Inaugural Board Members of WT’s Hill Institute Unveiled

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — The seven inaugural members of The Hill Institute’s advisory board of directors were announced at a press conference at West Texas A&M University.

The Institute was founded in October 2023 following a historic $20 million gift from Cheryl and Alex Fairly, currently the largest family gift for WT’s One West comprehensive fundraising campaign.

The Institute is an interdisciplinary academy of researchers, teachers and students. Named for Joseph A. Hill, the second president of WT and its longest-serving leader, the Institute centers on 10 values: trust, family life, hard work, regard for others, personal responsibility, compatriotism and patriotism, virtue, faith, personal and civic loyalty, and rugged individualism.

Inaugural board members include Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Kriss Cloninger III, the former president of AFLAC Inc.; Lee Crisp, former president of Pepsi MidAmerica, one of the largest privately held Pepsi franchises in the nation; Alex Fairly, chairman of The OccuNet Company; Tim Lambert, president of the Texas Home School Coalition; Dr. Kevin D. Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America; and Dr. Walter V. Wendler, WT president.

Present at the announcement were five of the seven board members. Crisp and Roberts were unable to attend in person.

“I am honored to join The Hill Institute’s advisory board of directors and to support the noble mission of the academy,” Carson said. “The values upon which The Institute are built undergird the foundation of our American heritage. The Hill Institute is doing the important work of inculcating these lessons into the hearts and minds of our next generation, and I’m proud to be part of such an important endeavor.” 

Wendler thanked the inaugural members for agreeing to serve and to shape The Institute’s direction.

“Because of the gravity of the tasks inherent to the inaugural board, we have carefully and diligently selected members from across the nation who have shown through their actions to believe values matter as individuals, as leaders, as educators, and in institutions like universities, government, and the private sector to sustain family and civic life,” Wendler said in prepared remarks.

Hill, in his capacity as both university president and a historian, advanced WT “as a place of study and the Panhandle as a place of abiding principles and powerful cultural perspectives,” said Dr. Todd Rasberry, vice president for philanthropy and external relations, in prepared comments.

“He lived by a deeply held set of timeless values,” Rasberry said. “He sought to impress upon the students, faculty, and staff of WT the importance of personal responsibility and self-reliance. Dr. Hill was steadfast in his belief regarding the importance of Judeo-Christian values in a free society.”

Alex Fairly, who also serves as the co-chair of the One West campaign leadership committee, said he and Wendler spent a year identifying and recruiting their fellow board members.

“These board members represent some of the nation’s best thinkers, leaders and educators, and—most importantly—they are good people to whom values matter,” Fairly said in prepared comments. “President Wendler mentioned that the 10 values of The Hill Institute are timeless. … It is simple: The way you live matters. The way we live together matters. The Hill Institute will encourage and enrich these values as the foundation of being an effective citizen in a constitutional republic.”

The Hill Institute officially was approved by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in February 2022. Since that time, WT officials have worked to secure funding and continue refining the institute’s mission.

The Institute is funded through philanthropic dollars rather than government funding.

“This is a demonstration of the true public-private partnership which is the nature of a republican form of government at work,” Wendler said.

Currently, five WT professors have been appointed to positions under the aegis of the Institute: Dr. Maxine De Butte, the Dyke Rogers Professor of Psychology; Dr. Janet Hindman, the Dyke Rogers Professor of Educational Leadership; Dr. Holly Jeffreys, the Ware University Distinguished Professor; Dr. Jenifer Kunz, the Dyke Rogers Professor of Sociology; and Dr. Judy Williams, the Dyke Rogers Professor of Education (Science of Teaching Reading).

The Hill Institute strongly reflects the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $165 million.

Inaugural Hill Institute Board of Directors

Ben Carson

Dr. Ben Carson is a world-renowned neurosurgeon and served as the 17th Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Carson received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Yale University in 1973 and earned a medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1977, and later Johns Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland. In mid-2013 he retired as a surgeon, and the following year he joined the Fox News Channel as a commentator.

In 2014 he wrote “One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future,” and the following year he entered the 2016 U.S. presidential election race. In the 2015 volume “A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties,” he issued his interpretations of the mandate established by the U.S. Constitution.

He received numerous awards during his career, including the 2008 Presidential Medal of Freedom, given to him by U.S. President George W. Bush.

Kriss Cloninger III

Kriss Cloninger III served AFLAC Incorporated as its president and a member of the Board of Directors from 2001 until his retirement at the end of 2017, and he also served as the chief financial officer from 1992-2016.

In 2006, Institutional Investor magazine named him Best CFO in the Insurance/Life category in America for the third consecutive year. Before joining AFLAC, he was a principal in the Atlanta office of KPMG from 1977-1992, and a partner in Rudd and Wisdom, Consulting Actuaries, Austin, Texas from 1974-1977. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force from 1971-1973. He also served as lead independent director at Global Payments Inc. (GPN) from 2019 until his retirement in 2023 and as lead independent director of Total Systems Services Inc. before its merger with GPN in 2019.

