Commission

Zahn holds a B.A. from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor from Baylor University. He is Partner in the Law Offices of Charles W. Zahn, Jr. where his practice is concentrated in the fields of real estate and water law. He is a long-time resident of Port Aransas, Texas, where his community involvement and organizational affiliations are extensive. He is Vice-Chairman of the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization, Chairman Emeritus of the Nueces County Board of Park Commissioners, a member of the Board of Directors and Vice-Chairman of the Texas State Aquarium, and is the current Chairman of the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. He has been an active member of the Boy Scouts of America for over 65 years and is the Past President and Chairman of the Board of the South Texas Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Because of his commitment to his community, he has received numerous awards with the Boy Scouts of America, including its 2018 Distinguished Citizen Award, has been named 2005 Citizen of the Year by the City of Port Aransas, is a recipient of the Jerry McDonald Award for Service to Youth, the President’s Award from the Boy Scouts of America, the President’s Award from the Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, the Henry Baldwin Award for service to the City of Corpus Christi from the Corpus Christi United Chamber of Commerce and is the recipient of the Port Aransas Boatman of the Year Award and a member of the Port Aransas Boatmen Hall of Fame.

He has been married to wife, Linda, for 51 years. They have two children and 3 grandchildren.

Richard Ralph Valls Jr., was born in Laredo, Texas. He is a graduate from St Mary’s University with a BBA Degree. Richard Ralph Valls Jr., is the third generation Valls family member to be involved in International Trade and became a licensed U.S. Customs Broker in 1989. He is the Owner/Vice President of Valls International, Inc., Advisor/Partner of Valls Ship Agencies, Inc., and Advisor/Partner of Valls Holdings, Ltd. Valls is active in civic and professional affairs currently serving as member of the Executive Board for Driscoll Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, the Board of Directors of Foster Angels of South Texas and the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center.

Catherine Tobin Hilliard is a native of San Diego, Texas. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996 and earned her Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, where she was a member of the St. Mary’s Law Review. After law school, Hilliard returned to South Texas to work as a civil litigation attorney for 10 years at Gonzales Hoblit Ferguson LLP. In 2005, Hilliard became the first female Hispanic partner and served as managing partner of the firm. In 2010, Hilliard joined forces with her husband at Hilliard Martinez Gonzales, LLP, a highly successful and internationally recognized plaintiffs’ law firm. Hilliard has been honored as a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star several times during her career. Mrs. Hilliard is a member of the American Bar Association, Corpus Christi Bar Association, and Coastal Bend Women Lawyer’s Association. Hilliard also served as a member of the State Bar of Texas – Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession Committee from 2000-2003 and taught Legal Research and Writing as an Adjunct Professor at Del Mar College in Fall 2001. Community service long has been a priority for Hilliard, who became a Trustee for St. Edward’s University in 2016 and currently serves as Co-Chair. Mrs. Hilliard is also a member of the St. Mary’s School of Law Board of Visitors. She currently serves on the boards of the Texas State Aquarium, United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation, Art Museum of South Texas, United Way of the Coastal Bend, and Fryderyk Chopin Society of Texas. She is Past Chair of the Incarnate Word Academy’s School Board of Directors and continues to serve on the Board. Catherine is married to Bob Hilliard and, together, they manage a household of 7 children.

David P. Engel is a Southern Methodist University graduate with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a graduate of the Harvard University Owner President Master Program. He is the principal of Engel and Associates, LLC, has 40 years of experience in all areas of business management including; operations, acquisitions, divestitures, and financial performance improvement. Prior to forming his management consulting practice, David was President of Airgas Southwest, Inc., with branches in the states of Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico. Airgas Southwest, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), which is the largest distributor of welding supplies and packaged gases in the United States. Engel currently serves on the board of the Susser Holdings Corporation (NYSE: SUSS) and Susser Petroleum Partners (NYSE SUSP), The Fordyce Company, and he is part of the Advisory board for Heldenfel’s Enterprises, Inc. Engel is a past Chairman of the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Commission, the CHRISTUS Spohn Health System and the Lexington Museum.

W. Wes Hoskins professional experience includes, Chairman of the Board for Coastal Bend Bancshares; President & CEO of First Community Bank; Director of First Community Bank; President of WBH, Inc. Commercial Real Estate Holdings Co.; and Auctioneer with Buddy and Wesley Hoskins Auctioneers. Civic and professional leadership roles include, Federal Reserve of San Antonio Advisory Board; Federal Home Loan Bank Dallas Board of Directors; American Bankers Association PAC Committee Chairman, Regulatory Task Force Committee, and Financial Education and Advocacy Initiative Committee; Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Board of Directors, and numerous committees; Texas Bankers Association Chairman, Board of Directors, and Texas Legislative Lobby; Corpus Christi Downtown Management District Board of Directors; and Gregory Portland Independent School District Trustee and Secretary/Treasurer. Commissioner Hoskins is a participant of numerous charitable organizations and events including, American Cancer Society Cattle Barons; South Texas Children’s Heart Institute; Driscoll Foundation/Fiesta de Los Niño’s; Navy League; Alice Chamber of Commerce; Gregory-Portland Booster Club Past Vice President and Trustee; City of Portland Traffic Advisory Committee; First United Methodist Church Portland Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, Staff Parish Committee Chair; and the Alice, Texas Airport Advisory Committee. Wesley Hoskins is a graduate of Southwest Texas University with a Bachelor of Education in Communications and a Political Science Minor.

Dr. Gulley has long been involved professionally in the Coastal Bend, while also maintaining a career as an oral surgeon. He has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Texas General Land Office, as well as serving on several boards. He currently serves on the University of Texas Marine Science Institute Advisory Board, the Island Strategic Action Committee, and the Island Moorings and Channel Corporation Board. He is the co-owner of Texas EMS Academy, which helps train first responders, and has also completed a number of construction projects. Those include the development, excavation and bulkheading of the Sunset Cove area of Island Moorings; design, permitting, building and operation of the 200-acre Gulley HURST Type 4 municipal solid waste facility; and conceptualization, design, permitting, construction and operation of the Lydia Ann Channel Fleet, an 8,100-foot-long barge and tugboat moorings. He also has ranched and farmed property in Nueces and San Patricio counties. Gulley has done graduate work in oceanography and estuarine ecology. He and his wife have four children.

Rajan Ahuja has resided in Corpus Christi for more than 30 years. He holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana State University. He has 34 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and currently serves as CEO of Texegy LLC and President of SV Energy Company LLC. He also serves as President of Foster Angels of South Texas; Board Member of the Christus Spohn Foundation; Board Member of the Coastal Bend Chapter of the American Heart Association; Board Member of the Coastal Bend Chapter of the Go Red For Women Board; Chairman of the Society of Independent Petroleum Earth Scientists; and Trustee for the South Texas Hindu Society Temple. Rajan was born in New Delhi, India and migrated to the United States after finishing High School in 1979.