Texas Heart Institute Elects New Members to Board of Trustees and Appoints Honorary Trustees
HOUSTON (September 10, 2008) The Texas Heart Institute (THI) at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (SLEH) is pleased to announce that Mr. Charles Butt, Mr. David Grimes, Mr. Michael Linn and Mr. Christopher Sarofim have been elected to the Board of Trustees. The role of the Board of Trustees is to help establish an environment that will allow scientists, physicians and support personnel to work at their highest capacity, and to build informed and steady support for these activities.
Mr. Charles Butt became president of the H.E. Butt Grocery Company in 1971. Today, he is chairman and CEO of H-E-B, having grown the business from sales of $250 million in 1971 to over $15 billion today. He is a member of several academic and medical boards including the development boards of the UT Health Science Centers in Houston and San Antonio, the UT Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee and the M.D. Anderson University Cancer Foundation Board of Visitors. Mr. Butt is also a board member of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the National Trust Council of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Mr. David Grimes, who served as an Honorary Trustee prior to being elected to the Board of Trustees, is the Principal of Grimes Energy Company, President of Grimes Land and Exploration Company, President of Grimes Holdings, Inc., and Managing Partner of Trifecta Oil and Gas L.P. He is the Chairman of the Development Board of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He also serves on the Board of Visitors of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and on the Advisory Board of the Draper Fisher Jurvetson Mercury Fund.
Mr. Michael Linn is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Linn Energy, LLC. Mr. Linn currently sits on the National Petroleum Council and the American Exploration and Production Council. He is a member of the Board of National Association of Manufacturers. He is a member of the oil and gas industry’s 25 Year Club. He was recently appointed as Texas Representative for Legal and Regulatory Affairs Committee of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Mr. Linn serves on the board of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, as well as the boards of Small Steps Nurturing Center and Youth Development Center. In addition, he is the Chairman of the Corporate Committee for Capital Campaign of Texas Children’s Hospital.
Mr. Christopher Sarofim is President of Sarofim International Management and a member of Fayez Sarofim & Company’s Investment Committee. Mr. Sarofim has worked with his father, Fayez Sarofim, for 20 years. Before joining Fayez Sarofim & Co., Christopher worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York as an analyst in their investment banking division. Mr. Sarofim serves on the board of trustees of The Brown Foundation, Inc., the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, St. George's School, and serves on the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Foundation Board of Visitors. Mr. Sarofim formerly served on the boards of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Alley Theatre, and the Asia Society, Texas.
The Board of Trustees is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Sheldon Erikson, Mr. Jack Hunt and Mr. Drayton McLane, Jr. as Honorary Trustees. They join Messrs. Dan Duncan, The Honorable James A. Baker, III, Bob McNair, John Nau III, Hakeem Olajuwon and Anthony Petrello. Honorary Trustees serve as important advisors, lending their expertise and experience to advance the mission of THI at SLEH.
Mr. Sheldon Erikson has held executive positions in the petroleum industry for more than 25 years. Mr. Erikson is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors for Cameron. He has been a director since 1995, and has been Chairman since 1996. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995 through January 2007, and was Chief Executive Officer from January 2007 through March 2008. Mr. Erikson also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Petroleum Council, the American Petroleum Institute, and the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association, of which he is a past Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Jack Hunt has managed large, complex land based, multi-business resource companies involved in livestock production, farming, mineral exploration and production and real estate. Mr. Hunt has been President/CEO of King Ranch in Texas since 1995. He has also held executive positions with the Tejon Ranch in California and the Jay Taylor Family Companies in Amarillo. Mr. Hunt is the Director of Consolidated Citrus, the nation’s largest citrus grower. He is Vice Chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, first appointed by then Governor Bush and reappointed in 2005 to a second six-year term by Governor Rick Perry. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Baylor College of Medicine.
Mr. Drayton McLane, Jr., serves as chairman of the McLane Group and is the CEO of the Houston Astros baseball club. During his tenure, the native Texan has propelled the McLane Company into a multibillion dollar company, achieving an average growth rate of 30 percent per year. Mr. McLane, who also serves as Chairman and CEO of the Houston Astros, is in his 16th season with that organization. His philosophy since purchasing the team in 1993 is to bring a World Series championship to Houston and to make a positive difference in the community. He serves on numerous boards, including the Greater Houston Partnership, Baylor College of Medicine and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He also serves on the Executive Committee of Major League Baseball. He has been honored by the Boy Scouts of America, NASA, Texas Business Hall of Fame and Texas A&M University, among others.
For a complete list of members of the Board of Trustees and the National Advisory Council, see
Volunteer Leadership.
