Minds Matter Houston is 100% volunteer-led and run. Our leadership is comprised of individuals from various backgrounds, all of whom dedicate extensive effort into ensuring Minds Matter fulfills its mission in Houston to create transformative experiences for our students.

Our Team

Leadership

  • Jenn is a Project Manager in Renewable Energy at Shell. Jenn has volunteered in education for over 10 years, working with students of all ages from elementary school through high school. One of her most fulfilling experiences was mentoring a high school senior in New Orleans who went on to study nursing at a 4-year college. For that reason, Jenn joined Minds Matter in 2018 after moving to Houston because she resonated deeply with the mission and enjoyed mentoring at the high school level. Jenn has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

  • Lucía is a client success manager at Finalsite, working with schools and districts across the country. She previously 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 an MS in marketing from the University of Houston.

  • Laura is an HR Manager at SLB. For Laura, Minds Matter Houston embodies the spirit of "paying it forward." She deeply values the educational opportunities she received, crediting her grandmother, a single mom who managed to put two of her four children through college despite her own limited education (only reaching 3rd grade). Laura's grandmother's unwavering belief in the power of education paved the way for Laura's own success, which included a Bachelor's degree in Finance and International Affairs from Externado University in Colombia and a Master's in Marketing from Neoma Business School in France.

  • Max's commitment to Minds Matter Houston is truly inspiring. Combining his academic background (MBA from American University) with a passion for meaningful impact, Max joined our mission back in 2019 as a mentor, driven by a desire to make a lasting impact that transcended simply writing a check. He finds immense joy in witnessing the weekly progress of our students and celebrating their achievements as they work towards their college and life goals. Max is an M&A expert, specializing in Valuation, Data analytics

  • 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.

  • Nashéy 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, Nashéy is blogging about fashion, being a socialite and dedicated to being a chips and queso enthusiast.

Teams

Development

Gloria Moncada
Carlos Prado
Max Raev
Matt Ringheanu

Volunteers

Amanda Gujral
Will Shopshire
James Lee

Academics

Emy Sandoval
Meaghan Tannehill

Summer Programs

Al Foglesong
Neil Wingkun

Student Recruitment

Jacqui Zhang

Saturday Programs

Amorette Kwan
Myrtle-Rose Padmore
Jeff Whitley

Operations

Matt Gauthier
Cynthia Suttle