Deron Paul Bocks was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and lived there until he was 14, when his family moved to northern California. He attended Campolindo High School in Moraga, CA, where he played baseball and football with current UofA baseball coach Chip Hale. Deron played junior college football in northern California in the fall of his freshman year and then transferred to UofA in
an attempt to play football for the spring semester. Unfortunately, he was injured in a scrimmage late that spring which cut his football career short.
That fall he was faced with quite a bit of extra time on his hands, so he decided to see what fraternity rush was all about. Deron pledged Upsilon Alpha in the fall of 1983 and served as Pledge Class President. While in the house, he also served as Pledge Trainer, Hasher, Graduate Relations Chair, and Spring Fling Chairman. He now serves the local Fraternity as a member of the Upsilon Alpha Building Corporation Board as well as the Capital Campaign Committee.
During his time at the UofA he was active on campus as well, serving on the Interfraternity Council, ASUA Senate, and Arizona Traditions Committee, while also playing 2 years of Rugby. He graduated in 1986 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Marketing.
Following graduation Deron began a career in Corporate Investment & Real Estate Banking with Bank of America in San Francisco. While there he led teams that raised capital and orchestrated Mergers & Acquisitions transactions for some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent firms.
After 11 years with BofA, he founded a private equity firm focused on acquiring residential golf properties, which prior to successfully exiting the portfolio to a strategic buyer in 2002, owned 21 courses across a 7-state region. His private equity success was followed by a return to his banking roots, when he served as founding President & CEO of two nationally charted commercial banks in Arizona, both of which still operate today.
Since “retiring” from his bank President & CEO role in 2014, Deron has orchestrated the acquisition of two private golf clubs in Arizona and founded CapMatrix LTD, a full-service capital markets advisory firm where he continues to serve as President & Managing Partner. He also participated as an integral part of the team that launched a new community bank in Scottsdale.
In addition to numerous corporate and advisory boards on which he participates, Brother Bocks is also very involved in the local community with business and charitable organizations. He holds board positions with YPO International, Urban Land Institute, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, Phoenix Children’s Hospital Foundation, Valley of the Sun United Way, and Arizona Leader Force.
Deron currently resides in Scottsdale with his wife Julie (UofA AEPhi ‘87), and is the proud father of two adult sons, Brady (UofA Alpha Sig ‘18) and Davis (UofA Sigma Chi ‘19)