Baylor Athletics Announces NIL Advisory Council

WACO, Texas – Baylor Athletics has announced its NIL Advisory Council, a six-member group of Baylor supporters and business leaders who are strategically guiding NIL efforts for Baylor student-athletes.
 
The NIL Advisory Council is chaired by Mark McCollum, with support from Kevin Cherry, Jeremy Fudge, Cary Gray, Larry Heard and Dan Hord. The executive group engages on all university NIL initiatives, including a partnership with Startup Waco CEO Jon Passavant and former Baylor quarterback Cody Carlson to manage funds directed to GXG™. All six members of the Advisory Council are Baylor graduates and generous supporters of the university. The group was formed in summer of 2022, and through updated NCAA legislation, the university is able to promote and endorse GXG™ and the NIL Advisory Council.
 
Startup Waco, a proud partner of Baylor Athletics, formed GXG™ to work with partners and donors to offer a suite of options centered around Startup Waco's core mission. These include connections with local business opportunities, entrepreneurial development programs created to help student-athletes maximize their platforms and offer comprehensive support.
 
GXG™ is the athletics arm of Startup Waco, a nonprofit organization serving the Waco community by creating a culture of entrepreneurship since its founding in 2018. It connects Baylor student-athletes with name-image-likeness opportunities, empowering them to utilize their platforms to uplift the local economy.
 
Mark McCollum is currently partner of McCollum Capital LLC. He previously served as President and CEO of Weatherford International, as well as Executive Vice President and CFO for Halliburton. He currently serves on the board of directors of Marathon Oil, Seadrill Limited and Westlake Corporation.  He also serves on the board of trustees for Baylor College of Medicine and the Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center in Houston. McCollum is a 1980 Baylor graduate and remains actively involved with the university, serving on the board of advocates for Baylor's School of Engineering and Computer Science. He served on Baylor's Board of Regents from 2011 through 2020, and was a past member of the Hankamer School of Business board of advisors and Baylor's Endowment Investment Committee.
 
Kevin Cherry is a partner of the Cherry Petersen Albert LLP law firm in Dallas, Texas, where he has practiced real estate law since 1991. Previously, he worked in in the real estate section of the Winstead law firm in Dallas and held both legal and business positions in the Dallas offices of three national real estate companies.  Kevin holds both BA and JD degrees from Baylor University. He began volunteering for Baylor in 1986 with the Dallas Baylor Bear Club. 
 
Jeremy Fudge has spent the past 16 years at Berry Appleman & Leiden law firm, serving as managing partner for the last 10 years. He was previously an associate at Jenkins & Gilchrist and Jackson Walker. He is also a board member for Greater Europe Mission and an advisory board member for Lead5, and he serves as an at-large campus representative for Baylor's Give Light campaign. A 1997 Baylor graduate, Fudge and his family recently provided the lead gift for the Fudge Football Development Center, which is scheduled to open in 2024.
 
Cary Gray is Chairman of the Gray Reed law firm, a position he's held for more than 16 years. He previously served on the Baylor University Board of Regents from 2012 through 2021, chairing the nominating, governance, regent leadership and compensation committees. He has served as chair of the administrative board for Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, as well as president of the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas. Gray received Bachelor's degrees from Baylor in 1979 and 1980, along with a J.D. from Baylor University School of Law in 1983.
 
Larry Heard has 40 years of experience in commercial real estate with the Transwestern family of companies, serving more than two decades as its CEO. He has been a trustee for Baylor College of Medicine since 2011, where he currently serves as vice chair. Heard was a member of the Baylor University Board of Regents from 2013 through 2022, most recently as vice chair of the board after previously chairing the finance and facilities and governance committees. He currently is a member of Baylor's Endowment Investment Committee and previously served on the Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board. A 1980 Baylor graduate, Heard also volunteers for SEARCH Homeless services, a non-profit working to end homelessness in Houston.
 
Dan Hord is a partner in HEDLOC Investment Co. and Western Property Group. He serves on the advisory board of the Hankamer School of Business and the Baylor Executive Investment Committee, and he was a member of the Baylor University Board of Regents from 2012 through 2021. Hord also serves on the board of directors for the Hord Foundation, Young Life (Lone Star Regional), Western International Gas and Cylinder, Midland Children's Rehabilitation Center, Midland Shared Spaces, Oil Patch Group and PathNorth. A 1989 Baylor graduate, Hord and his family recently provided the lead gift for Baylor University's Hord Scholarship Challenge.