About the Founders
David and Debra Humphreys
David and his wife Debra live in Joplin, Missouri. Most importantly, they have five children and seven grandchildren.
David Humphreys is the Chairman and CEO, and third-generation leader of his family’s 80-year-old business, TAMKO Building Products, one of the largest US residential roofing manufacturers. He is a graduate of The University of the South (B.A.), the University of Miami School of Law (J.D.), and New York University (LL.M. Taxation). David joined TAMKO in 1989 after practicing law at the Wall Street firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell as a corporate tax attorney in New York and Paris. In addition, he is Chairman of his family office investment firm.
David serves as Chairman of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty, as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the libertarian Cato Institute, and on the Dean’s Advisory Committee at the University of Miami School of Law where he and Debra recently established the Robert C. Josefsberg Chair in Criminal Justice Advocacy. David also was the former Chair of the Board of Regents for The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. David and his wife Debra founded Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, a pre-K through grade 12 private school of 350 students in Joplin, Missouri.
Debra Humphreys is a graduate of New York University (B.A.), Brooklyn Law School (J.D.) and New York University (LL.M. Taxation) and practiced law for several years as a corporate tax attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. She is the Founder and CEO of Compass Academy Network (“CAN”), an educational non-profit providing summer enrichment opportunities for hundreds of rural middle school students in numerous locations in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma with demonstrated metrics showing statistically improved school performance students attending the CAN programs. Debra’s commitment to education is also evidenced by her service on the TJ Board of Trustees for over 30 years with 18 years as the TJ Board Chair. She is a supporter of her alma mater Brooklyn Law School where she served for many years on its Board of Trustees. Debra also serves on the TAMKO Building Products LLC Board and leads the Humphreys family’s philanthropic efforts with generous support of secondary and higher education including TJ and other Joplin-area schools including the endowed scholarships for the Humphreys Scholars at Missouri Southern State University.
Debra and David founded Joplin Historical Neighborhoods to preserve and share Joplin’s history by creating house museums in restored Victorian-era historic homes showcasing Joplin’s early days. The families who lived there were community-minded, successful entrepreneurs who not only created successful businesses, but also helped establish many of Joplin’s important civic institutions like Joplin’s first hospital, churches, the YMCA, and other institutions fundamental to the quality of life in Joplin then and even now.
