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From the top of Circle Bluff, the highest point of the H. E. Butt Foundation Camp, David Rogers (Mississippi) looks out over the vast terrain of the Texas Hill Country, over the deep blue headwaters of the Frio River and sees people from all ages and walks of life in the midst of transformation.
It’s early summer, and several hundred guests are gathered on the 1,900-acre ranch property in Leakey, Texas, about 100 miles west of San Antonio. For the next several days, they will participate in activities that are rich in history and meaningful in impact.
“We are helping kids know Christ… helping families become more bonded…helping people renew and restore their faith in God, each other, and their loved ones,” said Rogers, who has been with the Foundation for three decades and currently serves as president and CEO.
The range of programs reflects the expansive mission of the Foundation, which was created nearly a century ago by Mary (Holdsworth) and Howard E. Butt Sr. in nearby Kerrville, Texas, and continues strong today.
Rogers’ role in the Foundation is more than just business – it’s family. His wife, Deborah, is the granddaughter of Mary and H. E. Butt Sr. and serves on the board of directors.
The Butts purchased the H. E. Butt Foundation Camp in the mid-1950s to help develop Christian character for children and families. It has grown in scope to include five campgrounds and an adult retreat center -- offering attendees access to youth camps, family retreats, and a range of personal development activities.
Each year, more than 20,000 guests visit the property, most of whom attend for free and would not otherwise be able to afford a quality camping experience. The retreats and camps encourage fellowship and community but also focus on individual reflection and growth.
“We’re spread across nearly 2,000 acres along three miles of the Frio River, so you won’t run into each other unless you want to,” says Rogers with a laugh. “Each [group] has its own part of the property.”
As the chief executive of the Foundation, Rogers recognizes he’s been tasked with maintaining a legacy of stewardship and philanthropy that goes back more than a hundred years to its founders, the Butt family, who are as iconic in Texas as longhorns and cowboys.
In 1905, the H-E-B grocery store was founded by Florence Butt in Kerrville, Texas, and was initially located inside the family home. In 1919, her son H. E. Butt Sr. opened the first free-standing store. Today, there are more than 400 locations across Texas, and its reputation for excellence is nationally recognized.
In 2024, the Dunhumby Retailer Preference Index named H-E-B as the top grocery store in the nation—besting Amazon and Trader Joe’s for the third time in the seven years of the index.
The H. E. Butt Foundation is a separate entity from the H-E-B grocery company, although both organizations are deeply rooted in philanthropy and service to their communities. In the past ten years alone, the H. E. Butt Foundation has supported Texas and beyond with programs and charitable investments worth more than $100 million.
The Road Through Sigma Nu and Austin
When asked how he became a key part of the H. E. Butt Foundation, Rogers laughs and says, “The short answer is I married the boss’s daughter…the long answer is a longer story.”
He describes his life’s journey as a series of events that appeared random at the time but led to where he is today. Many of those events were tied to the University of Mississippi and Sigma Nu.
Rogers was born and raised in Mississippi, growing up along the coast in Gulfport. His father was part of the leadership team of the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi—NASA’s largest rocket propulsion test site in the United States—and oversaw the Apollo mission to land the first men on the moon.
At the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), Rogers pursued a business degree and pledged Sigma Nu.
“Many of my parents’ friends went to Ole Miss and were Sigma Nus…so I learned about the Fraternity early on,” Rogers said. During frequent visits to the university during high school, he would often stay at the Sigma Nu house.
He fondly remembers the camaraderie of the brothers in the house and the sense of belonging to a group of men who were your best friends from the moment one pledged.
Rogers carried on a Sigma Nu tradition as a member of the cheerleading squad for Mississippi football games – arguably the biggest sports event in the state – and was selected by a vote of the student body.
“It was a big deal to be on the squad, and Sigma Nu had a history of [participation],” he said.
Rogers was also named to the university’s Hall of Fame based on his campus activities and accomplishments.
“I can say with 100 percent certainty I wouldn't have been selected without my involvement in Sigma Nu,” he said.
After graduation, Rogers moved to Austin, Texas, at the urging of Sigma Nu brother Printz Bolin, who told him the real estate market was booming.