Born in Houston, Texas, Cloninger holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.

He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons and two daughters; one son-in-law is a proud alumnus of WTAMU. Cloninger and his wife now spend their time in Amarillo, Texas, and Angel Fire, New Mexico, tending to nine grandchildren, traveling, and participating in church activities.

Lee Crisp

Harry Lee Crisp III, or Lee as he is commonly referred to, served the last 20 years as an owner of Pepsi MidAmerica, with the last 10 years in the role of president. In this capacity, he was responsible for one of the largest privately held Pepsi franchises in the nation. Pepsi MidAmerica produces about 24 million servings of beverages each month.

Crisp graduated from Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, and earned the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout and Roman Catholic Ad Altare Dei awards while there. He went on to attend Southern Illinois University and earned a bachelor’s in business administration. Upon graduation, he entered the Marine Corps as an officer. Crisp was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, where he was the Officer-in-Charge of the newly formed Command Information Center, a logistics command and coordination center. The Center’s mission was to test new ideas and methods regarding expeditionary logistics. Crisp was promoted to the rank of Captain and received the Meritorious Service Medal before completing his service with the Marines in October 1996.

Following his active-duty service, Crisp continued to serve as a leader and board member for many charitable organizations.

Crisp has been awarded 44 patents for his inventions. His patent portfolio has been licensed to the major soft drink and appliance companies for use throughout the United States.

Crisp has served in several leadership and philanthropic roles, including being a founding member of the Smithsonian Council for American History, a Patron of the Arts at the Vatican Museums, chairman of the board for the Independent Bottlers Association and a founding member of the board of directors and vice chairman of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.

Alex Fairly

Alex Fairly serves as the chairman of The OccuNet Company, bringing a wealth of experience as a nationally recognized expert in various facets of risk and cost management. Fairly’s career began with the development of innovative solutions for the professional sports industry, leading to engagements with prominent entities such as the NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS, and over 400 professional sports teams.

He has successfully developed solutions focused on reducing the cost of risk, gaining recognition and trust from major U.S. corporations including ViacomCBS, Disney, Tyson Foods, Warner, and others. He has been honored with multiple industry-related awards, including Risk and Insurance’s Power Broker and Risk Innovator Awards.

Tim Lambert

Tim Lambert, president of Texas Home School Coalition (the state homeschool support organization since 1986), has been involved in homeschool leadership in Texas since 1984. He and his wife, Lyndsay, taught their four now-grown children at home for 16 years, graduating the last two in 2000.

As the head of the organization for the leading homeschool state in the country, Lambert is recognized as an authority on home education issues in Texas. In this capacity, he has testified before numerous Texas legislative committees on issues related to homeschooling. He often deals with state government agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, on home education issues and has served as an expert witness on home education in a number of court cases. He has also addressed such conferences as the Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers on the topic.

Lambert holds a bachelor’s in political science from Texas Tech University and is active in the political arena, having served eight years as Republican National Committeeman for Texas. He is committed to serving the homeschooling community and to protecting parents’ right to choose the method of education of their children.

Kevin D. Roberts

Dr. Kevin D. Roberts was named president of The Heritage Foundation in October 2021. In September 2023, Roberts was named president of Heritage Action for America and serves both organizations in a joint role.

Roberts previously served as the CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), an Austin-based nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute and the largest state think tank in the nation. Under Roberts’ leadership, TPPF more than doubled in size. He also expanded the Texas think tank’s influence nationwide, opening an office in Washington, D.C., so that TPPF research might better inform federal policy debates.

As president of The Heritage Foundation, Roberts will continue to lead policy research efforts on many of the issues he championed at TPPF, including education, health care, border security, election integrity and more.

A lifelong educator, Roberts earned his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Texas. After several years of teaching history at the collegiate level, Roberts, in 2006 left the university to found John Paul the Great Academy, a co-ed, K-12 Catholic liberal arts school in Lafayette, Louisiana. In 2013, he resigned from the academy to become president of Wyoming Catholic College.

In addition to his doctorate, Roberts holds a master’s degree in history from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Roberts and his wife have four children.

Walter V. Wendler

Dr. Walter V. Wendler has served as president of West Texas A&M University since his appointment to the position in September 2016.

He came to WT from Southern Illinois University–Carbondale, where he served as chancellor from 2001- 2007. He later returned to teaching architecture and retired as director of the School of Architecture at SIU at the end of 2015.

Before joining SIU, Wendler served as vice chancellor for planning and system integration at The Texas A&M University System. He previously had served as executive assistant to the president, dean of the College of Architecture and other administrative and faculty roles at Texas A&M University in College Station.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Dr. Ben Carson, left, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Dr. Walter V. Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University, are pictured at the announcement of the inaugural advisory board of directors of The Hill Institute, an interdisciplinary academy of researchers, teachers and students housed at WT.

—WT—