HOUSTON — Houston Independent School District named the members of the Bond Oversight Committee on Thursday, October 10.
The Bond Oversight Committee, consisting of 13 members and two alternates, is responsible for monitoring the progress and implementation of the bond and its projects, should it be approved in November.
- “After a thoughtful process, the Board has established a Bond Oversight Committee of committed Houstonians who have the experience and skills necessary to provide meaningful oversight,” said HISD School Board President Audrey Momanaee.
According to district officials, all members of the Bond Oversight Committee submitted applications that were received by the Administration and Board of Managers. They are HISD residents and taxpayers, and six of the members are past and current parents of students. The members of the committee represent the fields of accounting, construction, engineering, government, education, law, finance, edtech, and energy.
The members are:
Andy Canales
Andy Canales is a passionate leader in education equity, currently serving as a Principal and Operating Partner at Broadtree Partners, a private equity firm. As the Founding Executive Director of Latinos for Education, Andy is committed to empowering Latino communities by increasing representation and leadership in the education sector. As a former teacher, research director, and nonprofit founding executive, he has extensive experience in nonprofit management and building networks that support diverse educational leaders. Drawing from his own experiences from growing up in a low-income community to becoming an executive at an investment firm, Andy strives to address the systemic barriers faced by Latino students and ensure they have access to high-quality education and life opportunities. His work reflects a deep dedication to creating lasting, positive change in the educational landscape. In his work to date, he has analyzed over 700 businesses (including many schools). He is eager to apply his skills to review the district’s financial reports and ensure proceeds are used effectively and taxpayer money supports student resources efficiently.
Andy Chan
Mayor Andy Chan was Houston’s first Asian American Mayor when he served as mayor of Southside Place, and he spent six years on the City of Southside Place City Council. During his time as a city council member, he was part of bonds processes and as mayor created the bond finance team and reviewed processes. Before his commitment to public service, Andy ran one of the fastest-growing graphics companies in Houston. To demonstrate his dedication to his children and all children that attended HISD schools, Andy channeled his commitment to public service into education. He has served on every magnet committee since Dr. Abelardo Saavedra and served on more than 15 HISD committees, including HISD DAC as co-chair, HISD Resource Allocation Advisory Committee, and HISD Advanced Academics Committee. Andy’s credibility transcends his devotion to public service. As a former Leadership ISD fellow and a background in business and government, he has a unique perspective specific to bond oversight and accountability for public funds.
Bob Eury
Bob Eury is the retired president of Central Houston, Inc., the Downtown District, and the Downtown Redevelopment Authority (now Downtown Houston +), after having led the organization for nearly four decades. Eury was also Vice President and Director of Research Development for Rice Center prior to starting Central Houston in 1983. During his nine years with Rice Center, his research focused on environmental design, land use/transportation joint development, urban services delivery, and development regulation. He continues his urban development work as a consultant and is engaged on multiple civic and community boards. A native of Louisville, KY, Eury received his BS in Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati and began his career at the Urban Studies Center. He served on the 2012 Bond Oversight Committee and is passionate about lending his talents in large-scale development projects to ensure effective bond planning and implementation.
Chris Brown
Chris Brown has served as a fiduciary in private and public sector roles for over two decades. As the Houston City Controller, he championed efforts to reform Houston’s unfunded pension liability, resulting in a $6 billion reduction, and oversaw the issuance of over $4 billion in general obligation bonds. Chris has served on over 12 boards including the Houston Investment Committee as Chair and Chair of the National League of Cities Finance Committee. In this role, transparency and ethics were a cornerstone of his tenure, and he was recently appointed as the Financial Integrity Advisor of Houston. He has spearheaded the City of Houston’s Open Finance Initiative that posted the city’s checkbook online and worked to establish the Harvey Recovery Oversight Committee that review expenditures for billions of dollars in federal disaster funds. As an HISD parent and consistent champion of oversight and transparency efforts, Chris is prepared to ensure the trust in and the efficiency of this bond.
Christopher Cola
Christopher Cola has lived in Houston for 25 years and is a single father of two HISD graduates. He has served as a board member for Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy, I Have A Dream Houston, as well as on the SDMC for Harvard Elementary School, Black Middle School, and Helms Elementary School. As a CPA, Christopher brings a strong sense of fiduciary responsibility, ensuring financial integrity and accountability. Christopher also has distinct experience and expertise as a former CFO and COO in managing large-scale projects to ensure compliance and optimizing financial performance, allowing him to collaborate effectively with engineers and construction teams.
Daria Wenas
Daria Wenas is a managing director at Ernst & Young LLP’s National Tax Department, specializing in passthrough transactions. With over 15 years of experience in financial modeling and US partnership taxation, she has worked extensively on domestic and cross-border partnerships, joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions. As a proud parent of two HISD students, Daria is committed to ensuring that the funds raised through the HISD bond are used for their intended purposes. With her extensive experience in financial due diligence and accountability, she believes she can contribute to the oversight process, ensuring transparency and proper allocation of resources to benefit HISD students.
Felix Chevalier
Felix Chevalier is an attorney with experience representing government and corporations. His clients include the City of Houston and Harris County. Felix leads strategic partnerships with Urban Capital Network, a venture capital firm, is affiliated with Cornerstone Government Affairs, a DC lobbying firm, and serves as a trustee of the Houston Municipal Employee Pension System Board. His experience in both law and finance grants him valuable insights into risk management, compliance, and governance practices and an understanding of regulatory frameworks, legal structures, budgeting processes, and internal controls. Felix is a product of public education and deeply understands the value, importance, and challenges of public education. He brings a critical eye to the committee’s work and will help to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and in accordance with the intended purposes of the Bond.
