About Us
M&G Collective, LLC – An Alumni operated NIL Collective
What we’re about
Alumni Operated
Operated by TXST alumni for the benefit of TXST athletes. The M&G Collective operating board is comprised of business leaders and former athletes. All of us are Bobcat Alumni and motivated by the success of TXST student athletes on and off the field.
Nearly 100% of Donated funds reach the Student Athlete.
M&G Collective is operated by a volunteer board that is never compensated. We do this solely for the love of TXST, which means no profit margin and nearly 100% of your donation reaches the student athlete to make maximum impact.
Fan Focused
We provide a platform for the average fan to make a meaningful and direct impact on the student athlete with donation tiers starting at just $20/month.
M&G Collective, LLC Board Members
M&G Collective Board Members are all Texas State alumni who are motivated by the success of Texas State and Texas State student athlete success on and off the field.
Justin Shaffer
Justin graduated from Texas State with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Business Administration in 2013. While at TXST, he attended as many TXST sporting events as possible earning the distinction of Promise of Pride rewards winner. Since graduating from Texas State, he has gone on to create and cofound Maroon and Golden, the Texas State online community and forum for fans of Texas State. Maroon and Golden has also provided coverage of TXST Athletics since 2019.
Thaddeus Watkins
Thaddeus was born and raised in the Bay Area of Northern California. He made his way to the great state of Texas on a full athletic scholarship in 2010 to attend Texas State University here in San Marcos. Texas State helped him fulfill his dream of playing football at the Division 1 level.
Texas State is where he met his wife, Ashley. Thaddeus and Ashley had their first child in August of 2019. Thaddeus says their daughter, Ayla, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to them. He has lived in Hays County for the last 10 years and is currently a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones in San Marcos.
Alex Kakhnovets
Alex Kakhnovets graduated from Texas State University McCoy School of Business Administration with a degree in finance in 2008.
He serves as the National Director of Leasing for Boxer Property Management Corporation, a commercial real estate investment company with more than 18 million square feet under management in 14 U.S. markets and 1,000-plus employees spanning office, retail, and hospitality divisions.
Kakhnovets leads the office leasing division in an executive capacity and is responsible for guiding departmental strategy, transactional oversight, recruiting, marketing, and oversight of 80-plus employees. Prior to this role, Alex held various positions including leasing, property management, sales, and business development with Boxer as well as other institutional firms.
A Certified Commercial Investment Member designee and a member of CCIM Houston Gulf Coast Chapter, The Real Estate Council, the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors, and Central Atlanta Progress, Kakhnovets engages in various charities including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and ALS Association. He has also served on the TXST Development Leadership Council.
He lives in Houston with his wife, Katie, and daughter, Hazel, and enjoys cycling and spending time with friends and family.
Richard Lopez
Richard graduated from Texas State with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a minor in Psychology in 2008. During his undergraduate years at Texas State, Lopez channeled his unwavering passion for sports writing, lending his voice to both the campus newspaper and local sports magazines. Simultaneously, he championed student representation in the Associated Student Government, leaving a legacy through the authorship of a groundbreaking bill that generated a staggering $12+ million for the Texas State Athletic Department, fueled by an increase in student fees.
Richard currently resides in Kyle, TX with his wife Lupita and children Lael and Leah. Richard is currently the Director of Sales at Rivercity Screenprinting and Embroidery in San Marcos, where he has sold over $20 million in custom merchandise.
Josh Brenner
Josh graduated from Texas State with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Sociology in May 2024 and is pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) in Advanced Practice Leadership at the Texas State College of Applied Arts.
While at TXST, Josh has served as Vice-President of the Student Volunteer Connection where he participated in habitat for humanity projects and organized student outreach programs/volunteer opportunities for multiple campus organizations. He was inducted into the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology in 2022 and the Alpha Sigma Lamda National Honor Society for Non-Traditional students in 2023.
Josh is a cofounder of Maroon & Golden, a Texas State online community and forum for fans of Texas State. Josh also works as a daily volunteer at Horton House – San Marcos. A local non-profit that provides sober living services to Texans in drug and alcohol abuse recovery. Prior to attending Texas State, he served in the US Navy as a Fire Controlman, where he worked as a MK 92 mod 6 weapon system operator and technician.
John Headrick
John graduated from Texas State University in 2008 with a B.A. in Political Science then received his J.D. from Baylor Law School. While attending TXST, John was actively involved in Greek life, student government, and service organizations. The ’05 football team (and overnight tailgates during the playoff run) resulted in John religiously attending football games throughout his undergraduate studies and created a lifelong TXST athletics fan. Although his wife, Jessica, has a finance degree from UT and MRE from A&M, through the charm of San Marcos and John’s persuasion she is now a TXST fan.
John currently lives in Amarillo, TX with his wife and son, Tripp, and is a partner with Mullin Hoard & Brown, LLP that primarily represents financial institutions, companies and individuals in finance and commercial transactions. Outside of their respective careers, John and Jessica believe in giving their resources and time to various causes as evidenced by John’s prior and current service as a board member for Mission Amarillo, Stewards of the Wild (Amarillo Chapter), Amarillo Area Bar Association, BOC Bank, and Amarillo Country Club. Supporting TXST student-athletes via service as a board member of the M&G Collective is a natural fit.