Al Perez, as a member of the FairWinds team, serves as the Senior Accountant for the Charles Butt Foundation while also supporting Raise Your Hand Texas and the CAST Network.
Before joining the FairWinds in 2020, Al held positions in both payroll and insurance tax divisions in addition to serving for six years in the United States Air Force. He graduated from Texas A&M – Corpus Christi with a degree in Finance before beginning his professional and Air Force careers.
Amanda Sierra serves as the Controller of the Charles Butt Foundation, where she is responsible for all accounting-related activities. She also serves as the Controller for Raise Your Hand Texas and the CAST Network.
In 2018, Amanda joined Fair Winds Management as the primary accountant for philanthropic activities. Originally from New Mexico, where she earned her BA in Accounting, Amanda has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit and corporate accounting.
Kendra Montejos Edwards joined the Charles Butt Foundation in January 2023 as the Senior Research Associate. Previously, Kendra worked as the Assistant Director of Admission and Multicultural Recruitment at Centre College. She led initiatives on recruiting and supporting Latinx, immigrant, and DACAmented students by creating programming and improving institutional policies. Prior to her Assistant Director role at Centre, Kendra co-founded an afterschool program for k-12 students in Danville, Kentucky, that focused on meeting students’ educational and social-emotional learning needs. During her time with the After-School Program, they received several local and national grants. Kendra entered the public education system in the U.S. as an immigrant student and English language learner. Kendra believes public schools thrive when we address student and family needs.
Kendra is completing her Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Planning at the University of Texas at Austin. She earned a Master of Science in Educational Policies and Evaluations Studies at the University of Kentucky and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology at Centre College. She specializes in research looking at the intersection of immigration and educational policy by centering student stories of resistance. Kendra believes students, families, and teachers should inform education policy. She has also worked on research projects focused on STEM education, computer science teacher certification, and racialized learning environments.
Outside of work, Kendra enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters. You can catch her sipping coffee at a local coffee shop or swimming in a pool with her family.
Dr. Melissa Garza joined the Charles Butt Foundation in September 2023 as a Senior Research Associate of the Learning and Impact team. Before this role, Dr. Garza held positions in research, evaluation, teaching, advising, and admissions across K-12 and post-secondary public and private institutions.
A first-generation college student from a border town in South Texas, Dr. Garza’s work is deeply rooted in fostering equity in education. Throughout her career, she has led impactful initiatives aimed at advancing resources and opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, most notably in the Rio Grande Valley. Her work reflects a personal and professional dedication to providing meaningful contributions in research, theory, and practice.
Dr. Garza earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Developmental Education and a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies at Texas State University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Garza’s expertise focuses on mixed methodologies, and her research interests center on education in U.S. – Mexico border spaces, multilingual learning, and literacy.
Brion brings over twenty years of experience advancing racial equity at the executive level for both the nonprofit and public sector. Brion was the inaugural Chief Equity Officer for the City of Austin and served as the Vice President of Health Equity for the American Heart Association.
He specializes in working with organizational leadership and local communities to create equity frameworks and facilitate dialogue and organizational practices that support the development and adoption of equity as a shared value. He serves as a technical expert in addressing equity as it is applied to policies, programs, practices, and budget decisions with an overall vision to advance racial equity.
Brion approaches his work with a lens and a belief that the people most impacted by an issue are the ones to provide the best solutions to solving them. During his leadership as the chair of the Austin Homelessness Leadership Council, he advocated and adopted a policy to compensate community members with lived experience and those advocating on behalf of vulnerable populations for their service on the Council and its sanctioned committees.
During his career Brion has not been one to shy away from the difficult conversations and challenges that stand in the way of advancing equity in our community. After the murder of George Floyd, he served as co-chair for Austin’s Reimagining Public Safety Initiative in which he worked with community leaders to shine light on racial disparities in policing and most importantly put forth recommendations to respond to safety in communities with alternatives other than policing.
While much hard work and change is needed to make our community equitable, Brion has had the pleasure and honor to work alongside community members and co-workers to co-create transformational change in many spaces. One of his proudest professional accomplishments is leading Austin’s Equity Office in partnership with community leaders to successfully advocate for the City of Austin to become the first municipality in the state of Texas to publicly fund a guaranteed income program designed to springboard low-income families out of poverty.
Brion earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from University of Houston and Master of Public Administration from Texas State University. Prior to his work at the City of Austin and American Heart Association, Brion worked as a legislative assistant for State Representative. Dora Olivo, D-Rosenberg, and as a project coordinator for the Texas Healthy Kids Corporation and the Texas Medical Foundation.Throughout his career, he has focused on improving outcomes for communities of color and addressing disparities in vulnerable populations. He dreams of a community where everyone can achieve their full potential regardless of social identify, ability, and/or life circumstances.
