Honorary Degrees at Texas State

Mr. Castro is an El Paso businessman and philanthropist. In 1983, he became a McDonald’s franchisee and soon became the company’s largest Hispanic owner/operator, with 27 restaurants in Texas and more than 2,000 employees. He is the former president of the McDonald's Hispanic Owner/Operators Association and founder of McDonald's Hispanos Triunfadores. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Texas State University in 1970, was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1997, and was a recipient of the College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 2013.

Mr. Castro is a Texas State Hero and a Founders Society member. He formerly served as a trustee of the Texas State Development Foundation Board. The Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center and the Richard A. Castro Legacy Club in Strahan Arena have been named to recognize his generous giving to Texas State. He has established scholarships benefitting student athletes and students from the College of Liberal Arts. He also pledged $1 million in matching funds for student-athletes in 2017. His total giving to Texas State University is nearly $2.3 million.

Mr. Castro helped found Community en Acción (CEA), a network of Hispanic community leaders dedicated to supporting El Paso’s Latino community. In 2018, CEA honored its co-founder with the establishment of the Richard Castro Community Service Scholarship for his dedicated service to the El Paso community. He participated in the formation of the Council for Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) and the Borderplex Alliance.

In 1985, Mr. Castro created the Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources (HACER) Scholarship Program, which has grown into one of the most extensive college scholarship programs for Hispanic students in the nation, awarding more than $33 million since its inception. In 2019, he initiated a partnership with El Paso Community College (EPCC), the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and McDonald’s El Paso to provide scholarships for El Paso students wishing to attend EPCC or UTEP. By 2020, the McDonald’s El Paso Scholarships program was awarding $100,000 annually to local graduating high school seniors. He has also served UTEP with volunteerism, most recently as a member of the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence Board.

Mr. Castro is a member of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to area high school students who face adversity. He has served on several boards, including WestStar Bank, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and the Chase Bank Advisory Board. From 2014 to 2023, he served on the Board of Trustees of Our Lady of the Lake University. He has received numerous awards, including the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Hispanic Businessman of the Year in 2005 and the El Pasoan of the Year in 2015.

Mr. Martin is widely recognized as a thought leader in communications, politics, and business. In 1988, after gaining prominence as a top adviser to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, he founded Public Strategies Incorporated (PSI). PSI grew into one of the world's most successful corporate advisory firms. In 2006, WPP Group acquired PSI and merged it with Hill & Knowlton, a 90-year-old global communications company. Jack was appointed Global Chairman and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, leading the multinational firm with over 80 offices in 44 countries.

Upon stepping down from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Mr. Martin formed JPM Advisory, LLC, as part of a family investment platform active in ranching, oil and gas, and entrepreneurial endeavors. Both Jack and his wife, Patsy, come from fourth-generation Texas families involved in agriculture. Today, they own the JPM Ranch Company, which includes the Mallard Creek Ranch in Montague, Texas, and the historic Open C Ranch in Forestburg, Texas.

Long active in state and national politics and policy, Mr. Martin has served on the boards of the LBJ Foundation, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Baylor College of Medicine, as chair of Baylor Scott & White Health, and as chair of The Texas State University System's Board of Regents from 1985-1991.

Mr. Martin is the namesake of an endowment in political communication at Texas State and has previously served as a member of the Wittliff 25th Anniversary Committee and Alumni Association Executive Committee. In 2018, he was recognized by The University of Texas at Austin with a Presidential Citation. He was honored as a Texas State University Distinguished Alumni in 1990 and was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2023.

Mr. Sheridan grew up on a farm in rural Texas, where he spent his childhood riding horses and roping. He attended Texas State University as a theatre major until 1991. After moving to Austin and beginning his job search, he met a talent scout who offered him an opportunity to move to Chicago to pursue an acting career. He began his career acting in small films and recurring roles in television series such as Veronica Mars, Star Trek: Enterprise, Walker, Texas Ranger, and most notably, Sons of Anarchy.

