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.
Filter by department: