Charles T. Barrett

Charles Barrett is President and CEO of Barrett Holdings Inc., an asset holding company, an authorized dealer for automotive franchises, real estate holdings, and manager of proprietary equity investments.

Perhaps most recognized for his automotive dealership located in Boerne, Texas, Mr. Barrett is an authorized dealer for Jaguar and Land Rover. Mr. Barrett's strong commitment to his profession is evidenced by his former membership in the Premier Automotive Group Diversity Council for European Brands and the PAG Diversity Council Marketing Committee.

Since taking over the Jaguar dealership, Mr. Barrett has won the coveted "Pride of Jaguar" award Twelve times. The award is given to the top 12 Jaguar dealerships out of the 175 in the United States based on overall dealership quality. Mr. Barrett served on the Jaguar National Dealer Council and chaired its remarketing committee. In the year 2000, Mr. Barrett was one of only eight recipients of the "All-Star" Dealer Award from the American International Automotive Dealers Association in Washington, D.C., where he was recognized out of a 10,000 nationwide membership body. Mr. Barrett also received the Land Rover Pinnacle Club award as well as the “Giving Back-Corporate Citizenship” award from Ford Motor Company.

Mr. Barrett is extremely proud of his San Antonio heritage and remains committed to serving his community. He was previously Chairman of the Board for St. Mary’s University and has served on and chaired numerous committees for them. He served as President of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission, a festival that generates an economic impact of $380 million annually to San Antonio, as well as Chairman and President of the Fiesta Commission Charitable Corp. He has previously served as Treasurer, Secretary and chair of many committees for the Fiesta Commission. He is a former Regent for the non-profit group Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation and has served on its executive board.

Mr. Barrett’s former community involvement is an extensive list which includes serving on the University Of Texas Health Science Development Board of San Antonio and the President's Council, as well as on the Board of KLRN, a public broadcaster. Additionally, he served on the Pension Plan Board of Trustees for the University Health System. He is a former trustee for the Witte Museum where he was part of a select planning committee for future exhibits and areas of expansion within the facility. Additionally, he has served on the Board of Trustees for the Museo Alameda, Free Trade Alliance Board of Directors, Baptist Hospital System Development Board, Any Baby Can Board, and Mission Roads Ministry Board.

On August 24, 2001, Mr. Barrett was declared the 54th El Rey Feo (the People’s King). He received this honor having collected a record-breaking $310,000 for the LULAC Rey Feo Scholarship Committee, which provides scholarships to youths in the community regardless of their ethnicity.

Among Mr. Barrett’s achievements include being presented with a resolution by the Texas House of Representatives recognizing him as an outstanding Texan for his significant and lifelong contributions made to the city of San Antonio. In 2005, Mr. Barrett raised over a million dollars in support of the St. Mary’s University’s Barrett Memorial Bell Tower. He was profiled in Philanthropy in Texas magazine and was a recipient of the American Sunrise Award. In 2008, Mr. Barrett received the GM Inspire Award for Leadership presented to him by the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He was also named Executive of the Year in 2001 by the Sales & Marketing Executives of San Antonio.

Born in San Antonio, Mr. Barrett is fully bilingual, descending from both English and Spanish ancestors. His father and grandparents fled Mexico in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution. Mr. Barrett was featured in a PBS documentary in 2012 titled, “The Children of the Revolucion”, which details some of his family’s history.

A graduate of Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Mr. Barrett became a CPA after earning his BBA in Accounting at St. Mary's University, where he was honored with the Paul C. Goelz Business Leadership Award. In addition, he is also a member of Kappa Pi Sigma, an honorary business fraternity and in 2016 Mr. Barrett was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University. He was also named as Trustee Emeritus for his exemplary service on the Board of Trustees. In 2018, Mr. Barrett, along with his wife, pledged $1,000,000 towards what will now be called, The Charles & Melissa Barrett Peer Ministry Program which aims to strengthen and enrich the faith of students living on campus. Most recently, Mr. Barrett was selected to receive the SAISD Foundation Inspire Award as an alumnus of SAISD. This award is given to select individuals who have been recognized for their contributions made within their community.

While pursuing a successful career in accounting which spanned over two decades, Mr. Barrett was a powerful influence in his industry as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), serving on numerous national committees. Those committees included Minority Recruitment and Equal Opportunity Committee, Minority Doctoral Fellows Committee, Small Business Development, AICPA Benevolent Fund-Trustee, AICPA Insurance Committee, Staff Pension Plan, Personal Lines Insurance, and Member Retirement Plan committees. To this day, his commitment to minority issues remains a top priority.

Service in the United States Coast Guard Reserve proved to have a significant impact on his business career. In the military, he learned about structure, discipline, the division of labor and the importance of teamwork. In 2000, he retired with the rank of Commander after 22 years of service and having served as Commanding Officer of three reserve units. Mr. Barrett's military training and his career in accounting have both contributed to his business success.