Dean's Advisory Board
Amer F. Al-Nahhas
Amer F. Al-Nahhas is the former President at SpawGlass Coivil Construction, Inc. He holds a Master of Civil Engineering from Rice University, and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University.
Annette Bracey
Annette Bracey is a highly respected health-care consultant and contractor, as well as a longtime board member for Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. She holds an M.A. from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and a B.A. from Fisk University..
Baruch L. Williams
Dr. Baruch Williams is a licensed psychologist who specializes in neuropsychological assessment of children and young adults. She has obtained extensive training in the cognitive and behavioral development that takes place throughout childhood and young adulthood. Dr. Williams worked as a research assistant at City University of New York Queens College, in the Laboratory of Developmental Neuropsychology and the Laboratory of Biological Psychopathology. She then returned to her hometown of Houston, Texas where she obtained a Clinical Psychology doctoral degree from the University of Houston, with a specialization in neuropsychology (Child Track). She acquired additional training at Texas Children’s Hospital Blue Bird Clinic for Pediatric Neurology as well as Memorial Hermann Hospital. After completing an internship at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, Dr. Williams completed a post-doctoral residency at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Dr. Williams is experienced in the neuropsychological assessment of children with attention disorders, learning disabilities, behavioral/affective disorders, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, prematurity, traumatic brain injury, genetic syndromes, and a host of other medical conditions.
She is particularly knowledgeable of the special education process and is skilled in consultation with schools regarding appropriate services and interventions for children and adolescents. Dr. Williams’ research interests have included attention disorders and learning disabilities and she has several published abstracts which were presented at the Society for Neuroscience, International Neuropsychological Society, and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology.
Dr. Williams particularly values community involvement and has participated in several invited talks within the community. She is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society, American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, and American Psychological Association. Dr. Williams’ mission is to collaborate with children and their families so that families may be empowered to embrace the known (and unknown) and courageously pursue the interventions that will help their child reach their fullest potential..
David W. Gardner
Having recently served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board capping off a 35-year stint, Dr. Gardner has a deep understanding of higher education operations in the State of Texas and beyond. A collaborative, analytical and data driven leader, Dr. Gardner has authored dozens of statewide academic policies directives impacting every student and institution in the State of Texas. Dr. Gardner is a graduate of the Educational Administration doctoral program at Texas A&M University. He currently teaches the Strategic Planning and Change Management course in the Executive Ed.D. program.
Eliza Horn
Eliza Horn is an inclusion professional with expertise in organizational diversity and gender equality. She leads and executes work across research projects, marketing and communications initiatives, and strategic planning. Eliza graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Law & Social Justice as well as English. She has been with Deloitte for three years and also has experience in the nonprofit and academic sectors. She is currently completing her masters in English with a focus on how rhetoric impacts bias in the workplace.
Frances C. Dyess
Frances Dyess is the president of the East End Chamber of Commerce in Houston. She holds a public relations degree from Southern Methodist University.
Graciela G. Saenz
Graciela Saenz “Gracie” is a native Houstonian having been born into a family of nine in the Fifth Ward of Houston. She received her B. A. degree in Spanish from the University of Houston and her law degree from the UH Law Center. With over 36 years in the practice of law, Gracie is also committed to community and public service, becoming the first Latina in 1992 to hold the city-wide office of Houston Council Member At Large Position 1, where she served three two-year terms, and gained further honor when Mayor Lanier nominated her to be the first Latina Mayor Pro-Tem. She is a proud graduate of the American Leadership Forum (Class XIII) and the Center for Houston’s Future. She has continued her commitment to community and has been involved in diverse boards and commissions that help in the areas of health care, education, housing and economic development. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the Community Family Centers, the Hobby School for Public Affairs, UofH College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the University of Houston’s Mexican American Studies Program, the League for United Latina American Citizens Council 60, and the C60 Inc. (nonprofit committed to the restoration of the historic treasure – LULAC Clubhouse). She has been a strong voice for the cultivation and recapturing of Hispanic history for the city of Houston and is currently honored to be featured on three public murals.
James T. Campbell
James T. Campbell (’83) is the vice president of strategic marketing and communications at Lockton. A University of Houston alumnus, he holds a B.A. in Journalism and is a recipient of the Charles Edison Youth Fund Political Journalism Fellowship from George Washington University.
Jeremy T. Edwards
Jeremy has over 10 years of experience in major gift fundraising with a specialty in corporate and foundation giving.
Prior to joining the Meadows Institute, Jeremy served as the Assistant Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations at MD Anderson Cancer Center. In this role, he built MD Anderson’s corporate giving program from inception, securing major philanthropic investments to fund medical research, cancer prevention and screening initiatives, and numerous other programs centered around health disparities and population health. Before that, he managed MD Anderson’s grateful giving program, helping educate the institution’s 1700+ faculty members on the importance of philanthropy to medical research and sharing ways to help grateful patients and their families give back to the cancer center.
In his role at the Institute, Jeremy works closely with the Senior Vice President of Philanthropy to develop and implement plans to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects, including individuals, foundations, and corporations, for The Hackett Center for Mental Health and the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center. In this capacity, he collaborates closely with Drs. Quianta Moore and Julie Kaplow-Kline and their teams to help advance their work in Houston and beyond.
