Parent board of the Texas Observer

In 1994, Ronnie Dugger, founding editor and the publisher of the Texas Observer for 40 years, transferred ownership to the Texas Democracy Foundation, which was established as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization to publish and promote the Observer.


Current board members

LIZE BURR, Board President

Lize Burr is president of the Texas Democracy Foundation. (It’s pronounced “Lizzie.”) She holds two advanced degrees in theology, the first from Seminary of the Southwest, the second from Union Theological Seminary in New York. Her theological writing explores the ethics of bearing witness. Prior to entering seminary, Lize spent a decade in Texas politics, including two years as president of Capital Area Democratic Women and five long years blogging as “Prematurely Grey,” where she tracked the influence of her haircuts over the fate of Tom DeLay. She lives in Austin with her husband Chris Hyams and has two daughters, Emma and Mazie. 

PETER RAVELLA, Treasurer

Peter Ravella is the owner of PARC, a coastal-management consulting firm, that offers a broad range of services to public and private sector clients, primarily in Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. PARC advises local governments and private-sector clients on the complex environmental, general legal, financial, and regulatory issues that arise during development and implementation of projects and programs in the coastal zone, most particularly beach restoration projects. Prior to PARC, he served as the Director of the Coastal Division of the General Land Office of Texas. He founded and edited the Oregon Insider Environmental Digest, which is still in circulation today. He is an environmental lawyer by trade and has a passion for all things coastal. He lives with his wife, Genevieve Van Cleve, and son Paul in Austin, Texas. He enjoys talking politics, gardening, and the occasional round of golf.

CARLTON CARL

Carlton Carl, former CEO and Publisher of the Texas Observer, is a native of Houston, longtime resident of Austin, and owner of downtown Martindale, Texas. He is a graduate of Columbia College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He reported for the Houston Chronicle, the New York Times, and other publications. His experience in Texas Democratic politics and state and federal governments includes stints as a Texas gubernatorial press secretary, chief of staff to a Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, director of tax information for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, press secretary to a Texas Member of Congress, campaign manager and/or media consultant in numerous local, state, and federal campaigns. He also worked in non-profit advocacy as vice president of media affairs/policy and strategy for the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America).

Mark Horvit

Mark Horvit is a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where he teaches investigative reporting, and is director of the school’s State Government Reporting Program. He previously served as executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR), where he conducted training in investigative reporting and data journalism throughout the world. Horvit worked as a reporter and editor for 20 years before joining IRE.

Terri Burke

Terri Burke was the executive director of the ACLU of Texas for nearly 13 years. Prior to that, she had a long career as a journalist, first as a reporter at Texas newspapers and later as a political and investigative reporter and eventually as a senior editor at The Hartford (Ct.) Courant. A native Texan, her career included stints as a senior editor at The Dallas Morning News, the Austin American-Statesman, and Albuquerque Tribune before becoming editor-in-chief of the Abilene Reporter-News in Texas. An industry leader in recruiting news staff that looked like the communities they served, Burke consulted with newspapers large and small about how to do likewise. Her tenure at the ACLU of Texas was marked by a dramatic increase in both budget and staff sizes, as well as recruiting and retaining one of the most diverse nonprofit staff in the state. She continues to work in the nonprofit sector.

Kathleen McElroy

Kathleen McElroy is a professor in the School of Journalism and Media at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her Ph.D. from the School of Journalism in December 2014, after nearly 30 years as a professional journalist. At the New York Times, she held various management positions, including associate managing editor, dining editor, deputy sports editor, and deputy editor of the website. She previously worked for The National, an all-sports daily, and Newsday on Long Island as well as the Austin American-Statesman, The Huntsville Item, and the Bryan-College Station Eagle in Texas.

Skye Perryman

Skye Perryman is the President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress. Perryman previously served as General Counsel of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the nation’s leading association of physicians dedicated to the health of women, and has held litigation roles in two elite law firms. Ms. Perryman has developed and led groundbreaking legal and policy strategies, including those that have enhanced access to Medicaid for millions of postpartum women, enabled the distribution of mifepristone (abortion pill) by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic, and restored federal funding to evidence-based community programs. She is presently representing the generic manufacture of mifepristone in a number of matters aimed at preserving and expanding access to reproductive health care post-Dobbs. Skye grew up in Texas and is a proud product of its public schools. She holds a Juris Doctor with honors from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Baylor University.