Robin Baird joined the Charles Butt Foundation in January of 2022 to help our leadership better fulfill our mission of working towards a better future for all Texans. As someone who attended a wide variety of public and private schools, Robin has seen firsthand how much the quality of education varied and leaped at the opportunity to do her part to help.
Before joining us, Robin was the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Austin Emergency Center for three years. During her time there, she helped open three new locations and weathered everything that came with the pandemic. Before that, she worked for KeyBanc Capital Markets in Boston for eight years.
In her free time, Robin enjoys hiking, reading, writing, and video games.
Dr. Amber Lynn Diaz became the Director of Emerging Partners Support for the Charles Butt Foundation in January 2022 after serving as the Department Head of Curriculum and Instruction at Tarleton State University. In her role, Amber Lynn provides leadership and support in the transformation of high-quality teacher preparation programs throughout the state of Texas. This work is part of the Raising Texas Teachers initiative, one of the Charles Butt Foundation statewide programs.
Amber Lynn has held positions that support teacher preparation transformation serving as a Curriculum Coach for US PREP and a Continuous Improvement Coach for Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity. It was in her tenure track position with Texas A&M University-Central Texas where her purpose, passion, and pursuit of transforming teacher preparation was affirmed. She served as the Director of Educator Preparation Services and Certification Officer, while teaching courses in the teacher preparation program at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This role provided many opportunities to learn and experience the ecosystem of Texas education, which ignited a desire to be an agent of change. She believes that every student, especially students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds, can be systemically educated through high-quality teachers skilled in empowering student agency, while igniting a fervent desire and love for learning.
Prior to her various roles in higher education, Amber Lynn developed her educational facility with over 15 years of experience in public education. She was an elementary classroom teacher, an English-Language Learners teacher, a Response to Intervention Supervisor, and an Elementary Administrator in Killeen ISD. She also served in Copperas Cove ISD as the Director of Intervention & At-Risk, serving a high population of at-risk youth. In this position, Amber Lynn was responsible for leading district programs for 504, Dyslexia, At-Risk, Bilingual & ESL, Response to Intervention, and Guidance Counseling. Throughout her entire professional career, Amber Lynn pursued opportunities to positively affect education by writing grants to fund innovative educational ideas. She also shared her knowledge and expertise by providing professional development across the state of Texas.
She received her Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and a Master of Education degree in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Central Texas. However, her professional career really began from earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming with a minor in Multicultural Education.
John Jacob (Jay to friends, family, and colleagues) brings over 10 years of experience supporting the visual communications needs of non-profit organizations. Prior to joining the Charles Butt Foundation Jay dedicated seven years at Texans Care for Children, defining the organization’s brand and promoting children’s advocacy efforts in Texas.
Jay believes in creating lasting social change through systemic policy change; clear, beautiful, emotionally-impactful work; and the power of ‘yes, and…’.
Jay is a proud husband and dad, so-so drummer, vintage toy collector, San Antonio Spurs fan, and a cat lover. Jay received his B.F.A. in Transmedia from the University of Texas at Austin.
Taylor’s greatest personal and professional passion has always been storytelling. She sees marketing at its core as storytelling, and her approach is to always keep people at the forefront. By focusing on genuine connection and engagement, whether online or in person, she believes more can be accomplished together.
Taylor began her marketing career as a freelance writer in 2010. After writing for a number of online publications, Taylor moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. There she worked as an Editorial Manager and a Social Media Manager for the agency, Digital Media Management. In 2016, she found herself missing her home state of Texas and moved to Austin. She enjoyed serving as the Digital Marketing & Communications Coordinator for Development and Jewish Family Services at Shalom Austin before joining the Charles Butt Foundation team in 2022.
Taylor has a deep desire and enthusiasm to contribute to every student in Texas being given the opportunity to thrive in school. She believes giving children a strong educational foundation is what sets them up for a successful and bright future.
As a multimedia designer, Lauren has a passion for advancing public education through many creative outlets. She brings a wide range of experience in design, photography, branding, writing and marketing.
After receiving a BFA in communication design from Oklahoma Christian University, she began her design career in Salt Lake City. Following that, Lauren served as a designer for the Oklahoma State University Foundation where she supported fundraising efforts to make an impact in the lives of college students.
Lauren is passionate about the adolescent age group due to intentional relationships formed with her by mentors and teachers during that stage of her life. She strives to pass that on through participation in local programs and support of public education.
