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Basin Info. & News
Water Availability
Water Conservation
Water Quality
Lake Levels & River Conditions
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About the Authority
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The Sabine River Authority of Texas is governed by a nine-member Board of
Directors. Each board member serves a six-year term. The Governor of Texas
appoints three board members every two years. Directors are required to reside within a county situated wholly or partially within the watershed of the Sabine River. The members of the Sabine River Authority Board of Directors are leaders in their communities. They are dedicated citizens who are active participants in the water issues being addressed by the Sabine River Authority of Texas.
2012 SRA Board of Directors
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Board Meeting - Orange, Texas
Standing left to right: David Koonce, Don Covington, Cary "Mac" Abney, J. D. Jacobs, and Stan Mathews
Seated left to right:Earl Williams, Connie Wade, Connie Ware, and Cliff Todd |
SRA Board Members

Earl Williams Orange, TX President Appointed: September, 2001 |
Earl Williams President Orange, Texas
Mr. Williams is CEO of Tool Tech Machining in Beaumont, Texas, partner of Cypress Bayou Industrial Painting and President of Cypress Bayou, Inc. in Orange, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard Payne University, a Masters degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and completed post graduate work at Texas A&M University. Mr. Williams was appointed to SRA's Board of Directors by Governor Rick Perry in 2001. He previously served on SRA's Board from 1994 to 1999. Mr. Williams and his wife, Suzanne, have two children and live in the Orange area. |

David W. Koonce Center, TX Vice President Appointed: December, 2007 |
David W. Koonce Vice President Center, Texas
Mr. Koonce is vice president of General Shelters of Texas Ltd. and also has partnership interests in five small businesses. He is past president of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, past president and treasurer of the Shelby County Bass Anglers, a vice chairman for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's Area Go Texan committee, vice chairperson for the Shelby County Historical Commission and is a committeeman of Shelby County Ducks Unlimited. Mr. Koonce received a bachelor's degree from Stephen F. Austin University. In his spare time he enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, travel and spending time with his grandson. He and his wife, Angela, are members of the First Baptist Church and reside in Center. |

Cliff R. Todd Carthage, Texas Secretary/Treasurer Appointed: December, 2007 |
Cliff R. Todd Secretary/Treasurer Carthage, Texas
Mr. Todd currently works for C and J Energy Services in corporate sales. Previously he was the executive director of the Marshall Economic Development Corporation. He is a past member of the Austin and Carthage Rotary clubs and a past president of the Carthage Rotary Club. He retired after nearly 30 years with the Texas Department of Agriculture, serving in Austin and later with the TDA Rural Economic Division for the entire East Texas region. He is involved in overseeing the management of his family owned farm and ranch in Panola and Rusk Counties. He has served as a longtime adult and college Sunday school teacher for over 25 years. He currently serves as a deacon for Central Baptist Church. He enjoys being a pilot and spending time outdoors on weekends on their farm. His wife, Denise, is a retired kindergarten teacher. They have one adult daughter, Sara of Dallas. Mr. Todd received a bachelor's degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. |

Cary "Mac" Abney Marshall, Texas Secretary Pro-Tem Appointed: August, 2009 |
Cary "Mac" Abney Secretary Pro-Tem Marshall, Texas
Mr. Abney is a certified public accountant and president of Abney, Simmons and Co. PLLC. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, and Texas Forestry Association, and a board member of the Marshall Harrison County Joint Airport Zoning Board. Mr. Abney is also past president of the Harrison County Housing Finance Corporation and Harrison County Airport Advisory Committee, secretary and treasurer of the Harrison County EMS (Dist #2), and secretary of the Fern Lake Club. He received a bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University and is a graduate of the College of Financial Planning. Mr. Abney and his wife Claudia have two children and four grandchildren and reside in Marshall. |

