THECB - Board Members

Board Members

Board Member Extranet

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board was created by the Texas Legislature in 1965 to "provide leadership and coordination for the Texas higher education system to achieve excellence for the college education of Texas students." The Coordinating Board meets quarterly in Austin. Board meetings are usually broadcast via the Internet as well.

The Board is made up of nine members appointed by the Governor for six-year terms. The Governor also appoints the chair and vice-chair. No Board member may be employed in education or serve on a community college board of trustees. Board Members serve on Standing Committees. Advisory Committees provide guidance to the Board on various topics. To contact a Board member directly, please refer to the Preferred Mailing Address.

Future Board and Committee Calendars (2012) (2013)

Profiles

Fred W. Heldenfels IV - Chair Term Expires August 31, 2013 Heldenfels Enterprises, Inc. 5700 IH-35 S San Marcos, TX 78666 (512) 396-2376 (512) 396-2381 - Fax
Fred W. Heldenfels IV, of Austin, Texas was first appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Rick Perry in July 2006 to fill a remaining term, and reappointed in August 2007 to a six-year term. In May 2010, Mr. Heldenfels was appointed Chair of the Board. He also serves as Ex-Officio for the Committee on Closing the Gaps, the Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy, and the Committee on Agency Operations. Mr. Heldenfels is the President and CEO of Heldenfels Enterprises, Inc., a manufacturer of precast/prestressed concrete structures for the highway, industrial, commercial and sports construction markets with plants located in San Marcos and Corpus Christi. His firm has won numerous industry Design Awards and other recognitions. He recently served on the San Marcos Economic Development Board and as Board Chairman of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas. In addition, Mr. Heldenfels is Past Chairman of the Texas A&M Twelfth Man Foundation (2001), Past President of the Texas Good Roads/Transportation Association (2001-2003), and Past Chairman of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (2004). In addition, he is Past Chairman of both the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Foundation (1997) and the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce (1993), where he helped initiate support for tort reform in the Coastal Bend, as well as the creation of a four-year university within the Texas A&M University System. In 1993, in recognition of his leadership and entrepreneurship, Mr. Heldenfels received the Small Business Achievement Award presented by the NFIB and Senator Phil Gramm. He is also a proud recipient of the Aggie 100 Award in 2005 and 2006, as well as a recipient of the Outstanding Leadership Alumni from Leadership Corpus Christi. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1979 with a Bachelor's in Business Administration.
Harold W. Hahn - Vice Chair Term Expires August 31, 2013 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512)427-6101 (512) 427-6127
Harold W. Hahn, of El Paso, Texas, was appointed to a three-year term on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Rick Perry. In February 2011, Mr. Hahn was appointed by Governor Perry to serve as Vice Chair of the Board. He also serves as Chair of the Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy and as a member of the Committee on Agency Operations. He is chairman and CEO of Rocky Mountain Mortgage Company, a mortgage banking company serving the west Texas and southern New Mexico markets. The company is active in land development, residential construction lending, loan origination and loan servicing. Most recently, Hr. Hahn served as chairman of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, the primary entity responsible for major transportation infrastructure development in the El Paso region. Additionally, Mr. Hahn serves as a director of the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Yucca Council, Boy Scouts of America and is a member of the Paso Del Norte Group. He is a past president of the El Paso Mortgage Bankers Association and a past director of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association. He has also served as an advisory director for J.P. Morgan Chase Bank in El Paso. Mr. Hahn has been awarded the Mortgage Banker of the Year by the El Paso Mortgage Bankers Association and has also been awarded the Sportsman of the Year by the El Paso Chapter of Ducks Unlimited. He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1973 with a Bachelor's of Business Administration in Finance.
Dennis D. Golden, O.D. - Secretary Term Expires August 31, 2015 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
Dennis D. Golden of Carthage, Texas, was appointed to a six-year term to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Rick Perry on September 1, 2009. Dr. Golden was appointed as Secretary by the Board and serves as Chair of the Committee on Closing the Gaps. Dr. Golden was appointed to the University of Houston System Board of Regents in 2004 by Governor Rick Perry, and served as a member of the board through August 31, 2009. For fiscal year 2009, he served as chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee and as a member of the Finance and Administration Committee. His greatest joy while serving on the Board of Regents of UH was chairing the $90 million Health and Biomedical Center on Vision Institute Committee and testifying before the State Board of Nursing for the new nursing program at University of Houston-Victoria. Dr. Golden graduated from the University of Houston with a bachelor's degree