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Volunteers & Staff
Celebrating Agriculture, Education, Entertainment & Western Heritage
Chairman of the Board
R.H. "Steve" Stevens Jr.

On May 12, 2011, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ board of directors elected R.H. "Steve" Stevens Jr. as the Show's chairman of the board.
Stevens' parents began taking him to the Show as a child, and he quickly developed a love of animals that has endured to this day. After joining the Show in 1975, Stevens volunteered briefly on the Beef Scramble Sponsors Committee, as the Calf Scramble Committee was called at the time, and the Steer Auction Committee, and he later served on numerous Horse Show committees as well as the Executive Committee's audit-budget committee. Stevens was elected to the Show's board of directors in 1992. In 1998, after completing three years as General Horse Show chairman, he was elected a vice president of the Show and served as officer in charge of all 16 Horse Show committees, in addition to the Junior Horse Show Judging and Livery Team committees. Stevens has been a member of the Show's Executive Committee since 2005.
Stevens’ family has strong ties to the Show. He and his wife, Kay, have two daughters; Courtney, a past chairman of the Junior Horse Show Committee, and Elizabeth, also is a member of the Junior Horse Show Committee. One of their son-in-laws, Jim Bob Taylor, is chairman of the Breeders Greeters Committee. Their other son-in-law, Robert Becker, is a vice chairman on the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Committee.
Stevens is a managing partner at the accounting firm of Stevens & Matthews LLP, in Houston. Stevens has served on the board of directors of numerous organizations, both business and charitable. In 1999, then-Governor George W. Bush appointed Stevens to the board of regents of the Texas A&M University system, where he served as chairman of the finance and audit committees and as a member of various other committees. Stevens also was a member of the board of directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Company, which is responsible for the investment of endowment funds of The University of Texas and Texas A&M University, and served as chairman of its audit and budget committee. In 2003, Stevens served as president of the American Quarter Horse Association, an organization with more than 350,000 members in the United States and worldwide.
Executive Committee
The purpose of the Executive Committee is to give aid and authority to the officers and the managers of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ for the orderly operation and management of the Show as a civic and educational event. The committee also carries out the purposes and policies of the board of directors.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Executive Committee is comprised of the current Show chairman of the board, all past presidents and chairmen of the board, and at least five members elected from the board of directors, who may each serve up to nine, one-year terms.
MEMBERS Jim Bloodworth |
LIFETIME MEMBERS Don A. Buckalew |
President and Chief Executive Officer
Skip Wagner

Skip Wagner started his Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ career in 1992, serving as assistant general manager, primarily focused on the grounds entertainment, operations and fundraising aspects of the event. Wagner continued in this capacity with the Show until 2000.
From 2000 through 2003, Wagner was president and general manager of the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City. In 2004, Wagner returned to the Show and in 2005 became president and CEO. He works with 26,000 volunteers and a great staff to ensure that the Show remains the premier entertainment and civic event in the Southwest.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo growth has been significant in recent years. Attendance now exceeds 2.25 million people and operating revenue has gone beyond the $100 million mark. This has enabled contributions to youth and educational programs to approach $20 million.
Wagner graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1982 with a degree in chemical engineering and from Harvard Business School in 1986 with a master's degree in business administration. Prior to joining the Show, Wagner worked for McKinsey and Company, Conoco and a startup software venture.
He serves, or has served, on the board of directors for the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greater Houston YMCA, Texas Bowl, Texas Travel Industries Association, and Mays Business School Development Council. Wagner's personal interests include teaching young adult Bible classes, coaching youth sports, running and golf.
Officers
Each officer of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ is elected by the board of directors at its yearly meeting following the Show's annual meeting. These vice presidents are elected for one-year terms, serving no more than three successive years.
Serving as officer in charge, each officer handles many committee assignments. In addition to serving as a Show representative, officers provide vital leadership essential to keeping the Show vibrant and progressive.
Current Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officers are:
Chairman of the BoardR.H. "Steve" Stevens Jr. |
PresidentSkip Wagner |
Chief Operating OfficerLeroy Shafer |
Vice Presidents
Roger Bethune (1st term) |
Curtis Brenner (3rd term) |
Rey Gonzales (3rd term) |
Larry Kerbow Sr. (1st term) |
Paul F. Lehnhoff (2nd term) |
E.D. Lester (2nd term) |
Glenn T. Lilie (1st term) |
Michael S. "Mike" McKinney (2nd term) |
Mark Melton (1st term) |
Yance S. Montalbano (3rd term) |
Gary E. Parks (1st term) |
Tim Ping (2nd term) |
Steve Roe (3rd term) |
Darryl Schroeder (3rd term) |
Pam Springer (3rd term) |
Jim VanHoozer (2nd term) |
Pat Walker (2nd term) |
Mike Wells Jr. (1st term) |
Board of Directors
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ board of directors is primarily responsible for the performance and operations of the Show.
