Robert Henry "Hank" Seale III

2026 Excellence in Business Award

Seale came to Texas Tech University from a Bryan ranching family rooted in Texas since the 1820s. Early ranch work taught him hard work, perseverance, and thinking ahead. At Tech he studied agricultural economics, pledged Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and graduated in 1985, gaining business tools and people skills that proved vital after the family ranch was unexpectedly lost in 1986. 

Working for an Austin, Texas bank, Seale rose from teller to lead its technology transformation. After regulators closed the bank in 1989, he started his first bank technology company and spent three-and-a-half decades pioneering phone banking, internet banking, the largest private network of financial institutions, and the first digital banking platform. He is currently chairman emeritus of Q2 (NYSE: QTWO) and CEO and co-founder of Hapax, an enterprise AI operating system known for security and "proactive AI," serving more than a dozen industries including banking. 

Seale and his wife, Lyssa, a University of Texas women’s basketball standout, reside in Dripping Springs, Texas, with their four adult children and two grandchildren. At their property, Hog Heaven, they host charitable events and a youth shooting program, and support Patriots Hall, Dell Children’s Hospital, and charities serving veterans, children, and those in need.