Hill Country Conservancy

Francisco Albornoz manages the banking relationship and financial services team for a portfolio of commercial clients at Frost Bank, while focusing on developing new middle-market business customers in the areas surrounding the Mueller, 26 Doors, and Tarrytown financial centers. Additionally, he oversees Frost’s community involvement, volunteer efforts, and sponsorship within Mueller and the surrounding communities. Francisco volunteers with the Hill Country Conservancy and currently serves for the second year on EPIC’s leadership council. He is a member of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation’s Stewards of the Wild young professional group, Austin Young Chamber, and the Real Estate Council of Austin. A native of Austin, Francisco is a sportsman with a passion for music, food, and the outdoors. He graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance and Business Law.

Jim Balthazar recently retired as Chief Executive Office and President of Nuventix, Inc. He has over 29 years of startup business and technical management experience. Prior to establishing Nuventix, he served as Vice President of Marketing with Active Power, Inc. since October 1996, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing since February 2002. Jim currently serves on the Land Committee for HCC, and is a long-time volunteer with the City of Austin Wildlands Division.

Mr. Berger is a Principal in The Berger Company and is the Founder of Ryan Berger Properties, an affiliate of The Berger Company based in Austin, Texas. Through the affiliated company, he seeks retail, hospitality, & parking investment and development opportunities with a geographic focus in Texas and the Southeastern United States. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member and an active member of the Real-Estate Council of Austin. Mr. Berger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Pat Fox is a Founding Managing Member of Rockpoint Group, LLC. In June 2014, Pat announced a gradual transition of his duties and responsibilities, but will serve as General Counsel through December 2018. Pat continues to be a Managing Member of Westbrook Real Estate Partners (WREP). Prior to joining WREP in 1996, he was a partner at the law firm of Jones Day where he spent 13 years practicing in the area of commercial real estate. Pat received a B.S. from Texas A&M University in 1980 and a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1983. Pat and his family are conservation easement partners with HCC.

Rob Gandy is a Founding Principal at Cielo Property Group, and focuses on capital market engagement and financing activities for Cielo. He also oversees acquisitions and co-heads the firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to founding Cielo, Rob served as Vice President for Sandler O’Neill and Partners in New York. He received a B.A. in economics from The University of Texas at Austin. Rob serves on the Advisory Board for ULI and is also a member of ICSC.

Larry Graham is Manager of Community Relations for Texas Gas Service, a natural gas utility serving 225,000 customers in Austin. Larry is the immediate past Board Chair of the Downtown Austin Alliance and has served on the board of BikeTexas since 2008. In addition, Larry has served on the board of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The Town Lake YMCA, the Central Texas Better Business Bureau, and has volunteered with various other community groups. Larry is a bicycle commuter and an avid rider. He is long-time supporter of HCC.

For over three decades Dowe Gullatt has represented the interests of individuals and businesses dealing with governmental, business, real estate, commercial litigation, bankruptcy, sports, and entertainment issues. Dowe began his career as Assistant to the Director of Public Affairs and Staff Attorney for the University of Texas System. He has served as Director of Business Development for OZZ Research; he was a partner in, EMTEEN, L.L.C., specializing in the development of strategic partners for start-up enterprises; and an owner of Worldwide Security Consultants, marketing a portable security device. Additionally, Dowe was a sports agent representing professional athletes in addition to his other practice areas. He was also listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Municipal Law) in 2007. Dowe also has substantial experience with state and municipal contractual and procurement issues on behalf of business clients.

Eric is an associate at Norton Rose Fulbright (Fulbright & Jaworski), where he focuses exclusively on the representation of health care providers in state and federal courts. Eric grew up in Austin and received a B.S. in Urban and Regional Studies at Cornell University. Eric received his J.D. from Washington and Lee University, where he served as university student body president and honor council chair.

Ashley Kegley-Whitehead is Vice President and Co-Founder of Buie & Co., a full-service communications firm in Austin, Texas. Among many of her public relations responsibilities, she leads the social media practice for the firm and was a key contributor to the firm’s leadership in adopting and promoting social media as a strategic communications tool. Prior to joining Buie & Co., Ashley worked as a Senior Account Executive at 3 Point Partners, a local public affairs firm and as an Account Executive at Rifeline, an Austin-based grassroots public involvement firm. She graduated cum laude from Texas State University and received her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations. Ashley is a Leadership Austin EMERGE graduate, a member of the Public Relations Society of America, Austin Chapter, a member of The Trail Foundation, Real Estate Council of Austin and a volunteer with Keep Austin Beautiful. With a green thumb and love of the outdoors, on any given day you can find her running the trail or planting at her community garden in East Austin.

Laura Lane grew up in Austin and obtained both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Audiology from the University of Texas. She has spent her Audiology career in adult and pediatric diagnostics and hearing aid dispensing with Austin Regional Clinic. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, Austin Audiological Society, and is Board Certified. Laura is a proud Austin native who enjoys hiking, biking, and picnics in the Texas hill country with her husband and young son.

