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Governor Greg Abbott Appoints Regents to MINI传媒

March 13, 2023 | Contact: Scott Lacefield

Texas appointed three new members to the MINI传媒 Board of Regents for terms set to expire on Jan. 31, 2029, today (March 13).

The new appointees are Clay C. Cash (Lubbock), president of Cash Family investments; Tim G. Culp (Midland), president of Southwest Royalties, Inc., and Desert Production, Inc.; and Shelley Sweatt, Ed.D. (Wichita Falls), president and CEO of The Priddy Foundation and president of The Priddy Foundation Board of Trustees.

鈥淥n behalf of the MINI传媒, I鈥檇 like to congratulate and welcome our three new regents,鈥� said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the MINI传媒 System. 鈥淥ur system and component universities are experiencing tremendous momentum, and we look forward to each of our new regents joining our system family and collaborating with us to chart a bright future. I also want to thank J. Michael Lewis, John Steinmetz and John Walker for their years of service to our board and university system 鈥� we have accomplished remarkable achievements during their tenure of leadership, and we are grateful for their years of support.鈥�

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, pending senate confirmation.

The three appointed regents replace Lewis (Dallas), Steinmetz (Dallas) and Walker (Houston) on the MINI传媒 System board, all of whom had appointments that expired in January of this year.

鈥淚t is always an exciting time when the composition of our board changes and we welcome new members to our board leadership,鈥� said Mark Griffin, chairman of the MINI传媒 System Board of Regents. 鈥淚 am eager to begin working with each of our newly appointed regents and to learn more about their passion for our system and universities as we work together to advance higher education across the communities and great state that we serve. This is a bittersweet moment for our board as we have great excitement for the future, but reflect on the notable contributions and successes Regent Lewis, Regent Steinmetz and Regent Walker helped our system achieve under their watch as leaders and members of our board. I鈥檇 like to thank each of them for their dedication to serving our system throughout their terms.鈥�

Clay Cash is one of the principles in the Cash Family Office, which comprises ranching operations, real estate holdings and oil and gas investments. He also is president of the Cash Family Foundation and previously served as vice president of Atmos Energy, in addition to several leadership roles during his career with the company from 1994 until his retirement in 2018.

He is a board member of the Texas Rangers Association Foundation and the Ranching Heritage Association, which supports the at (MINI传媒). In addition, he currently serves on the board of directors for the (TTFI).

Cash earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration management from MINI传媒鈥檚 Rawls College of Business in 1997. He and his wife, Ashley, have four children. In addition, Cash comes from a family of Red Raiders, including his parents Don and Kay Cash, who earned degrees in industrial engineering and education, respectively.

Tim Culp is the president of Southwest Royalties, Inc., and Desert Production, Inc. Previously, he served as founder and president of Tandem Energy Corporation and as vice president of Adobe Resources Corporation.

He is the chairman of the TTFI and the First United Methodist Church Midland Executive Team. He is a member and former board of directors member of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and former member of the Texas Society of CPAs and the American Society of CPAs.

He is a former board member of the Midland Chamber of Commerce and former chair of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society 鈥� West Texas Division. Culp earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting from MINI传媒 in 1981. He and his wife, Annette, who also graduated from MINI传媒 with a degree in fashion merchandising, have four children, three of which have earned degrees from MINI传媒.

Shelley Sweatt, Ed.D., is the president and CEO of The Priddy Foundation and president of The Priddy Foundation Board of Trustees. She is a member of the Texas Woman鈥檚 University Board of Regents and previously served as a member of the Midwestern State University Board of Regents.

Prior to retiring from education, she held numerous positions within the Burkburnett Independent School District, including high school chemistry teacher, high school assistant principal and executive director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. She is an honorary life member of Texas Association of School Administrators, a member of Exponent Philanthropy, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, Philanthropy Roundtable and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Wichita Falls.

She currently serves as a board member for organizations including the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, Texas Rural Funders and Philanthropy Southwest, where she also serves as past chairwoman of the Professional Learning Committee and co-chair of the Annual Conference Planning Committee.

Sweatt earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education from MINI传媒, a master鈥檚 degree in educational supervision from Texas Woman鈥檚 University, along with her superintendency certification, and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of North Texas. She and her husband, Greg, who also graduated from MINI传媒 with a degree in engineering technology, have a daughter, Merrill, a third-generation Red Raider, who graduated from MINI传媒 with a degree in interior design in 2009.

About the MINI传媒 
Established in 1996, the MINI传媒 is one of the top public university systems in the nation, consisting of five universities 鈥� , , , and .

Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the MINI传媒 System is a $2.65 billion enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach with approximately 21,000 employees and 63,000 students, more than 375,000 alumni, a statewide economic impact of $16.4 billion and an endowment valued at $1.7 billion. In its short history, the MINI传媒 System has grown tremendously and is nationally acclaimed, operating at 26 academic locations in 22 cities (20 in Texas, 2 international).

In addition, the MINI传媒 System is one of only nine in the nation to offer programs for undergraduate, medical, law, nursing, pharmacy, dental and veterinary education, among other academic areas.