The Board of Trustees is responsible for the administration of the system under provisions of the state constitution and laws. The board is composed of nine trustees who are appointed to staggered terms of six years.
Three trustees are direct appointments of the governor. Two trustees are appointed by the governor from a list prepared by the State Board of Education. Two trustees are appointed by the governor from the three public school district member candidates who have been nominated for each position by employees of public school districts. One trustee is appointed by the governor from the three retired member candidates who are nominated by retired TRS members. One trustee is appointed by the governor from the three at-large candidates who have been nominated for the position.
TRS retirees, members in public school districts and members in higher education institutions may run for nomination to the at-large trustee position.
Trustee Profiles
Rob Walls of San Antonio, Texas, is a business and legal executive with experience in the energy, media and private equity industries. He was the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of iHeartMedia, Inc. and Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. Walls was also a founding partner and Managing Director of Post Oak Energy Capital, a private equity firm in Houston, Texas.
Prior to founding Post Oak, he served in the Chief Executive Office of Enron Corp. after it filed for bankruptcy and was also elected Executive Vice-President and General Counsel. Prior to his Enron experience, Walls was a lawyer at Vinson & Elkins LLP. Walls volunteers on the advisory boards of The Texas Children's Hospital Cancer Center and The Chinquapin School. He is a former board member of San Antonio Spurs, LLC and Portland General Electric Company. He received both his Bachelor of Business Administration (McCombs School of Business) and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Walls is directly appointed by the governor to serve upon the TRS board.
Michael Ball retired after serving as Chief Financial Officer at Fort Worth Independent School District. During his career in public education, he served as Chief Financial Officer in six Texas public school districts. Ball served over 35 years in Texas public school finance. He also served as a shareholder at an accounting firm in northeast Texas, where he conducted Texas public school district audits. Ball received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University-Commerce, his Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Sam Houston State University, and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Texas.
He is also registered with FINRA as a Municipal Advisor Representative and a Municipal Securities Representative. His professional memberships include Texas Association of School Business Officials, Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and The Association of School Business Officials International. He volunteers as a board member of Stilwell Retirement Residence in Waco and is a former board member of United Way of Denton County and Texas Association of School Business Officials. Mr. Ball is appointed to serve upon the TRS board by the governor from the three public school district active member candidates nominated by employees of public school districts.
Brittny Allred is a principal of Luther King Capital Management, an investment advisory firm with approximately $22 billion in assets under management. She previously held positions as an equity research associate at Stephens Inc. and investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. She is active in the philanthropic community in Dallas.
She received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the CFA Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, where she previously served on the board. Allred received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University and Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. She is appointed by the governor from nominations submitted by the State Board of Education.
David Corpus is Executive Vice President-Bank President of Stellar Bank (STEL). He has worked in the banking industry for the past 37 years. His areas of expertise include commercial, industrial and commercial real estate transactions. He has extensive experience in bank mergers, acquisitions and de novos. In addition, he sits on the boards of the Harris County Housing Finance Corporation, Tejano Center for Community Concerns, and Harris County Community Land Trust.
He is also a former adjunct professor (Finance, Management and Economics) for the Houston Community College Systems. His board service with public, private and non-profit organizations spans more than 35 years. Corpus holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management (BAS) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Our Lady of The Lake University at San Antonio. Corpus was first appointed to the board by Gov. Rick Perry in 2013 and reappointed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2019 from nominations submitted by the State Board of Education.
John Elliott is the Founding Member of the Law Office of John W. Elliott, PLLC, an Austin-based law firm specializing in commercial real estate. He is a current or past member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the Austin Bar Association, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA). He received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Mr. Elliott was directly appointed by Governor Abbott for his first 6-year term in 2016, and was reappointed by the governor to a second term in 2023.
Laronda Graf earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas A&M University - Texarkana, and holds school business and human resources certifications from TASBO and AASPA. She comes from a family of Texas educators and has over 20 years experience in school roles including Director of Finance and Special Programs, Child Nutrition Comptroller, and Director of Human Resources. Ms. Graf has served in officer and advisory roles for various committees and organizations. She has longstanding, in-depth knowledge of TRS, both as a member and as a school business official. Trustee Graf is appointed by the governor from three candidates nominated by TRS retirees and members to the at-large trustee position.
James Dick Nance
Former Texas Public School Teacher, Member of Texas Athletic Directors Association
James Dick Nance of Hallettsville represents TRS retirees. He is retired from Pasadena ISD after 35 years of service. He is a former member of the Texas Athletic Directors Association, Greater Houston Football Coaches Association, and the Texas High School Coaches Association. Additionally, he is president of the District III Texas Retired Teachers Association and former president of Pasadena South Rotary Club and Lavaca County Retired Teachers Association.
He is former secretary of the Hallettsville ISD Education Foundation and a former member of the Hallettsville Lions Club and the Hallettsville ISD Strategic Planning Committee. Nance received a B.S. in education, a mid-management certificate, and a Master of Education from the University of Houston. He is appointed by the governor to serve upon the TRS board from three retiree candidates nominated by former members of the retirement system who have retired and are receiving benefits from the system.
John R. Rutherford is a former energy and finance executive. He currently serves on the board of directors of the general partner of Enterprise Product Partners, L.P. and TD Williamson. In 2022, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to the Employees Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees. In addition to his leadership in the energy and finance sectors, Mr. Rutherford currently serves on the board of directors of the Navy Seal Foundation and on the Executive Council of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center. Mr. Rutherford received a BBA in Petroleum Land Management with a concentration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of Business. Mr. Rutherford is directly appointed by the governor to serve on the TRS board.
Elvis Williams
Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Edgewood Independent School District
Elvis Williams currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Operations at Edgewood ISD, where he leads the Operations Division, which includes Technology, Athletics, Child Nutrition Services, Physical Plant Services, Transportation, Inventory and Warehousing, Custodial, and Planning and Construction. Previously, he held administration positions in the Dallas, Del Valle and Huntsville ISDs.
He is an active member of the Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of Black School Educators, Texas Association of School Business Officials, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Mississippi Valley State University National Alumni Association, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Lions Club, Anderson Lodge #9 Free and Accepted Masons Prince Hall Affiliation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Bethlehem Baptist Church. He also served as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and Army Reserves.
Mr. Williams earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Mississippi Valley State University, a Master of Education degree from Dallas Baptist University, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree from The University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Fair Oaks Ranch with his wife, Debbie, and son, Jorel. He is appointed by the governor from public school district member candidates nominated by public school employees.