The board also elects members of the Executive Committee, elects officers and has full authority in the purchase and sale of real estate related to the Show.
Under the Show's bylaws, the board of directors is no less than 190 members nor more than 350 members selected from the Show's general membership, plus the chairman of the board, the president and the vice presidents.
Should a vacancy on the board occur at any time between annual meetings, the chairman of the board may appoint a qualified person to fill the unexpired term.
Following is a listing of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo board of directors:
(* denotes Lifetime Vice President)
J.J. Acy* |
Red Griffin* |
Kelly O'Shieles |
Lifetime Directors
In accordance with the bylaws of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™, a lifetime director is a member of the board of directors who has served the organization with distinction. The member is nominated as a lifetime director by the Nominating Committee and confirmed by a majority vote of the general membership at the annual meeting.
Election as a lifetime director is a very special honor, reserved for those individuals who have shown a true dedication to the Show and its goals and purposes. Selection for this position represents years of hard work put into the Show.
Following are the current lifetime directors:
(* denotes Lifetime Vice President)
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T. Allen Acree |
Robert B. Higgs |
Rockey C. Piazza |
Past Presidents and Chairmen of the Board
1932-1948James W. Sartwelle |
1949-1951W. Albert Lee |
1952-1954Ralph A. Johnston |
1955-1957Archer Romero |
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1958-1960Douglas B. Marshall |
1961-1963Neill T. Masterson Jr. |
1964-1966Stuart Lang |
1967-1969Louis M. Pearce Jr. |
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1970-1972M.C. "Buddy" Bray |
1973-1975Tommie Vaughn |
1976-1978N.W. "Dick" Freeman |
1979-1981Allen H. Carruth |
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1982-1984E. Norwin Gerhart |
1985-1987Joseph T. Ainsworth, M.D. |
1988-1990Hal Hillman |
1991-1993Dick Graves |
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1994-1996Don Jordan |
1997-1999Jim Bloodworth |
2000-2005P. Michael Wells |
2003-2005John O. Smith |
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2006-2008Paul G. Somerville |
2009-2011Charles R. "Butch" Robinson |
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Ex Officio Board Members
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George Abbey Wanda Adams Les Alexander Alma A. Allen Carol Alvarado Kenneth W. Berry Dwayne Bohac C.O. "Brad" Bradford Kevin Brady Helena Brown Billy Burge George H.W. Bush R. Jack Cagle William A. "Bill" Callegari Phil Camus Jack Christie Ellen Cohen Garnet F. Coleman Pat Collins Edgardo Colon Felix Cook John Cornyn Stephen Costello Jim Crane Bob Cruikshank Jose Cuevas John Culberson Jerry Davis John E. Davis Sarah Davis David Dewhurst M. Robert Dussler Harold V. Dutton Jim Edmonds Gary Elkins Judge Bill Elliott Rodney Ellis Ed Emmett Jessica Cristina Farrar Joe Dan Fidler Jack Fields Allen Fletcher |
Gary L. Freeman J. Kent Friedman Mario Gallegos Richard Galvan Adrian Garcia Terry A. Garrison Edward "Ed" Gonzalez Al Green Gene Green Larry Green Ronald Green Terry B. Grier, Ed.D. Patricia Harless Ana E. Hernandez Ron Hickman Al Hoang Bill Hobby Scott Hochberg Linda Marks Hooper Dan Huberty Joan Huffman Kay Bailey Hutchison Mike Jackson Ken Jones Larry Kellner Ray Kennedy Mike Laster El Franco Lee Sheila Jackson Lee Ken Legler Jon Lindsay Willie Loston Pat Lykos-Allen Michael T. McCaul Charles A McClelland Jr. Fred McClure Drayton McLane Bob McNair Boris Miles Mark Miller John. J. Montalbano Jack Morman Jeff Moseley Jim Murphy |
Melissa Noriega Pete Olson Greg Ortale Annise Parker Joe Parker Jr. Dan Patrick Ron Paul Oliver Pennington Rick Perry Dr. David Persse Ted Poe Steve Radack Debbie Riddle James Rodriguez Orlando Sanchez Phil Sandlin Jimmie Schindewolf Janis Schmees Dr. C.R. "Dick" Sherron Charles "Chuck" Simmons Wayne Smith Todd Staples Alan Steen Joe Straus Mike Sullivan Bill T. Teauge* Sylvester Turner Kristi Thibaut Tommy Thomas Senfronia Paige Thompson Victor Trevino Dr. Richard E. Wainerdi Armendo Lucio Walle Hubert Vo May Walker Leonard D. Waterworth Chuck Watson Tommy Williams Linda Williams-Willis, Ph.D. Richard "Dick" Wills Beverly Woolley John D. White Mark White John Whitmire Harold Wiesenthal |
Volunteers
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ would not be the well-run success that it is today without the vision, dedication and hard work of its volunteers. What began as a small group of people with a dream has developed into an event supported by the efforts of 26,000 volunteers.
