Robert Rowling of Irving is the owner and chairman of TRT Holdings, Inc., a privately owned, diversified holding company that owns the Omni Hotels chain and Tana Exploration Co. Rowling serves as chairman of Omni Hotels. He is a member of the board of trustees of The University of Texas System, the board of directors of the Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) and chairs the Task Force on U.T. Dallas Lands. Rowling is ... the past chairman of the Corpus Christi Area Economic Development Corp. He currently chairs SMU's Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series and serves on the national board of trustees for Young Life. In October 2003, Rowling was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, and he received the 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award from SMU's Dedman School of Law. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Rowling received his law degree from SMU's Dedman School of Law.