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City: Houston
Term: 2015-2027John L. Nau, III is Chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the nation. Silver Eagle Beverages employs over 500 employees who service a territory that includes the greater San Antonio area in Bexar County and extends over 12 additional counties in southwest Texas. In addition, Silver Eagle Beverages distributes Grupo Modelo beers, a broad selection of national and local craft beers and several non-alcohol beverages and waters.
Nau’s commitment to service is apparent through a broad spectrum of participation in civic, community, and philanthropic organizations in Texas and throughout the country. His current involvement includes Chairman of the Texas Historical Commission, National Park Foundation Board of Directors, American Battlefield Trust Board of Directors, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation Board of Directors, Baylor College of Medicine Board of Trustees, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Board of Trustees, University of Houston Board of Visitors, Honorary Trustee of the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau, Honorary Trustee of Texas Heart Institute, Honorary State Trustee for the San Antonio Parks Foundation and Advisory Council member to the Center for Big Bend Studies. He also serves as a Board Member for Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park, Houston Police Foundation, San Antonio Zoo and The Admiral Nimitz Foundation.
He is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and from 2011 through 2015 served on the Board of Visitors, a position appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is founder and President of The Nau Foundation.
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City: Midland
Term: 2018–2029Garrett Donnelly was appointed to the Texas Historical Commission in 2018. Donnelly is the Vice-President of The Eastland Oil Company, the 5th generation of his family to join the family business. Born and raised in Midland, he attended the University of Colorado and graduated from Texas Tech University with a BBA in both Management of Information Systems and Management.
Prior to Eastland Oil, Donnelly was the Director of Information Technology for Reef Chemicals, which later became Rockwater Energy Solutions. In his time at Reef/Rockwater, his department oversaw 300 users spanning 9 states. Rockwater was formed in the rollup of 5 other companies, creating a $2.1 billion dollar energy services powerhouse. Donnelly was involved in multiple integrations of acquisitions to Reef and was a primary team member for the rollout of the Rockwater financial information system. Before Reef, Donnelly was an Application Development Director for Midland County.
Donnelly also continues to serve the Community in a variety of volunteer roles. He currently serves as a Board member and Chairman of the Construction Committee for Safe Place of the Permian Basin. He is also a member of the Permian Basin Landman’s Association, American Association of Petroleum Landmen, and the Permian Basin Producers Association. He is past chairman of the Texas Tech University Health Science Center-Permian Basin Advisory Board and past member of the Parish Council of St. Ann’s Catholic church. Donnelly loves soccer and has coached both of his children in the sport for many years. He serves as a Board Member for the Storm FC WTX soccer club and enjoys being a spectator for his 16-year-old daughter and his 13-year-old son.
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City: Dallas
Term: 2017–2029
SecretaryCatherine McKnight, a seventh generation Texan, was raised in west Texas where her family has ranched for many generations. Her family has a long history of dedication and commitment to Texas, its preservation and its growth. She resides in Dallas and is a retired healthcare attorney. McKnight is an adjunct professor at the Texas A&M University School of Law. She is a member of the Texas State Bar Association, a member of the Delta Delta Delta Alumnae and a former member of the Junior League of Dallas and St. Louis. McKnight received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin and her Juris Doctorate from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.
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City: Rockport
Term: 2016-2027Monica Zárate Burdette is from Rockport, Texas—the location of Fulton Mansion, one of the Texas Historical Commission’s State Historic Sites. Burdette recently retired to Rockport with her husband Ray after 26 years of managing her family-owned El Canelo Ranch and The Inn at El Canelo located in Kenedy County, just south of the King Ranch. She is a descendent of Francisco Yturria of Brownsville and a fifth-generation landowner of part of his holdings.
Burdette served several terms on the Board of Directors of The Museum of South Texas History (MoSTH—previously known as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum) in Edinburg, where she served as Board Secretary. She chaired a MoSTH committee which produced a cookbook: “Mesquite Country: Tastes and Traditions from the Tip of Texas,” which won the McIlhenny Award—an annual award for best community cookbook in America.
