Dean's Advisory Board
Peter Brown
Juan M. Carreon
Brett Cullen
Surajit Dasgupta
Ardi Dwornik
Melissa Edwards
Andrea Georgsson
Gordon Goodman
David Hawes
Leisa Holland-Nelson
Sis Johnson
Peter Brown
Peter Brown is a former Councilman At Large, Position 1, City of Houston from 2006-2010. He is a principal in Peter H. Brown Civic Design Associates in Houston. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Houston and Master’s degrees from University of California-Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on the Advisory Board of Inprint Inc. and is actively engaged with the MA Program in Public Administration in CLASS.
Juan M. Carreon
Juan M. Carreon is the Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs in Houston and surrounding area for Union Pacific. He is a graduate of the Bauer School of Business.
Brett Cullen
Surajit Dasgupta
Surajit Dasgupta is a Senior Technology Manager at KBR, Inc. He also serves as Executive Director of the Tagore Society of Houston. He has been instrumental in the Tagore Society's participation in establishing the Tagore Passport and a Tagore Operating Scholarship in the Department of English at the University of Houston.
Ardi Dwornik
Ardi Dwornik is the Director of Communications for ESPN International & ESPN Deportes. In addition to running her own public relations consulting firm, she has held executive positions with Arenas Entertainment, Disney Consumer Products, Disney Channel Latin America and Hearst Television. She graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and earned a Master of Arts degree in Spanish and Portuguese from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has also studied at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. She is a supporter of the Houston Assembly of Delphian Chapters.
Melissa Edwards
Melissa Edwards is a philanthropist and community leader in Houston. She was named one of ABC13’s Women of Distinction in 2010. She has served on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association, both Houston and Southwest Chapters, the Boys and Girls Harbor, the American Diabetes Association, Neighborhood Centers, SEARCH Homeless Services and Theatre Under The Stars. She has co-chaired events for Galveston Bay Foundation, Culinary Institute of Houston, Ensemble Theatre, Weather Museum, H.E.A.R.T. Program, Fire Fighters Foundation, El Centro de Corazon and the Baylor Teen Health Clinic. A graduate in Art History, she was a 2009 chair of Table Talk, a signature program for the Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
Andrea Georgsson
Andrea Georgsson is a community volunteer and philanthropist. She is a former journalist and editorial writer who specialized in political news coverage. She continues to be affiliated with the Houston Press Club and works with the Houston Center for AIDS. She earned her bachelor’s in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. At the University of Houston, she serves on the Friends of Women’s Studies Board and is a former chair of the Table Talk fundraising luncheon in support of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
Gordon Goodman
Gordon Goodman is Vice President of Planning & Control, Occidental Energy Marketing, Inc. He is a past chairman of the American Petroleum Institute's risk control committee. He sits on the Energy Oversight Committee of the Global Association of Risk Professionals and helps to develop certification tests for Energy Risk Professionals. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he is a former chair of the Blaffer Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Valuation Resource Group (VRG), which was formed by and is part of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
David Hawes
David Hawes serves as chief strategist and consultant for Hawes Hill Calderon, LLP. He has been Finance and Administration Revenue and Research Manager for the City of Houston, and served as Chief Economist and member of the Houston Bond Financing Team. He is involved with the UH Master of Public Administration Program.
Leisa Holland-Nelson
Leisa Holland-Nelson is Co-founder, President and CMO of ContentActive, where she is responsible for sales, marketing and human resources. She is active in the Houston community. She has chaired several councils including the Business Leadership Council for the Greater Houston Partnership and Houston Technology Center's Partner Connection. She has also served on the Board of Trustees for the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Houston and on the Boards of Directors for the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce.
Sis Johnson
Sis Johnson is on the Board of the Directors for Inprint, a nonprofit organization that demonstrates the value and impact of creative writing through the nationally renowned Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series. She formerly served on the Board of Miller Outdoor Theatre and the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. She is currently one of the owners of Brazos Bookstore.
Beverly Kaufman
Beverly Kaufman is the former Harris County Clerk (1994-2010). She is a past chair of the Board of Advisors of the United States Election Assistance Commission, and is now President of the National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks. She also is a past president of the Texas Federation of Republican Women. Her volunteer work includes service as chair of several United Way campaigns and blood drives. She is co-chair of the membership committee of the Moores Society, which supports the Moores School of Music, and an advisory board member of the Hobby Center for Public Policy.
