accounting from the Texas Tech University (TTU) Jerry S. Rawls College of Business in 2021. He also received the "Highest Honors" designation from the TTU Honors College. Zeitouni, a Lubbock native, is an alumnus of Lubbock-Cooper High School.
Throughout his higher education journey, Zeitouni has been heavily involved in several programs, including the Physicians for Human Rights Advisory Board; the American Medical Association (AMA) Medical Student Committee on Global and Public Health; and the TTUHSC School of Medicine Student Affairs Committee. He was selected as an editorial fellow for the AMA Journal of Ethics, where he developed a themed issue about the role of private equity and health care to be published in May 2025. Zeitouni is also co-leading the TTUHSC School of Medicine Independent Student Analysis Subcommittee for accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
Zeitouni has co-authored eight publications and three published abstracts surrounding various health and medical topics. He serves as co-founder and co-director of the TTU System Health Policy Think Tank.
His first experience at the U.S. Capitol was as an intern in the House of Representatives, where he assisted in researching health care policy and strategy, as well as foreign policy research. Zeitouni also served as an intern in the United Nations Information Center where he researched global health policy, U.S. health policy and World Health Organization policies; reported on congressional hearings; and led think tanks, among other duties.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Finance & Investments Committee
- Committee Vice Chairman of Audit Committee
Job Titles:
- Co - Owner and President of Southwest Royalties, Inc
Mr. Tim Culp of Midland was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on March 13, 2023. He currently serves the board as a member of the Regents' Rules Review Committee and chairman of the Carr Foundation Board of Trustees. His term expires on Jan. 31, 2029.
Culp is the co-owner and president of Southwest Royalties, Inc., and Desert Production, Inc., where he manages and leads the operations of more than 60 full-time and contract employees for 1,300 oil and gas wells located primarily in the Permian Basin region, which includes parts of West Texas and southeast New Mexico.
Previously, he served as co-founder and president of Tandem Energy Corporation and as vice president of Adobe Resources Corporation.
Culp previously served as chairman of the Texas Tech Foundation, Inc., and served on the Texas Tech Athletics Committee and Academic Committees. He is a member and former board member of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and former member of the Texas Society of CPAs and the American Society of CPAs.
He is a former board member of the Midland Chamber of Commerce and former chair of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - West Texas Division. He serves on the First Methodist Church - Midland Executive Team and was chairman of Midland Fair Havens, a local faith-based organization providing assistance to single mothers and their families.
Culp earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Texas Tech University (TTU) in 1981. He and his wife, Annette, who also graduated from TTU with a degree in fashion merchandising, have four children. Their children, Corey Culp, Kristin Groner and Tanner Culp are graduates of TTU, and their daughter, Lindsay Schwab, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Culp enjoys spending time with his six grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Facilities Committee
- Committee Vice Chairwoman
- President and CEO of CARCON Industries
The Finance & Investments Committee consists of all nine board members and oversees the budgeting process, handling of TTU System funds, investments performance and TTU System administrative matters.
Mrs. Arcilia Acosta of Dallas was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on April 13, 2021. She currently serves as vice chairwoman of the Audit Committee. Her term expires on Jan. 31, 2027.
Acosta is the president and CEO of CARCON Industries and Construction and the founder and CEO of Southwestern Testing Laboratories (STL) Engineers. She is a celebrated 30-year business veteran, entrepreneur, nationally recognized speaker, philanthropist and mother.
Acosta has held board-level positions with some of Texas' most successful corporations. From 2013 until it was acquired in 2019, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of Legacy Texas Financial Group, N.A., a bank holding company with an asset size of more than $9 billion. In 2018, Acosta joined the board of ONE Gas Inc., a stand-alone, 100% regulated, publicly traded natural gas utility and one of the largest natural gas utilities in the U.S.