Other activities include Burdette’s conservation efforts and nature tourism promotion. She has allowed important nature-related projects and research on El Canelo Ranch. One project involved research on the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and another project with the Texas Nature Conservancy identified a previously unknown plant species. She has served on several committees promoting nature tourism to the Rio Grande Valley. She also personally participated by hosting guests and field trips for nature-related endeavors to the ranch.
Burdette’s other contributions include serving as chairman of the committee that founded “Wild in Willacy,” a nature festival in Willacy County (Raymondville, Texas). She is also an active member of P.E.O., an organization which raises funds for educational opportunities for women. She is a member of the Rockport Center for the Arts and the Art Center of Corpus Christi.
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City: Dallas
Term: 2007-2027John W. Crain serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Summerlee Foundation and is a director of the Bryan Museum. He is past president of the Texas State Historical Association and is one of three life members of the executive committee. Crain is also a former chair of the Dallas County Historical Commission, an advisory director of the Texas State History Museum Foundation, and a director of the Southern Methodist University Clements Center. He also serves as a emeritus member of the Friends of the Governor's Mansion. Crain received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree from Texas State University. He also has a certificate in arts management from Harvard University and a certificate in museum management from the University of California at Berkeley.
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City: Dallas
Term: 2023-2029Fritz Duda is President of the Fritz Duda Company, a Dallas-based investment builder. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute and has served as the chair of numerous Urban Land Advisory panels. He is a Hesburgh Trustee at the University of Notre Dame where he chaired the Campus Planning Committee. He has served on the executive board at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate and currently serves on the Architectural Council at the University of Notre Dame. He attended the University of Colorado and UCLA and earned LLB and JD degrees from the University of California’s Hasting College of Law.
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City: Raymondville
Term: 2018-2027Lilia Garcia was appointed to the Texas Historical Commission in 2018. Born in Raymondville, her family has been involved in South Texas ranching and land management since the 1850s. Growing up on her family’s ranch in Kennedy County, she is not only a fifth-generation rancher, but also a descendant of South Texas farmers. With her sister, she organized a steer operation on the family ranch in Willacy County. Family roots in Texas agriculture, ranching, and farming, as well as the preservation of Texas history and lands, inspired her to study history, political science, and art. As a university lecturer, she now promotes her love of Texas to future generations.
Garcia received a master’s degree in history at Southern Methodist University, where she also received a bachelor’s degree in political science/Ibero-American Studies. Seeing art and history intertwined, she furthered her studies in art history, studying in Spain and England and working at Christie’s auction house in New York City. She currently lectures at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and was previously a lecturer at the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and a faculty member of St. Joseph’s Academy in Brownsville.
Currently, Garcia serves on the board of directors of the Camille Playhouse in Brownsville and the advisory board of the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg. She is a member of the Brownsville Historical Association and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
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City: Dallas
Term: 2018-2027David A. Gravelle was appointed to the Texas Historical Commission in 2018. He previously served on the Commission from 2000 to 2013 with six years as Vice Chairman. He is owner of Gravelle Branding/Marketing, a brand consultancy in Dallas.
From 1987 to 2007 he served as managing partner of Richards/Gravelle, an advertising and PR firm. From 1975 to 1986 Gravelle was chief marketing officer for MCorp, a publicly traded bank holding company.
His branding work includes assignments from The George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas; the National World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.; the Host Committee of Super Bowl LI in Houston; Tolleson Wealth Management, a firm that serves families of wealth; and LandCan, a resource to farmers and ranchers on matters of conservation and sustainability.
He is the past President of The Town and Gown Club at SMU and former president of The Dallas Assembly and The Dallas Museum of Natural History (Perot). He is a former board member of the William P. Clements Center for Southwestern Studies, former director of the Texas State Historical Association, and The Hockaday School. He currently serves on the advisory board of the American Journey Experience.
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City: Fredericksburg
Term: 2025-2031A native of Fredericksburg, Texas, General Hagee served as the 33rd Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. His numerous military assignments included Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Deputy Director of Operations at the U.S. European Command, Director of Strategic Plans and Policies U.S. Pacific Command and Executive Assistant to the Director, Central Intelligence Agency.
After retirement, he returned to Fredericksburg and served as the CEO of the Admiral Nimitz Foundation in Fredericksburg.
