2024 JA Hall of Achievement Laureate Class

Ric Campo

Chairman of the Board & CEO | Camden Property Trust

Ric Campo has been Camden's Chief Executive Officer since the company's initial public offering in 1993. Under Ric's leadership, Camden has grown from a Texas-based real estate firm with assets valued at $200 million in 1993 to an industry leader with a national footprint and assets valued at more than $20 billion.

After working for a private Houston real estate company, Ric co-founded Camden's predecessor companies in 1982 with Keith Oden and has spent 40 years (and counting) building a successful organization known for management proficiency, development, construction capabilities, technology, training, and marketing savvy.

Ric currently serves as Chairman of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority, and he is on the Board of Directors of several organizations that focus on Houston's economic development and quality of life. These organizations include Central Houston, Inc., Greater Houston Partnership, BakerRipley, and The Coalition for the Homeless. He is the past chairman of the Super Bowl LI host committee and Houston First Corporation.

Ric is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and has served on their Executive Board and Advisory Board. He also previously served on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the National Multifamily Housing Council. Ric is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and graduated from Oregon State University.

Bruce Chinn

President & CEO, Retired | Chevron Phillips Chemical

Bruce Chinn is the retired president and chief executive officer of Chevron Phillips Chemical, a global petrochemical joint venture with a top-quartile safety record andrevenue of more than $10 billion.

Chinn has more than 45 years of industry experience. Before leading Chevron Phillips Chemical, he served as president for Chevron Chemicals, overseeing its Oronite business. He was also part of the board of directors at Chevron Phillips Chemical alongside fellow executive representatives for company owners Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Phillips 66 Company.

Chinn began his career at DuPont in 1978 where he held positions of increasing responsibility in manufacturing, technical, commercial and business leadership at the U.S. and international level. He first joined Chevron in 2006, where he held several executive roles in refining for the company’s operations in Venezuela, Richmond, Calif., and Pascagoula, Miss.

Chinn currently serves on the board of directors of WM, where he is a member of the audit committee.  He has served in top executive functions across several prominent organizations. Those include his curret role as immediate past chairman of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Foundation Board of Trustees. Chinn began his work with Junior Achievement as a young engineer in Victoria, Texas.  He most recently served on the JA of Southeast Texas board of directors.  He also served as board director and executive committee member of the American Chemistry Council, Alliance to End Plastic Waste and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers. In addition, he is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and Sigma Pi Phi.

Chinn was born in Edna, Texas and graduated high school from Edna High Scool in 1975.  He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University.  Bruce has been married to Sandra Francis-Chinn for 43 years and has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.

Vanessa E. Wyche

Director | NASA's Johnson Space Center

Vanessa E. Wyche is an American engineer and civil servant who is currently serving as the Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) since 2021. A NASA employee for over 30 years, Wyche served previously as both Deputy Director of JSC and Lead Engineer.

Wyche became interested in science at an early age and had parents who supported her interests in science. She grew up in Conway, South Carolina. When she was a junior in high school, she attended the Governor's School for top students. In 1981, she started attending Clemson University. Wyche holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Materials Engineering and a Master’s of Science in Bioengineering from Clemson.

Wyche’s career with NASA began in 1989. Wyche also served as a Project Manager within the Space and Life Sciences Directorate, where she was responsible for the development and use of suites of hardware systems for medical and microgravity experiments on the space shuttle and the International Space Station. She has led a team of 400 engineers and scientists that are working on how to send human explorers to Mars. She has also worked as the director of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. On August 8, 2018, Vanessa Wyche was selected as the Johnson Space Center Deputy Director.

Wyche has received the following awards—NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Two NASA Achievement Medals, Rotary Stellar Nomination, Women@NASA Awardee (2014), “Women Worth Watching” honoree (2016), and Inducted into Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists at Clemson University (2019).

Wyche is married to George Wyche Jr. Esq., has one son, and currently lives in Houston.