She also serves on the board of directors of Vistra Corp., Magnolia Oil & Gas and Veritex Holdings, Inc. She is a member of the National Women Energy Directors Network, the International Women's Forum and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Dallas. In 2019, she became a board member of the Communities Foundation of Texas. For more than a decade, she has been a board member of the Dallas Citizens Council and, in 2023, Acosta became the chairwoman of the council. Previously, she served on the board of TPG Pace Energy Holdings Corp., and for more than 10 years, on the board of Energy Future Holdings Corp.
In 2021, Acosta received D Magazine's Excellence in Construction & Engineering Award at the D CEO Commercial Real Estate Awards. For three years in a row, she has been named one of the top 100 Influential Women in the U.S. by Latino Leaders magazine. In 2022, Acosta was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Dallas Business Hall of Fame.
Hispanic Executive Magazine named her Top Corporate Director, and she was featured by Latino Leaders Magazine as one of the Top Corporate Directors of Fortune 500 companies for five consecutive years. Recently, Acosta was featured in Latino Leaders Magazine's Top 20 Latinos in Energy issues.
Her companies have won more than 45 national, region and local awards. In 2013, Acosta was inducted into the National Women's Business Enterprise Hall of Fame. In 2017, she was an honoree at the Each Moment Matters Luncheon for her philanthropy and community support on projects throughout Texas. In 2018, Acosta received the "Maura Women Helping Women Award" by the Texas Women's Foundation and was named "Woman of Distinction" by the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Abbott appointed Acosta to the Strike Force to Open Texas. She is one of the 40 members from across the state appointed to the special advisory council.
Previously, Acosta was appointed by Gov. Abbott for a three-year term on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in 2016-19, which is the state's authority on public higher education.
Acosta is a former director of the Texas Tech Alumni Association's National Board of Directors. In addition, she was the featured speaker for Texas Tech University's 2015 Commencement Ceremonies.
She graduated from TTU in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in political science from the College of Arts & Sciences. She also earned a Bank Board Director Certification from Southern Methodist University Southwest School of Banking and is a graduate of the Harvard University Business School Corporate Governance Program.
Her two sons and three of her siblings have received degrees from TTU.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Regents Rules Review Committee
- Committee Vice Chairwoman
- Member of the MSU Texas Presidential Search Committee
- President and CEO of the Priddy Foundation and President of the Priddy Foundation
- Wichita Falls / Student Regent
Mrs. Shelley Sweatt, Ed.D., of Wichita Falls was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System on March 13, 2023. She currently serves the board as vice chairwoman of the Academic, Clinical and Student Affairs Committee and as a member of the Regents' Rules Review Committee. Her term expires on Jan. 31, 2029.
Sweatt is the president and CEO of The Priddy Foundation and president of The Priddy Foundation Board of Trustees, where she provides leadership for the $250-million foundation.
She previously served as a member of the Texas Woman's University (TWU) Board of Regents (2021-23) and is a former member of the Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) Board of Regents (2016-2021).
Twice, Sweatt has served as a member of the MSU Texas Presidential Search Committee.
Over a 32-year career in public education, Sweatt served in various capacities within the Burkburnett Independent School District, from teaching high school chemistry to being a secondary campus administrator, and ultimately executive director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the district. In addition, she was highly involved in the development of state standards for secondary science courses and in the conduction of national curriculum audits.
She is an honorary life member of the Texas Association of School Administrators, a sustaining member of the Junior League of Wichita Falls and is currently serving as a board member for the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous boards and been involved with multiple organizations within the community of Wichita Falls and the state.
Sweatt is also on the board of directors for both Texas Rural Funders and Philanthropy Southwest, where she is currently serving as co-chair of the Annual Conference Planning Committee and as past chair of the Professional Learning Committee, in addition to several other professional organizations.
Sweatt earned a bachelor's degree in education from Texas Tech University (TTU), a master's degree in educational supervision from TWU, along with her superintendency certification, and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of North Texas. She and her husband, Greg, who also graduated from TTU with a degree in engineering technology, have a daughter, Merrill, a third-generation Red Raider who graduated from TTU with a degree in interior design in 2009.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Innovation & Collaboration
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Leadership Team
- Vice Chancellor for Leader & Culture Development
Job Titles:
- Acting Chief Audit Executive