Following a virtual meeting held on Friday, December 17, the Little League® International Board of Directors announced the election of Robert Gauntt, a longtime investment and wealth management professional, to be its newest at-large director.
“On behalf of the entire Little League International Board of Directors, we are honored to welcome Robert to our board and look forward to utilizing his professional expertise and strong Little League volunteer background as we continue to strengthen and enhance the Little League program,” said Hugh E. Tanner, Little League International Board of Directors Chairman. “Robert’s love for Little League has continued to grow from his first experience as a player through his time as a coach, manager, and league official, and now we look forward to his continued contributions in his new leadership role on our board.”
Mr. Gauntt is currently the founding partner at Capital Creek Partners, a multi-family investment firm in Austin, Texas, as well as a co-founder and limited partner for Capstar Ventures, early-stage venture capital firm investing in consumer brands, in Austin. Prior to forming Capital Creek, Mr. Gauntt co-founded Avalon Advisors in 2001, where he remained until 2018. Mr. Gauntt spent the prior five years with Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management Division, assisting the company in opening the wealth management business in the southwest. From 1991-96, Mr. Gauntt was with Goldman Sachs’ Private Wealth Management in Houston and also worked at Paine Webber Inc., both in London and New York City, prior to obtaining his MBA from The University of Texas.
In addition to the experience above, Mr. Gauntt is a Trustee for The University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), sitting on their Compensation Committee, Risk Committee, and Cyber Committee and also sits on the Boards for The Contemporary Austin, RBI Austin, and Hope Mozambique. He was recently appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to serve on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and was previously a Trustee for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) from 2008-11, serving as Chair for the Risk Management Committee and Investment Management Committee.
“I am honored and humbled to serve on the board for one of the greatest baseball and softball institutions in the world which unites people of all races, genders, and nationalities,” said Mr. Gauntt. “Little League is more than just balls and strikes, and wins and losses, but more importantly teaches life lessons of perseverance and humility as well as the critical importance of teamwork in order to succeed. I have learned these lessons firsthand throughout my Little League and collegiate baseball career, and look forward to helping the next generation of Little Leaguers and volunteers learn them as well.”
A former Little Leaguer® himself at West Side National Little League (Fort Worth, Texas), Mr. Gauntt later went on to play baseball for the University of Texas where he was a starting infielder on the Longhorns 1983 NCAA Division I National Championship team. Following his own baseball career, Mr. Gauntt later returned to the Little League program as a volunteer coach, manager, and board member at West University Little League (Houston, Texas), where all three of his sons played in the program from Tee Ball through the Senior League division. During their time in the program, his sons went on to tremendous success at the Senior League level, with Travis winning the 2009 Senior League Baseball World Series (SLBWS), Tyler playing in the 2010 SLBWS, and Turner winning back-to-back (2014-15) SLBWS championships. Both Turner (University of Texas) and Travis (TCU) later went on to play collegiate baseball as well.
About the Little League® International Board of Directors
The management of the property and business affairs of Little League Baseball®, Incorporated, is vested in the International Board of Directors. The Board has the control of the corporation and the power to appoint such standing committees as it shall determine and to delegate such responsibilities as it shall deem advisable. Along with more than a dozen at-large members from a variety of occupations and backgrounds, the Little League International Board has nine Field Directors, each representing one of Little League’s nine regions, who are nominated by their peers for election to four-year terms by their region’s District Administrators. The members of the Little League International Board of Directors are volunteers in this service to Little League. They receive no compensation for their dedicated work on behalf of the program and the children of the world. Learn more here.