Over the next three years, he thrived in both the real estate market and his personal life. He met his wife, Deborah, through an introduction from Bolin (who would go on to work for Sen. Trent Lott, a fellow alumnus of the Epsilon Xi Chapter and a 1998 Sigma Nu Hall of Fame inductee).
“You know how sometimes you go back, and you track decisions you’ve made in life?” Rogers mused. “I would not be sitting where I am today if it wasn’t for being a Sigma Nu.”
He gets together with his pledge brothers as often as possible for vacations and football games. Recently he hosted a gathering at the Butt family’s personal ranch about an hour from the H. E. Butt Foundation Camps.
Leaning into Relationships
With his star rising in the Austin business community, Rogers was offered a position with the Austin Chamber of Commerce in 1987 to bring new business and industry to the city.
“I was 26 years old,” Rogers recalls. “I would have access to the president of the University of Texas, the mayor, all these movers and shakers…it was going to be fun.”
Receiving the job offer from the Chamber also made him realize his relationship with Deborah was more than just dating… it was for life. She was a third-grade teacher at the time, and Rogers headed straight to her school to tell her the news.
“When I got back in my car, I realized I told Deborah the news first … before my parents or anyone else,” he recalls. “It was the revelation that my relationship with Deborah was special, and she was the person I wanted to be with forever.”
Deborah and David Rogers married in 1988 and have three children and seven grandchildren.
Joining the Family Foundation
After earning his MBA from The University of Texas, Rogers had the opportunity in 1991 to join the H. E. Butt Foundation – a decision he carefully considered.
“There are lots of good reasons why not to go to work for your father-in-law,” Rogers said, laughing. “But it’s also easier to accept when the opportunity is a good one.”
His “interview” was spending an entire summer experiencing the organization up close, observing the operations, and learning as much as he could about H. E. Butt Foundation. He was immediately drawn to the focus on camp, health, community service, and ministry and saw a place for himself.
“There were so many opportunities there,” Rogers said of his decision to join the Foundation in 1999. “With my business background, I saw so many ways I could be of help.”
He also learned philanthropy is embedded into the Butt family – an expectation and not simply a motto.
“We were considering how much to give to a charity and Deborah gave me a number that was well above any number I had in my mind,” said Rogers of the conversation early in the marriage. “I asked if she was kidding.”
He remembers she stopped what she was doing and firmly explained her guiding principles of philanthropy.
“She said, ‘David, we didn't do anything to earn this because we're part of this family…we’ve been given this money to steward…and we’re going to be good stewards of that gift’,” Rogers recalls.
It was the first lesson he learned about the responsibilities of managing the Foundation's resources and doing the most good for the most people. And it is the lesson that remains steadfast today as he leads the organization.
Leadership and Legacy
Under his tenure, Rogers launched two new camping programs – the Laity Lodge Family Camp and H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School. He’s also spearheaded new community engagement initiatives to support mental health awareness, build capacity for non-profits, develop rural communities, and address the challenge of socio-economic inequity.
He often tells staff to “use the past as a guiding post, but not a hitching post,” recognizing what worked well years ago may not work now or in the future. Flexibility and adaptability are necessary traits for success.
“Rather than create new unwieldy programs or institutions for the Foundation to operate in perpetuity, be a catalyst for existing organizations that are already deeply invested in a specific challenge,” Roger explains.
Many of the Foundation’s recent initiatives have focused on training and supporting numerous nonprofits around San Antonio, which dedicate millions of dollars each year to address the city’s deepest needs.
The H.E. Butt Foundation also made a five-year commitment to assist churches in San Antonio with mental health and wellness programs for their congregation – an important part of the Foundation’s focus.
After three decades with the H. E. Butt Foundation, Rogers sees the inevitable off-ramp and the legacy he will eventually leave for others. Under his leadership, the Foundation has grown to become one of the largest foundations in Texas and one of the largest operating foundations in the United States.
Rogers hopes the next generation will continue the culture of servant leadership and leaning on lessons learned in the past to better perform in the future.
“I also hope the programs we have started will serve as a catalyst for other foundations to model,” Rogers said. “And that the culture of our mission…the beauty, the excellence, and the quality…remains high.”