The TEXPERS Blog

Houston investment professional

 appointed to Texas Pension Review Board

BY ALLEN JONES/TEXPERS Communications Manager

The founder of a Houston-based investment firm, Christopher Zook, has joined the Texas Pension Review Board. Gov. Greg Abbott's office announced Zook's appointment to the board on Nov. 25. Zook's term is to expire Jan. 31, 2021. 

As a member of the Pension Review Board, Zook will help review all state and local public retirement systems in Texas for actuarial soundness and compliance with state law.

"We very much appreciate Mr. Zook's willingness to serve on the Texas Pension Review Board and look forward to working with him," said Anumeha Kumar, executive director of the Pension Review Board. "His investment expertise will be an asset to the Board."

Houston residents and public pensioners may recognize Zook's name. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick recruited him to help efforts to reform Houston's municipal-employee pension systems in 2017. He penned a commentary advocating for the reform efforts in the Houston Chronicle. 

Zook is the chairman and chief investment officer of CAZ Investments, a Houston-based investment firm he founded in 2001. Zook has close to 30 years of experience investing in traditional and alternative asset classes, according to his bio on the firm's website. In addition to his work for the firm, Zook is a regular contributor to news media outlets, including the Houston Chronicle, CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg. He is a board member of Guidestone Financial and a member of the Second Baptist Church finance committee.

He is a past president of the "C" Club of Houston and a member of the Greater Houston Partnership's Executive Committee. Zook also is a past president of The Children's Fund and a past president of the board of trustees of Avondale House, a home for autistic children. 

Before starting CAZ Investments, Zook served in senior leadership positions with Oppenheimer, Prudential Securities, Lehman Brothers, and Paine Webber. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University. Click the web link above to learn more about him.