Beth Madison
Beth Madison is President of Madison Benefits Group. She is the chair of the World Affairs Council of Houston and sits on the boards of the Houston Grand Opera, the Houston Symphony and the Alley Theatre. She also serves on the advisory board of the Baylor College of Medicine Teen Clinic. She is a past board member of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance and Opera in the Heights. She also serves as President of Madison Charitable Foundation. A graduate of the University of Houston, she is a member of the Moores Society, which honored her with its Outstanding Philanthropist Award in 2009. At the 2010 Winter Commencement, she received the Presidential Medallion in recognition of her service to the University of Houston and higher education.
Manisha Gandhi Mehta
Manisha Gandhi Mehta graduated from the University of Houston with degree in finance and minor in Psychology. She is an entrepreneur and is CEO/President of MNM Insurance and Financial Services. She is also co-owner of an UPS Store in the Galleria area. In 2007, she ran for Houston City Council, District E. She has been a youth leader at many of local temples, and is a Certified Yoga instructor, teaching in the Clear Lake area. Currently, she serves on the board for the Foundation of Indian Studies, Indo-American Charity Foundation and Indo-American Political Action Committee. She volunteers extensively both in mainstream and the Indo-American community. Here at UH, she supports the College’s new India Studies Program.
Sonny Messiah-Jiles
Sonny Messiah-Jiles is chief executive officer of the Defender Media Group and publisher of the Houston Defender, an 80-year-old weekly newspaper focused on Houston’s African-American community. She is a past chair of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, a trade group representing about 200 African-American newspapers published in the United States. She is a graduate of the University of Houston with a double major in Political Science and Journalism. She served as chair of the University of Houston’s Alumni Association, which honored her with its Distinguished Service Award. She also served as a member of the President/Chancellor Search Committee and is a member of Cougar Advocates of Texas.
Phillip Morabito
Phil Morabito, chief executive officer, founded Pierpont Communications in Houston in 1987, one of the largest communication firms in the Southwest. He is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the Silver Fox Advisors. He is also on the Board of Directors for Theater Under The Stars, the Houston Technology Center, John Paul II Catholic School and the San Jose Clinic. He is well known in the Houston community and across the state as an expert in all aspects of marketing and communications. Phil earned both a Bachelor of Science degree and MBA in marketing. Since 1988, Phil has been an adjunct professor at the University of Houston and today teaches a course in integrated marketing communications in the Graduate School of Business
Terry Morales
Terry Morales is Vice President of Amegy Bank, N.A. in the Commercial Lending Division, which primarily focuses on acquiring and retaining middle market commercial businesses, whose revenues are in excess of $10 million. Prior to joining Amegy, she was a Small Business Team Leader at JPMorgan Chase, and has been in the banking industry for 25+ years. She has a BBA in Finance from the University of Houston and is a graduate of the 6 month JP Morgan Chase Credit Training Program in New York City. She is the Past President of University of Houston Friends of Women Studies, and on the board of other organizations such as Inprint, The Harris County Housing Finance Corporation, Latin Women’s Initiative, the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Board, and The Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce. In 2002, she received the National Hispanic Corporate Achievers Award in New York City, and is also a graduate of Leadership Houston and Center for Houston’s Future.
Meredith Philipps
Gordon Quan
Gordon Quan is Co-Chairman of Foster Quan LLP and is a former Councilman of the City of Houston. He is board certified in immigration and nationality law and served as chair of the Texas chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He also serves as a Director of the Asian Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the South Texas College of Law, he earned a master’s of education from the University of Houston and his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America and as a Texas Super Lawyer. He is a member of the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work Dean's Advisory Council.
Shirley Rose
Dr. Shirley Rose is retired Superintendent, Harris County Department of Education. She holds three degrees from the University of Houston including a PhD in Education. She has served as president of the College of Education Alumni Organization and Chair of University of Houston Alumni Association Board of Directors. She is a 1990 Recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education; a 1989 UHAA Life Member Recipient; and a UHAA Distinguished Alumni Award. She currently serves as the president of the Moores Society and is a member of the Blaffer Museum Advisory Board.
Graciela Saenz
Donna Scott
Donna Scott is the Program Director for All Kids Alliance, a program hosted by the College of Education. Her affiliations at UH include memberships in the Moores Society and Friends of Blaffer. Ms. Scott was previously a development officer for the University of Houston and recently established the Donna Scott Endowment in CLASS.
Helen Shaffer
Helen Shaffer is current president of the Association of Major Symphony Orchestra Volunteers (AMSOV) and president-elect of the League of American Orchestras Volunteer Council. She is past president of the University of Houston Moores School Society, Houston Symphony League and Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras. She currently serves of the Houston Symphony Executive Board, Association of Community Broadcasting, and is a trustee of the Houston Grand Opera. She has served on boards for Girls Inc., Homes of St Marks, Salvation Army Auxiliary Executive Board, and the Women's Fund. She was named one of ABC13’s Women of Distinction in 2010. She is the recipient of the Houston Symphony’s Gold Baton and The Houston Symphony League’s Ellen Kelley Award.
Sue Shirley Howard
Sue Shirley-Howard is a licensed speech pathologist, with a specialty in stuttering, who is currently in private practice. During her distinguished career, she has served as a speech pathologist in a number of capacities at educational and medical facilities throughout the region. Most recently she was lead speech pathologist and supervisor of licensed assistants in speech pathology at Sheldon ISD. She has also been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston where she taught courses in fluency disorders on the graduate level. She is a past – president of the Houston Association for Communication Disorders (HACD), recipient of their Tina E. Bangs Award for community involvement, past-President of the Texas Speech Language Hearing Foundation that provides scholarships to speech/language pathologists and audiologist throughout the State of Texas. In 2012, she was presented the Award of Honor of Texas Speech Hearing Association. She holds a Bachelor of Science in History and Education from the University of Texas and a Master of Arts in Communications Disorders with a minor in Audiology from the University of Houston.
Carey Shuart
Carey Shuart is the owner of Shuart Farms. She is well-known as a community volunteer and activist in Houston. She has served on the Blaffer Museum Advisory Board and the CLASS Dean's Circle. She has received the UH Alumni Association’s Chair's Award, supported the School of Art and is a member of the Friends of Women's Studies board.
Randal W. Sitton, Ph.D.
Dr. Randal W. Sitton is a Senior Management Analyst in the Finance Department at the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. He has also worked as an Industrial Engineer with the United States Postal Service and taught Industrial Engineering classes at the University of Houston and Lamar University. Dr. Sitton has earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering and Chemical Engineering, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston. During his undergraduate studies, he was in the Cougar Marching Band under the direction of the renowned band director Dr. William C. “Bill” Moffit. He is a Life Member in the University of Houston Alumni Association, a member of the UH Industrial Engineering Department Industrial Advisory Board, and is on the boards of the UH Cougar Marching Band Alumni Association and the Moores School of Music Society. In addition, he was the 2008-2009 President of the UH Engineering Alumni Association and the recipient of the 2009 Distinguished UH Industrial Engineering Alumni Award.
Welcome Wilson, Jr.
Welcome Wilson, Jr. is President & Chief Executive Officer of GSL Welcome Group. A graduate of the University of Houston with a degree in Business-Organizational Behavior & Management, he remains actively engaged in the University through his involvement with the Jack Valenti School of Communication. He is also a Bauer Distinguished Alumnus.
Phillip Winston
Phillip Winston is the son of the late Mr. Bert Winston who was Vice President of Sterling-Turner Foundation. He attended the University of Houston’s Social Work in 1997.
Geraldina Wise
Geraldina Wise is the Founder and Principal of Casa Concept, a sustainable and green residential design firm. She earned from Rice University a bachelor’s degree in architecture, art and art history and a professional degree in architecture. She is Board President of Arte Publico Press, the nation’s largest publisher of literature by U.S. Hispanic authors. She also serves on the DePelchin Children’s Center board of directors and the Julia Ideson Library Preservation Partners Advisory Board. She is a past leader of the Rice Alumni Board, the Rice Association of Architecture Alumni and Hispanic Women in Leadership.