Board of Directors
Steve Ferguson
Steve Ferguson, Ph.D., is a managing director with Endeavor Management, a management consulting firm. Steve has been an entrepreneur, corporate executive, banker, and university professor. Steve served on the board of directors for Compass Bank. He has also served on boards of directors for a number of community organizations. He is elder at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church. Steve earned a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and a B.A. from The Citadel.
Andrea Gallien
Andrea is currently the Managing Director and CEO of GlobalStar Coaching and Consulting, LLC (www.globalstarcc.com). Prior to founding GlobalStar, Andrea was a Managing Director at BearingPoint and Partner at Andersen. As a seasoned professional services executive with close to 30 years of experience, Andrea has served clients in the oil and gas, electricity, chemical, professional services, medical, and consumer markets industries. Her primary business focus has been on business transformation, improving business operations, change management, and implementing systems to support business functions. Andrea enjoys contributing her knowledge, experience and skills to helping the next generation of leaders of organizations to be successful. She is an active member of Chapelwood UMC, has served as a NewSpring business plan competition advisor since the inception of NewSpring and serves on the NewSpring Board Development committee.
Marilu Garza
Marilu Garza is currently serving as the Director of Development for Houston A+ Challenge, a local educational nonprofit organization that has worked since 1997 to serve as a catalyst for change in the Houston public school system. Their mission is to team with middle school principals and teachers in targeted schools to ensure that every student is prepared for post-secondary success. Ms. Garza brings a wealth of experience, enthusiasm and dedication in the realms of public education and nonprofit management to this organization. She has served as Development Director for Memorial Assistance Ministries, a local faith-based organization that helps provide rent and utility assistance to those in need. From 2003-2009, Marilu worked as a regional bilingual consultant for Houghton Mifflin and Harcourt. She started her career in 1978 as a first grade bilingual teacher at Wharton Elementary in Houston ISD, eventually advancing to become an assistant to former Superintendent Billy Reagan. She chaired the Cattle Baron's Ball in 2002, and has served as Vice President of Projects for the Houston Junior Forum and as Chairman of Spring Branch ISD's Hispanic Advisory Committee. She is currently a member of the P-16 West Education Committee and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Allison Gower
Allison Gower is the President and co-Founder of The Platform Group Gallery and Vice President and co-Founder of qtags. The Platform Group Gallery manufactures galleryboard® packaging, an ecologically friendly line of press kits, binders, gift boxes, mailers and accessories specifically designed for the marketing and promotional industry. qtags operates throughout North America and the Caribbean, providing GuestAssist, a mobility based service that elevates guest experiences.
Allison earned her BA from Duke University and MBA from Fuqua School of Business. She trained as a brand specialist with various packaged goods companies including SmithKline Beecham Consumer Products, BASF and Sara Lee. She focused her career on product development and specialty brand communications programs.
Allison serves several non-profit organizations, including as a board member of Pink Ribbons Project, an organization providing breast-cancer screen and treatment services to underinsured women and a board member of Communities In Schools of Houston, the nation’s leading drop-out prevention agency.
Allison lives in Spring Branch, is a member of Chapelwood UMC, is a mom to two children, and has been married for 20 years to Jeremy Konko.
Milt Hempel
Milt Hempel is a former planning executive at American General Corporation in Houston. His experience has included public accounting and a number of accounting and finance positions in the insurance industry. He currently serves as an elder of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church where he also manages the church bookstore. He was elected to the board of Newspring in 2011 and holds the office of treasurer. Milt is married and has one son.
Tracy Little
Tracy Little started working at H-M Oil in 1979, after earning a B.A. in Economics and a J.D. from The University of Texas. He is also the president of H-M Resource Management, Inc. He has been a member of Chapelwood United Methodist Church for over twenty years serving on the Board of Stewards and currently working in the Marriage Ministry. Tracy is married to Susan and they have three daughters, Teresa, Stephanie & Jessica and three grandchildren, Cameron, Jordan & Austin.
