Governor Greg Abbott Appoints Regents to Texas Tech University System
Arcilia Acosta, Cody Campbell and Pat Gordon will join the TTU System Board of Regents for a six-year term.
April 13, 2021 | Contact: Scott Lacefield
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed three new members to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents for terms set to expire on Jan. 31, 2027, his office announced today (April 13).
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.The new appointees are Arcilia Acosta (Dallas), president and CEO of CARCON Industries and Construction and founder and CEO of Southwestern Testing Laboratories (STL) Engineers; Cody Campbell (Fort Worth), co-founder and co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings and Double Eagle Development; and Pat Gordon (El Paso), president of Gordon Davis Johnson & Shane P.C.
“I’d like to congratulate our new regents on their appointments and welcome them to our System family,” said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the TTU System. “Each new board member brings a passion for our universities, and I look forward to collaborating with them as we continue to make the Texas Tech University System a dynamic university system. I also want to thank Chris Huckabee, Mickey Long and Ron Hammonds for their dedicated service to our universities and their countless contributions during their time on our board.”
All three appointees are subject to confirmation by the Texas Senate before officially taking the oath of office and starting their tenure on the board. Regents are appointed to six-year terms by the governor. Their first board meeting is expected to be in May.
The three appointed regents replace Ron Hammonds (Houston), Christopher M. Huckabee (Fort Worth) and Mickey L. Long (Lubbock) on the TTU System board, all of whom had appointments that expired in January of this year.
“I am excited to work with each of our newly appointed regents,” said J. Michael Lewis, chairman of the TTU System Board of Regents. “This is a distinguished group of dedicated alumni and leaders committed to advancing our mission in higher education across our communities, state and country. I also am extremely grateful to our three regents rolling off the board – Chris Huckabee, Mickey Long and Ron Hammonds. My appreciation is based upon their service during an extraordinary time for the Texas Tech University System, during which we added a new School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo and School of Dental Medicine in El Paso, all while navigating a pandemic. Serving on the Board of Regents requires a tremendous amount of leadership and dedication, and I thank each for their impact and generosity during their tenures.”
Arcilia AcostaArcilia Acosta is the president and CEO of CARCON Industries and Construction and the founder and CEO of Southwestern Testing Laboratories (STL) Engineers, a geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing firm. A native Texan, Acosta graduated from Texas Tech University (TTU) in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She also earned a Bank Board Director Certification from Southern Methodist University Southwest School of Banking and is a graduate of the Harvard University Business School Corporate Governance Program.
She currently serves on the board of directors of Vistra Corporation, Magnolia Oil & Gas and Veritex Holdings, Inc. She is a member of the National Women Energy Directors Network, the International Women’s Forum and a sustainer member of the Junior League of Dallas. She is a director of the Communities Foundation of Texas and director and chairwoman-elect of the Dallas Citizens Council.
Previously, Acosta was appointed by Gov. Abbott for a three-year term on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in 2016-19, which is the state’s authority on public higher education.
Acosta is a former director of the Texas Tech Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors. In addition, she was the featured speaker for TTU’s 2015 Commencement Ceremonies. She also has two sons and three siblings who have received degrees from TTU.
Cody CampbellCody Campbell is the co-founder and co-CEO of Double Eagle Energy Holdings III LLC and Double Eagle Development—which focus on acquiring and developing oil and gas assets throughout the Permian Basin. He graduated with honors, earning a pair of bachelor’s degrees (finance and economics) and a master’s degree (finance) from TTU’s Rawls College of Business.
A native of Canyon, Campbell was appointed by Gov. Abbott to the THECB in 2019 and is a member of the board of directors of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the board of trustees of All Saints Episcopal School of Fort Worth and president and board member of Double Eagle Charities while also serving on the Rawls College of Business Advisory Council at TTU.
Campbell was a student-athlete and four-year letterwinner on the offensive line for the TTU football team from 2001-04, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 and second team Academic All-Big 12 as a senior. He went on to play in the Hula Bowl and Gridiron Classic following his senior campaign before spending two seasons (2005-06) with the Indianapolis Colts.
Campbell comes from a long line of Red Raiders, including both parents—his mother earning a degree in elementary education and his father earning a degree in management—in addition to many other family members.
Pat GordonPat Gordon, president of Gordon Davis Johnson & Shane P.C., is a partner and attorney of practice whose focus is business, corporate and tax law. He has two degrees from TTU, earning a master’s degree in business administration from the Rawls College of Business and a Juris Doctor from the TTU School of Law. Gordon and his wife, Laura, also a TTU law school graduate, established the Pat and Laura Gordon Endowed Scholarship at the TTU law school in 2006. Gordon earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University.
He is board-certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a certified public accountant. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and has served as the Texas Commissioner for the Rio Grande Compact Commission for more than 15 years. He is currently a board member and vice chairman of the El Paso Children’s Hospital board, and also served as a past chairman of the board. He also was a former board member of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. He is a member of the El Paso/Juarez Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization.
About the Texas Tech University System
Established in 1996 and headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech University System is a $2 billion higher education enterprise focused on advancing higher education,
health care, research and community outreach. Consisting of four universities – Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso – the TTU System collectively has approximately 57,000 students, 21 academic locations in 18 cities (16 in Texas, 2 internationally), more than 300,000 alumni and an endowment valued
at over $1.3 billion.
During the 86th Texas Legislature under the leadership of Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., legislative funding and authority was provided to establish a new Texas Tech University veterinary school in Amarillo and a new dental school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. This will be the state’s first veterinary school in more than a century and first dental school in over 50 years. The addition of these two schools makes the Texas Tech University System one of only nine in the nation to offer programs for undergraduate, medical, law, nursing, pharmacy, dental and veterinary education, among other academic areas.