Texas Gov. reappoints two Regents, Names New board member

Published 5:57 pm Thursday, September 24, 2015

SPECIAL TO THE LEADER ———

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott extended the service of two University of Houston System Regents and appointed a new member to the Board.

Abbott reappointed Tilman J. Fertitta and Beth Madison to the UHS Board of Regents and named Gerald McElvy as the system’s newest Regent.

Fertitta is the current Board chair. He was appointed to the Board in 2009 and elected as chair in 2015. During his time as a Regent, Fertitta has served as the Board’s vice chair and contributed his energies to several of its committees. He served as the chair of the Facilities, Construction and Master Planning Committee; a member of the Finance and Administration Committee and a member of the Executive and Compensation Committee. Fertitta is the CEO and controlling shareholder of Landry’s Inc.

Madison is the Board’s secretary. She was appointed to the Board in 2014 to replace Nandita Berry, who departed to serve as Texas Secretary of State. Madison served the remainder of Berry’s term, which expired on Aug. 31. During the 2015 fiscal year, Madison served as a member of the Facilities, Construction and Master Planning Committee; the Endowment Management Committee and the Audit and Compliance Committee.

McElvy is a UH alumnus and holds a bachleor’s degree in economics and accounting. He is an ardent supporter of the University and higher education. McElvy is a member of the Bauer College Board, which supports UH’s C.T. Bauer College of Business. Previously, he served on the board for UH’s Houston Alumni Association. He also was a supporter of the University’s “Drive to Tier One” initiative. He is a member of the advisory board of the Texas Academy of Math and Science at the University of North Texas and previously served on the boards for numerous organizations dedicated to education and community service. McElvy worked for the Exxon Mobil Corp. for 33 years. During his final six years with the company, he served as president of its philanthropic arm, the Exxon Mobil Foundation. In addition to his UH degree, McElvy holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.

McElvy replaces outgoing Board member Jarvis V. Hollingsworth, whose term expired Aug. 31. During his time on the Board, Hollingsworth served as its chair and vice chair.

The UHS Board of Regents is comprised of nine regular members and a Student Regent. Every two years, the Texas Governor appoints three members to the Board. Each regular member serves a six-year term, and Student Regents serve for one year.

In addition to Fertitta, Madison and McElvy, Board members include Welcome W. Wilson Jr., Spencer D. Armour III, Roger F. Welder, Durga D. Agrawal, Paula M. Mendoza, Peter K. Taaffe and Student Regent Garrett H. Hughey.

For more details on the UH System and the UH System Board of Regents, visit http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/.