Venture capitalist Ray Rothrock and Professor Emeritus Stephen A. Holditch, both honored as Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University, have been appointed to serve on investment boards critical to The Texas A&M University System.
The Texas A&M System Board of Regents last month appointed Rothrock, partner emeritus at the capital venture firm Venrock, to the board of directors for The University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO).
The University of Texas System’s Board of Regents appointed Holditch, the former head of the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering and director of the Texas A&M Energy Institute, as Texas A&M System’s representative on the University Lands Advisory Board.
“These two fine graduates of Texas A&M are uniquely qualified to represent the interests of the Texas A&M System on these important investment boards,” said Cliff Thomas, Chairman of The Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents. “We are grateful for their service.”
Rothrock’s areas of investment expertise and interests span the globe, and include energy, information technology infrastructure and cyber security. As a venture capitalist for more than two decades, Rothrock personally discovered, created and guided more than 50 companies in the Venrock portfolio.
Among numerous other accomplishments, he previously served as Trustee of the Texas A&M Foundation and chaired the investment committee of its $1 billion endowment. In 2016, he was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University.
Rothrock earned his Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M in 1977, an S.M. in nuclear engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School.
Holditch, who received his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. from Texas A&M, joined the faculty of his alma mater in 1976, rising through the ranks of the petroleum engineering department, while also working as a consultant to the oil and gas industry. Schlumberger Ltd. purchased his consulting company, S.A. Holditch & Associates, Inc., in 1997, though Holditch continued to advise Schlumberger executives.
In 2014, Holditch was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M University.
UTIMCO is a 501(c)(3) investment management corporation whose sole purpose is the management of investment assets under the fiduciary care of the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System.
UTIMCO is governed by a nine-member board of directors that includes three members of The UT System Board of Regents and four other members appointed by the UT System Board and two members appointed by the Texas A&M System Board.
The University Lands Advisory Board provides strategic direction to the UT System Board of Regents on the operations and management of university lands, which include the activities on 2.1 million acres of land that stretch across 19 far-West Texas counties in the oil-rich Permian Basin and serve as a valuable resource for the UT and Texas A&M system institutions.
Revenue from oil and gas production on university lands flows into the Permanent University Fund, which supports capital projects at the institutions of the UT and Texas A&M Systems. Revenue from surface leases and activity generates income for the Available University Fund (AUF). In addition, a small percentage of the PUF is distributed annually to support UT Austin, Texas A&M and Prairie View A&M University.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.2 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies, two service units and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates more than 140,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, externally funded research expenditures exceed $932 million and help drive the state’s economy.