During his 35 years in merchant banking, Mr. Best has had extensive experience
as a private investor and senior executive in a broad range of business entities. 
He
has started or acquired more than 100 privately or publicly held companies. He was
a founding partner in the merchant-banking firm Mason Best, which had offices in Texas
and London.
Mr. Best serves as an advisory board member for the Education Commission of the States; a member of the NEA Foundation Board, the College of Education Foundation Advisory Council for the University of Texas at Austin, and the National Urban Alliance Board for Columbia University; and a benefactor of the Smithsonian Institution. He also served on the White House Millennium Committee. Mr. Best is a graduate of Lamar University.