The journey began in 2012 when Dr. John Baum was a professor in the Neeley School of Business at TCU and the Associate Director of the TCU Energy Institute. He had noticed that all of the universities in the oil patch were providing educational programs for the oil & gas companies, but none of them were providing programs that were designed specifically for royalty owners. He recruited a team of oil & gas and minerals management experts to develop a curriculum of educational programs that were aimed directly at royalty owners. The first program was offered in January, 2013 and approximately 2,700 royalty owners have successfully completed one or more of the programs during this period. A sizable percentage of the past participants have completed all of the programs.
About
Acquire the knowledge and skills to manage your assets like a business.
Our Mission
The Royalty Owner Institute is committed to providing mineral owners with the knowledge and skills to manage their royalty assets as a business and not mailbox money.

Our Journey
John recruited an outstanding staff to administer the programs and a team of instructors who are experienced oil & gas attorneys that focus on advising and representing royalty owners. They are terrific teachers who know how to relate to new and experienced royalty owners. The learning experience is rigorous and fast paced, but the instructors are always open to personal questions and discussion from the participants. The staff works hard to create an open, friendly, and productive environment that enhances learning and puts the participants at ease. They are encouraged to improve their networking skills with the other royalty owners in the programs so they can benefit from these new relationships in the future. The overriding goal is to provide the participants with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage their precious mineral assets in a business-like manner. The end result is a much higher return on investment from these assets.
Our Team
Our instructors provide you with the best learning experience possible and the knowledge to take your energy development to the next level.

Following his retirement from TCU in 2012, John began his entrepreneurial career. He had developed a passion for educating royalty owners. None of the universities or consulting firms in the oil patch were providing educational programs that were designed specifically for royalty owners. He designed and developed the Royalty Owner Programs and began offering them under the sponsorship of the TCU Energy Institute. Almost 2,000 royalty owners have completed one or more of the programs since their inception. In 2018, he formed the Royalty Owner Institute to house the programs and provide education and support to the estimated 2 million royalty owners in Texas and 15 million in the United States.
John and his family live in Corinth, Texas. They have four grown children and four grandchildren who brighten their lives and keep them busy. John owns a ranch in West Texas that conducts cow-calf operations and provides a nice change of pace from city life.
He is blessed to be a royalty owner on his ranch.

After receiving her degree in communications from Stephen F. Austin State University, Ashley has 20 years of professional experience in the communications industry. She is a graduate of the prestigious American School of Protocol. Ashley also received her Beef Quality Assurance Certification from Texas Beef Council as well as attended Texas A&M Ag Extension cattle classes. She has been an international spokesperson for Fortune 500 companies, director and trainer for Teen Modeling/ Personal Development programs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Ashley has assisted both large and small corporations with special events, promotions, and training. She has previous experience as a television anchorperson, radio personality and collegiate teaching assistant. Her studies and experiences have given her the opportunity to live outside the United States and travel the world.
Ashley is the proud mother of two daughters, Lauren and Lilly. She is actively involved in her community as well as her daughters’ activities. She serves on the PTA Board of Directors. She volunteers at her children’s schools, her church, and mission outreach programs.

Sallie grew up in Roswell, New Mexico. After receiving her degree in education from the University of Arkansas, Sallie began her career as a teacher in a private school. She moved to the Dallas area and accepted a management position with Delta Airlines where she trained reservation agents in sales and customer support. She then moved to the oil industry with SEDCO Inc., a large off-shore drilling company founded by former Texas governor Bill Clements. Sallie managed the international travel of executives and rig personnel in off- shore drilling operations. She continued her career in the oil industry by becoming the logistics/travel manager for FINA Oil & Chemicals, a major oil & gas company with operations around the world. In addition to travel management, she was the primary meeting and event planner for the corporation. Sallie is very experienced in managing the logistics of the Royalty Owner Programs and she works hard to make sure that the participants have a meaningful and pleasant learning experience.
Sallie is the matriarch of the family and is heavily involved in the lives of her grandchildren. She is very proud of them and gets involved in many of their activities. She knows how to set a great table for holiday and special events.

His law practice is focused on representing surface and royalty owners in oil, gas & mineral management. He is also a well-known litigator in protecting the rights of mineral owners in the courtroom. He is a former Council Member for the Oil, Gas & Mineral Law Section for the State Bar of Texas and a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He was also an Executive Director on the Mohair Council of America and he has been a director of NARO Texas.
David is a prolific author, presenter, and teacher on a wide range of topics that are relevant to surface and royalty ownership. He is a frequent presenter at conferences sponsored by the National Association of Royalty Owners (NARO) and the State Bar of Texas. He has been an invited presenter at numerous energy industry conferences and events. David has a passion for teaching and advising royalty owners so they can take full advantage of their mineral assets.
David and his wife Beth, who is also a practicing attorney, live in Sonora, Texas. David and Beth have two children, Wilson, an oil and gas attorney & trust officer and Warren a graduate of TCU’s Ranch Management School and the Texas Tech Law School. David is a fourth-generation rancher on the family ranch near Sonora, Texas where he raises cattle, sheep, and goats. David is also a proud royalty owner.

Prior to forming his own law firm in 2009, Glen was an attorney and shareholder in two large law firms in Dallas and Abilene. He acquired extensive hands-on experience in all aspects of oil & gas operations and minerals management, including lease negotiations, working interests, joint operating agreements, title curative, estate and tax planning, real estate, and wealth management. Glen has a special passion for serving royalty owners who want to acquire the knowledge and experience to level the playing field when they interact with oil and gas companies.
Glen is a born teacher and serves as a very popular instructor in oil and gas operations at McMurry University in Abilene. He was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to be a member of the Texas Farm and Ranch Council in 2006 and previously served as the President of the Texas Wildlife Association. He is an Eagle Scout and was named as a Top Young Lawyer in Texas by Texas Monthly in 2006. Glen has published several legal articles, including “Saving the Family Farm and Ranch,” which was published in Texas Wildlife. Also, Glen wrote the Texas Wildlife Association’s amicus brief to the Texas Supreme Court in the seminal water law case, Guitar Holding Co., LP v. Hudspeth County Underground Water District.
When he is not practicing law, Glen operates his family’s ranch near Throckmorton, Texas, which conducts commercial hunting and cow/calf operations. Most importantly, Glen loves spending time with his family at the ranch, at the ballpark, or on one of their regular “Family Nights” in Abilene. Hands down, Glen’s proudest accomplishment is his marriage to Misti and his two teenage children, William and Ella Grace.
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