Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Bobby Jenkins ‘81
Bobby Jenkins is owner of ABC Home & Commercial Services with offices in Austin, San Antonio, College Station and Corpus Christi. ABC employs over 650 people and offers a wide variety of services including pest and termite control, lawn care and mowing, landscaping and irrigation, tree trimming, air conditioning and heating, plumbing and electrical, pool cleaning and repair, handyman services, appliance repair, and security system installation and monitoring. Bobby is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in business management.

Bobby is a past chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and current chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He is a past president of both the Texas and National Pest Management Associations and a past chair and current board member of the Better Business Bureau, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse and the Alzheimer’s Association. Bobby currently serves on the Agricultural Development Council and Mays Business School Development Council at Texas A&M University. He is a past chair for Caritas of Austin and has served as a tri-chair for the bond oversight committee with AISD. He has served as the co-chair for the Heat Walk for the American Heart Association and is the current Board Chair of the AHA. Bobby is a past co-chair for the United Way Annual Campaign and current United Way board member. He is the co-founder and board chairman of Recognize Good and past chair and board member of Austin Gives.

Bobby has been married to his wife Jan for 32 years and they have three children; Jessica Pieratt 30, Chelsea 26, and Bo 23.

Paul D. Workman ‘73, State Representative District 47

State Representative Paul D. Workman has served the people of House District 47 in the Texas House of Representatives since January 2011. House District 47 includes most of western Travis County as well as portions of southern Travis County.

Representative Workman serves as a member of the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Business & Industry. Representative Workman serves by appointment on The Energy Council, which helps facilitate the development of national energy policy matters among the Southwestern states. He also serves on the Select Committee on Transportation Planning.

Representative Workman has been named a “Champion of Free Enterprise” by the Associated Builders and Contractors, a “Fighter for Free Enterprise” by the Texas Association of Business, a “Courageous Conservative” by the Texas Conservative Coalition, and a “Lone Star Conservative Leader” by the Texas Conservative Roundtable. In 2013, Representative Workman was named Legislator of the Year by the Real Estate Council of Austin.

Representative Workman earned a B.S. in Building Construction from Texas A&M University in 1973 before joining the U.S. Army Reserves where he retired at the rank of Captain after 10 years of service in an engineer line company. Representative Workman is a forty-year construction professional, owning his own construction company for most of that time. He is a Certified Professional Estimator.

A Rotarian since 1976, Representative Workman has been active in several civic organizations, including Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. In 2008 he served as Chairman of the Board of the Texas Building Branch of the Associated General Contractors.

Representative Workman and his wife Sherry have two children and six grandchildren and are active members of the Austin Baptist Church.

Don Zimmerman ‘84
Don Zimmerman is a 5th generation Texan born and raised in the Alamo City. Zimmerman graduated from Texas A&M in the 1980s with two degrees in mechanical engineering, which he says certifies him “half as smart as the average Aggie”, and he compensates by “marshaling both halves of my brain just to have a chance.” After decades of success in high tech software systems engineering, Zimmerman was elected President of his Municipal Utility District in northwest Austin in 2002. He spearheaded successful lawsuits against the City of Austin for illegal taxation and the US Department of Justice for violating Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. Zimmerman was elected Austin District 6 Council member in 2014; supporters and opponents both labeled him “the Taxpayer’s Voice of Reason”.

Don & wife Jennifer have one young son. Don Zimmerman learned that bureaucrats easily manipulate elected officials by controlling agenda and information sources and answering questions with half-truth lies. Zimmerman is a fixed wing and helicopter aircraft pilot

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

As head of the university’s major-gift fundraising entity, Tyson provides direction for the management of the Foundation’s endowment, serves as the principal liaison with the university, and leads university-wide fundraising activities, including the $4 billion Lead by Example campaign.

Before beginning his new job as president of the Texas A&M Foundation on January 20, 2016, Tyson Voelkel was proprietor of a Houston-based boutique consultancy focused on building, managing and advising ultra-high net worth family offices. He also served as COO for a multi-billion dollar holding company consisting of more than a dozen operating companies, philanthropic endeavors, and various investments.

After completing a degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M University in 1996, the Brenham native served as a U.S. Army infantry officer for almost 14 years and completed a master’s degree in international relations and national security from the Bush School of Government and Public Service, and an MBA from Rice University. He continues to serve as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves. He and his wife, Christi Voelkel ’98, live in College Station with their two daughters, Eliana and Violet, and Lily in spirit.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Carl Trovall is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Associate Professor of Philosophy and History at Concordia University Texas. He has also served as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Laredo, TX, and campus pastor at Concordia University Texas and at the University of Texas.

