Our Team

Jenn Yao
Executive Director

Lucía Cerritos
Chief of Operations
Lucía is a marketing specialist at The Post Oak School. She has worked in education and non-profits for ten years and is passionate about storytelling for mission-driven organizations. Lucía served as a Minds Matter mentor for three years to an alumna (who is now a sophomore at Texas A&M University!). She deeply believes in empowering young learners and guiding them toward becoming self and community advocates. Lucía has a BA in art history and Spanish from Rice University and a MS in marketing from the University of Houston.

Amanda Gujral
Director, Volunteers
Amanda is a Registered Nurse at UT MD Anderson. She has always had the passion for helping others and this drove her decision to pursue a nursing career. Amanda would like to do more for others outside of the hospital and believes Minds Matter is the perfect organization for her. She is excited to be the Co-Vice President of Volunteer Recruitment and believes finding the best volunteer support system for the students is critical in the success of Minds Matter Houston. Amanda obtained a B.S. in Biology from Lafayette College and a B.S. in Nursing from NYU.

Amar Gurjal
Director, Fundraising & Board Member
Amar is the co-founder of Minds Matter Houston. He is a Managing Director and Partner in L.E.K. Consulting’s Houston office. As a member of the firm’s Energy & Environment practice, Amar works with clients on growth strategy, new product commercialization and M&A transaction support. He brings deep expertise for energy and investor clients in areas that include power, renewables, energy transition, oilfield services and downstream fuels. Amar is a founding member of the firm’s Sustainability Centre of Excellence, drawing together best practices and strategic insights from the firm’s sectors and geographies to support organizations as they work to meet the challenges of—and identify opportunities related to—climate change and the broader sustainability agenda.
Prior to joining L.E.K., Amar was an engagement manager on the energy team at Strategy& | PwC, and an equity research analyst for Guggenheim Partners, where he covered the oilfield services sector. He began his career in solar power development. Amar earned his B.A. degree in Engineering from Lafayette College. He earned M.S. degrees from the Colorado School of Mines and IFP School.

Steve Hodges
Director, Programming
Steve has worked in the energy sector for more than 35 years, as an engineer, manager, technical expert and consultant, designing and building large floating platforms and subsea developments. Along the way, he developed a passion for mentoring and career coaching. In the latter years of his career at Shell, he built and nurtured a mentoring circle for young engineers, led a diversity book club, and continues to mentor and coach young engineers since retiring from Shell in 2019.
Steve joined the Minds Matter Programming Team in early 2020 and has thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the students and mentors, and building content. He is a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner and a lifelong student of human behavior with a passion for career coaching and mentoring.
Away from work, Steve enjoys woodworking, garden railroading, reading voraciously, and following his two grown children’s journey through college and beyond. Steve has a BS in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University, and a MS and PhD in Naval Architecture & Offshore Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Haley Jensen
Director, Summer Programs

Daniel Krause
Director, School Engagement
Daniel is a Consulting Estimation Advisor at PwC. As a lifelong teacher and mentor, Daniel jumps at any opportunity to support others. He has spent time as a volunteer tutor in college, new hire training instructor and mentor at PwC, and most recently as a three-year Mentor and two-year Director of School Engagement for Minds Matter Houston. Daniel spends his free time climbing and coaching at the local climbing gym. Daniel holds his B.S. in Physics from Texas A&M University.

Nashey Perry
Director, Student Engagement
Nashey is a Grand Prairie native. She achieved her M.S. in Business Management & Entrepreneurship and her B.A. in Mass Communication, while actively volunteering with local charities supporting youth, education, and faith-based outreach.
With a passion for design and storytelling, she is committed to working with service-based professionals and organizations to build their brand and grow their business with top-tier content marketing.
In her spare time of being a wordsmith and operating her own company Perriellei, Nashey is blogging about fashion, being a socialite and dedicated to being a chips and queso enthusiast.
Programming Team

Dan Boileau

Tommy Hooks

Reetal Pai

Chris Pecci

Max Raev

Marissa Rains

Jeff Whitley

Will Yao
Volunteers Team

Ali Daredia

Will Shropshire
Summer Programs Team

Al Foglesong

Neil Wingkun
Neil is an emergency physician in Houston, Texas. He is originally from West Palm Beach, Florida. He received his bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and subsequently, a Fulbright Scholarship in the Philippines. He received his medical degree from the University of Florida and his Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston and currently practices at Houston Methodist and MD Anderson Cancer Center.
School Engagement Team

Sonia Galvan
Fundraising

Joe Hawkins

Max Raev
