TRS Board Gains a New Chair and a New Member

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday (Sept. 21, 2026) announced two TRS board appointments.

New Board Chair

The governor elevated current TRS board member Dan West, of Houston, to the board’s chair position.

West has been a TRS board member since June 2026, when the governor selected him from a list of nominees submitted by the State Board of Education. He is an attorney and is an investor at the SCF Partners private equity firm.

West replaces, as chair, Robert H. Walls, Jr., following the expiration of Wall’s term as a board member.

New Board Member

The governor appointed, as a new member, Clayton Ripley of Austin — a CPA and the founder and managing director of multiple Texas-based businesses — for a term expiring Aug. 31, 2031.