He remains active in public service and foreign policy debates and has been one of the proponents of "Smart Power" as part of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He is a member of Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) and a member of the SUBCOM board of directors.
He holds a Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations.
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City: Pleasanton
Term: 2025-2031Kay Hindes of Pleasanton, Texas is an archaeologist. She previously worked as the City Archaeologist for the City of San Antonio. Hindes has conducted archival and historical research and archaeological investigations for various universities, preservation non-profits, governmental organizations and preservation agencies for over 40 years. She specializes in Spanish Colonial archaeology both from an archival and historical perspective as well as through archaeological investigations. Career highlights include: the co-discovery of the Herrera Gate, known as the “Gate to the Alamo” now on display at the Bob Bullock State History Museum; and as a Co-Discoverer of the Mission Santa Cruz de San Saba located in Menard County, Texas. She has authored/co-authored numerous archaeological reports and articles. Hindes is a member of the Texas Archeological Society, having served as a Regional Director, and the Southern Texas Archaeological Society, having served as Chairman twice. She is the member of the San Antonio Conservation Society and former scholar board member of the Texas Historical Foundation. She graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Anthropology. Hindes has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Curtis D. Tunnell Lifetime Archaeology Achievement Award, Texas Historical Commission (THC).
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City: El Paso
Term: 2023-2029Ted Houghton of El Paso is Principal of Houghton Financial. He is Chair of the El Paso Mobility Commission and Vice Chair of the Medical Center of the Americas. He formerly served as Commissioner of the General Land Office and the Texas Transportation Commission & Chair. He served 8 years on the El Paso Water Utilities/Public Service Board and the El Paso Electric Company Board of Directors. He also was a member of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.
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City: Austin
Term: 2018–2029Laurie Limbacher of Austin is president and principal at Limbacher & Godfrey Architects. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects, Texas Society of Architects, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Society of Architectural Historians, Association for Preservation Technology, and the Austin American Institute of Architects. Limbacher received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University.
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City: Alpine
Term: 2007–2027Gilbert E. "Pete" Peterson III is an investments officer located at West Texas National Bank in Alpine. He is president of the Davis Mountains Trans-Pecos Heritage Association, president of the Board of the Museum of the Big Bend and vice-president of the Friends of the Center for Big Bend Studies. Peterson is past president of the Board of Leadership Big Bend and of the Rotary Club of Alpine, former member of the Alpine Public Library Board, and former treasurer of the Alpine Chamber of Commerce. He serves on the Board of the Friends of the Governor’s Mansion. He is also a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Peterson received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern Methodist University.
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City: Houston
Term: 2025-2027Jamey Steen is a partner at Buckhorn Resources in Houston. Prior, Steen worked in business development at Black Stone Minerals, L.P. (NYSE: BSM) and in investment banking at GulfStar Group.
Steen is currently active with the San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield Association, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Texas Land & Mineral Owners Association, and UVA College Foundation Houston Regional Board.
Born and raised in San Antonio, he is an Eagle Scout and a member of St. John the Divine Church. Steen received a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
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City: San Antonio
Term: 2025-2031Robert D. “Dick” Tips is Chairman and CEO of R.D. Tips, Inc. Tips transformed Mission Park into the largest family-owned and operated funeral service provider in Texas, guiding the company through its third century of service since acquiring it from his family in the early 1980s.
Tips has led or funded the restoration of numerous Texas landmarks, including the Fairmount Hotel (1906), known as the “Jewel of San Antonio” and recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest structure ever moved on wheels. His work also includes preservation efforts for the historic Espada Dam and Acequia, the clock tower at Hemisfair Park, and the Mission Burial Park South water tower—a rare twin to the one found at Austin Memorial Park, both originally constructed by his great-grandfather.
Tips is a seventh-generation Texan. His great-grandfather, State Senator Walter E. Tips, was a German immigrant and industrial innovator who, with his brother Edward, founded Tips Iron & Steel and Tips Engine Works. Together, they commissioned the Walter Tips Building at 710–712 Congress Avenue in Austin (built in 1876), which stood as the city’s tallest structure until the Texas State Capitol was completed.
Tips attended both The University of Texas and Texas A&M University.