Gov. Perry Names Four New Regents For UH System

Jacob Monty, Carroll Robertson Ray, Nelda Blair and Mica Mosbacher Join Board Feb. 5

Gov. Rick Perry appointed four new members to the University of Houston System Board of Regents Tuesday.

Jacob Monty, Carroll Robertson Ray, Nelda Blair and Mica Mosbacher are scheduled to be sworn in at a meeting of the board Feb. 5. The 10-member Board of Regents is governing body of the UH System, which includes UH, UH-Clear Lake, UH-Downtown, UH-Victoria, the UHS-Sugar Land and UHS-Cinco Ranch teaching centers as well as KUHT television and KUHF radio stations.

"The governor has selected four outstanding Houstonians who are real movers and shakers for these important posts," said Board of Regents Chairman Welcome Wilson, Sr. "They are respected statewide and have the intellect and enthusiasm that the UH System needs and deserves. I am delighted to welcome them to the board," he said.

"These four new Regents add to the engaged and energetic leadership we have on our board," said Renu Khator, chancellor of the UH System and president of UH, "and I am confident they have the vision to take the UH System to the next level of excellence. We are well positioned to take bold new steps, largely due to the exceptional leadership and contributions of our retiring board members: Leroy Hermes, Michael Cemo, Raul Gonzalez and Morgan O'Connor. I'd like to express my personal thanks and gratitude to each of them for their exceptional service," she said. Monty is the managing partner for Monty Partners LLP, a labor and employment law firm. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Monty was appointed by President George W. Bush to the boards of directors for North American Development Bank and the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission. Monty also serves on the board of Hispanic Alliance for Progress and is the general counsel to the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans. Monty is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington and received a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Monty, whose term expires Aug. 31, 2013, replaces Regent Leroy Hermes.

Ray is an attorney with Andrews and Kurth, LLP. Named as a Texas Rising Star in Texas Monthly magazine in 2004 and 2006, she is a member and former officer of the Junior League of Houston and was the first woman to serve as chairman of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Ray currently serves as secretary of the Cullen Trust for Performing Arts and as a board member of the Houston Ballet, Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Neuhaus Center and the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. She received a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a law degree from the University of Houston. Her term expires Aug. 31, 2011. She replaces Regent Morgan O'Connor.

Blair is the president and owner of the Blair Law Firm, PC. She serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of The Woodlands Township and as past chairman of the board of South Montgomery County/Woodlands Chamber of Commerce. Blair formerly served as chairman of the State Bar District 3B Grievance Committee, and is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands. She also frequently appears as a legal commentator for CNN, CBS News, MSNBC, Court TV, and FOXNews. Blair received a bachelor's degree from Baylor University and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center.

Blair replaces Regent Michael Cemo, and her term runs through Aug. 31, 2013.

Mosbacher is a Houston-based fundraiser, philanthropist, and former journalist. She is a board member of Strake Jesuit Preparatory School and American Hospital of Paris and serves as a trustee of Houston Ballet. Additionally, she has been active in fundraising for Texas Association Against Sexual Assault and Houston Area Women's Center, as well as MD Anderson Cancer Center. Mosbacher also serves on the national council of Best Friends, Best Men. Currently, she is spearheading an effort to build a public art piece in Houston on tolerance. She attended Hollins University and the University of Texas at Austin.

Mosbacher, whose term expires Aug. 31, 2013, replaces Regent Raul Gonzalez.

For more information about the UH System Board of Regents, see: http://www.uhsa.uh.edu/regents/.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
The University of Houston System is the state's only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers. The universities are the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master's-level institutions. The centers are the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston's National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV, the nation's first educational television station


Categories: