AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Rick Perry named Bob Estrada, '83, as
the newest UT regent. Estrada, who co-founded the Estrada, Hinojosa &
Co., financial services firm in 1992, received his bachelor of science and
his law degree from UT-Austin. Estrada fills the vacancy opened when Raul
Romero of Houston resigned in August with three-and-a-half years remaining
on his six-year term. The appointment requires Senate approval.
Estrada’s business built its niche along the Texas border, an area he intends to represent. “One of the things I know the governor is particularly interested in is making sure the newer campuses in South Texas and on the border are receiving their fair share of support from the system … Having grown up on the border and spending a lot of time there still even though I live in Dallas I can bring some sensitivity there,” he said to Austin-American Statesman reporter Sharon Jayson.
Prior to becoming an investment banker, Estrada practiced law in Dallas as a bond lawyer. Estrada is the former chairman of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a self regulatory organization that sets standards for the municipal securties industry. He was elected to that position after two years of service on the board. He served on the boards of the Trinity River Authority of Texas, Greater Dallas Crime Commission, Dallas Opera and the Dallas County Heritage Society. Currently, Estrada is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Municipal Advisory Council of Texas and is on the board of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce.
Estrada, who was raised in Brownsville, is a past director of the Student Loan Marketing Association ("Sallie Mae") and member of Sallie Mae's executive committee. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Mexican-American Bar Association of Texas, National Association of Bond Lawyers and is a registered principal with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. He was also appointed chairman of the Advisory Committee to the Governor for the Texas Quarter Dollar Coin Design, and served on the policy board of the Texas Department of Commerce.
In 1989, Estrada served as a special assistant to President George H. W. Bush and was Associate Director of Presidential Personnel. In that same year, Estrada was named by Hispanic Business magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in America. An Air Force Veteran, Estrada also formerly served as state director for the late U.S. Senator John Tower. Estrada is a graduate of St. Joseph Academy and attended Texas Southmost College, both in Brownsville.