BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Charles Davidson, President
Charles Davidson is a Partner with the Republic Ranches team. He is a fourth-generation Texan, active and passionate about rural Texas and outdoor pursuits. Charles received a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington & Lee University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He owns and operates a ranch in Real County, Texas. He is a Director Emeritus and Executive Committee Member of the Texas Wildlife Association, as well as a Past President, a Trustee of the TWA Foundation and a past member of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s White-tailed Deer Advisory Committee. Charles also serves on the Advisory Board of the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross State University and is a member of the board of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust. He is also a member of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Charles resides in San Antonio with his wife and three children.
Justin B. Yarborough, Vice President
Justin B. Yarborough is the Founder of Encino Holdings and is currently active in family enterprises engaged in ranching, real estate, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and investment management. Justin is also a Partner at Capital Creek Partners, a multi-family investment office focused on private markets. For two decades Justin has worked in both the public and private markets, as well as an entrepreneur and family business owner. His professional experience includes prior roles at Kayne Anderson Capital, Morgan Stanley, Texas House of Representatives, and the United States Marine Corps. Justin is from Alpine, Texas, where his family has been in the ranching business for decades near Big Bend National Park. Justin received his law degree from St. Mary’s School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, where he walked-on to the football team. He and his wife, Ashley, live in San Antonio with their daughter and two sons.
James King, Secretary
James King is a sixth-generation descendant of Captain Richard King and grew up in Corpus Christi and on family ranches in South Texas. After graduating in 1981 from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Rangeland Ecology, James started a career in Natural Resource Conservation and Real Estate. With The Nature Conservancy, James led efforts to protect over 500,000 acres of our state’s most important conservation lands and waters. He has additionally protected over 300,000 acres in landscapes such as the Devils River, Lower Pecos River, Davis Mountains, Marfa Grasslands, and Chinati Mountains using private conservation tools like Conservation Easements and Conservation Buyers. In 2008 he started his own statewide conservation real estate business, King Land & Water LLC, with wife Tammy and now their son Harrison. James is active today in many major ranch and conservation projects across the state, representing both buyers and sellers of unique lands. James serves on the board of the Texas Land Trust Council, Borderlands Research Foundation, Borderlands Research Institute, McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors, Friends of Lydia Ann Channel, and is President of Port Aransas Conservancy.
Allen W. Smith, Treasurer
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Allen W. Smith found his love for wildlife and the outdoors at a young age, learning from experience on his family’s ranches across the state. After graduating from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Allen worked as a petroleum marketer for Triple S Petroleum Company in Austin for 17 years before starting his own fleet card company, Texas Fleet Fuels, in 2006. He is currently a member of Borderlands Research Institute’s Advisory Board and brings in personal knowledge from his family’s property, Reagan Canyon Ranch in West Texas. He is a lifetime member of the Texas Bighorn Sheep Society, and recently completed the Grand Slam of North American Wild Sheep in 2018. Allen shares his love of hunting and conservation with his two daughters, Hallie and Lizzie, and enjoys spending time with his wife, Mimi, traveling and flying to new places.
Elliott G. Hayne
Elliott G. Hayne is a fourth-generation Texan with deep roots in Brewster and Presidio counties. As managing partner of A.S. Gage Ranches, LP, he is intimately involved in the day to day ranch operations. His great grandfather Alfred Gage was a pioneer in the development of the cattle industry in the Trans-Pecos. Elliott, his wife Allison and their three girls have a love for the outdoors and the conservation of everything wild in Texas. Allison and Elliott are co-owners of South Texas Song Birds, LLC, a company that focuses on developing and maintaining purple martin habitat. Allison is the brains; Elliott digs the holes! Elliott is a graduate of the culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, where he learned the fundamentals for his 25+ year career as a chef and restaurant owner. After many years at the stove, he now spends his time consulting and more time fishing. Elliott has been a member of the Borderlands Research Institute Advisory Board since inception and currently serves as Chairman Emeritus. Elliott has also served as a director of the Texas Wildlife Association for two decades.
J. Carlos Hernandez
Dr. Hernandez has served as President of Sul Ross State University since 2022. He attended the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) from 1984-2009, earning all his degrees at UTEP including a BBA in Accounting, a Master of Education and a Doctorate of Education. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. He has over 34 years of Public Higher Education experience having worked with The University of Texas at El Paso, University of North Texas System, and Sam Houston State University. Throughout his career he has served in various capacities starting as a staff accountant and working his way up to President. His areas of expertise encompass a wide set of activities including strategic planning, resource allocation and financial administration, human and customer resource management, facilities operations, campus planning and development. His service includes work on a variety of national, state and institutional organizations and committees in diverse areas encompassing administrative and financial policy.
Robert J. Potts
Robert J. Potts is President and CEO of the Dixon Water Foundation. From 2004 through the summer of 2007, Potts was the General Manager of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, a regional regulatory agency created by the Texas Legislature to manage, enhance, and protect the Edwards Aquifer which spans eight counties in south central Texas, serves as the primary water source for more than one and a half million people, and supports numerous springs in the area, including the two largest springs west of the Mississippi River.
From 1993 to 2004, Mr. Potts worked at the Nature Conservancy where he held several positions including State Director of Texas and Vice President for the South Central Division, managing the conservation work in Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Mr. Potts previously practiced law with the firm of Baker and Botts in Houston, where he focused on international and corporate issues. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree from Columbia University in 1984 and a B.A. degree from Baylor University in 1980.
Carl E. Ryan
Carl E. Ryan is a lawyer specializing in estate planning, probate and trust matters, gift and estate tax planning and exempt organizations, foundations and related charitable issues. Carl is a graduate of Sul Ross State University. He is actively engaged in various community organizations, including the Board of Visitors, University of Texas McDonald Observatory, and the Judd Foundation, where he serves as Director and Secretary. Carl is a long-time landowner and owns and operates a ranch in Jeff Davis County in the heart of the Davis Mountains.
Kelly R. Thompson
Kelly R. Thompson manages a family office engaged in public and private investments, including publicly-traded investments, oil and gas, real estate, and agriculture. He formerly served as a principal of Crates Thompson Capital, a private equity firm, formed in 1996. Mr. Thompson has served as a director of privately-held companies engaged in manufacturing, distribution, retail, financial services, and energy. Previously, he served as a senior officer and director of a private bank holding company in Texas responsible for investments and acquisitions. He serves on several non-profit boards, including as chair of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, and as chair of the Upland Game Bird Advisory Committee for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Mr. Thompson is the mayor pro tem of the Town of Westover Hills. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981 with a B.B.A. in Finance.