Paul and Alejandra Foster
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Western Refining
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Medical Research, Texas Community
OVERVIEW: Paul and Alejandra Foster direct philanthropy through the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation, which has given negligible funds of late. Foster has made big individual donations in the realm of education and medical research, however, including at his alma mater Baylor University.
BACKGROUND: Raised in New Mexico, Paul L. Foster graduated from Baylor University. Foster handled the books for small oil refineries across the Southwest. In 1992, he and partners took over bankrupt El Paso Refining and five years later he bought out his partners. Foster launched Western Refining, which became the fourth-largest publicly traded independent oil refinery in the United States by 2006. He is a part owner of the El Paso Chihuahuas, a Triple-A baseball team.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & MEDICAL RESEARCH: Foster was on the board of regents of Baylor University for more than a decade, including serving as a vice chairman. He gave a gave $35 million to Baylor to support the construction of Baylor Stadium, and to build the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, which houses the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. He also gave a $3 million donation to establish the Paul L. Foster Success Center at Baylor University. Foster made a $50 million donation to create the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso. He and Jeff Stevens, a friend and business associate, donated $6 million to fund the Foster-Stevens Basketball Complex on the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso.
TEXAS COMMUNITY: The couple donated $500,000 to help fund La Mano Amiga, an operations facility for El Pasoans Fighting Hunger. The couple also gave $2 million to El Paso Zoo, to provide memberships for military families, as well as to fund the Foster Tree House Playground and support other Zoo projects. Foster is particularly interested in the El Paso/Juarez Borderplex, and his city of El Paso.
LOOKING FORWARD: Only in his 60s, Foster is still very much engaged in business. Perhaps giving will ramp up even more through his family foundation. Alejandra’s ties to Mexico should be noted, as well. She was appointed by the Governor of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico to serve as Secretary of Innovation and Economic Development. Perhaps some global development work in Mexico is down the line.
CONTACT:
The Paul L. Foster Family Foundation does not provide a clear avenue for getting in touch with the family but below is an address
Paul L. Foster Family Foundation
123 West Mills Ave., Ste. 600
El Paso, TX 79901
