Today, I am pleased to announce two new additions and one reappointment to the Board of Regents, the 10-member body named by the governor to oversee the four universities that make up the University of Houston System.

I want to welcome Alonzo Cantu and John A. McCall, O.D., to the board and welcome back Durga Agrawal, Ph.D., who has been reappointed.  They will serve six-year terms that expire August 31, 2025.

Each of them brings special skills and insight to the board, and we are fortunate to have such astute leadership helping to guide our system and continue moving each institution forward.   I also note with considerable pride that all three are University of Houston alumni.

Cantu, who lives in McAllen, earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance at UH.  He is CEO and president of Cantu Construction & Development Company, chairman of Lone Star National Bank, and a board member at DHR Health (Doctor’s Hospital at Renaissance). He is chairman and founder of Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships (VAMOS) and a member of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Foundation Board.

Dr. McCall, who lives in Crockett, received a Bachelor of Science and a Doctor of Optometry degree from UH. He is owner of Crockett Eye Clinic, and senior vice president of Vision Source, LP.  Previously, he served as a councilman and as mayor of Crockett. A member and former president of the Texas Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association, he is a diplomate and board certified by the American Board of Optometry.  He is also a member of the Louisiana State Optometry Association. Additionally, he is a member and former president of the Crockett Jaycees and the Crockett Rotary Club.

Regent Agrawal, who was first appointed to the board in 2013, is president and CEO of Piping Technology & Products, Inc., a company providing products and services for industrial and construction needs. He is a director of the Agrawal Association of America and a member of the India Cultural Community and Industry Trade Advisory Committee.  He earned his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering degrees from UH. He serves on the Cullen College of Engineering Leadership board and is also a past member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Notably, the hard work and contributions he and his wife have made to UH have been acknowledged with the naming of the Durga D. and Sushila Agrawal Engineering Research Building in their honor.

Leaving the board are Paula Mendoza and Peter Taaffe, whom we owe a deep debt of gratitude for serving so ably and helping us accomplish so much together.

Regents Agrawal, Cantu and McCall are expected to attend the next board meeting, Thursday, Nov. 14, and we look forward to greeting them all with enthusiasm and tremendous appreciation.

For more information, please see UHS Board of Regents or Governor’s Appointments.

With warm regards,
Renu Khator
Chancellor, University of Houston System