Our Team
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.
Purav Patel
Director, Volunteers
Purav is an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company in Houston, TX. Prior to McKinsey, he was a Senior Consultant at PacWest Consulting Partners in Houston. Purav’s passion to help start Minds Matter and lead the recruitment of mentors for Minds Matter stemmed from a history of helping tutor fellow students in his high school and university. Purav also enjoys supporting non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and local food banks during his free time. Purav holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Vincent Cheng
Director, Volunteers
Neil Wingkun
Director, Summer Programs
Ivana Chen
Director, Marketing
Ivana has found her home in Houston after graduating from Georgia Tech and recalls being mentored throughout life not only by her parents but also by her peers and colleagues. Ivana wanted to share the mentorship with others and get plugged into the community so got involved as a mentor in MMHOU! Over time she found community from other mentors and the Programming team, leading her to seek more involvement and become part of the MMHOU team as a Marketing Director. She enjoys sharing the special moments during mentorship sessions, MMHOU events, and fundraising activities - please check out @mindsmatterhouston on Instagram!
Juan Abreu
Programming Lead
Jennifer Yao
Programming Lead
Max Raev
Programming Lead
Steve Hodges
Programming Lead
Nate Brown
Director, Fundraising
Caldwell Bailey
Director, Fundraising
Arsen Akopian
Director School Engagement
Arsen Akopian is a management consultant with Strategy&. As a first generation immigrant, Arsen cares about connecting people with opportunities. He is dedicated to tackling the knowledge gap that exists for immigrant and lower income communities. Arsen's volunteer experience is focused on this gap - he has performed pro bono consulting services for local businesses and not-for-profits and free tax services for lower income families. Arsen holds a Masters in Professional Accounting and a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Texas. He is an active CPA in Texas and enjoys merging his business background with the needs of his community.
Daniel Krause
Director, School Engagement
Jose Chavez
Director, Test Prep
Joseph Webster
Director, Mentor Engagement
Xavier Jefferson
Director, Data & Operations