2026 Ignite Potential Luncheon Digital Program

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Thursday, February 19, 2026 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

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Thursday, February 19, 2026 River Oaks Country Club

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One Day all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

Table of Contents 04 Program Schedule 05 A Note from Our Event Chairs 06 About Teach For Ameica Houston

08 Meet Our Fireside Chat Guests 09 Meet Our Executive Director 10 Our Regional Advisory Board 11

Meet Our 2026 Honoree: Doug Foshee

12 2026 Ignite Potential Luncheon Host Committee 13 2026 Ignite Potential Luncheon Sponsors 15 Teach For America Houston’s Network

16 Corps Member Diaries 18 35 Alumni Profiles for 35 Years of Impact 26 Our Impactful Annual Supporters 27 A Thank You from Our Executive Director Full Program Available Digitally

By Scanning the QR Code or visiting bit.ly/

Dear friends and supporters, Welcome to Teach For America Houston’s 35th Anniversary Ignite Potential Luncheon!

Program Welcome

Paula & Reginald DesRoches 2026 Event Chairs

Video: Celebrating 35 Years of Impact Tiffany Cuellar Needham Executive Director, Teach For America Houston

Lunch Served Recognition of Honoree Phoebe & Bobby Tudor 2026 Honorary Event Chairs

Doug Foshee Owner at Sallyport Investments, LLC

Fireside Chat Wendy Kopp

CEO and Co-founder of Teach For All Founder, Teach For America

We are honored to celebrate this milestone with you. Since 1991, Teach For America Houston has served as a proven talent pipeline and a driving force in improving the quality of public education across our region.

Today’s theme—From Day One to One Day—honors the progress we’ve made since our first corps members arrived in Houston and rallies us around the work that still lies ahead until we reach our shared vision: One day, all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

This moment is also a celebration of the thousands of educators and leaders who have shaped Houston’s classrooms and communities—and a heartfelt thank you to each of you. Whether you’ve stood with us from the beginning or are just joining the TFA family, your support powers this movement and makes our progress possible.

We are especially proud to recognize Doug Foshee, a steadfast champion of public education. Doug’s leadership, generosity, and belief in the power of great teaching continue to leave a lasting mark on Houston’s schools and students.

As we reflect on the work accomplished over the past 35 years, we also unite in purpose around the work still to be done. Our students are counting on us—and we hope we can count on your continued support as we move forward together.

With gratitude,

Aneesh Sohoni

CEO, Teach For America

Closing Remarks

Tiffany Cuellar Needham Executive Director, Teach For America Houston

Reginald & Paula DesRoches Event Chairs

Bobby & Phoebe Tudor Honorary Event Chairs

1991

TFA Arrives in Houston

Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a diverse network of leaders who expand opportunity for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field that shapes the broader systems in which schools operate.

1991-2000

Proving What’s Possible

2000-2016

Our Mission

Our Approach

We find excellent leaders who commit to teach for two years in a low-income community.

Impact Students & Schools

We work alongside students, families, school and community leaders to co-create a reality where every kid can get a great education.

Develop Systems

We support educators, school leaders, and communities to advance, strengthen, and reimagine education for generations.

Foster Collective Leadership

We support and foster leadership, community, and collective impact among alumni.

2016-2020

Find Promising Leaders

At the request of then Supt. Rod Paige, 169 TFA corps members arrived in Houston and were placed at schools within the Houston Independent School District (HISD).

In the early years of TFA in Houston, the focus was proving what was possible in schools and classrooms, and proving that the TFA experience would motivate alumni of the program to become long-time education advocates. The founding of KIPP and YES Prep in ‘94 and ‘95 by TFA alums began to prove this very thing.

Answering the Call to Scale The following years focused on scaling our corps size and alumni base in order to grow our impact on the classroom and school level. From 2000 to 2016, TFA brought 2,833 teachers to Houston, with the largest corps being in 2010 (290 corps members).

At the same time, TFA alumni began to saturate Houston’s education landscape.

