Houston Endowment is governed by a self-perpetuating board of directors whose members are selected from among Greater Houston’s business and civic leaders. The Foundation is pleased to welcome two new board members: Allison Thacker and John Zerr.
What is their background?
Allison Thacker previously served as President of the Rice Management Company at Rice University, where she was responsible for managing the University’s endowment fund and debt.
Prior to joining Rice University, Thacker spent 11 years with RS Investments, a San Francisco-based investment firm specializing in public equities. At RS Investments, she held roles including Portfolio Manager, Managing Director and Research Analyst. In the earlier portion of her career, Thacker served as a Summer Analyst at Putnam Investments and as a Financial Analyst in the energy investment banking group at Merrill Lynch & Co.
John Zerr retired in 2025 as Chief Operating Officer, Global Investments for Invesco, a global asset management firm with over $1.8 trillion of institutional and retail assets under management.
Zerr also served as Chief Executive Officer for Invesco’s Canadian business operations from 2019 to 2024. He began his career at Invesco as Managing Director and General Counsel of AIM Investments, serving as Chief Legal Officer for Invesco’s US Retail Business.
What board and governance experience do they bring to HEI?
Thacker is a member of the KIPP Texas Board of Directors, a member of the Executive Committee and past Chairman of the Board for the Houston Ballet Board of Trustees, a board member for Black Stone Minerals, and a member of YPO. She has also served as a Houston Endowment Investment Committee member.
Zerr serves on the board of Nora’s Life Gift Foundation, a philanthropic organization in Houston that serves patients and their families undergoing solid organ transplantation. In 1992, he was appointed by the Leadership of the American Bar Association’s Central and East European Law Initiative to serve as its inaugural Liaison to Lithuania. In that role, resident in Vilnius, Lithuania, Zerr was responsible for coordinating all U.S. government-sponsored legal assistance to the newly established government of Lithuania.
How long will they serve on the Board of Directors?
Each member of the Board of Directors is elected to a three-year term and may serve up to four terms.
To learn more about Houston Endowment’s board of directors, visit our people.