Tom Luce
Founder and Chairman Emeritus

Tom Luce’s life has been one of family, professional accomplishments, public service and social entrepreneurship. 

Tom was the founding and managing partner of the Hughes and Luce law firm. He was the lead attorney on multibillion-dollar mergers and litigation and was selected at various points in his career as one of the best attorneys in Dallas, Texas and the United States. 

His public service in Texas was distinguished by gubernatorial and legislative appointments to major state positions including Chief Justice of the Supreme Court pro tempore, Sunset Commission, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute, Texas Commission on Judiciary, Chief of Staff of the Select Committee on Public Education, and the Superconducting Super Collider. 

On the national level, he was appointed as Assistant Secretary of Education by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the United States Senate and appointed to The Library of Congress Board by the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

In addition to Texas 2036, Tom has founded and led numerous other nonprofit organizations dedicated to serving the needs of others including the Texas Business and Education Coalition, Just for the Kids, Data Quality Campaign, the National Center for Educational Accountability, the National Math and Science Initiative and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute. His latest venture is serving as interim CEO of Biotech Initiatives of LHP Philanthropies. 

He has authored two books on improving public education and has taught at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Tom has been married to his wife, Pam, for more than 60 years. They have three children and seven grandsons.

He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Southern Methodist University where he has been honored as a Distinguished Alumni.