Texas Tech University

Rawls Alumnus Appointed as Regent for Texas Tech University System

Staci Semrad

Dustin Womble

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday made three new appointments to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents, including Dustin Womble, a prominent alumnus of the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business.

Dustin Womble headshotWomble, of Lubbock, is a board member and former executive vice president of Tyler Technologies and manages multiple private businesses and real estate holdings.

"I was certainly happy to hear that I had been selected by the governor and look forward to the challenge," Womble said.

The other two regents appointed Wednesday are: Ginger Kerrick, of Webster, Texas, who is the flight integration division chief for NASA; and Mark Griffin, of Lubbock, who is the president and general counsel of The Griffin Companies and Pro Petroleum Inc.

"Congratulations to Ms. Kerrick, Mr. Griffin, and Mr. Womble on their appointment to the board," TTU System Chancellor Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell said. "Regents invest their time and energy voluntarily for which we are all grateful. This is a transformative time for the Texas Tech System, and we are thankful to them for their service."

Womble received his bachelor's degree in management information systems from Texas Tech's college of business in 1981 and was among the first students to complete the M.I.S. program. While still attending Texas Tech, he started Interactive Computer Designs (INCODE). He later sold the company to Tyler Technologies, which became a $6 billion public company selling software and services to local governments and schools.

In recent years, he has given time, attention and money to Texas Tech's basketball programs. In 2017, the Dustin and Leisha Womble family donated $10 million toward a new $29.5 million practice facility that will serve both men's and women's teams. The building, for which ground broke this winter, will be located across the street from United Supermarkets Arena and is slated to open in summer 2020 as the Dustin R. Womble Basketball Center.

His connection to the university spans a long period. His father, two of his six children, and his wife have all attended Texas Tech, where he and his wife also met.

"I started my business and stayed in Lubbock, so we hired a lot of Tech students over the years," he said. "And I have been very involved with athletics. It's been a consistent part of our family's DNA in that we go to football games, we go to basketball games, we go to ball games. It's a central part of our family connection."

Texas Tech athletics events make wonderful family outings, Womble said.

"We have followed it long enough that we associate and identify with the players and coaches, so we become emotionally invested in their success," he said.

Womble is an emeritus member of the Rawls College of Business Advisory Council and a member of the Texas Tech Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves on the boards of Truno, Inc. and Lubbock Christian School.

"I appreciate Gov. Greg Abbott listening to many of us who encouraged him to appoint Lubbock citizens to the Texas Tech System board," Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope said in a social media post Wednesday, adding that he appreciated the years of service of outgoing regents.

The three new TTU System regents replace John Esparza of Austin and Rawls College alumni L. Frederick "Rick" Francis of El Paso and Tim Lancaster of Abilene/Lubbock, whose appointments on the board expired in January.

Regents are appointed to six-year terms by the governor. Terms for the new members will expire on Jan. 31, 2025. Their appointments are subject to senate confirmation.

Read more about the TTU System Board of Regents and its new members.