in optometry in 1976 and went on to complete his Doctorate of Optometry from the University of Houston in 1977. During his campus years, he served as president of the Optometric Student Association and was awarded Outstanding 4th Year Student. He is chief of staff of Golden Eye Associates and has been in private practice in Carthage, Texas, since 1978. He is also a member of the medical staff at East Texas Medical Center. Dr. Golden has been in private practice for 31 years and his primary area of interest is glaucoma. Dr. Golden has been a member of the board of trustees for Panola College in Carthage for 21 years, with 6 of those as board chair. He is also a member of the American Optometric Association and the Texas Optometric Association. Dr. Golden served as president of the Texas Optometric Association from 1997-1998, and in 2003 he was named "Optometrist of the Year." He was recently named distinguished alumnus of the College of Optometry for 2004.
Durga D. Agrawal Term Expires August 31, 2015 Piping Technology & Products, Inc. 3701 Holmes Rd. Houston, TX 77051 (713) 731-0030 (713) 731-9916 - Fax
Durga D. Agrawal, of Houston, Texas, was appointed to a six-year term on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on September 1, 2009, by Governor Rick Perry. Dr. Agrawal serves as Chair of the Committee on Agency Operations and as a member of the Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy. Dr. Agrawal is president and chief executive officer of Piping Technology & Products, Inc. He served as a Director of the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED), he has been an Associate Member of National Society of Professional Engineering (NSPE) and the Texas Society of Professional Engineers (TSPE), a member of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, he was nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and received the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award for his service to the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering. In addition, Agrawal has actively supported higher education including the Piping Design program at the University of Houston. He has been a member of the University of Houston Advisory Board for Industrial Engineering, a member of the Engineering Leadership Board and has set up an endowment for Industrial Engineering students. He is a member of the Rice University Fund Council. Dr. Agrawal is a member the Houston Minority Business Council, and was selected the 2001 US Small Business Person of the Year. Mr. Agrawal led a delegation from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and IACCGH to visit Mumbai and Delhi, India, and met with the President and Health Minister of India. This delegation was there to initiate and explore a joint venture between MDACC and the research, teaching and patient care facilities of AIIMS and TMC. Formalized agreements were made between these hospitals. He is an active member of ITAC (Industry Trade Advisory Committee) which is an integral link between industry and the United States Government, and jointly administered by the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Dr. Agrawal received his M.S. and PhD. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston.
Robert "Bobby" Jenkins Jr. Term Expires: August 31, 2017 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
Bobby Jenkins of Austin was appointed to a six-year term on September 1, 2011, by Governor Rick Perry. Mr. Jenkins serves as a member of the Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy and the Committee on Agency Operations. Mr. Jenkins is president of ABC Home and Commercial Services. He is chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Caritas of Austin, Austin American Heart Association Heart Walk, and Austin Independent School District Bond Oversight Committee. He is a member of the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture Development Council, and past president of the Better Business Bureau of Central Texas, National Pest Management Association, and Texas Pest Control Association. He is also past chair of the Austin Alzheimer's Association and Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. Jenkins received a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University.
Munir Abdul Lalani Term Expires: August 31, 2015 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
Munir Abdul Lalani of Wichita Falls was appointed to a four-year term by Governor Rick Perry. He serves as a member of the Committee on Closing the Gaps and the Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy. Mr. Lalani is president and CEO of Lalani Lodging. He is a board member of the Bank of Commerce in Oklahoma, Commerce Bancorp, and Wichita Falls Young Life. He is a past board member of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan YMCA and the Priddy Foundation Board of Trustees, past chair of the Midwestern State University Board of Regents, and an advisory board member of the Munir Abdul Lalani Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise. He is also a past president of the North Texas Restaurant Association, and a past board member of the Wichita Falls Board of Commerce and Industry, Wichita Appraisal District Board and North Texas Rehabilitation Center. Lalani received a bachelor's degree from Midwestern State University.
James H. Lee Term Expires: August 31, 2013 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
