For Immediate Release
- Media Contact: Erin O. Crosby, Programming & Communications Director
- Office: (469) 767-4881
- Email: erincrosby@leadershiptexas.org
- Foundation for Women's Resources (FWR) announces The Leadership Texas Class of 2009
101 women competitively selected to explore the “Changing Face of Texas”
Gail Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of AG|CM, Inc., is the only woman from Corpus Christi selected to join an elite
network of more than 2,500 women as a member of the Leadership Texas Class of 2009. (Note: Full class roster is
provided below.)
Anderson has served as CEO of AG|CM, Inc., a professional construction management and estimating firm, since
2006 and on its Board of Directors since its inception in 1996. Anderson draws from her visionary planning and
resource management skills and 30 years experience as a professional engineer to advance AG|CM’s growth in new
markets throughout Texas and the southwestern states. She serves on the Corpus Christi Board of Directors for Metro
Ministries and Coastal Bend Emmaus Community and on various councils at First Christian Church. She was
recognized with a Y Women In Careers Award and is a graduate of Leadership Corpus Christi.
Anderson is one of the outstanding women leaders competitively selected from across the state to participate in the
longest-running women’s leadership development program in the US. Throughout the year-long program, she will
have the opportunity broaden her perspective on our state by exploring five Texas cities and receiving cutting-edge
information from renowned experts, government officials and other leaders to positively inform her work and
community for years to come,” said Candace O’Keefe-Mathis, CEO of the Foundation for Women’s Resources.
Leadership Texas, now in its 27th consecutive year, is the flagship program of the Texas-based foundation
headquartered in Dallas.
Launched in 1983 as the first statewide program for women’s leadership development, Leadership Texas is patterned
after, though not affiliated with, the co-educational civic programs that have found success in a number of cities
throughout the state and nation. “Our founders decided to create Leadership Texas to help women become better,
more informed leaders in our state’s communities, organizations and corporations,” O’Keefe-Mathis added. (Note:
More Foundation information is provided below.)
The theme for the 2009 program year is ‘The Changing Face of Texas.’ “Participants will visit Austin, Texarkana,
Galveston Island, El Paso and Fort Worth where each city’s opportunities and challenges will help to illuminate the
participants’ knowledge of our rapidly evolving state across three common themes– the economy, education and
the environment,” O’Keefe-Mathis said.
“We consider it a privilege to offer these influential women leaders from a broad diversity of professional and
personal backgrounds some new perspectives, opinions and validation on some of the issues, people and places
they might not otherwise encounter outside of the program. We recognize that it is necessary for today’s successful
leaders to understand the cultural, social and economic shifts before us and the programming of Leadership Texas
provides opportunities and access to help the women impact the future of our evolving state.”
Through the generous contributions of the Leadership Texas Program Partners, the program continues to provide the
most up-to-date information on leadership and issues affecting Texas. Corporate Program Partners providing financial
support for Leadership Texas 2009 include Bell Helicopter/Textron, Dell, Freescale, Southwest Airlines and Texas
Instruments.
“Program Partners provide more than financial support for the program; their women leaders also participate in
Leadership Texas to build connections for the benefit of the entire state,” O’Keefe-Mathis said.
Foundation for Women’s Resources Leadership Texas is a program of the Foundation for Women’s Resources (FWR). Established in Austin, Texas, in 1974,the foundation seeks to advance the power of leadership and legacy through programs that connect, inspire,
empower and honor women. To extend the foundation’s message of strength and build bridges to and opportunities
for women, FWR founded Leadership America in 1988 and helped in the creation of complementary women’s
programs in California, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina, among others. FWR also established the nation’s first
comprehensive women’s history museum, The Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future, which opened in Dallas,
Texas, in association with the Smithsonian Institution in 2000. Since 1996, FWR has been offering a series of national
retreats for emerging women leaders called Power Pipeline. In 2009, the Foundation will launch new globally focused
programming under its newly acquired banner, Leadership International.
Leadership Texas 2009 Roster included below.
The Leadership Texas Class of 2009
Abilene Region
- Jaynne Middleton, Voice Professor/Associate Dean, Hardin Simmons University
- Resa Reedy, Pharmaceutical Sales Specialist, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
Amarillo Region
- Ashley Campbell, Assistant Professor, West Texas A&M University
- Patricia Escoe, Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
- Ellen Green, Dean of College Communication and Marketing, Amarillo College
Austin Region
- Lisa Apfelberg, Director of Outreach/Austin Jewish Community Book Fair, Jewish Community Assn.
- Tricia Berry, Director, Women in Engineering Program/Director, Texas Girls Collaborative Project, UT
- Rebecca Brindley, Non-profit leader and volunteer
- Valerie Brown, Manager, Texas Dept. of Insurance
- Deborah Denning, Sr. Operations Manager, Dell, Inc.
- Amy Folan, Assoc. Athletics Dir. For Compliance, UT
- Nancy Giordano, Principal, Brand Futurist, Purple Telescope LLC
- Michele Glaze, Communications Strategist, Dell, Inc.
- Jeanne Goka, Principal, Ann Richards School
- Michele Guzman, Asst. Vice-President, UT
- Heather Hall, Project Manager, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Caroline Huffman, Senior Program Officer, Lance Armstrong Foundation
- Robyn Johnson, President-Owner, Virtuoso Selections
- Dawn Jones, Asst. Vice-Chancellor for Academic Operations, UT
- De'borah Jones, Recruiting Consultant, Austin Community College
- Carol Lauder, Grant Project Manager, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Tracey McCoy, General Manager, Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Renee Mitchell, Director, Freescale Semi-Conductor
- MaryBeth Mongillo, Founder, Factor5 Consulting
- Kathy Reyes, Esq., Counsel, Mitchell Williams Long Burner
- Jennifer Ridings-Myhra, Asst. Dean/Clinical Assoc. Professor, UT, College of Pharmacy
- Tamela Saldana, Program Coordinator, Texas Department of Transportation
- Andrea Sloan, Executive Director/Attorney, Texas Advocacy Project, Inc.
