Board of Directors 2023-2024
Board of Directors Bios
Michelle Betts
Born in Brooklyn, NY, to a military family Michelle Betts has lived all over the United States. Ms. Betts has extensive expertise and experience in retail and customer service which she has used in many capacities as a sorting, pricing, and merchandising volunteer in The Shops at The Caring Place since 2019. A resident of Austin for 32 years, Ms. Betts and her husband moved to Georgetown in 2018. She loves to travel and is also part of a Hot Air Balloon Chase Team. Ms. Betts is committed to teamwork and dedicated to The Caring Place’s mission.
Dayne M. Carlson
Dayne Carlson retired in 2011 after 33 years of service with the Military and Federal Government. He began volunteering as a cashier at The Caring Place in 2012 and is well known for his enthusiastic opening and closing announcements in English and Spanish. Born and raised in Georgetown, Mr. Carlson graduated from Georgetown High School then earned a degree from Tarleton State University, and graduated from Golden Gate University with a Master’s in Public Administration/Justice Administration. Mr. Carlson enjoys hunting, fishing, woodworking, and traveling the world with his wife, Pam.
Chuck Collins
Born in Vicenza, Italy, Chuck Collins grew up in Denver and has lived in Georgetown since 2001. He served in the United States Air Force for ten years and was stationed in Grand Forks, ND, RAF Chicksands, England, and Abilene, Texas. Mr. Collins graduated from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, where he earned a degree in Management, Information Systems. Currently, the Executive Director of GTX Connect, Mr. Collins has worked for various corporations including British Petroleum, Price Waterhouse Coopers, IBM, and General Motors. Mr. Collins serves on several local boards including The Friends of the Library, Prosper Georgetown, and Georgetown Housing Advisory Board. He is an active member of San Gabriel Unitarian Universalist Fellowship where he also serves on the board. He and his wife, Irma, have raised five children in Georgetown. In his free time, Mr. Collins enjoys gardening and creating art from recycled materials.
Lindsay Harris
Lindsay Harris, originally from Houston, moved to Georgetown in 2016 and currently serves as the Chief Strategist of Leadership and Culture for the Georgetown Independent School District. She attended Texas A&M University where she received a BS in Psychology and a Masters in Educational Leadership. Lindsay holds a Superintendent Certificate from Lamar University and is passionate about public education. Her experiences as a Spanish teacher, an assistant principal and dean of instruction, and ten years of serving the Bryan and Georgetown communities as a middle school principal have shown over and over again that schools, families, and communities working together to meet the needs of students is what all children deserve! Ms. Harris enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with family.
Harriett Jones
Rev. Harriett Jones, is a native Texan, and Senior Pastor of Saving Grace Christian Bible Fellowship in Georgetown. After pursuing a successful modeling career in Hollywood in her post-college years, Rev. Jones returned to Houston where she met her husband, the late Pastor Leroy Jones, Jr. They were married for 36 years and had two children. The family moved to the Austin area in 1991, and since then Rev. Jones has served in numerous leadership positions for charitable organizations and Christian Ministries throughout Williamson County including the Georgetown Ministerial Alliance and the Pastors Council. In 2005, she and her husband founded Saving Grace Christian Bible Fellowship. She earned a divinity degree from Dallas Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2014. Rev. Jones has an extensive background in business, leadership, and nonprofit consulting. Rev. Jones is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of those around us. In her spare time, Rev. Jones enjoys traveling, fishing, and cooking.
Patricia Khoury
Patricia Khoury grew up in Brooklyn, and after marrying, spent several years in Delaware until she moved home to Texas in 1972. With a degree in Elementary
Education from State University of New York at Potsdam, and a MA in Spanish from Middlebury College, Ms. Khoury taught Spanish and English as a Second Language for 23 years. She also served as Choir Director for churches in Katy and Beaumont, Texas. Ms. Khoury has been a resident of Georgetown since 2000, and is now retired. In addition to serving on The Caring Place Board, she has also volunteered as a shopping assistant in our Food Pantry for over 10 years where she has the opportunity to use her bilingual skills regularly.
Isaac Lopez
Isaac Lopez, born and raised in Williamson County, has called Georgetown home since 1993. Mr. Lopez served four years in the US Navy, and then the US Postal Service for 31 years retiring as the US Postmaster in Columbus (TX). He has served on many elected or appointed boards and commissions. He was the first Hispanic elected to the Round Rock ISD Board and was also elected to the Columbus ISD Board, serving on both for many years. Mr. Lopez has an extensive history of civic engagement for which he has received a number of honors and awards, including a Round Rock elementary school dedicated in his honor. He has volunteered with The Caring Place since 2005 holding a variety of positions including client advocate, cashier, customer services, and receptionist/triage. Mr. Lopez attended Central Texas College, Austin Community College and St. Edwards University. He is a member of St. Helen Catholic Church where he serves as an usher, lector, and Eucharistic minister. Mr. Lopez is married to Arcelia Ruiz-Vargas, also a volunteer at The Caring Place.
Jen Mauldin
Born and raised in Houston, Jen Mauldin, moved to Georgetown in 1998 to accept the principalship at Carver Elementary. In 2013, after an extensive career in education as a Teacher, Diagnostician, and Principal, Ms. Mauldin founded Clarity Through Coaching and is a Leadership and Transition Professional Coach. Ms. Mauldin loves facilitating groups to come to a common understanding or product. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Texas, a Master’s Degree from Lamar University, and post-graduate certifications from the University of Houston in Mid-Management and Superintendent. Ms. Mauldin is a member of Wellspring United Methodist Church, Seeds of Strength, and a GISD School Board Trustee. She and her husband, Stan, have four grown children. In her free time, Ms. Mauldin loves to garden, travel and spend time with their six grandchildren.
