2015 Trustees’ Award
Seminary trustee, diocesan strategist and church planting manager, construction overseer, visionary planner extraordinaire, devoted Episcopalian and friend to Seminary of the Southwest. As a member of the board of trustees, you have given faithful and indefatigable service to this institution for 17 years. Throwing yourself into whatever you do, you have served board governance, strategic planning and dean search committees, and you were appointed executive chair of the board six years ago.
Following your studies in political science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln– alma mater to two other successful leaders in their fields, Johnny Carson and Warren Buffett– you joined the largest natural gas distributor in North America located in Omaha, Nebraska, transferred with them to Minneapolis and then to Houston in 1988, following the merger that formed Enron – a 23 year-long career that included serving as vice president.
Bishop Claude Payne recruited you to the seminary’s board of trustees in 1998. Your orientation to that position took place over breakfast at the board’s retreat. During that informal session, you asked for an assignment. Then Chair of the Board David Harvin invited you to chair the long range planning committee, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Whether it was long range planning or governance your vision for Seminary of the Southwest has never been small, and it continues to inform the current development of the campus master plan. You contributed countless hours during the reorganization of the board, recruiting trustees who possess outstanding expertise and leadership capacity for the good of our seminary.
You have been known to say, “I never let my lack of knowledge prevent me from having an opinion.” Always thinking ahead, always with focused attention to strategic planning, always with the very best for this institution at heart, you have helped steer the seminary through tumultuous as well as very good times during the tenure of five deans.
In gratitude for your enthusiasm, your continual belief in Seminary of the Southwest and your commitment to her growth and prosperity, your fellow members of the board present you with the Trustees’ Award for 2015.
May 12, 2015 Austin, Texas
