Investors

In addition to countless individual supporters, these organizations have provided critical financial support to Citizen Schools programs in Texas.

Thanks to the Houston Endowment for their ongoing support in Texas.

Advanced Micro Devices
BancVue
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Brown Foundation, Inc.
Children’s Fund
Cisco Foundation
Cognizant Technology Solutions
ConocoPhillips
Corporation for National & Community Service (Nat’l Direct)
Dell Foundation
ExxonMobil Foundation
Fidelity Investments
Fondren Foundation
Greater Houston Community Foundation
Harris County Department of Education
Houston Endowment Inc.
IBM Corporation
KDK-Harman Foundation
Kronos
JPMorgan Chase
Long Foundation
Lowe Foundation
The M.N. Davidson Foundation
National Instruments
Netspend
PNC Institutional Investments
The Powell Foundation
RGB Interests, Inc.
Samsung
School House Partners, LLC
Shirley and David Toomim Foundation
The Simmons Foundation
Texas Education Agency
Time Warner Cable
Travelers
Wells Fargo & Company

District Partners

Austin Independent School District
Houston Independent School District

• Houston Advisory Board

  Brad Deutser (BIO)
  Houston Advisory Board Chair
  Yaffe & Deutser

  Christina Cabral
  Walmart

  Justin Coleman (BIO)
  Gethsemane UMC

  Kelly Frells (BIO)
  Bracewell & Giuliani

  Carter Higley (BIO)
  UBS/School House Partners

  Charlie Neuhaus
  Wells Fargo

  Laurence Payne (BIO)
  Educational Excellence Resource Group

  Nicole Perdue (BIO)
  Perdue, Kidd & Vickery LLP

  Andrew Price (BIO)
  Fulbright & Jaworski

  Scott Van Beck (BIO)
  Houston A+

  Clint Wetmore (BIO)
  Post Oak Energy Capital

  Bradley J. Deutser is a leading business consultant, communication counselor and executive coach to top corporate management in education, healthcare and professional organizations. After graduation from the University of Texas, he served numerous companies including Blackburn Gittings & Nott of London, England; the nation’s leading socially responsible marketing company Cone Communications in Boston, MA; as well as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Walt Disney World on Ice. He has been a guest lecturer at The University of Texas, Texas Southern University, The Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, American Marketing Association as well as at corporate events across the country.

  Justin Coleman is the Lead Pastor of the Gethsemane Campus of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. A native of Houston, TX, he is a graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and Duke Divinity School in North Carolina. Pastor Coleman has also served as a pastor at University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the SMU Wesley Foundation, and in other college and youth ministry programs. Pastor Coleman's interests include Wesleyan studies, liturgy and discipleship, theological ethics, reconciliation and peacemaking, and playing the saxophone. He and his wife, Chaka, have two wonderful sons and live in Houston, TX.

  Kelly Frels served as the president of the State Bar of Texas in 2004-2005 and president of the Houston Bar Association in 1994-1995. He has represented school districts, colleges and other public bodies for over 39 years. He, along with four other school law practitioners established the School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas in 1972. For the last ten years, he has been an active leader in Houston’s efforts to improve air quality. Kelly was Bracewell & Giuliani LLP’s managing partner from 1995-2001.

  Carter Higley served as a 2001 Teach For America corps member in Compton, California. After teaching in Compton, Carter went on to earn his MBA from the Acton School of Business in Austin, Texas. He lived in Jackson, Wyoming for several years after graduating from Acton developing town homes and launching a non-profit organization called LEAD. LEAD is a year-round mentoring program serving students from inner-city Houston and providing experiential learning opportunities around the country during the summer. After returning to Houston, Carter worked in the private equity business on the management and acquisition side. Carter has recently started a company called SchoolHouse Partners that connects homeowners to pre-screened home maintenance providers while helping fund schools and non-profits at the same time. Carter is committed to adding value to Citizen Schools as an advisor.

  Charlie Neuhaus is a Managing Director at Wells Fargo Advisors. He has been in the Securities Industry for 28 years, focusing on Wealth Management for over 20 years. A native of Houston, TX, he is a graduate of Yale University where he received a B. A. degree in Economics. In 2011 Charlie volunteered as a “Citizen Teacher”, teaching sixth graders at Jane Long Middle School about the “Secrets to Making Money”.

  Charlie and his wife, Tricia, have three children. Charlie and Carly attend St John’s School in Houston, and Emma is a senior at Brewster Academy.

