Our Leadership

Louis A. Harveson

Dan Allen Hughes, Jr., Endowed Director and Professor of Wildlife Management

Dr. Louis A. Harveson is the founder and director of the Borderlands Research Institute and holds the Dan Allen Hughes, Jr., Endowed Directorship, and is the Associate Provost of Research and Development at Sul Ross State University. Since 1998, Dr. Harveson has served as a faculty member at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas where his research program has focused on the ecology and management of large mammals, upland gamebirds, and predators. Harveson’s research efforts have focused on the borderlands of Texas-Mexico including Gulf Coast Prairies, South Texas Brush Country, and the Trans-Pecos Mountains and Basins. An underlying theme to Harveson’s research has been on conservation of natural resources on private lands.

Harveson received a BS in Wildlife Management from Texas Tech University, his MS in Range and Wildlife Management from Texas A&M University-Kingsville where he worked with northern bobwhites, and received his PhD in Wildlife Science from the Joint PhD program at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas A&M University where he studied mountain lions in south Texas.

Harveson serves on numerous regional and statewide conservation committees and presently serves as Second Vice-President of Programs for Texas Wildlife Association. Harveson is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and an active member of The Wildlife Society at the national, state, and university level.

JULIE RUMBELOW

Development and Senior Administrative Coordinator

Julie is the Senior Administrative and Publications Coordinator for the Borderlands Research Institute. She manages office operations and serves as Editor of the BRI Desert Tracks and Borderlands Bulletin newsletters and other publications. She has a BA in Creative Writing with a minor in Spanish from Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois, and an MBA from Sul Ross State University. Her interest in conservation and ornithology grew during a nine-month internship as a field technician with the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where she helped band and survey sandhill cranes. Prior to joining BRI in 2015, Julie was the Administrative Secretary for the College of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at Sul Ross State University. She enjoys identifying native plants, birdwatching, and hiking with her husband Price, two daughters, and their three dogs.

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

Robert J. Potts

Carl E. Ryan

Kelly R. Thompson