James H. "Jim" Lee of Houston, Texas, was first appointed to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in August of 2011 by Governor Rick Perry. He serves as a member of the Committee on Closing the Gaps and the Committee on Agency Operations. Mr. Lee is the president of JHL Capital Holdings, LLC, a private investment organization, and has been in the investments and securities business for nearly 25 years. He was previously the president of Momentum Securities, LLC, an equity trading and technology group he founded in 1995 and subsequently sold to E*Trade Financial Group in 2002. Mr. Lee earned a BA in Finance ('88) and MBA ('92) from the University of Texas at Austin and an executive program certification from the Center for Hedge Fund Research and Education at the London Business School. Mr. Lee was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. Until 2009, Mr. Lee served as a Trustee and Chairman of the Board of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. He also served as a Trustee of the Texas Growth Fund and as a member of the Finance Commission of Texas. Mr. Lee serves on the boards of Texans for a Better America, the UT Health Development Board in Houston and is chairman emeritus of the Maverick PAC. In the late 80's and early 90's Mr. Lee was an investment banker with The First Boston Corporation and Lehman Brothers. Mr. Lee currently holds an investment adviser Series 65 license and the general securities Series 7, 55 and 63 licenses and the general securities principal Series 24 license.
Janelle Shepard Term Expires August 31, 2017 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
Janelle Shepard of Weatherford was appointed to the Coordinating Board by Governor Rick Perry. She will serve a six-year term. She serves as a member of the Committee on Closing the Gaps and the Committee on Agency Operations. Janelle is a registered nurse, board certified case manager and director of medical management at the Texas Health Resources Fort Worth Hospital. She is a member of the American Case Management Association and American Nurses Credentialing Center, and a life member of the Weatherford Independent School District Parent Teacher Association. Shepard is a past member and past board secretary of the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
David D. Teuscher, M.D. Term Expires August 31, 2017 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
David Teuscher of Beaumont was appointment to a six-year term by Governor Rick Perry. He serves as a member of the Committee on Closing the Gaps and the Committee on Strategic Planning and Policy. A lifelong beneficiary and believer in higher education, Dr. Teuscher has an orthopaedic surgery sports medicine practice at the Beaumont Bone & Joint Institute. He serves the youth of the region as a team physician for Lamar University NCAA teams and several local high schools. David earned a Bachelors of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his M.D. from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio, before completing his post-graduate training at The Brooke Army Medical Center on historic Fort Sam Houston, Texas. A U.S. Army veteran, David was decorated for service in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Dr. Teuscher is a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Texas Medical Association. He serves as a delegate to the American Medical Association and the American Orthopaedic Association for Sports Medicine. He recently completed service as the Vice-Chairman of the Texas Youth Commission.
Ryan T. Bridges- Student Representative Term Expires May 31, 2013 c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
Ryan Bridges was appointed to a one-year term as Student Representative to the Board. Mr. Bridges is pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Sam Houston State University. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Sam Houston State University.
Raymund A. Paredes - Commissioner of Higher Education c/o Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board P.O. Box 12788 Austin, TX 78711 (512) 427-6101 (512) 427-6127 - Fax
Raymund A. Paredes, Commissioner of Higher Education at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Prior to joining to the Coordinating Board in July 2004, Dr. Paredes was Vice President for Programs at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) where he was responsible for scholarship and outreach programs. Before joining HSF, he was Director of Creativity & Culture at The Rockefeller Foundation from 2001 to 2003. Dr. Paredes served for ten years as Vice Chancellor-Academic Development at UCLA where he was a professor of English for over 30 years. In addition, he served as special assistant to the President of the University of California system from 1998-2000 on outreach efforts intended to improve access to higher education for students from educationally disadvantaged communities. Dr. Paredes currently serves as Chair of Big Brothers Big Sisters' Nationwide Hispanic Advisory Council, a member of the NAEP High School Achievement Commission and was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine's 100 Most Influential Hispanics of 2007. He was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Education Commission of the States and also serves on their Advisory Committee for Developmental Studies. He previously served as a trustee of The College Board, on the Board of Directors of the Texas Cultural Trust and as a trustee of Mercy College of New York. Dr. Paredes was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. After graduation from El Paso High School, he attended The University of Texas at Austin, receiving a B.A. in English. He served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a 14-month tour with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. After separation from military service, he resumed his education, receiving a Ph.D. in American Civilization in 1973, once again from The University of Texas at Austin.