Carl teaches a variety of courses at CTX including: Political Theory & Ideologies, The History of Mexico, and Introductory Honors courses. His professional interests include public theology and ethics, contemporary Christian ethics, Latino/a Studies, History of Mexico, Liberation Theology, Immigration, Relations of Church and Civil Society, Bioethics, and the Ethics of War and Peace. Having worked on the U.S.—Mexico border, he has been particularly interested in exploring what U. S. Latino/a theology might contribute to our broader public discourse in the United States on identity, ethnicity, and civic community.

His dissertation, An Analysis of the Political and Moral Implications of “Mestizaje’ for Michael Walzer’s Conception of Community in the United States, focused on the work of Fr. Virgilio Elizondo. In 2011, Liturgical Press published his essay, “Juan Diego: A Psychohistory of a Regenerative Man” in a collection entitled American Magnificat: Protestants on Mary of Guadalupe, edited by Maxwell E. Johnson. He was the recipient of the Martin J. Neeb Teaching Excellence Award in 2000 and 2009.

He and his wife, Carol, reside in Pflugerville, TX. They have two children.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Stephen Mason – Intellectual Property Attorney, and Larry Warnock – Software Executive, will lead a panel discussion on some exciting technology developments and trends that will impact Texas businesses and the State’s economy. The two hosts will have three guests from across a range of tech fields. Some crazy cool stuff will be presented.

Joyce Durst – Founder of Growth Acceleration Partners will discuss the “internet of things” (IOT) and “virtual reality” (VR); and we aren’t just talking about that stupid Pokémon GO.

Branndon Stewart – CEO of Outbound Engine will discuss the changing landscape of customer engagement through focused content, mobile delivery and predictive apps. The things in the movie “Minority Report” are not that far away.

Tom Markusic – Founder of Firefly Space Systems (building low earth orbit rockets) will discuss space commercialization and the role TX will play with major innovators locating here including Firefly, SpaceX and Blue Origin. Texas’ NASA roots are alive again and spawning “New Space”.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

State Representative Paul D. Workman has served the people of House District 47 in the Texas House of Representatives since January 2011. House District 47 includes most of western Travis County as well as portions of southern Travis County.

Representative Workman serves as Vice Chairman of the House Select Committee on State & Federal Power & Responsibility. He also serves as a member of the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Insurance. Representative Workman serves by appointment on The Energy Council, which helps facilitate the development of national energy policy matters among the Southwestern states. He also serves on the Select Committee on Transportation Planning.

Representative Workman has been named a “Champion of Free Enterprise” by the Associated Builders and Contractors, a “Fighter for Free Enterprise” by the Texas Association of Business, a “Courageous Conservative” by the Texas Conservative Coalition, and a “Lone Star Conservative Leader” by the Texas Conservative Roundtable. In 2013, Representative Workman was named Legislator of the Year by the Real Estate Council of Austin.

Representative Workman earned a B.S. in Building Construction from Texas A&M University in 1973 before joining the U.S. Army Reserves where he retired at the rank of Captain after 10 years of service in an engineer line company. Representative Workman is a forty year construction professional, owning his own construction company for most of that time. He is a Certified Professional Estimator.

A Rotarian since 1976, Representative Workman has been active in several civic organizations, including Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse. In 2008 he served as Chairman of the Board of the Texas Building Branch of the Associated General Contractors.

Representative Workman and his wife Sherry have two children and six grandchildren and are active members of the Austin Baptist Church.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Michael K. Young became the 25th President of Texas A&M University on May 1, 2015, bringing a proven track record of academic leadership.

As president and tenured Professor of Law at the University of Washington from 2011 to 2015, he led the nation’s top public university in competing for federal research funding, as well as its ambitious plan to double the number of new companies based on UW research. He also launched the Global Innovation Exchange, a partnership in the State of Washington between the University of Washington, a major Chinese university and European universities. The University also more than doubled its fundraising during his tenure. Prior to that, he served as President and Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Utah. Under President Young’s leadership, Utah raised its stature nationally and internationally, including becoming the nation’s top university in the number of new companies generated from university research. The University also built over a million square feet of academic and research space under President Young’s leadership.

Before assuming the presidency at Utah, he was Dean and Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington University Law School, and he was a professor at Columbia University for more than 20 years. He also has been a visiting professor and scholar at three universities in Japan.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, President Young has broad experience across legal, public service, and diplomatic arenas. He served as a law clerk to the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court, and he has held a number of government positions, including Deputy Under Secretary for Economic and Agricultural Affairs, and Ambassador for Trade and Environmental Affairs in the Department of State during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Among many other international agreements, President Young worked extensively on the treaties related to German unification, as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Uruguay Round negotiations leading to the World Trade Organization, and the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development. Subsequently, President Young served eight years on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which he chaired on two separate occasions.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.