The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation announced today that J. Tullos Wells has been named managing director of the Foundation. Wells succeeds Palmer Moe who retired in May. Bank of America, NA serves as trustee for the foundation.
The Kronkosky Foundation was created by Albert Kronkosky, Jr. and Bessie Mae Kronkosky. Its mission is to produce ‘profound good that is tangible and measurable’ in Bandera, Bexar, Comal, and Kendall counties. The foundation supports programs in the areas of health and human services; cultural activities; parks, zoos and wildlife sanctuaries; animal cruelty prevention and assisting victims of public disasters in Texas. This extraordinary and generous couple created a legacy of giving that stands as the single largest gift to this region. Since the Foundation began accepting proposals in May of 1998 the organization's philanthropy has surpassed the $200 million mark, and now awards more than $15 million annually.
Following Moe’s retirement, the foundation conducted an extensive search and interviewed a number of outstanding candidates from San Antonio and other parts of the state.
Wells is a senior partner in the San Antonio office of the global law firm Bracewell & Giuliani. Wells will remain “Of Counsel” with Bracewell & Giuliani. He has served in many leadership positions, including chair of the San Antonio Chamber. Wells also presently serves as vice chair of the Lone Star Rail District and is Honorary Consul to Canada. “I’m deeply honored by the opportunity to work with the foundation’s devoted staff, as well as with Kenny Wilson, Allan Paterson and John Kerr, who serve as members of the distribution committee, to build upon the great work accomplished by my predecessor,” said Wells.
“Tullos has played a pivotal role in many of the key undertakings that have shaped the region and, like the Kronkosky Foundation, he is committed to helping create a lasting, positive legacy of quality for our communities,” said Kenny Wilson, president of Bank of America-San Antonio and managing director of U.S. Trust.
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The mission of the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation is to produce profound good that is tangible and measurable in Bandera, Bexar, Comal and Kendall counties in Texas by implementing the Kronkoskys’ charitable purposes. General areas of interest for the Foundation are outlined in its Program Guidelines booklet, which may be obtained by contacting the Foundation’s office or may be found on the Foundation’s website at www.kronkosky.org.
The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation was established by Albert and Bessie Mae Kronkosky with a trust agreement in January 1991 and was funded in August 1997. The Kronkosky family presence in Texas dates back to the 1860s when they moved into the New Braunfels area. Over the years, the family became a significant shareholder in Merck stock and they involved themselves in a number of successful local business ventures, mainly the Gebhardt Chili Powder Company and the San Antonio Drug Company.