Board of Regents
Kevin J. Lilly (2015)
Kevin J. Lilly was born in 1960 at Bitburg Air Force Base Germany. The son of a career military officer, Lilly spent his formative years in San Antonio Texas where he attended Antonian College Preparatory School and attended Boys State. Upon graduation, Mr. Lilly attended and received his BBA from The University of Texas at Austin in 1982. While at UT, Lilly founded the Texas Wranglers, a men’s honorary organization, served as President of the Business College Student Council and was a member of the Senior Cabinet.
Upon graduation Mr. Lilly was also commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in The United States Army. A graduate of the Army’s Armor Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, Lilly served as a Tank Commander, Tank Platoon Leader and Battalion Staff Officer. During the Persian Gulf War, Mr. Lilly served as a Captain with the 12th Cavalry Regiment and has also served with the 141st Infantry in Honduras in 1985. Mr. Lilly’s decorations include the Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, The National Defense Medal, Reserve Component Achievement Medal (Texas Army National Guard) and Overseas Service Ribbon.
Lilly is a graduate of Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business where he received his MBA in 1988. Upon matriculation from SMU, Lilly joined the New York Investment firm of Goldman Sachs & Co where he was a Vice President in the firm’s Equities Division. In 1996 Mr. Lilly joined Morgan Stanley & Co. as a Principal and helped establish the firms Houston Office.
In 2001 Lilly and three of his former colleagues founded the investment management firm of Avalon Advisors LLC, where he currently serves as a Founding Partner. Located in Houston, the firm manages over $3 Billion dollars and has grown to be one of the largest private investment firms in the Southwest United States.
Lilly has been published in The Journal of Commercial Bank Lending and the US Army’s Armor Magazine.
Mr. Lilly has served several charitable organizations in Texas and nationally. Presently he is a Trustee of the National World War II Museum, The Houston Junior League Foundation and the West University Little League. He has previously served as a Trustee of both the Houston Museum of Natural History and the Houston Symphony. An avid supporter of Houston’s sports franchises; Lilly is a season ticket holder for both the Houston Astros and Houston Texans. Lilly enjoys golf, fly-fishing, reading history, and coaching youth sports.
Mr. Lilly is married with three young children and is a member of St Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Houston.
