Texas Tech University System Regents Elect New Chairman and Vice Chairman
J. Michael Lewis elected chairman of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, Mark Griffin elected vice chairman.
December 10, 2020 | Contact: Scott Lacefield
J. Michael LewisThe Texas Tech University System Board of Regents elected today (Dec. 10) J. Michael Lewis and Mark Griffin, chairman and vice chairman, respectively, during a regularly scheduled meeting of the board. The two will serve two-year terms, effective immediately.
“Congratulations to Regent Lewis on his selection by the board to serve as the next chairman of the Board of Regents,” said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the TTU System. “Regent Lewis has been a strong supporter for our System and component universities, and I look forward to continue working closely with him during his tenure leading our board.”
Lewis, a resident of Dallas, has served the past two years as the board’s vice chairman and committee chairman of the Regents’ Rules Review Committee.
He was appointed to the Board of Regents on January 31, 2017, by Gov. Greg Abbott. Lewis previously served the board as chairman of the Carr Foundation Board of Trustees and as a member of the Finance and Administration Committee.
Lewis has served his alma mater as chairman of the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business Administration Advisory Council, as a member of the TTU System Chancellor’s Council and as a member of the Matador Society. He was a member of the Investment Advisory Committee and served as a board member for the Texas Tech Foundation, Inc. In addition, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Rawls College of Business in 2014.
Lewis is a sixth-generation Texan who grew up in Olney and graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and a minor in chemistry. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1975 with a master’s degree in business administration.
Mark Griffin“I am grateful for Regent Griffin’s continued dedication and service to the Board of Regents that spans his two tenures on our board, and I congratulate him on his election to serve as our next vice chairman,” said Mitchell. “Regent Griffin has been an advocate of the TTU System for decades, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work by his side during his new elected position.”
Griffin recently served as chairman of the 14-member search committee responsible for identifying and recommending Texas Tech University Health Science Center’s ninth president. The search concluded in May with the selection of Lori Rice-Spearman, Ph.D., as the university’s first female president.
Griffin was appointed to the board for a second term by Gov. Abbott on March 6, 2019. He previously served as a regent from 2005-09. During his current term, Griffin has served as a member of the Facilities Committee and the Regents’ Rules Committee. He served the past two years as the chair of the Carr Foundation Board of Trustees.
Griffin, a resident of Lubbock, is president and CEO of The Griffin Companies and Pro Petroleum, Inc., which are wholesale fuel marketing, distribution and storage companies.
Griffin received a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.
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.