Abbott names West chair, appoints Ripley to TRS board

Governor Greg Abbott appointed Clayton Ripley to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) of Texas Board of Trustees for a term set to expire on August 31, 2031. Additionally, the Governor named Dan West 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.

Clayton Ripley of Austin is the vice president of Holt Aerial, the successor to TGM Wind Services, a business Mr. Ripley co-owned and helped lead prior to its acquisition by Holt Cat in 2021. He is the founder and managing director of multiple Texas-based businesses, including Town Lake Capital Management, a registered investment advisory firm regulated by the Texas State Securities Board, and BGCP Holdings, a real estate development company responsible for development projects statewide. He is a CPA in good standing with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy and a member at large of the Texas Society of CPAs. Additionally, he is the treasurer of the Texas Land Trust Council and a member of All Saints Presbyterian Church. He currently serves as a gubernatorial appointee on the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board. Ripley received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University.

Dan West of Houston is an investor at SCF Partners, a private equity firm that partners with energy services, equipment, and technology companies. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and its Oil, Gas, and Energy Resources Law Section. Additionally, he is board chairman of Brillante Academy, board member of the Sam Houston Area Council of Scouting America, and a member of the International & National Security Law Executive Committee of the Federalist Society. He has served as a gubernatorial appointee on the Economic Incentive Oversight Board since 2022. West received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard College, a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who led infantry operations in Afghanistan and in support of the NATO Libyan intervention and received an honorable discharge at the rank of captain in 2013.