# Amarillo College Foundation

Amarillo College Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Amarillo, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Amarillo, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Amarillo, TX, United States
- **Founded:** 1962
- **Assets under management:** $72M (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** actx.edu/foundation
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-amarillo-college-foundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Amarillo College Foundation was established in 1962 to solicit and administer private gifts supporting students, faculty, and facilities at Amarillo College, a public community college in the Texas Panhandle. Its founding donors trace back to regional agricultural and energy wealth, with subsequent benefactors including Sybil B. Harrington, namesake of a major scholarship fund, and Caviness Beef Packers, whose owner Regan Caviness serves as the foundation's vice chair. The foundation deploys capital as a fund-of-funds investor, with disclosed positions spanning hedge fund portfolios, mutual funds, and direct real estate assets. Its property holdings include the East Campus student housing complex, the Fine Arts Complex on Washington Street Campus, and an oil and gas lease portfolio in Texas. The foundation also stewards the permanent collection of the Amarillo Museum of Art, including the Price Collection and Gallery of Asian Art — a rare asset class for a community college endowment. Geographic concentration is weighted heavily toward Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle, with selective exposure to broader markets via fund commitments. Amarillo National Bank manages the foundation's investment accounts and bond proceeds, giving a regional banking institution significant influence over portfolio execution. The foundation's board operates as a nexus of local business leadership, linking Caviness Beef Packers, the college president, and Amarillo National Bank alongside its executive director, Joe Bill Sherrod. The board convenes regularly at the Amarillo Club, reflecting the endowment's deep embeddedness in the city's civic and commercial networks. The foundation's structural differentiator lies in its stewardship of appreciating hard assets — a museum collection, oil and gas leases, and campus real estate — held in trust for a public community college. This hybrid endowment model, blending traditional fund commitments with donated operating assets, makes the foundation both a grantmaking entity and a long-term real-asset manager for a student body predominantly drawn from the Texas Panhandle.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Hedge Funds
- Private Credit
- Education

## People

- Joe Bill Sherrod — Executive Director and VP of Institutional Advancement
- Mark Shaffer — Chairman of the Board of Directors
- Regan Caviness — Vice Chair
- Jamelle Conner — President of Amarillo College

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Amarillo College Foundation?

The foundation's investment accounts and bond proceeds are managed externally by Amarillo National Bank, a locally headquartered institution. The board of directors, chaired by Mark Shaffer and including vice chair Regan Caviness of Caviness Beef Packers, oversees the endowment's strategic asset allocation. Joe Bill Sherrod serves as executive director and VP of institutional advancement, responsible for day-to-day operations and fundraising.

### Does Amarillo College Foundation invest directly or through fund commitments?

The foundation operates as a fund-of-funds investor, with disclosed positions in hedge fund portfolios and mutual funds. It also holds direct real estate assets, including student housing and campus facilities, and stewards donated interests such as oil and gas leases and the Amarillo Museum of Art's permanent collection — making it a hybrid of fund commitments and hard-asset stewardship.

### What is the relationship between the foundation and Caviness Beef Packers?

Caviness Beef Packers is a significant donor to the foundation, and its owner, Regan Caviness, serves as vice chair of the foundation's board. The relationship reflects the endowment's deep ties to regional agribusiness, which has historically been a source of major gifts alongside oil and gas and local banking.

### How does the foundation support Amarillo College students?

The foundation solicits and administers gifts and grants from individuals, groups, and businesses to benefit student scholarships, faculty development, programmatic support, and campus facilities. Named funds include the Sybil B. Harrington Scholarship Fund. Investment returns from the endowment's portfolio directly underwrite these activities.

### What is the Price Collection and Gallery of Asian Art?

The Price Collection is a significant holding of Asian art stewarded by the Amarillo College Foundation and housed at the Amarillo Museum of Art. It represents an unusual asset class for a community college endowment and contributes to the foundation's role as a cultural institution in the Texas Panhandle, alongside its educational mission.

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- [Aaron and Lillie Straus Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/aaron-and-lillie-straus-foundation)
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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/amarillo-college-foundation

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