James H. Clement Jr.
Chairman & Founder
The Land Board Founder Jamey Clement Jr. served as chairman of the board of King Ranch Inc. from 2000 to 2021. During his tenure as board chair, the company achieved numerous milestones:
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a groundbreaking branding agreement with Ford Motor Company
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shareholder buyouts and buy-backs of outside interests
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retirement of all third-party debt
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overcoming a 100-year drought
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45 years experience in personal and family investment strategies
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In addition to his career at King Ranch Inc., Jamey has advised two other ranching families whose 50 shareholders own a combined 80,000 acres and over 200 years of ownership.
Jamey received a bachelor's degree in economics from Tulane University
and his MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.
Dave Delaney
Managing Director
Dave Delaney recently retired as Vice President and General Manager for Ranching and Wildlife at King Ranch Inc. where he oversaw livestock operations, wildlife operations, infrastructure, personnel, finance, accounting, and budgeting oversight.
Prior to King Ranch Inc., Dave served as General Manager of Friona Industries Feedyard Division and oversaw feedyard operations, cattle, and commodity procurement, risk management, and personnel.
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Prior to Friona Industries, Dave worked with Jay O’Brien at Corsino Cattle
Company. In this capacity, he helped manage iconic Panhandle family ranches such
as the XL, JA, and RO.
Dave currently serves as a Professor of Practical Ranch Management at the King Ranch Institute of Ranch Management. Read Selling Carbon Credits, which he coauthored, HERE.
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Board memberships include Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Texas & Southwest Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and the Kenedy County Water District.
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Dave received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Richmond
and a master's in Animal Nutrition from Texas A&M University.
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He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2021.
Robert J. Underbrink
Managing Director
Robert Underbrink retired after 10 years as president and CEO of King Ranch, Inc.
In 1983, he received a bachelor's in Agriculture from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
The following year, he was hired by King Ranch Inc. as a management trainee.
In 1987, he assumed responsibility as General Manager of Florida operations.
In 1998, he was appointed Vice President of Farming Operations.
In 2008, he was appointed Senior Vice President.
In 2010, he was named President and CEO of King Ranch Inc. as well as a Director.
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He currently serves as a Director of the nation's largest citrus grower, Consolidated Citrus Limited Partnership, where he previously served as President and CEO from 1999 to 2005.
Bill Gardiner
Managing Director
Bill Gardiner retired as Chief Financial Officer of King Ranch Inc. in 2020.
He had served in that capacity for 25 years.
Before joining King Ranch, Bill was the Executive CFO of CRSS, Inc.,
a publicly-traded architectural, engineering, and construction management firm based in Houston.
He served on the Board of Directors of SM Energy Company (NYSE:SM)
an exploration and production company headquartered in Denver from 1999 through 2016.
Bill is currently serving on the Board of Fuel Relief Fund and is an Advisory Board member of Truist Bank. In addition, he serves on the Accounting Advisory Council at Texas A&M University.
Bill earned a BBA degree in Accounting from Texas A&M University
and an MBA from Houston Christian University.
Doug Wilmeth
Managing Director
Doug Wilmeth has managed specialty assets for a major bank for the past five years.
In that capacity, he engaged in ranch sales, hunting and grazing lease negotiations, surface damage negotiations, pipeline right of way and electric line easements, wildlife management plan development, USDA Farm program enrollment, applications for 1D1 tax valuation for wildlife exemption, and agricultural exemption for ranches.
Doug supervised direct operations of cattle and wildlife on more than 130 ranches nationwide.
This included inspections, yearly asset reviews, appraisals, and presentation of management plans for clients.
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Doug worked in the oil and gas industry doing drilling site construction, pipeline right of
way maintenance, and line locating for ConocoPhillips, EOG, Marathon, Kinder Morgan,
Williams Energy, and ETC pipelines.
Doug earned a Bachelor's in Animal Science from Texas State University and a Masters in Ranch Management from the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management. He also has business process certification from the University of Texas and Managerial Analysis certification from Kansas State University.
James H. Clement III
Managing Director
James Clement III is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Grass and Rangeland at EarthOptics, a company specializing in soil measurement and carbon credit marketing.
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Previously, James spent a decade at King Ranch Inc., where he served as Land Resources Manager and Manager of the Horse Division. During his tenure, King Ranch won the AQHA Best Remuda Award in 2019, bred the first-ever King Ranch World Champion, and returned the horse program to profitability.
James’s family has deep roots in Texas ranching—his mother’s family operates Beggs Cattle Co. (est. 1876), and his father’s family is part of King Ranch (est. 1853). He also founded and manages Bloody Buckets Cattle Co., overseeing livestock, resources, and wildlife across multiple Texas ranches.
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A Marine Corps veteran, James enlisted in 2008 and was commissioned as an infantry officer. He has deployed to Afghanistan, Chile, Mexico, and Virginia for Operation Allies Welcome. James currently holds the rank of Major and is attending Command and Staff School.
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James is a director for multiple organizations, including Ranchbot, Frontiers Market, AQHA, Beggs Cattle Co., Corps Industries, King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, the National Ranching Heritage Center, and the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He holds an MBA from Cornell University and is a registered Texas Landman.
Heather Stiles
Managing Director
Heather Stiles, a fifth-generation beef cattle rancher, blends her financial acumen with a passion for sustainable agriculture.
After graduating The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance, she entered the managed futures industry, where she became a senior trader at a prominent commodity trading advisor trading over 70 different futures contracts. Then, venturing into the brokerage side of the industry, she gained invaluable experience in Chicago and New York, including roles at Merrill Lynch at the CBOT and Prudential Securities on Wall Street.
Recognizing the potential in the newly deregulated electricity market, Heather returned to her roots in Texas. She played a pivotal role at TXU during the electricity market transition, contributing to trading strategies and software development in the electricity market.
Back in the agricultural world, Heather assumed roles of senior trader, branch office manager, and compliance manager for a family office with interests in oil and gas, as well as an integrated cattle feeding operation.
For the past fifteen years, Heather has served as a trusted consultant to commodity producers, specializing in hedging, marketing, and risk management, alongside her investment expertise. She has also excelled as an auditor for various beef cattle value-added programs, including USDA-NHTC, NE3, Source and Age, G.A.P- Global Animal Partnership, and American Grassfed Association. More recently, Heather has been at the forefront of renewable energy projects and carbon initiatives, leveraging her knowledge in sustainable practices, private equity, and venture capital.
Heather has integrated her cutting horse and cattle programs and has had multiple championships and successes in cutting horse competitions and has served as a director and chair of committees for the National Cutting Horse Association.