Celebration of the Class of 2026!

Graduation 10 am at First Baptist Church - May 23. 2026

Graduation Speaker

Alumnus, Tim Latimer (2008)

How can the world provide reliable energy for more people while also protecting the planet? That question has fueled the career of Tim Latimer (’08) — the 2026 commencement keynote speaker.

“That is kind of the existential challenge that we’re facing right now,” Latimer said. “How do you get more energy to more people? How do you unlock the prosperity and the quality of life that comes with energy, but do so in a way where we can be responsible stewards of the planet and our environment at the same time?”

As co-founder and CEO of Fervo Energy, Latimer is helping answer that question through next-generation geothermal technology designed to provide reliable, carbon-free energy around the clock. Last month, the company reached a major milestone with its IPO, marking another step forward for a business that has quickly become a leader in climate and energy innovation.

“Now it’s just building our projects as fast as we can and getting them all on the grid and producing electricity,” Latimer said.

Raised in nearby Riesel, Texas, Latimer grew up in a hardworking family. After attending St. Paul’s Episcopal School, he joined Vanguard in seventh grade, where he quickly immersed himself in nearly every opportunity the school offered.

“The beauty of Vanguard being such a small school meant that you got to do everything,” he said. “I did debate and I did art and I did basketball and I did golf.”

That broad experience became foundational to the way he approaches leadership today. At Vanguard, where his graduating class numbered just 28 students, Latimer said students were encouraged to explore interests they might never have pursued at a larger school.

Some of his favorite memories came through athletics. Latimer played varsity baseball and basketball and was part of Vanguard’s four-time state championship golf team.

“My sports experiences were probably the most memorable,” he said. “Including my freshman year when we made a run in the state tournament in baseball. And I got to play six years of basketball, including varsity basketball and probably at most schools I wouldn't have made the team. That was six years of intentional practice and when I get into a pickup game, even these days, my core fundamentals from going through hours and hours of drills with Coach Smith, Coach Curtis and others still shine through.”

He also remembers the camaraderie that came with a close-knit school community — from golf road trips to time spent in the senior lounge with lifelong friends he still talks to regularly today.

Then there was the legendary Halloween haunted house.

Latimer and classmate Brennan Bailey appointed themselves leaders of the annual project, he said, transforming a storage shed near the softball field into a full haunted attraction complete with strobe lights and a chainless chainsaw used purely for sound effects — a tradition that is still alive and well.

“We thought we were quite creative with it,” he laughed. “We did a good job of scaring people.”

Teachers also left a lasting impression. He credits instructors including Suzanne Kelly, Howard Mulholland, Sara Ritchie and Dena Johns for shaping his

academic experience. But one teacher, in particular, still shows up in his professional life nearly every day: seventh-grade Earth science teacher Patty Flowers.

Known for teaching through songs, movement and memorable demonstrations, Flowers made concepts stick — for decades.

“I remember she always used to make us sing for how plate tectonics move: ‘Tension, compression and shearing, oh my,’” Latimer said. “And I talk about tension and compression and shearing in terms of plate tectonics in my career today.”

After Vanguard, Latimer earned a degree in mechanical engineering from The University of Tulsa before beginning his career as a drilling engineer in the oil and gas industry. Fascinated by innovation and frontier science, he eventually became captivated by the potential of geothermal energy.

“I realized there was this huge opportunity to apply new technology to geothermal,” he said. “It seemed like a great opportunity to apply my skills to a carbon-free energy resource that could both provide energy for the world and address climate change.”

He later earned both an MBA and a master’s degree in environment and resources from Stanford University, where he founded Fervo Energy in 2017. Since then, the company has raised more than $1 billion and gained national attention for advancing enhanced geothermal systems capable of delivering continuous clean energy.

Being well-rounded and focusing on communication skills and interpersonal dynamics is key, Latimer said.

“That's the thing that all these AI and technology tools can't take away is how you connect with people,” he said, “and how you build a good relationship that's based on trust and understanding. Being well-rounded is important to that. Understanding how to connect with people from all walks of life and treat them with respect and dignity, and build rapport is really important.”

For all his own talent and abilities, Latimer said that’s a very small piece of the puzzle.

“Life rewards effort and diligent work,” he said. “People don't just give you a gold star because you're smart or you have talent. What separates people who are successful versus not is having the drive and the motivation and the grit and determination to do things.”

Today, Latimer lives in Houston with his wife, Iris, who is deputy commissioner of the Texas Education Agency, and their 13-month-old son, Linden. He also remains close with his parents in Riesel and his sister, fellow Vanguard alumna Lindsay, who lives nearby with her family.

For Latimer, the connections built during his years at Vanguard remain just as meaningful as the accomplishments that followed.

“I really enjoyed how strong of a community you could build because it was such a small class,” he said. “Lifelong friendships — that’s what was fantastic about it.”

Senior Picture 2008

 

 

 

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!