  Laurence Payne has 34 years of experience in public service, education and not-for-profit leadership. He recently served as President and CEO of Houston Habitat for Humanity and now currently serves as the Past Chairman of the Board of the Education Foundation of Harris County serving the children of its 26 school districts. Larry’s career in public service includes notable positions at the city, state and congressional levels. As District Director for Congressman Mickey Leland, he managed the congressman’s Texas-based programs, pre and post election. Prior to serving representatives from Congress, Larry established himself at the city level where he served as Executive Advisor and Consultant to Houston Mayor Lee Brown on issues of diversity, education and community initiatives.

  Larry’s background demonstrates his passion for educational issues. Larry served as the former President for the Greater Houston Coalition for Educational Excellence and as the Adjunct Director of Community, Institutional, and Governmental Relations for the Institute for Urban Public Education at the University of Houston.

  Outspoken on education, Larry brought his interest to the public with a weekly TV show "Dialogue Houston" where he deals with issues of diversity and race relations in the Greater Houston area. Larry's show airs on Houston Community College (HCC-TV). With the popularity of his TV show, Larry added “Interchange,” a weekly radio show on KPFT-FM (90.1) to his mix of programs he hosts to serve public interest.

  Nicole Perdue is a native Houstonian and active community volunteer. Upon graduation from Texas A&M University and South Texas College of Law, Mrs. Perdue specialized in labor & employment litigation and served as an adjunct law professor at her alma mater. Mrs. Perdue now serves as a guardian ad litem for children in Harris County and dedicates much of her time to Houston-based non-profits serving children and the homeless. She is a tireless volunteer at St. John’s School, where her three sons attend lower school.

  Her dedication to our community is evidenced through the numerous boards upon which she has served. She currently serves on the board of the Children’s Museum of Houston and the River Oaks Property Owners Association. Mrs. Perdue has recently served on the boards of Children at Risk, Girls Inc., SEARCH, DePelchin Children’s Center and the University of Houston’s Moore’s School of Music. She is affiliated with the TIRR Foundation, The Houston Symphony, The Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston, The Houston Ballet, and The Glasstire/Fresh Arts Coalition.

  Mrs. Perdue is the married to Jim Perdue, Jr., and has three sons, William, John and Charles. She enjoys long-distance running and tennis.

  Andrew Price is a partner in the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. His practice focuses on representing clients in business disputes, particularly those arising from cross-border transactions. He appears regularly in court as well as before domestic and international arbitral tribunals. He attended the University of Virginia where he received a B.A. degree in Economics in 1993. He received his law degree with honors in 1997 from the University of Texas School of Law. Andrew has been recognized as a “Super Lawyer” in Texas for Business Litigation as well as a “Partner to Know” by the Global Arbitration Review. He was born and raised in Houston, Texas and attended public schools and universities. He is a passionate “Houstonian” who is equally passionate about educational issues and the reforms necessary to ensure Houston will be a world-class international city in the 21st Century.

  Scott Van Beck is a native Iowan and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Iowa and a Master of Arts degree in History from the University of Houston. He started his professional career as a teacher at Lanier Middle School in Houston ISD. Later, he taught and served as an assistant principal at Lamar High School, then principal of Paul Revere Middle School. During the 1996-97 school year, Mr. Van Beck was selected Region IV middle school principal of the year. In 1999, he was named principal of the new Westside High School.

  Scott has served in numerous school leadership capacities, especially those focusing on high school renewal and small school development. In April of 2005, Mr. Van Beck was named West Regional Superintendent for Houston ISD where he supervised over sixty schools with a student population of over 54,000.

  In December, 2007, Scott was named Executive Director of Houston A+ Challenge where he leads the Houston area’s largest nonprofit working toward public school improvement. Scott will oversee the organization’s work to use partnerships and innovations to improve school leadership to increase student’s college and career readiness. He has been married 23 years to his wife Sarah and is father to four native Texans – Wesley, Helen, Sam, and Neil. In his spare time, he referees high school basketball games.

  Clint Wetmore is a Managing Director and a founding Partner of Post Oak Energy Capital, a private equity company focused on making growth capital investment in the Energy Sector. Prior to joining Post Oak, Mr. Wetmore held various positions with Shell Oil Company, eventually retiring as a member of Royal Dutch Shell's Corporate Mergers, Acquisitions & Financing organization. Mr. Wetmore is a founding member of Houston’s A&D Forum, a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Independent Petroleum Association of America and the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners. Mr. Wetmore received an M.B.A. from the University of Houston and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of San Diego.