Serving on more than 100 different committees, these volunteers keep the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's mission alive. They commit their time and talents to support the youth of Texas, plus share a passion for our Western heritage.
What may be surprising to many is the diversity of volunteers that dedicate their time to this immense organization - people from Houston and hundreds of cities across Texas, people from outside of Texas, people who run multimillion dollar companies, people who are full-time students working on their education, people who are volunteering for the first time, people that have been volunteering for decades. There are no boundaries for these dedicated volunteers.
The efforts of the volunteers are most apparent during the Show when they are directing traffic, assisting exhibitors, providing hospitality, greeting guests, coordinating contests and more. But in a year's time, each volunteer donates an average of 67.7 hours of service to the Show. This includes year-round efforts such as raising money for scholarships, planning and organizing events, holding Go Texan contests, speaking to groups about the Show, working with auction buyers, setting up facilities and much more. Learn more about the Show by attending a Rookie Boot Camp session.
Management & Staff
EXECUTIVE DIVISION
Skip Wagner
Betty Jo Bankhead
Leroy Shafer
Robyn Hardeway
Joe Bruce Hancock
Sports and Entertainment Department
Jason Kane
Stephanie Stegall
Catherine Schultz
ADMINISTRATIVE AND TICKETS DIVISION
Jill Clement
Merchandise Department
Julie Wood
Office Services Department
June Mleynek
Shiela Guillory
Lester Simmons
Purchasing Department
Wade Hooker
Ticket Sales Department
Paula Urban
Lauren Bunger
Juan Longoria
Debbie May
Alicia Pierce
AGRICULTURAL EXHIBITS DIVISION
Joel Cowley
Darlene Lively
Laura Widing
Amy Moroney
Heather Bettman
Horse Show Department
Stacy Mahurin
Jamie Voskamp
Livestock Competitions Department
Allyson Tjoelker
Keri Hensley
Annette Hill
Darci Owens
EXHIBITS AND ATTRACTIONS DIVISION
Elizabeth Greer
Ginger Gaskamp
Attractions Department
Julie Bass
Commercial Exhibits Department
Jennifer Meznarich
FINANCIAL DIVISION
Jennifer Hazelton
Karen Koepke
Lauren Lister
Lauren Zatopek
Accounting Operations Department
Denise McCoy
Pam Green
Jacqueline Tassel
Amber Vavrecka
Educational Programs Department
Catherine Hauck
Ashley Corn
Membership Department
Melissa Hernlund
Jamay Fishback
Brooke Harvey
INFORMATION SYSTEMS DIVISION
Andy Sloan
Steve Gumerman
Randy Moore
Allen Rountree
Software Development Department
Bidhan Chakma
Tod Flood
Shahzad Naseer
Pennee Schmitt
LEGAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION
Sherry Hibbert
Lisa Armstrong
Human Resources Department
Dana Seymour
Kim Wilson
MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
Suzy Martin
Joanna Giacometto
Victoria Le Fevre
Ida Nuncio
Advertising and Public Relations Department
Johnnie Westerhaus
Suzanne Brack
Sarah Poole
Andrena Wheeler
Audio/Visual Presentations and Broadcast Department
James Davidson
Gary Hazen
Communications Department
Clint Saunders
Betsy Ellison
Robert Kontominas
Sponsorships and Development Department
Cathy Cundiff
Bob Meehan
OPERATIONS DIVISION
Mike DeMarco
Dalinda Cauble
Lindsay Klein
Clarence Robinson
David Simpson
Brandie Triola
Buildings and Grounds Department
Greg Golightly
Kim Cornelius
Lee Edwards
James Allen Minor
Wayne Norman
Ray Perez
Billy Poche
Iggie Revear
Hayward Rice Jr.
Bobby Richardson
Peter Shaw
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™, P.O. Box 20070, Houston, Texas 77225-0070, 832.667.1000
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