After nearly 20 years as an actor, Mr. Sheridan transitioned to screenwriting at the age of 40, without having taken a screenwriting class. He has written several films, including the screenplay for Sicario, for which he was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also received four Academy Award nominations for Hell or High Water, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. He wrote and directed the 2017 crime film Wind River, earning Best Director honors at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mr. Sheridan is creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the Paramount Network television series Yellowstone, which explores the power struggles surrounding a Montana ranch. The show delves into the high-stakes drama of property disputes between lifelong ranchers, wealthy investors aiming to turn the old spreads into high-end resorts, and Indigenous people fighting to preserve the land before America's westward expansion. Now in its fifth and final season, the show averages five to seven million same-day viewers per episode. According to Paramount+, the prequel to Yellowstone, 1883, is the service's most-watched series premiere ever, more than doubling the previous record. Mr. Sheridan is also the creator, writer, director, and executive producer of multiple other record-breaking Paramount Network series including Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, Lioness, and Landman.

In 2019, Mr. Sheridan launched The Run for a Million reining competition. This high-profile event, held at the South Point Arena and Equestrian Center in Las Vegas, showcases about fifteen riders each year as they compete for a grand prize of $1 million. In March 2021, he was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, recognizing his excellence in competition, business, and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in Texas

Mrs. Parker Weisman is the co-owner, CEO, and President of KLP Construction Supply. Along with her sister, Karen Parker Rogers, she founded KLP in Rosebud, TX, in August 2012 to become the go-to supplier for prime contractors and customers with large projects. Today, KLP successfully services multiple state, federal, and commercial contracts totaling millions of dollars, distributing construction materials through five stocking locations in Texas and one in California. Nathali is a proud member of the Chickasaw Nation, and KLP Construction Supply is a 100% Native American and woman-owned company.

In January 2024, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Mrs. Parker Weisman as Chairwoman of the Governor’s Commission for Women. She leads this group in developing a strategy and implementation plan to make Texas the number one state for women-owned businesses and address human trafficking.

Mrs. Parker Weisman also serves on three committees for the Austin and DFW Chapters of the Association of General Contractors and on two committees for the Texas Asphalt Pavement Association.

In 1998, Mrs. Parker Weisman graduated from Texas State University with honors, earning a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science degree, majoring in health and fitness management. As a student, she participated in volleyball, was an all-conference javelin thrower, and won a “T” Association award. She was also a member of the President’s Council, Big Sister’s Organization, and the Athletic Administration Council. Nathali is a former member of the CIM Patrons Board, Texas State University Leadership Council, and Texas State Development Foundation Board. She is a Forever Bobcat and a Texas State Heroes and Founders Society member.

In October 2021, Nathali married John “Johnny” Weisman, who graduated from Southwest Texas State University in 1972. Johnny is a strong supporter of Texas State athletics. In March 2023, they pledged a principal-level gift to the south end zone project, naming the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center.

A remarkable supporter of health science education programs in higher education and Texas State University, Mr. Maxwell was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St. David's Foundation, which experienced tremendous growth during Mr. Maxwell's leadership and is now one of the 10 largest health charities in the country. He served the foundation as both CEO and a board member for 20 years.  

The foundation's grant program increased from $9 million to more than $82 million, annually during Mr. Maxwell’s tenure. The foundation supports health science education programs in the region, including Texas State's St. David's School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M Health Science Center in Round Rock, Concordia University Texas, Austin Community College, and Capital IDEA.

During the time Mr. Maxwell was a Board Member, Texas State received its first gift from the foundation of $6 million to establish the St. David’s School of Nursing. Under Mr. Maxwell’s leadership, that amount grew to an additional $10.1 million from the St. David's Foundation. This includes $2 million in 2013 to establish the first graduate program in the St. David's School of Nursing, the Master of Science in Nursing degree with a major in Family Nurse Practitioner; $5 million in 2015 to assist with the construction of Willow Hall, a health professions building on the Round Rock Campus; and $3.1 million in 2016 to establish two new master’s degrees, a Master of Science in Nursing degree with a major in Leadership and Administration in Nursing, and a Master of Science in Nursing degree with a major in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The 2016 gift included $1 million for nursing scholarships. Overall, Texas State has received more than $16 million from the St. David’s Foundation.

Mr. Maxwell is also a founding member of the Austin Community College Foundation. In honor of his service to Austin Community College, the Earl Maxwell Endowment was established by the firm Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP, an Austin-based, locally owned and managed accounting and consulting firm. The endowment provides scholarships to students with financial need pursuing degrees in Accounting, Business Administration, Financial Management, Management, or Marketing.

Mr. Maxwell earned a Bachelor of Business degree in Accounting from the University of Houston and is a Certified Public Accountant. He was a founding partner of Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP. He has over 31 years in public accounting, including 14 years with the firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. He is the author of Service, Prosperity and Sanity.