R. Steven Hicks

R. STEVEN “STEVE” HICKS, Austin, Texas, was appointed to a term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Rick Perry in February 2009 and he was reappointed in 2010. Governor Greg Abbott reappointed him to an additional six-year term in January 2015 and to a two-year term in April 2021. 

Regent Hicks served as Vice Chairman of the Board from February 8, 2011 until November 9, 2017. He currently serves as Chairman of the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee and as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee; the Finance and Planning Committee; the Health Affairs Committee; and the System Review and Structure Task Force. Regent Hicks serves as an alternate member on the Board for Lease of University Lands. He has previously served as Chairman of the Finance and Planning Committee, on the Houston Land Task Force, and on the UTIMCO Board of Directors. 

In 2017, Regent Hicks made a generous donation to the School of Social Work at U. T. Austin, and it was renamed Steve Hicks School of Social Work.  The school is one of the top 10 graduate programs of social work in the country.  In 2018, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni award by the Texas Exes.  

He owns and serves as Executive Chairman of Capstar Partners, LLC, formed in June 2000. Capstar is a private investment firm based in Austin, Texas. Capstar Partners participates in small and middle market buyouts, real estate development, and public investing. Since 2000, Capstar has invested in a broad range of industries including media and broadcasting, healthcare services, e-commerce, financial services and real estate.

In 1996, Mr. Hicks, a veteran of the radio industry, founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Capstar Broadcasting Corporation. By 1998, Capstar Broadcasting was the nation’s largest radio station holding company with 350 radio stations. Also in 1998, Hicks led Capstar Broadcasting to a successful initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1999, Capstar Broadcasting merged with Dallas-based Chancellor Media Corporation, another radio industry powerhouse, and in a stock swap valued at $4.1 billion, AMFM Inc. was born. In addition to serving AMFM Inc. as Vice Chairman, Hicks was President of its New Media division, which developed Internet products and technologies for the radio industry. 

Prior to Capstar Broadcasting, Hicks co-founded and served as CEO of SFX Broadcasting, Inc., building it into a publicly traded industry leader and one of the five largest radio groups in the country. Hicks left the company in mid-1996 to begin building the Capstar Broadcasting group.

In 1997, Mr. Hicks received the award for Radio Executive of the Year and was ranked one of the 10 Most Powerful People in Radio by Radio Ink. In 1996, he was honored as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was recognized as Broadcaster of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.  

Mr. Hicks serves on numerous charitable and professional boards. He and his wife Shannon reside in Austin, Texas, and have 6 children and 11 grandchildren between them.

last updated July 12, 2021