About

Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of the Texas Builders Foundation is representative of the diversity of homebuilding industry professionals. Board members recognize that the Foundation exists to serve and strengthen the residential construction community and that we can’t achieve our goals on our own. The Texas Builders Foundation is proud to partner with individuals, businesses, government, other non-profits and organizations to ensure the future of Texas’ construction workforce so that we can continue to provide the citizens of our state with quality, affordable housing.

Tim Jackson

Chairman
Tim Jackson Custom Homes, Fairview, TX

Jana McAllister

Vice Chairman
Tommy Ford Construction, Dallas, TX

Scott Norman

Secretary/Treasurer Texas Association of Builders, Austin, TX

Mike Black

Kelly-Moore Paint Company, Granbury, TX

Randy Bowling

Tropicana Homes, El Paso, TX

Brennan Connally

Connally Construction, Amarillo, TX

Chad Decker

Decker Custom Homes, San Angelo, TX

Garrett Dorsey

Blue Wave Construction, Corpus Christi, TX

Donnie Evans

Alura Homes, Rockwall, TX

Tommy Ford

Tommy Ford Construction, Dallas, TX

Boyd Johnston

Johnston Homes, Inc., Amarillo, TX

Gene Lantrip

Lantrip's Custom Homes , Abilene, TX

Sam Mezayek

Mezayek Building, LTD Tyler, TX

Michael Mishler

Mishler Builders, Inc., Rockwall, TX

Matthew Reibenstein

Royal Design Build Co., Conroe, TX

James Rodriguez

Fox Energy Specialists, Fort Worth, TX

Ron Rohrbacher

Rohrbacher Residential Construction Consulting, Houston, TX

Steve Sorrells

Sorrells and Company, LLC, Waco, TX

Rod Vochatzer

Sherwin Williams, Richardson, TX

Robert Wood

Custom Homes by Robert Wood, Lubbock, TX

Our Story

In 2009, six members of the Texas Association of Builders worked together to establish the Texas Builders Foundation. These visionaries recognized that Texas and the United States would soon face a critical shortage of skilled trades professionals. Since the early 2000s, many high schools had begun phasing out vocational programs, such as “shop classes,” and encouraged students to focus on obtaining a four-year college degree. Therefore, a generation of parents, students and school counselors had not been exposed to the building industry as a professional career choice.

When the foundation received its 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service in 2010, we were poised to begin the process of educating Texans on the benefits of becoming a construction trades professional and had the means to provide scholarships to students who were working toward construction trades certifications, licenses, or degrees.

In addition to providing scholarships to students who are enrolled in construction programs around the state of Texas, the foundation has provided funding and expertise to help high schools and community colleges start or grow building trades programs. Today, the Texas Builders Foundation Board of Trustees consists of 20 forward-thinking men and women and has assets of over half a million dollars to use toward ensuring the future of the residential construction industry.

Foundation Facts

2011

Year Scholarship Program was Established

114

Number of Scholarships Awarded

Total Amount of Scholarships Awarded

Grants Awarded

Charity Builds & Fundraisers

Endowments and Major Gifts Received

The Texas Builders Foundation is the charitable arm of the Texas Association of Builders (TAB). TAB is a statewide trade association dedicated to creating a positive business environment for the housing industry by addressing the housing issues of the people of Texas. Founded in 1946, the Texas Association of Builders is an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and has 26 local home builders associations and nearly 10,000 members across Texas. Representing over 608,110 jobs and more than $67.5 billion annually in the Texas economy, the state and local associations play a crucial role in providing housing for Texans. Visit TexasBuilders.org

Ron Connally Award of Excellence

The Ron Connally Award of Excellence was established in 2018 to celebrate an individual, company or organization that has made significant and lasting contributions to promote the mission of the Texas Builders Foundation. Nominations for the Ron Connally Award of Excellence are made by members of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Builders Foundation each fall.

A hallmark of Ron Connally’s career in the homebuilding industry was the establishment of the Texas Builders Foundation, of which he was the founding chairman. He had the foresight to realize the need for a more skilled workforce and education became his passion. He guided the foundation through its formative years, helping the board of trustees to establish its organizational structure, initial bylaws, policies and procedures. Connally was committed to excellence and dedicated to education, while leading effectively with humility and resolution. His legacy endures, and his professional accomplishments have remained relevant and have withstood the test of time.

Ron Connally Award of Excellence Recipients

2023

Ron Rohrbacher, League City, TX

Ron Rohrbacher has served on the Texas Builders Foundation Board of Trustees since 2019. His resume is extensive, and his passion for workforce development and training is unsurpassed. Ron served as VP of Construction Training at Perry Homes for 31 years and currently owns Rohrbacher Residential Construction Consulting. He was appointed by Governor Abbott to the Industry Based Curriculum Advisory Council, where he reviewed the Texas Education Agency's construction training curriculum. In 2023, Ron was appointed by the governor to serve on the Board of Regents of Texas State Technical College. Ron also serves as chair of TAB's Codes and Standards Committee, a position he has held for 22 years. Thank you, Ron, for your commitment to our industry.

2022

Since 2015 this recipient has been one of the foundation’s greatest supporters.

From establishing the first endowment to the foundation – a $125,000 commitment – to their continued support at every level – serving on the Board of Trustees, providing monetary and employee support to foundation events – Kelly-Moore Paint Company’s generosity will ensure that the Texas Builders Foundation will be able to fulfill its mission for years to come.

Irving, Texas-based Kelly-Moore Paint Company’s unsurpassed commitment to the Texas Builders Foundation makes them an outstanding and deserving recipient of the Ron Connally Award of Excellence.

2021

Jana McAllister, Dallas, TX

Jana McAllister joined the Board of Trustees in 2017 and became actively involved right away. She serves as vice chair of the board and chairs the Scholarship Committee. McAllister has proven her devotion to the foundation and furthering its mission, setting and ensuring that goals are met. Her hard work has helped provide dozens of students with scholarships, and her organizational skills and willingness to spend untold hours on fundraising have been instrumental in growing the foundation.

2019

Tommy Ford, Dallas, TX

Long before the Texas Builders Foundation was organized in 2010, Tommy Ford recognized that the building industry was facing a critical shortage of construction trades professionals. Once the foundation was born, Ford led the charge to ensure that the foundation’s main goal would be to bring more people into our industry by offering scholarships to students who are pursuing careers as construction trades professionals in Texas. Tommy was the first major donor to the foundation so that it could immediately begin to award scholarships. His passion for the foundation has never waned, and Tommy’s commitment to ensuring the growth of the foundation continues after over a decade of service as a truste

Contact Us

Texas Builders Foundation
313 East 12th Street, Suite 210
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 476-6346
info@texasbuildersfoundation.org

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