Rick is a native Texan. After growing up in Sweetwater, Texas, he earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. His career includes ownership of a successful small business, assignments in banking and mortgage lending, serving four terms as the Mayor of Sweetwater, and leading Governor Perry’s job creation initiative for two years.

Rick currently serves as the Assistant Commissioner for Rural Economic Development for the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Rick and his wife, Pam, live in Austin, Texas. They have two married
sons and two grandchildren.