Governor Abbott Appoints Rutherford, Names Walls Chair Of Teacher Retirement System Board Of Trustees

TEXAS, June 28 - June 28, 2024 | Austin, Texas | Appointment

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed John R. Rutherford to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas Board of Trustees for a term set to expire on August 31, 2029. Additionally, the Governor has named Robert H. “Rob” Walls, Jr. as chair of the Board. The TRS Board of Trustees manages retirement and other benefits for teachers and employees of the state’s public schools and institutions of higher education.

John R. Rutherford of Houston is retired and serves on the board of directors of the general partner of Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and TD Williamson. Previously, he served as a senior advisor to ECP GP and served in leadership roles at Plains All American Pipeline, Lazard Freres & Company, and Simmons & Company International. He is a board member of the Navy SEAL Foundation and The Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center Executive Council at the McCombs Business School of The University of Texas (UT) at Austin. In 2022, Governor Abbott appointed him to the Employees Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees. Rutherford received a Bachelor of Business Arts in Petroleum Land Management from UT Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Robert H. “Rob” Walls, Jr. of San Antonio is an attorney and private investor. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and former board member of Spurs Sports & Entertainment and the Portland General Electric Company. He has served as a gubernatorial appointee on the Board since 2019. Walls received a Bachelor of Business Administration from UT Austin and a Juris Doctor from UT School of Law.