Trudy Nix
Trudy Nix is the South Texas Commercial Banking Executive in the Global Commercial Banking Division at Bank of America. In this role, she is responsible for managing the group that calls on business entities, medical practices, non-profits and professional firms with annual revenues between $15 and $100 million. Each of her client managers manages a small portfolio of clients and brings to each client a team of professionals to meet business credit, treasury, depository and investment advisory needs.
Trudy’s team has been awarded the Bank of America Award of Excellence for 3 consecutive years.
Prior to her current role, Trudy has served in a wide variety of leadership roles including State Marketing Executive, Commercial Banking, Houston Consumer Market Executive, Treasury Management State Executive and Premier Banking Executive. Ms. Nix is a Senior Vice President and has worked for Bank of America for over 30 years. She started in Charlotte, NC in 1979 and also worked in Florida for 12 years.
Trudy earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She has completed graduate courses at the University of North Carolina and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. She serves on the board of directors for Legacy Community Healthcare, the Society of Performing Arts in Houston and the Texas Entrepreneurial Institute.
A resident of Houston for 14 years, Ms. Nix has 2 children, a Senior Engineering student at Texas A&M and a Sophomore Business student at A&M.
Gary Olander
President for Sovereign Bank. Gary has been a commercial banker in Houston since graduating from the University of Texas in 1974. He is a former member of MDPC and currently an active member of Chapelwood Methodist Church. Gary has held board positions with Rebuilding Together-Houston, the Holocaust Museum-Houston, and Presbyterian Synod of the Sun Foundation.
John Van Osdall
John retired from a career in the insurance business. He was Chairman, C.E.O., President, Anco/The Anderson Company and as Senior Vice President Property & Casualty, USI Insurance Services, Corp. San Francisco, CA. John served as Chairman of The Counsel of Insurance Agents and Brokers, Washington, D.C. He is an Elder of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church. He is a B.B.A. graduate of The University of Texas.
Carol Paret
Carol Paret is the Chief Community Benefits Officer for Memorial Hermann Hospital System and CEO of Memorial Hermann Community Benefit Corporation. In addition to overseeing Memorial Hermann’s community efforts, she is the privacy and security officer and has accountability for the medical records function, CME and a large family practice residency program. She did her undergraduate work at University of Houston and her graduate studies at University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. Her career in healthcare began with a community health planning emphasis and for the past 27 years she has been with Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. She is currently serving as past Board Chairman of Gateway to Care, a collaborative involving 165+ agencies whose mission is to improve access to care for Houston’s uninsured and the Provider Health Network, a project access model for specialty care.
Joe Warren
Joe Warren, CPA, is Chief Financial Officer for Allpoints Land Survey, Houston’s largest homebuilder surveying company. Joe’s professional career has included a variety of financial responsibilities in public accounting and private industry. He is a long-time member of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, where he currently serves on the MDPC Foundation Board. Joe is married to Sue and they have two grown daughters.
Robert Westheimer
Robert Westheimer is the founder and Chairman of Newspring. His professional career included 28 years in the consulting practices of Arthur Andersen & Co., where he served as a Partner and Practice Director in the Business Consulting practice. Robert retired from Arthur Andersen in 2002 and also retired as a CPA in the State of Texas. He has been a member of the Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church since 1970 and is active in Presbyterian Cursillo. Robert is married to LaNoe and they have two grown children and three grandchildren.
Hugh Wilfong
Hugh's professional career included 26 years in law practice with Vinson & Elkins and 15 years as the leader of two nonprofit corporations affiliated with The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is a member of Chapelwood United Methodist Church where he serves on its Board of Stewards, its Staff Parish Relations Committee, and its Hispanic Ministry Core Team. Hugh also serves on the board of the Spring Branch Family Development Center. He is married to Nancy; they have four children and eight grandchildren.