Commencement Speaker Announced
Ken Hersh ’81 has been selected as the Commencement Speaker for the Class of 2017. After graduating from St. Mark’s, Ken earned his BA from Princeton, his MBA from Stanford, and went on to co-found Natural Gas Partners in 1988. Today, NGP Energy Capital Management is one of the nation’s top investment firms and Ken is widely recognized as a leader in energy investing and the oil and gas industry. He currently serves as Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Natural Resources in his capacity as Senior Advisor for The Carlyle Group. In 2016, Ken was also named the President and CEO of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Throughout the past quarter century, Ken has remained a dedicated supporter of the St. Mark’s mission. He spent nearly twenty years on the Board of Trustees and served as Board President from 2010–2012. In 2013 he served as Co-Chair of the Headmaster’s Search Committee and in 2006, at the onset of The Centennial Challenge, Ken and Julie made a transformational gift to support the construction of the Robert K. Hoffman Center. In 2015, the St. Mark’s Alumni Board named Ken a Distinguished Alumnus.
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Ken and his wife Julie are heavily involved in the nonprofit world through The Hersh Foundation. Ken currently serves on several boards, including Communities Foundation of Texas, Baylor Health Care System Foundation, National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, and the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the World Economic Forum and sits on the Dean’s Council of the Harvard Kennedy School. In 2015, the Hershes established the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Throughout the past quarter century, Ken has remained a dedicated supporter of the St. Mark’s mission. He spent nearly twenty years on the Board of Trustees and served as Board President from 2010–2012. In 2013 he served as Co-Chair of the Headmaster’s Search Committee and in 2006, at the onset of The Centennial Challenge, Ken and Julie made a transformational gift to support the construction of the Robert K. Hoffman Center. In 2015, the St. Mark’s Alumni Board named Ken a Distinguished Alumnus.
Accepting the award at the Spring Alumni Dinner, Ken said, “For me, St. Mark’s is home. Serving the School has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve been able to do outside of my professional life. This place carries so much meaning to me that I couldn’t even imagine not being a part of it in some way.”
Ken and Julie have two children, Rachel and Daniel ’13 who, like his father, served as editor-in-chief of The ReMarker during his senior year.
Ken will deliver the address at Commencement on Friday, May 19, 2017.
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Ken Hersh ’81 at the 2015 Spring Alumni Dinner
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St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