Jeremy has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Houston, and he is a Certified Public Manager through the Hobby School of Public Affairs. In 2020, he was selected as a Davoudi Scholar at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. He serves as Chair of Mayor Turner’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, UH’s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board, and the Board of Directors for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Impulse Group.
Jeremy is married to an elementary school music teacher and lives with their dog, a very smart miniature Schnauzer named Toby McDog.
Kathy Flanagan-Payton
A Houston native, Kathy Flanagan-Payton is currently President and CEO for the award winning Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation (FWCRC) where she oversees the implementation of the Comprehensive Community Revitalization of Houston’s Historic 5th Ward. Kathy incorporates the vision of a diverse 15-member board of directors, the needs of both pioneering and new residents, community stakeholders, and acts as catalyst in fostering the collaborative efforts of an array of community service providers with a primary goal of improving the quality of life in a traditionally underserved community. All of which are achieved thru the organization’s major lines of business -Real Estate Development which includes residential and commercial rehabilitation and new construction, property and asset management; Community Building and Engagement to build community leadership address gaps in services and develop a social infrastructure; Economic Development offering tools and strategies that support comprehensive revitalization and stabilization of neighborhoods to and for residents and businesses alike. Home Ownership Promotion and Housing Preservation availing services that increase the opportunities for affordable housing; And lastly, Arts and Culture, a balanced strategy that uses place and art to sustain the culture, invite new opportunities and celebrate the rich heritage..
Manisha C. Gandhi
Dr. Manisha Gandhi is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist and maternal-fetal medicine specialist in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) at Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. She currently serves as the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and previously served as the Section Chief for Maternal Fetal Medicine from 2017-2022. She completed her residency and MFM fellowship training at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Dr. Gandhi sees patients at the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center at Texas Children's Pavilion for Women and has an interest in pregnancies complicated by maternal cardiovascular disease and multiple gestations. She helped develop a collaborative cardio-obstetrics clinic to see patients jointly with MFM and adult congenital heart disease faculty. She performs prenatal diagnostic procedures including chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis at the Pavilion for Women. She has been recognized for her teaching efforts with awards of excellence from medical students and residents at Baylor College of Medicine. She serves as the chair of the Clinical Specialty Committee and vice chair of the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement for Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. She previously served on the Baylor College of Medicine Faculty Senate as a representative of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2015-2020 and the Clinical Sciences Representative for the College from 2017-2020.
Dr. Gandhi serves on national committees working to enhance the care of women’s reproductive health including the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine Publications Committee and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee.
Michelle A. Barnes
Michelle Barnes is an American artist, educator, and arts administrator based in Houston. She works with sculptural materials including fibers and papier-mâché, and is the co-founder and executive director of the Community Artists’ Collective.
Rick Pal
Senior partner at zuhnë, one of the fastest growing brands in kitchen and bathroom fixtures space. Responsible for product line expansion and strategic business development - online and offline. Prior experience spans clean-tech manufacturing with AirGenerate (licensed to Electrolux), retail service with Emprise (acquired by Liberty Tax Service), logistics with Zuhne Logistics (Amazon DSP), and senior roles with several high-tech firms - EnterpriseWorks (acquired by Iconnix), Commerce One (Nasdaq: CMRC), and Webify Solutions (acquired by IBM).
Founder of Innokul, first privately funded incubator for start-ups in eastern India and Ek Disha (now merged with America India Foundation), a non-profit to support and facilitate high-impact sustainable projects in health, education, and enterprise with a focus on South Asia. Limited partner of Houston Health Ventures and Awake Solar. Involvement in social ventures include LegWorks, Wello Water, UE LifeSciences, KTK-BELT, and Embrace Global (merged with Thrive Networks). Served as a mentor for start-ups at Calcutta Innovation Park, GoodWorks Houston, University of Houston MBA Club, Asia21 Action Lab, and MIT’s Emerging Worlds.
Created “Pal - Make a Difference” endowment in 2006 at The University of Texas at Austin awarding annual scholarship to students making a difference within their communities and “Friends of India Studies” endowment in 2015 at The University of Houston. Board member of Texas Union Advisory Council at University of Texas at Austin, UH College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Dean’s Advisory Board, Asia Society Business Steering Committee, Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee at Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, and Fort Bend Education Foundation and has served on City of Sugar Land’s Building Standards Commission, Fort Bend ISD Bond Committee, and Texas Exes Scholarship Committee. TEDx speaker, Asia21 Leader, Texas Next Generation Project Fellow, Indiaspora member, and guest speaker at University of Houston’s SBDC.
Staci Latoison
Staci LaToison, an award-winning impact investor, global speaker, consultant, podcast host and bestselling author, founded Dream Big Ventures, a multifaceted platform focused on empowering career-driven women through professional development, community engagement, and investment opportunities. With over 22 years of experience at Chevron managing global teams and billion-dollar budgets, including pivotal roles in China and Angola, she launched Dream Big, aimed at empowering career minded women to go places in their careers they never knew possible.