- Bryan-College Station Region
- Carla Collins, Training Director, TEEX
- Deanie Dudley, Asst. Dean of Finance and Administration, Texas A&M, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Kathleen Hubbard, Director of Finance/Facilities, Texas A&M University
- Diane Jones Meier, community leader and volunteer
Corpus Christi Region
- Gail Anderson, CEO, AG|CM
- Margaret Rice, Chief of Staff, University of Houston-Victoria
Dallas Region
- Sylvia Berry, Comptroller, M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation
- Bea Bourne, Managing Director, Bourne Consulting
- Karen Bradberry, Director of Multicultural Programs, Greenhill School
- Jean Callison, Mayor Pro Tem, City of Plano
- Kimberly Campbell, Manager, Customer Advocacy, TXU
- Deanna Fell, Purchasing, Mary Kay, Inc.
- Brenda Hight, Of Counsel, Fletcher, Farley, Shipman and Salinas,
- Tiffaney Hunter, President, Tiffaney Dale Agency
- Mary Ann Kellam, District Manager, American Business Benefits Assn.
- Melinda Marcus, Owner and President, Marcus and Associates, Inc.
- Fonya Mondell, Film Producer/Director, Media 13/Fonfilm Productions
- Laura Murray, Associate Vice-president of Development and Alumnae Relations, UT Dallas
- Kathryn Parsons, VP, Business Development, Baxter Invertment Management
- Elizabeth Patterson, Finance and Operations Director, TI, Inc.
- Jan Pruitt, President & CEO, North Texas Food Bank
- Terri Quinton, CEO, Diversity
- Tammy Romo, VP, Finance Planning, Southwest Airlines
- Malisa Schrib, Manager, Deloitte
- Lyn Scott, COO, The Women's Museum
- Linda Stahl, Partner, Andrews Kurth, LLP
- Meredith Stephens, President, MPS Studios
- Samantha Tennant, Customer Quality Engineer, TI, Inc.
- Emily Toby, Nelle C. Johnston Chair, University of Texas at Dallas
- Susan Wetzel, Partner, Boone, LLP
- Pamela Wheat, Retail Market Operations Manager, Oncor Electric Delivery
- Holli Wilborn, Senior Account Manager, BIC Graphic USA
- Beverley Wright, Sales Execution Executive - Coach, IBM
- Freda Wright, Div. VP, Chief of Staff, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas
East Texas Region
- Glenda Ballard, Associate Professor, Texas A&M - Texarkana
- Teri Fowler, Asst. Prof/Program Coordinator, Texas A&M - Texarkana
- Cynthia Hellen, Director, LeTourneau University
- Janice Hurst, VP Business Affairs, Tyler Jr. College
- Amy Isaksen-Fudge, President, The Isaksen Group, LTD
- Sara Lawrence, Clinical Faculty, Texas A&M - Texarkana
- Ruth Ellen Whitt, Executive Director, Texarkana Regonal Arts and Humanities Council (ret.)
- Katherine Willingham, College Instructor, Tyler Jr. College
El Paso Region
- Sandra Braham, CEO, YWCA El Paso del Norte Region
- Sylvia Porter, Asst. General Counsel, El Paso Electric Co.
- Teresa Rivera-Sirois, Community Relations Officer, Public Affairs Office, Fort Bliss
- Giselle Smith-Johnson, VP/Principal Industry Specialist, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
- Monica Vargas, COO, Sierra Providence East Medical Center
- Catherine Vowell, Curriculum & Instruction Program Assistant, El Paso ISD
Fort Worth Region
- Pat Alva-Green, Owner, The Alva Green Coaching Group
- Julie Bloxom, Program Manager, Textron, Inc.
- Susan Griffin, Director, Business Operations, Bell Helicopter Textron
- Jennifer Knight, Director, Total Rewards, Bell Helicopter Textron
- Shannon Massey, Director, Continuous Improvement, Bell Helicopter Textron
- Linda O'Brien, Deputy Chief Engineer, Bell Helicopter Textron
- Ingrid Scroggins, Manager, TI
Houston Region
- Cherlyn Boxie, EVA Chief Engineer, United Space Alliance
- Delores Caldwell, Partner, Clinton PLLC
- Beverly Denver, Founder, Owner, Exec. Editor, Publisher, Houston Woman Magazine
- Anne Hunt, IT Director, Marathon Oil Company
- Pam Madera, Director, Space Systems Engineering, United Space Alliance
- Pam McInerney, Controller/Space Exploration Division, Boeing
- Diane Olson, Corporate Audit Manager, Marathon Oil Company
- Leslie Roche, Director, United Space Alliance
Laredo Region
- Carolyn Schmies
Lubbock Region
- Stephenie Massengale, Owner, Advanced Graphic
- Andrea Tirey, Director of Development for Athletics, Texas Tech University
San Antonio Region
- Dianna Burns-Banks, President, South Texas Center for Pediatric Care
- Jill Dietz, VP Bank Manager, Amegy Bank
- Suzanne Gazda, Physician, Neurology Institutes San Antonio
- Elaine Gwosdz-Gilman, Physician, Hill Country Medical Associates
- Virginia Moody, CEO, Moody & Associates
The Rio Grande Valley Region
- Delina Barrera, BCIC Executive Director, City of Brownsville
- Angela Kaberline, Assistant to the President, UT Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
- Emma Miller, Assistant Director of Information Technology, UT Brownsville and Texas Southmost College