Mr. Woody L. Hunt is Senior Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hunt Companies, Inc. (www.huntcompanies.com), and its affiliated companies Founded in 1947, Hunt Companies, Inc. (Hunt) is a diversified and international family-owned holding company that invests in real estate assets, infrastructure and real-asset focused operating businesses. Today, the platforms employ over 4,000 people.
In addition to his duties with Hunt, Mr. Hunt is Chairman of the Texas Commission on Community College >Finance; foundation trustee of the Texas Higher Education Foundation; member of the Board of Visitors of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center-Houston; Founding Chairman of the Borderplex Alliance in El Paso, where he is now Chairman Emeritus; member and former Chairman of the Texas Business Leadership Council; and Vice-Chair for the Council for Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development in El Paso. Mr. Hunt also serves as Chairman of the Hunt Family Foundation, a private family foundation he and his wife Gayle, established in 1987.
Mr. Hunt was previously Chairman of the Texas Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee, which was charged with developing the Higher Education Plan for the State of Texas for 2015 to 2030; Vice-Chairman of The University of Texas System Board of Regents; served seven years, three as Chairman, on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO); was chairman of the Texas Select Commission on Higher Education and Global Competitiveness; was a member of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC); served as a Board Member for Complete College America; was founding chairman and a board member of the Medical Centers of the Americas Foundation in El Paso; a member of the Western Governors University (WGU) Texas Advisory Board; was a member of the Commission for College Ready Texas and the Texas Tax Reform Commission; was a member of the National Board of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE); was a member of the Texas Advisory Committee on Higher Education Cost Efficiencies; was a member of the Task Force on Higher Education Incentive Funding; was a member of the Council for Continuous Improvement and Innovation in Texas Higher Education; was a member of the Paso del Norte Foundation; and was the chairman of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. He was a member of the Board of Directors for El Paso Electric (Nasdaq: EE) as well as serving as a member of the Board of Directors of PNM Resources (NYSE: PNM) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In addition, Mr. Hunt has served on numerous other civic, non-profit, and professional boards. Mr. Hunt co-founded MountainStar Sports Group (MSSG) to promote regional economic development through sports and entertainment. MSSG owns the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A Baseball affiliate of the San Diego Padres and El Paso Locomotive FC, a franchise team of the United Soccer League (USL), the second division of the United States Soccer Federation. MSSG is also an investor in the FC Juarez Bravos, that represents the Borderplex as a first-division soccer club of LIGA MX.
Mr. Hunt has received the Mirabeau B. Lamar medal which is awarded to individuals that have made extraordinary contributions to higher education in the State of Texas. Mr. Hunt received the Dick Weekley Public Policy Leadership Award from the Texas Business Leadership Council, which recognizes a business leader who has exemplified the positive outcomes that are derived at the intersection of volunteerism and public policy.
Mr. Hunt has also received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from The University of Texas at Austin, been inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame, and the El Paso Business Hall of Fame. He was also recognized three times as El Pasoan of the Year, for his contributions to the El Paso Community.
Mr. Hunt graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, and he subsequently received his MBA in Finance from UT. Mr. Hunt also earned an MA Degree in Management from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University