Glenn Schwab
A native of Litchfield, Illinois, Glenn Schwab is the Senior Associate Athletic Director at Southwestern University. Mr. Schwab received his undergraduate in Kinesiology and Athletic Training from Eastern Illinois University and his Master’s Degree from West Virginia University. Before moving to Georgetown in 2001, Mr. Schwab worked as Head Athletic Trainer at Rhodes College and Assistant Athletic Trainer at the Virginia Military Institute. He is an active member of Main Street Baptist Church and the SERTOMA Club of Georgetown where he previously served as President and Chairman of the Board. When he has time, Mr. Schwab enjoys woodworking and most outdoor activities including gardening.
Christopher Stanley
Christopher Stanley is an attorney and shareholder with Sneed, Vine & Perry’s Georgetown office where his area of practice focuses on non-family civil litigation, representing businesses and individuals in civil disputes. Mr. Stanley has been a mediator since the early 1990s and has mediated hundreds of cases to a successful conclusion. Prior to joining Sneed Vine in 2015, he owned his own law office in Georgetown for 21 years. Mr. Stanley graduated from Texas A&M University and received his J.D. from South Texas College of Law. An involved volunteer leader with a number of community organizations, Mr. Stanley currently serves as a member of the City of Georgetown Planning and Zoning Commission and Williamson County Bar and is President of the American Inns of Court-Williamson County Chapter. He has lived in Georgetown since 1993, has three grandchildren, and is a member of Harley Owner’s Group and Texas XXX’s Rugby Football Club.
John Stock
Originally from Iowa, John Stock moved to Texas in 1985 and has extensive experience in both private sector and nonprofit management, and he served in the US Navy. After working for 15 years in retail grocery management, Mr. Stock served in various positions with the American Red Cross, which culminated in serving as the Executive Director of the El Paso Chapter, and then as Service Area Executive for the Red Cross Southwest Service Area for several years. He then served The Caring Place as its Executive Director from 2009–2013. Mr. Stock has served on the Board of Directors for several Georgetown nonprofit organizations since 2012, including Georgetown Health Foundation and A Gift of Time. Mr. Stock holds a BAAS Degree from Texas State University. Mr. Stock and his wife, Gayla, moved to Georgetown in 2018. He volunteers with A Gift of Time and The Caring Place, and enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and woodworking. He and Gayla are avid travelers, especially by sea.
John Sullivan
With over twenty-nine years in Public Service, John Sullivan has served as Fire Chief for the City of Georgetown since 2013. Chief Sullivan’s emergency services career began with EMT certification in Orlando, Florida, and progressed in Tucson, Arizona where he spent two decades working within an evolving response model permitting emergencies to be addressed by the closest and most appropriate resource. Chief Sullivan’s career accelerated as he pursued his passion for ensuring community and firefighter safety working in various capacities including Captain, Battalion Chief, Division Chief, and Assistant Chief. His formal education includes a B.S. Degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science & Technology Degree in Fire Service Administration from Arizona State University; he also possesses two Associate Degrees, one in Fire Science and one in Paramedicine. In addition to his duties as Fire Chief, he serves on the Commission on Aging and is a member of Zion Lutheran Church. Chief Sullivan is an avid reader, traveler, and foodie who enjoys numerous outdoor sports.
Van P. Swift
Van P. Swift is the President and CEO of First Texas Bank, Georgetown. He is a 5th generation Texan with over 35 years in the banking industry, including serving as a Commissioned Bank Examiner with the FDIC and other senior positions at several banks. Mr. Swift has served as a volunteer and Board member of various charitable organizations throughout his career and, in addition to The Caring Place, is currently on the Board of the Georgetown Housing Initiative which promotes workforce housing in the Georgetown area. He received a BBA from Texas State University and graduated from Southern Methodist University’s Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. Mr. Swift enjoys working and hunting on this ranch, fishing, spending time at the beach, and spending time with his two grown children.
Melissa Renee Valdez
Born and raised in Texas, and committed to helping people live their life the way they choose, Dr. Melissa Renee Valdez serves as Chief Clinical Integration Officer at Lone Star Circle of Care (LSCC). Dr. Valdez also serves LSCC as its Medical Director of Psychiatry and Behavior Health, as well as an Adult Psychiatrist. Volunteer Clinical Faculty for both Baylor College of Medicine Dept. of Psychiatry and Texas A&M Medical School, Round Rock campus, Dr. Valdez graduated with a BS from Rice University in Houston, Texas. She then earned her MD/PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, followed by completion of the General Adult Psychiatry Residency Training Program at the University of California, San Francisco. Before moving to Central Texas in 2012, Dr. Valdez volunteered with the Rice Amigos Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program, as well as the Health Professions Recruitment Exposure Program through UT Southwestern Medical School. The mother of three teenagers, she enjoys biking, learning to cook, as well as playing board games and caring for show animals with her children.
Rhonda Wilson
Rhonda Wilson retired as Vice President of AAA Texas in 2017, after working there for 32 years. She lived in the Austin area for over 38 years, and moved to Georgetown in 2016. Shortly after she retired, Ms. Wilson began volunteering in The Caring Place Food Pantry. She holds a BA in Business Administration from St. Edwards University.
