Austin News

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Ben Proler and Alithea Z. Sullivan, and reappointed Lauren Gore, to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. Their terms will expire on February 1, 2031.

Ben Proler, from Houston, works as a commercial manager for Shell plc and serves as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve. He is a board member of the American Jewish Committee in the Houston area and is part of the Houston Committee on Foreign Relations. Proler earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a Joint Professional Military Education from the Naval War College. He is pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Rice University.

Alithea Z. Sullivan, based in Austin, is an attorney and partner at Stone Hilton PLLC. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the District of Columbia Bar. Sullivan has served as a forum editor for the Harvard Law Review and was part of the Harvard Black Law Students Association. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Sullivan also pursued fellowship coursework in law at Humboldt Universität in Berlin.

Lauren Gore, from Houston, is a partner and co-founder of LDR Partners LP. He serves as vice chairman of the board for Combined Arms, secretary of the board for KIPP Texas Public Schools, and is a member of the State Bar of Texas. Gore was previously involved with the Texas Workforce Investment Council and the executive board of Communities in Schools of Houston. He has also served as an attorney with Baker Botts L.L.P. and as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army, including a combat deployment to Iraq. He was honorably discharged in 2012. Gore holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

These appointments are pending confirmation by the Senate.