Deep is a local real estate investor and entrepreneur who grew up in Austin and has been involved in his community since childhood. Deep has held many board and chair positions including the Young Men’s Business League, the Symphony Bats, the Ballet and Austin Under 40. Deep spent most of 2015 working on the documentary 10-Won, which focused on Austin’s 2015 election. Deep is a long time HCC supporter and a member of EPIC.

Will was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. His family has been ranching in South Texas for almost 200 years, and he has spent his life developing a deep appreciation for the natural beauty and bounty of Texas. Will moved to Austin seven years ago to court a cute girl from Waco. He and Catherine now spend their days directing the energy of their two-year-old daughter, Genevieve. In his free time, he enjoys work as an independent oil and gas consultant, volunteering for HCC and Friends of the Governor’s Mansion, editing for Spearing Magazine, and the occasional freedive spearfishing adventure.

Bill is Executive VP and Senior Managing Director of Richmond and Austin for Brandywine Realty Trust. He serves on the Board and is President for the Legal Information Network for Cancer, and is a member of the Virginia Commonwealth University Real Estate Circle of Excellence, Richmond Real Estate Group, RECA and ULI. Bill has been an HCC supporter for the past two years.

Maile Roberts-Loring is a native Texan and proud Austinite with deep roots in the community. Her family started The Salt Lick Restaurant in 1967 and she founded Salt Lick Cellars in 2010. Since graduating from UT in 2012, she divides her time managing daily operations at both the Salt Lick and Salt Lick Cellars. Maile has a B.B.A in Operations Management & Psychology from Emory University and an M.B.A. from University of Texas at Austin-McCombs School of Business.

Katie is Senior Manager of Sustainability for NRG Energy, a company at the forefront of changing how people think about and use energy. Katie specifically supports NRG Home, the business group focused on empowering its millions of customers with the ability to access and generate clean power at home or on the go. She is also a graduate of Leadership Austin, class of 2011. Katie is an active EPIC member and a big fan of the Hill Country for the running, hiking, riding bikes and the sunrises it provides.
Prior to NRG, Katie spent a decade in public relations, leading communications for a renewable energy company and also working for the global PR agency Waggener Edstrom Worldwide. Katie graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Business Honors and Marketing degree and spent her first year after college driving the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Jill Shackelford founded Industrial Asphalt, Inc. in 1995 with her brother Joe. In 2011, Jill sold Industrial Asphalt. Jill was the Partner of KBDJ LP, a limestone quarry in Buda Texas and was instrumental in permitting this Greenfield site as a quality limestone operation. Jill has knowledge in all areas of the permitting process including air quality permits, water pollution abatement plans, groundwater monitoring and emissions reductions programs, and asphalt technology from production to placement. Jill’s family includes, husband Sam, daughter Jordan, and son Ridge. Jill enjoys playing tennis, bible study, and spending time at the family ranch Papalote in Encinal Texas.

Matt Valdez is a founding partner of Viceroy Commercial with a primary focus on VRA’s commercial strategic planning, new business development and transaction management. Prior to Viceroy, Matt began his career at Cresa, connecting business owners to real estate through leasing or sales. Valdez is a dedicated HCC Capital Campaign member, and is very active through industry, civic and philanthropic affiliations.

Adam is Chief Financial Officer of Balcones Resources, Inc. and is licensed to practice law in Arkansas. He holds a Juris Doctorate in 2005, and M.B.A. degree in 2005 from University of Arkansas and a B.A. degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University 2001. Adam has been involved with Hill Country Conservancy for over five years, and currently chairs the EPIC Leadership Council.

Along with practicing law, Scott has invested in real estate in Houston, Austin, and most recently in Wimberley, with the purchase of the 7A Ranch and Resort on the Blanco River. For the past 15 years, Scott has worked to help preserve the water and land resources in and around Wimberley. Scott and his wife Carmin have been HCC donors for the past two years.

Jennifer Wenzel is a Senior Investment Manager with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas where she is responsible for evaluating investment opportunities for the Real Assets portfolio. Jennifer holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute Austin Executive Committee, member of the Advisory Council for the University of Texas Real Estate Finance & Investment Center, and has been a member of EPIC and EPIC Leadership Council.

Will Wheeler is an accomplished executive with 26 years consulting experience providing senior management oversight in the formulation and implementation of land development strategies. He has acted as Principal-in-Charge on a wide variety of project types within both public and private sectors, each providing direct benefit to the surrounding economies. His expertise includes master planned communities, regional office parks, retail centers, multi-family developments, distribution centers and regional infrastructure expansion. Additionally, Mr. Wheeler has worked extensively in supporting many prominent developers through site acquisition, entitlement, and pre-development process.