Linda Trendell, President of the Board

Linda Trendell has served in urban education for over 25 years. After graduating from the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY, with a B.A. in English, she moved to Texas to serve two years in a volunteer teaching corps for the Texas Catholic Conference. Since then Linda has developed a broad perspective of public education having held positions as a teacher in a number of diverse middle and high schools as well as in campus and district administration. She performed the role of School Improvement Facilitator at Lee from 2005 to 2008. Her commitment to providing Lee High School students with Fantastic Learning Opportunities comes from her belief that the best learning comes from positive, collaborative environments that provide experience and practice in building relationships as well as understanding concepts. Linda received an M.S. in Education from University of Houston—Clear Lake. She has been recognized as Teacher of the Year for the Houston ISD Central District, as well as received grants from Rice University and the National Writing Project for the improvement of writing instruction in urban schools. Linda pursues her own learning in the disciplines of gardening, crafting and traveling. She has remodeled an 80-year-old Heights bungalow and is working toward the goal of visiting every county courthouse in Texas.

 David Johnston, Vice President of the Board

David Johnston has worked at Lee High School as a College Access Coordinator for the past seven years. He taught high school English and English as a Second Language for ten years and Developmental English as an adjunct instructor for Houston Community College. He received a Bachelor of Arts in history from Asbury College and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama. He co-founded the Coalition of Higher Education for Immigrant Students in 1999. He has received community service awards from the Galleria Houston Chambers of Commerce, Royce Builders Scholarship Fund, Project Maestro, and Houston Community College Southwest. This past year, he has presented at the Texas Association of College Admission Counselors, Council of the Great City Schools, and the College Board 2008 National Forum, as well as for counseling staffs at Houston ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, Community in Schools, and VISTA volunteers. He is currently a fellow in the American Leadership Forum’s Houston Education Class II. He is excited about the possibilities that the Lee Next Step Fund affords the students at Lee High School. In only two years, he has seen a dramatic change in the lives of those Lee students who have been involved in extracurricular learning and leadership projects funded by LNSF. “Most of Lee’s students come from impoverished homes,” he says, “so it’s essential that they be given educational opportunities falling outside the traditional classroom.

Barbara Garcia, Secretary of the Board

Maria Barbara Garcia just ended her 11-year tenure in the investment business, 7 of which she served as an Investment Manager within JP Morgan Chase’s International Financial Services department. In addition to her passion in the finance industry, Maria has recently developed an interest in Law and is thinking of pursuing her Law degree. Aside from following her career goals, Maria has been involved in the Houston community since her return from college. As a first-generation college graduate, she is an advocate of education and has been involved in several nonprofit organizations, including: Hispanic Women in Leadership, La Rosa, and LatinasAmigas4College.  Maria is currently concentrating her efforts with the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (Board member-Chair), Houston Area Community Services (a nonprofit clinic) (Board member-Chair) and Lee’s Next Step Fund (Board member). Maria believes that as we experience, learn about, and come to appreciate different cultures, we enrich ourselves as well as broaden our community’s opportunities in business, education, and health.  Maria is a 1992 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School, and with the help of her wonderful parents and siblings she went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 Billie Wesley, Treasurer of the Board

Billie Wesley has been the Business Manager at Lee High School since 2003. In this capacity, Billie ensures that Lee’s faculty and students have the resources they need to succeed. Prior to entering the field of education and joining the Lee team, Billie worked in the Finance Department at Six Flags for fifteen years. Before leaving Six Flags, Billie held the position of Assistant Manager of the Finance Department which gave her a wide range experience in the field. Before beginning her career at Six Flags, Billie graduated from the University of Houston’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Billie feels strongly about serving on the Lee Next Step Fund board because she believes that Fantastic Learning Opportunities help students “dream big” and eventually reach their goals. Billie is particularly passionate about helping young people achieve, as she is currently trying to do just that for her daughter, Maya, who is 13-years old.

 Steve Amsutz, Board Member

Steve Amstutz was the principal of Lee High School from 1999 to 2010. Steve started his career in education as an elementary school teacher. He served as a principal in elementary education for 10 years before becoming the principal of Lee High School . While that was his first experience at the high school level, after less than a year, Steve saw the need for deep change if his school had any hope of successfully serving Lee’s highly diverse student population. He sought help with the change process and found First Things First, which embodied the concepts he was looking to put in place in the school. With a deep commitment to the improvement of teaching and learning and fundamentally changing the nature of relationships between teachers, students and their families, Steve motivated a dedicated faculty and staff to help every student graduate from high school prepared for post-secondary learning and high quality employment. Fantastic Learning Opportunities (or “FLOs”), the programs that the Lee Next Step Fund supports, are something that Steve believes in wholeheartedly as “learning experiences that can change the life trajectory of a student.” Steve currently works within the Houston ISD Central Administration, assisting with a vareity of projects, yet his intimate awareness of the Lee and Gulfton communities provide invaluable perspective for the Lee Next Step Fund's Board. Steve earned his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois and his master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Houston.

 Susan Meyers, Board Member

 Susan Hopkins Meyers graduated from Louisiana State University (BS Zoology). She then received a Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University in 1984 and spent several years in New Orleans practicing law at a large New Orleans firm. Since retiring from active practice Susan has raised three children and has been a very active community volunteer. She has served on numerous non-profit boards including: Christ Episcopal Church, Covington, LA, Covington Junior League, Covington, LA, The American Women’s’ Club of The Hague, Netherlands, ACCESS, New Orleans, LA. Her older two children are presently students at Washington and Lee University and Texas Christian University, respectively. Susan spent eight years in the Netherlands where her husband was assigned to the home office for Royal Dutch Shell from 2000-2008. She is an independent educational consultant (www.collegiateadmissions.com) enrolled in the UCLA Certificate Program in College Counseling. She is committed to assisting the underserved high school students in Houston and has been volunteering in the college centers at Lee and Northbrook high schools. She is committed to further utilizing her experience in serving on the Lee Next Step Fund Board.

 Monica Piquet-Rodriguez, Founder and Executive Director

Monica founded the Lee Next Step Fund to provide financial support for Lee students being accepted into “Fantastic Learning Opportunities” or FLOs that had financial costs. As the current Director of Fantastic Learning Opportunities at Lee High School, Monica observes – along with her colleagues – a great need for students to gain the financial support necessary to attend the best college- and career- preparatory programs across the country. Monica comes from both an education and non-profit background. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Biology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Monica joined Teach For America in 2001 and taught IPC, Biology, and AP Biology at Jeff Davis High School in Houston ISD. In 2003, Monica joined Teach For America – Houston’s regional staff as a program director and became the managing director of program for the region in 2006. During her time with Teach For America, Monica worked primarily in the realms of teacher development and support, but also spent considerable time establishing district partnerships and providing insight on Teach For America’s National Strategy Committee that addressed the non-profit’s long-term growth. Monica is married to Alejandro Rodriguez and has one son, Alejandro Jr.