She greatly admires the dedication of public educators that have a daily impact in the lives of their students and is honored to be able to partner with them.
Dr. Shari Becker Albright became president of the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation in April 2018 after serving as chair of the Trinity University Department of Education. As head of what is now the Charles Butt Foundation, Shari guides programs designed to raise the quality of teachers and school leaders, boost collaboration among families, schools, and communities, and apply a combination of technology and classroom teaching to improve student performance. She also works with the organization’s advocacy team to advance state policy to improve Texas public schools.
At Trinity, Shari shepherded three nationally accredited graduate programs as well as select undergraduate coursework in the Department of Education and oversaw multiple community outreach programs. During her tenure, she served as president of the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE), the statewide Council of Deans of Education. She also serves as secretary of the municipal board for Pre-K 4 SA, a citywide early childhood initiative for San Antonio. Prior to her role at Trinity, Shari served as CEO of the Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network in New York City and before that, as a K-12 teacher and principal.
She served on the organizing board and is currently on the governing board for The Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based leadership institute formed to help public school districts cultivate a stronger pipeline of campus and district leaders.
A native of Fort Worth, Albright holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. She received her bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in school psychology from Trinity University.
Anne, a filmmaker and storyteller, led video production at Raise Your Hand Texas for seven years before moving over to the Charles Butt Foundation. As the director of narrative and producer, Anne manages the production of narrative content and uses her talents to craft, shoot, and edit the stories that give voice to Texas students, educators, and communities.
Anne studied photography and communications at Southwestern University, where she made her mark creating video productions for the Admissions Office. In 2012, she spent a transformative six months in rural Thailand as a photographer and public relations intern for a nonprofit that works with communities and local schools towards sustainable community development.
Raised by a family of educators and political scientists, Anne has always viewed public education through a social justice lens.
Tessa joined the team in 2020. Through her role, she will support media relations across the state of Texas. Prior to joining the Charles Butt Foundation, Tessa worked as part of the Diversity & Inclusion team at H-E-B. She has also worked in the non-profit sector both in San Antonio and nationally at organizations focused on education, and creating equity within our education systems.
As a proud native San Antonian and product of its public education system, Tessa is passionate about the future of public education and the more than 5 million students who, like her, rely on the foundation of their futures to begin inside of public schools. Tessa is a proud graduate of Southwest High School in San Antonio. She earned undergraduate degrees at Our Lady of the Lake University and obtained a Master’s of Public Administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
An avid reader, Tessa believes that as Neil Gaiman once said, “a book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” In her spare time, you will catch her typically with a book in hand, unless she is out for a run or in the middle of flamenco and folkorico classes at the Guadalupe Dance Academy (part of San Antonio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center). She also devotes her time as a board member for Fiesta Wishes, the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas – San Antonio, and the San Antonio Women and Girls Development Fund. Tessa and her husband, Gary, call San Antonio home where they live with their two rescue dogs, Chulo, the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Harley Jo, the Boxer.
A writer, brand marketing strategist, storyteller, and speaker, Petri spent eight years helping build the Raise Your Hand Texas brand before moving over to the Charles Butt Foundation. His more than 25-year career includes spearheading marketing, communications, and digital strategy in the Make-A-Wish national office, running his own creative marketing shop, and other agency and corporate stints.
Petri leads a talented team of multimedia design, production, and marketing communications professionals who are all driven by a shared passion for changing lives and advancing public education through compelling storytelling.
Petri loves politics, independent movies, and used bookstores. He is often seen and heard cheering for his sons, whether they are playing or reffing ice hockey, golfing, or pursuing their photography and videography passions. He serves as chair of the Governing Board for Make-A-Wish of Central & South Texas and as a member of the City of Cedar Park’s Economic Development Sales Tax Corporation Board of Directors. He and his wife are both active in supporting Leander ISD through service on various councils and boards.
Petri graduated with a Bachelor’s in Media Arts from the University of Arizona and achieved his Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2003. He served as Haiku Laureate for TEDx The Woodlands, won a Phoenix New Times Haiku contest, and as far as he knows, he is the only two-time winner of the USA Today Online Haiku Contest.
Brian brings 25 years of experience as a visual storyteller to the Charles Butt Foundation. He began his career as a photojournalist. Having worked for Associated Press, The New York Times, and the Austin American-Statesman, his photos have appeared in newspapers and magazines all over the world.
Over the last 10 years, he has transitioned to moving images, which has allowed him to explore adding even more emotion and depth in his storytelling while maintaining his signature documentary style. He has been a cinematographer, director, and producer for several award-winning several short and feature-length films.
