Claudia Aguirre of Houston appointed chair of Dallas board; Gary Kelly of Dallas appointed deputy chair
DALLAS—The Federal Reserve Board of Governors has appointed Claudia Aguirre of Houston as chair and Gary Kelly of Dallas as deputy chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas board of directors for 2025.
Aguirre joined the Dallas Fed board in 2019 and served as deputy chair from 2022 to 2024.
She is president and CEO of BakerRipley, one of the oldest, largest and most highly recognized nonprofit community-development organizations in the United States. With more than 1,400 employees and an annual operating budget exceeding $500 million, BakerRipley has 70 locations across the Texas region that serve a combined total of more than half a million neighbors/clients every year.
“As leader of a non-profit and first Hispanic female chair of the Dallas Fed board, I believe I’m in a good position to understand the economic challenges faced by all populations in our District,” Aguirre said. “The talented professionals at the Dallas Fed want the economy to work for everyone, and I look forward to contributing to that mission.”
Aguirre served 30 years in the government, education and nonprofit sectors, directing large-scale, community-engagement initiatives. She is known for her expertise in child development, community engagement and immigration policy.
She served under two Houston mayors and led the design and development of public charter schools, including one of the first alternative schools for at-risk students.
Aguirre has been widely featured in articles produced by the Center for American Progress, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Urban Institute and Houston Chronicle. She was named among the “2020 Most Admired CEOs” by the Houston Business Journal.
Aguirre serves on the board of the Greater Houston Partnership.
She earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Houston and a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Edward’s University. She also holds an education administrator executive certification from Harvard University.
Kelly joined the Dallas Fed board in 2024.
He is chairman emeritus of Southwest Airlines Co.
Kelly joined Southwest Airlines in 1986 as controller, eventually progressing to president and CEO and then executive chairman. He retired in 2024 and was named chairman emeritus.
He serves on the Lincoln National Corporation board and is past chairman of Airlines for America.
He was appointed in 2022 to the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness under the Department of Commerce and is a current member of the Business Council.
Kelly received the 2020 Philanthropic Leadership Award from the Ireland Funds and the 2017 Wings Club Distinguished Achievement Award. He is a 2017 Junior Achievement Dallas Business Hall of Fame Laureate inductee, a 2016 inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame and received the 2016 Tony Jannus Award, which recognizes extraordinary accomplishments in the field of commercial aviation.
He was twice named D CEO Magazine’s CEO of the Year and has been named one of the best CEOs in America by Institutional Investor magazine three times. In 2010, Kelly received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Texas at Austin and was inducted in 2013 into UT’s McCombs School of Business Hall of Fame. He received the 2013 McLane Leadership in Business Award from Texas A&M University.
Kelly earned a BBA in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a former CPA.
Each Federal Reserve Bank has a nine-member board of directors. Three members represent commercial banks, three represent the public and three are appointed by the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C.
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Media contact:
James Hoard
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Phone: 214-922-5307
Email: james.hoard@dal.frb.org