Stephen Lee

Stephen Lee of Bastrop, Texas, was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott in February 2021 to a six-year term on the Texas State University System Board of Regents. In November 2025, he was elected Chairman of the Board of Regents. Chairman Lee earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Lamar University in 1989. While attending Lamar, he earned four varsity letters playing football, including 33 consecutive starts at center, and was recognized by the Associated Press as a 1-AA All American.

Chairman Lee began his career in banking with North Park National Bank in Dallas before returning to Southeast Texas in 1993. Over the next decade, he served in leadership roles at three regional banks. During this time, he earned a graduate degree from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, where he was received the Bracewell and Patterson Outstanding Graduate Award in 1999.

In 2004, Chairman Lee briefly transitioned out of banking to serve as vice president of field operations for Pulte Homes in Orlando, Florida. He returned to Southeast Texas in 2008 to become president and chief executive officer of Orange Savings Bank. Under his leadership, the bank expanded into Jefferson County before merging with First Financial Bank in 2013. In 2018, Chairman Lee was recognized by First Financial Bank as the eighth recipient of the Walter F. Johnson Award for his leadership in recovery efforts following the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey on Southeast Texas. In April 2024, he was named president and chief executive officer of the First National Bank of Bastrop, becoming the ninth CEO in its 135-year history serving Bastrop County. 

Chairman Lee and his wife Jami, a 1995 graduate of Lamar University, reside in Bastrop, Texas. They have two sons, Mitchell and Michael, daughter-in-law, Kirstin and a granddaughter, Stevie. Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lamar University in 2021, and Michael graduated from Texas State University in 2023.

Prior to his move to Bastrop, Chairman Lee was a dedicated supporter of the greater Southeast Texas region for over 25 years, serving as a director of the Lamar State College Orange Foundation, Chairman of the Lutcher Theater, Inc. Board, Director of Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas Foundation, and Director of the 100 Club of Southeast Texas. Since moving to Bastrop, he has become actively engaged in the community, including his service as a director of Bastrop Education Foundation and Hands Up High Ministry. Most recently, Chairman Lee was named a Distinguished Alumni by Lamar University in 2025.

His term on the Board of Regents expires in 2027.