Brian holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Florida State University. He is excited to lend his vision in telling the stories of the heroes of public education in Texas.
Christina is the Program Director for the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, which encourages promising, diverse students to choose the teaching profession. In this role, she develops and implements programming and supports for scholarship recipients, helping these aspiring teachers succeed in school and graduate ready to teach.
Before joining the Charles Butt Foundation, Christina was a fourth-grade teacher in Austin ISD. She believes her work with the foundation will ensure all students have access to the educator they deserve.
Christina has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Masters of Public Affairs degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.
Joel spent a little over seven years helping build the Raise Your Hand Texas brand before moving over to the Charles Butt Foundation. With nearly 20 years of experience in design, he has literally left his mark across Texas. With his experience in branding, animation, illustration, wireframing, photography, video editing, strategy, and managing a team of fierce creatives, Joel has learned to wear many hats in his role as Art Director. Joel has led a multitude of local and statewide campaigns that have made a difference in the lives of students, launched grant initiatives to support educators, and promoted solutions that have had an exponential impact at the district level. Additionally, he has been known to work cross-departmentally in the strategic development of the organization’s customer relationship management (CRM) efforts. He considers himself fortunate to be able to combine his passion as an artist with a cause that he feels strongly about.
Joel graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from Abilene Christian University.
The Brazilian-born husband and father of three enjoys backyard soccer games, travel, and photography.
Laura, a native Texan, has been in the Austin area for over 40 years. She has built her career around serving others in the areas of office administration. She has over 20 years of experience in the administrative field including event planning, executive assistance, and office management in the financial, non-profit, engineering, assistive technology, and consulting fields. She joined our team in September of 2018 as the Office Manager and brings her talents to the team to assist in office management, onsite event management, and administrative support. In the first quarter of 2022, Laura is expected to gain her CPCE certification (Certified Professional in Catering and Events) and is a member of NACE (National Association of Catering and Events).
As a single parent, Laura stays busy with her daughter, who is a member of the Cedar Ridge Royalty drill team, taking her to dance contests and conventions around the state. Laura enjoys cooking for large groups of people, singing, and spending time at their home in Round Rock with her daughter, Elise, two chihuahuas, Marty and Carmel, and their Husky Dakota.
Laura’s mission is to make sure everyone that walks into our office feels special and welcomed.
Cody joined the Foundation as Director of Leadership Development in August 2016 and moved into the role of Vice President of Programs in 2018. Before joining the team, Cody worked as Senior Coordinator at the Texas Center for District and School Support at Education Service Center Region 13. In his seven years at ESC 13, Cody developed training and resources for thousands of district and campus leaders around the state and managed the implementation of multiple statewide school improvement grants, including the Texas Title I Priority Schools Grant, and a grant focused on building capacity in rural schools. Cody has also worked as a district behavior specialist and a middle school special education reading teacher.
Cody has a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Niesha Jones joined the Foundation in June 2020 as a Program Associate working with the Raising Texas Teacher initiative. She works with leading, university-based teacher preparation programs across the state. Niesha has a BBA in International Business from Stephen F. Austin State University and an MEd. in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. She has a 14-year career in education working in K-12 as a high school Spanish teacher and Assistant Principal and in higher education as a University Field Supervisor. Her desire is to be an advocate for the academic success of EVERY child and she believes that begins with the expert in the classroom, the Teacher. Students’ lasting memories of grade school are of the connections they had with their best friends and favorite teachers.
Kurt serves as the Senior Program Director of Data Insights for the Charles Butt Foundation, after joining the Raise Your Hand Texas team as Data Insights Manager in January 2021.
In his role in the Learning & Impact Department, Kurt helps collect data, design data systems, and develop visualizations to support the strategies of our policy, programs, and marketing teams.
Previously, Kurt worked at the Texas Education Agency supporting the Performance Reporting division. Kurt’s professional experiences span managing operations for a start-up, teaching English at a university in Brazil, and working as a strategy consultant for state and federal government agencies.
Kurt has a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Government from the University of Virginia, as well as a Master of Public Policy degree from the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at The University of Virginia.
As Director of Raising Blended Learners, Christine works with schools and districts to nurture and support their work around the personalization and differentiation that are the guiding principles of blended learning. She is a lifelong educator and has served as a teacher, dean, assistant principal, principal, leadership coach, and consultant. Her guiding passion is to support the academic and emotional growth of all students. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s University and received her master’s degree from Trinity University and has proudly called South Texas home since 1980.