Lauren Haller Fontaine
Lauren Haller Fontaine is the Senior Director and Senior Legal Counsel at Pattern Energy where she leads legal operations with a focus on compliance, commodity trading, and intellectual property. Lauren’s community affiliations include serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Old Spanish Trail/Almeda Corridors Zone, President Elect of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Board Member of the Houston Area Urban League, and Board Member of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. As a parent of an HISD student, Lauren is committed to supporting the HISD community by leveraging her expertise in legal operations to ensure sustainable and responsible fiscal practices.
Marcos Rosales
Marcos Rosales is a trial lawyer and partner at Beck Redden LLP. Marcos previously served as general counsel of a multi-industry business enterprise, giving him considerable business and litigation experience and extensive knowledge of a range of industries including oil and gas, real estate, construction, and insurance. Acting as general counsel for a commercial construction company, Marcos has negotiated construction, engineering, architecture, and construction management contracts. As a father of young children, Marcos sought out opportunities to be involved in HISD and served on the CAC that ultimately recommended the bond proposal to the board. From this experience, he understands how critical public trust is for this Bond and is committed to ensuring transparency and appropriate and effective oversight.
Mark Mallette
Mark Mallette is a seasoned professional with over 41 years of experience in the energy sector. Recently retired as Chief Operating Officer at Freeport LNG, Mark has a wealth of expertise in managing and leading major projects, engineering operations, and corporate strategy. Throughout his career, he has been directly responsible for the successful execution of multibillion-dollar projects, including a $10 billion natural gas liquefaction facility. Mark is motivated by his deep commitment to serving his community, particularly in ensuring that public institutions are financially responsible and that resources are used effectively. He is affiliated with many community organizations including serving as Member of the U of H – Downtown President’s Leadership Council. Mark is committed to public education and fully supports the efforts to improve HISD’s performance.
Michael Davis
Michael G. Davis, a.k.a. CeoCoachMike, is a licensed real estate broker and founder of Brooks & Davis Real Estate Firm, LLC. Under his leadership, the company has grown from two individuals to 146 sales agents and real estate student affiliate members. A Prairie View A&M University graduate in Chemical Engineering, he is also a board-certified Master Practitioner of Success Coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Time Techniques, Emotional Freedom Techniques, and Hypnotherapy. Michael G. Davis served on the 2012 Bond Oversight Committee, is an HISD parent and active community member, and is profoundly committed to shaping the future of HISD schools.
Taylor Chapman
Taylor Chapman is an accomplished investor and strategist with a strong background in energy, education, edtech, and climate initiatives. He currently serves as an Investment Principal at New Climate Ventures where he leads venture investing efforts in decarbonization technologies. Taylor has been passionate about supporting public education and leveraging his expertise in strategy and leadership to improve educational outcomes throughout his career in non-profit and private organizations. His affiliations in the community include co-founder of the Texas Climate Tech Collective, board member and Bayou Director for Woodland Park, and Former Chair of the Teach for America NYC Alumni Board. As a native Houstonian with young children, he is especially committed to ensuring that public institutions, like HISD, make strategic decisions that lead to lasting impact for students and communities.
Wendell Robbins III
Dr. Wendell Robbins III has 25 years of experience as a construction professional and is the current President of W.A. Robbins Construction Co., Inc. He has successfully overseen projects worth over $77 million, working with clients such as the Houston Airport System, the City of Houston, and the Houston Independent School District. Wendell is also actively involved in various community affiliations, including as a Member of Associated Builders & Contractors, Member of the Houston Minority Builders Development Council, and Board Member of the El Dorado Social Club. Wendell brings a unique perspective to the committee as a former HISD student and a contractor for previous HISD bond construction projects. He is committed to ensuring that bond funds are allocated effectively to create high-quality, long-lasting educational facilities.
The two alternate members, who will be designated to be called on if a member above cannot serve or steps down, are:
Jarred Morgan
Jarred Morgan is an HISD graduate and a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in Organization Change Management (OCM), driving transformative change across various industries, including oil and gas, healthcare, and government. He currently serves as principal consultant at AG Consulting Partners. With his extensive background in financial oversight and stakeholder engagement, Jarred is eager to contribute to ensuring the proper allocation of bond funds within HISD. His is affiliated with many community organizations including as VP of Finance for 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, Senior Fellow for American Leadership Forum, President of Association of Change Management Professionals, a graduate of the Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce HBLI Program, and a Math a-Matics tutor. Jarred’s commitment to community service and equity drives his dedication to ensuring that all actions taken are in the best interest of HISD students and aligned with both legal and moral standards.
Karen Duffy
Karen Duffy is an active and engaged community volunteer with over 20 years of experience in education, nonprofit, and volunteer leadership. Karen serves on the HISD District Advisory Committee where she advises leadership on policies that support the success of all students. She has also held several board member roles with the Travis Elementary PTA, including two years as president, and is a member of the Leadership Team at the Oak Forest Foster Closet, serving foster, kinship, and adoptive families. As a parent of students at two campuses in HISD, Karen is committed to transparency, ethics, and effective oversight. She brings extensive experience in community engagement, fundraising, and volunteer management, which she believes will be an asset to the committee. As a parent and former teacher, Karen is passionate about ensuring that the Bond positively impacts HISD students and underserved families.
