Board Leadership

Bruce Sifford

Board Chair

Bruce Sifford has served on the volunteer board of directors for the State Fair of Texas for the past 20 years. In addition, Bruce currently serves as president of the Fair’s advisory board and chair of the finance and audit committee. He currently serves or has previously served on additional committees during his tenure with the Fair, including the Big Tex Scholarship Committee, Heritage Hall of Honor Committee, Long Range Livestock Facility Improvement Committee, Livestock Committee, and Development Cabinet, helping raise millions of dollars to support Texas youth.

Currently, Mr. Sifford serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Direct Retail Partners, with responsibility for the operation of the development, construction, and management of more than three million square feet of retail space in the Texas and Oklahoma area. Before joining Direct Retail Partners, Bruce spent 18 years as a managing principal of Centre Development Company, developing office, industrial, land, and apartments. He was directly responsible for more than five million square feet of properties in numerous geographic areas. Bruce was also an operating partner in Travis Holdings, LLC, a commercial real estate development and acquisition firm operating commercial properties in Texas.

He is a former chairman of the board of Goodwill Industries, former tournament chairman for the Byron Nelson Golf Classic, and former president of the Salesmanship Club of Dallas. Bruce grew up in Dallas and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.