Christine is the second generation of a three-generation family of educators. She is a firm believer in the value of a good book, time spent gardening, and the love that may be found in homemade goodies.
Briana is a native Jersey girl who joined the Raise Your Hand Texas team when she uprooted to Austin in the summer of 2014. During her tenure with the organization, she has transitioned from operations manager to programs coordinator, and now serves the leadership and scholarship alumni networks as director of alumni relations for the Charles Butt Foundation.
In her current role, she supports both alumni networks by creating connection and professional development opportunities, as well as coordinates and organizes the annual Leadership and Scholarship Symposiums. Briana also assists with the Charles Butt Scholar selection process, provides support to the Raising School Leaders team, and manages communication with all Raise Your Hand alumni.
After graduating from Susquehanna University with a degree in public relations, Briana started her career as a family casework counselor for a non-profit agency in New Jersey. She is a seasoned road tripper, being just 9 states shy of becoming a member of the “All Fifty States Club,” and she has seen the Dave Matthews Band 36 times across the country with her husband.
Tim served as the Superintendent in Residence for the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation for three years before moving over to the Charles Butt Foundation as the Director of Leadership Development. As the Superintendent in Residence, Tim supported Raise Your Hand’s programming, research, and advocacy efforts with a concerted focus on Raising Texas Teachers, a $50 million program initiative that includes a scholarship program and partnerships with Texas universities to improve teacher preparation across the state. As the Director of Leadership Development, one of Tim’s main responsibilities is supporting Raising School Leaders, a program that invests approximately $1 million annually in leadership development training to address student achievement and equity issues statewide. In the fall of 2022, Tim was selected to serve as the Executive Director of the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation, an organization that was established in the wake of the tragedy at Robb Elementary School to collect funding for the construction of a new elementary campus in the Uvalde CISD.
Before joining the team, Tim worked as the Director of Educator Preparation and Program Accountability at the Texas Education Agency. He started his career as a special education teacher in San Antonio ISD and Judson ISD before leading the Educational Technology Department of North East ISD. Tim also served as a middle school principal in North East ISD and the assistant superintendent and superintendent in Cleburne ISD.
Tim holds a Bachelor’s degree and two Master’s degrees from Trinity University and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. He has taught graduate and undergraduate classes for Concordia University and the University of the Incarnate Word. Tim and his wife Christine live in Georgetown and are the proud parents of Samantha, a student at Trinity University, and Zachary, a student at Texas A&M University – College Station.
Pauline Moench brings more than 20 years of experience in executive administrative support and community engagement to her work at the Charles Butt Foundation. Pauline spent 6 years at the H-E-B corporate offices in San Antonio, supporting the Vice President of Corporate Communications and later as a member of the corporate events team supporting the company’s 110th Anniversary celebration. During her tenure at H-E-B, she was able to support several programs that positively impacted the community, from health & wellness to early literacy.
In 2017, she transitioned to support the development of the Holdsworth Center, a leadership institute for public schools, and its statewide launch.
At the Charles Butt Foundation, Pauline focuses on regional initiatives, with a current focus on early education initiatives that support the greater San Antonio area.
When not working, Pauline enjoys planning parties for family and friends, and relishes adding just the right personalized details to make her events special for everyone. She and her husband, Garrett, love spending as much time as possible with their daughter, Isabella.
Thea Ulrich-Lewis serves as the Director for the Raising Texas Teachers initiative. In this capacity, she oversees the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers, which provides scholarships for top teacher candidates who plan to teach in majority-economically disadvantaged schools and shortage subject areas. She also leads the initiative’s efforts to enhance the quality of teacher preparation in Texas through partnerships with teacher preparation programs across the state.
Thea joined the Foundation in 2016 as a Research Associate, researching a variety of education topics with a focus on teacher preparation. She previously worked for the Texas Legislative Budget Board conducting school district management reviews.
A native New Yorker, Thea moved to Texas in 2009 to teach elementary school in the Rio Grande Valley through Teach for America. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas-Austin, and a bachelor’s degree in economics and Spanish from the University of Vermont.
Karen, who joined the team in 2020, brings 20+ years of experience as both designer and developer. She has worked closely, at both agency and enterprise-level, for varying industries including healthcare, education, technology, energy, and law. She specializes in coding web infrastructures with an emphasis on streamlining processes and user engagement.
As a web developer, Karen uses her expertise to optimize a digital brand for the Charles Butt Foundation, turning in-house visual designs into compelling and user-friendly front-end experiences.
In her spare time, she listens to audiobooks, especially audiobooks on behavioral economics. She also likes being adventurous with food, traveling, camping, and learning how to play different musical instruments.
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