Don O. Covington Orange, TX Past President Appointed: July, 1999 |
Don O. Covington Past President Orange, Texas
Mr. Covington, a native Southeast Texan with deep roots in the Golden Triangle, is the former president of Friede Goldman Offshore Texas, L.P. He retired in June of 2000 and is currently involved in private investments. In his career, he founded Texas Drydock, Inc., which later became TD-Halter, L.P. He spent 30 years with Levingston Shipbuilding Co. Mr. Covington was honored as 1994 "Small Business Person of the Year" and 1997 "Maritime Person of the Year." He is a member of the Propeller Club-Port of Sabine, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, a past board member of the Governing Board of Park Place Hospital and the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Claire, are members of the First Christian Church of Orange and have three sons. |

J.D. Jacobs, Jr. Rockwall, TX Appointed: September, 2001 |
J.D. Jacobs, Jr. Rockwall, Texas
Mr. Jacobs is the former President and CEO of Jacobs Transportation, Inc. He resides in Rockwall County where he farms 4000 acres of cotton, corn, milo and wheat and runs a 100-225 head cow/calf operation. Mr. Jacobs is a current member of the Farm Service Agency County Committee, the Rockwall County Extension Service Advisory Board and serves as VP for the Rockwall County Farm Bureau Insurance Board. He formerly served on the Rockwall Housing Development Corporation Board. He received the "2001 Agricultural Excellence Award" from the Texas Department of Agriculture. Mr. Jacobs and his wife, Ollie Marian, have three children and three grandchildren and are members of the Lake Pointe Baptist Church of Rockwall. |

Connie Ware Marshall, TX Appointed: December, 2001 |
Connie Ware Marshall, Texas
Ms. Ware currently serves as the President and CEO of the Greater Marshall Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Ware was appointed to serve as Chairman of the Texas Commission on the Arts by Governor Bush in 1995. She served as chairman until 2000. Ms. Ware was a founding board member on the Texans for the Arts advocacy group and the Marshall Regional Arts Council. She also served on various statewide and national arts boards. She received the "1988 Outstanding Citizen" award from the Marshall Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Ware has chaired numerous political committees and has served as a delegate to the Texas Republican Convention since 1990 and as an alternate to the National Republican Convention in 1992 and 2000. She was Harrison County Republican Chairman from 1990-1996. Ms. Ware resides in Marshall. |

Connie Wade Longview, Texas Appointed: November, 2003 |
Connie Wade Longview, Texas
Ms. Wade moved from the Texas panhandle to the piney woods of East Texas in the summer of 1978 and fell in love with its natural beauty, history and its people. Since moving to East Texas, Ms. Wade has volunteered on behalf of local, state-wide and national candidates and served the Gregg County GOP Party as its secretary, vice-chairman and as an election judge. At the 1992 State GOP Convention, she chaired the sub-committee on education for the platform committee and in 1996, was elected as an alternate to the GOP National Convention in San Diego. She served on the Governor's Commission for Women from 1995-1996. She has also worked at the Texas Department of Agriculture as a scheduler for Commissioner Susan Combs. Having won a contested primary race in March 2004 for Gregg County Clerk, Ms. Wade was sworn into that elected post in January 2005. Ms. Wade holds credentials as a Certified Investment Officer under the Texas Public Funds Investment Act and is a member of the County and District Clerks Association of Texas. She resides in Longview with her husband, Jerry Gipson. Their son, Shannon, resides in Spring, Texas along with his wife and children. |

Stanley N. "Stan" Mathews Pinehurst, TX Past President Appointed: December, 2005 |
Stanley N. "Stan" Mathews Past President Pinehurst, Texas
Mr. Mathews owns and operates Mathews Jewelers, Inc., established in Orange, Texas in 1984 and expanded to Beaumont in 2002. Born and raised in Orange as the son of J. L. and Laverne Mathews, he is very active in his community. He has served as Board Member, VP of Economic Development and Life Ambassador for the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce. He was named 1997 "Small Business Person of the Year." He previously served as a school board member of Little Cypress Mauriceville ISD and as an advisory board member for Memorial Hermann Baptist Orange Hospital. He is a member of the Texas Jewelers Association, a member of the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Lamar University Cardinal Club Board of Directors and a 22 year member of the Orange Rotary Club. In his leisure time, he enjoys golf, fishing and travel. Stan and his wife, Linda, have two children and four grandchildren and reside in Pinehurst, Texas. |
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