TFA alumni moved into important leadership roles across the city, including at HISD and on the school board. Other alums became social entrepreneurs and founded non-profit organizations that continue to impact students across Houston today, including EMERGE and ProUnitas.

Laying the Foundation for Systemic Change Knowing what’s possible in classrooms and schools, and having answered the call to scale, the next era of TFA became systemic change. With so many powerful education organizations in Houston, TFA joined the necessary work of coalition building. Other key organizations in this effort included Latinos for Education, ONE Houston, Good Reason Houston, and Houstonians for Great Public Schools, all of which were founded by TFA alums.

During this time, TFA also grew its cadre of systems leaders in Houston and shifted its focus from school-wide change to community-wide change.

By 2030, twice as many students in the communities where we work will reach key education milestones in 3rd grade reading and 8th grade math, indicating they are on a path to economic mobility and a future filled with possibility.

The Path to 2030

Today

Our 2030 Goal

In 2020, TFA set an ambitious goal of ensuring twice as many children reach key educational milestones indicating they are on a path to economic mobility. To reach this goal by 2030, we are focused on growing schools and programs that are delivering results for kids, driving strategic innovation in underperforming schools, and expanding and uniting the coalition of leaders working toward educational excellence and equity for children. We are motivated by some recent city-wide wins: Greater Houston Region Aldine ISD has had the largest gains in reading with a 7% increase in Meets/Masters from ‘23-’24 to ‘24-’25 Houston ISD, KIPP Texas, and YES Prep have seen a 5% increase in math growth from ‘23-’24 to ‘24-’25

Houston ISD There are zero F-rated schools, down from 56 in 2023 74% of schools now rated A or B (197 schools), up from 35% (93 schools) in 2023 82 former D or F schools have improved to A or B

Teach For America Founder

Wendy Kopp

Wendy Kopp is CEO and Co-founder of Teach For All. Wendy conceived of and proposed the idea of Teach For America in her undergraduate thesis at Princeton University in 1989. She founded and led the organization for 24 years. Wendy led the development of Teach For All to be responsive to the initiative of social entrepreneurs around the world who were determined to adapt this approach in their own countries.

Wendy is the author of A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn’t in Providing an Excellent Education for All (2011), One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way (2000). She holds honorary doctorate degrees from 15 universities and is the recipient of numerous awards including the WISE Prize for Education (2021), the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2008), and the Schwab Foundation’s Outstanding Social Entrepreneur Award (2003).

Wendy resides in New York City with her husband Richard Barth and is the mom of four.

Teach For America Houston Executive Director

Tiffany Cuellar Needham (Houston ‘03)

Tiffany Cuellar Needham is the Executive Director of Teach For America (TFA) in Houston, where she leads a team of 25+ supporting more than 200 corps members and a network of over 2,000 alumni. Under her leadership, TFA Houston works to expand opportunity for children and ensure more students reach key educational milestones by 2030.

Tiffany’s commitment to ensuring every child has the opportunity to attain an excellent education began in 2003 when she graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and joined TFA in Houston. As a teacher, she taught a group of exceptional students in the Houston Independent School District. After three years in the classroom Tiffany joined TFA staff and most recently served as the Vice President of Programs for TFA Memphis.

She is a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum, serves on the Board of Texas Executive Women, and was named a 2018 Woman in the Fast Lane by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce. A life

Teach For America Chief Executive Officer

Aneesh Sohoni (Twin Cities Corps ‘09)

Aneesh Sohoni is the Chief Executive Officer of Teach For America, leading a national network of more than 70,000 leaders working to expand educational opportunity for children across the country. A former high school English teacher through Teach For America, Aneesh has spent his career advancing educational equity through leadership roles in the nonprofit and public sectors, including as CEO of One Million Degrees and as Executive Director of Teach For America Greater Chicago– Northwest Indiana. He is the recipient of Teach For America’s 2024 Peter Jennings Award for Civic Leadership, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and the author of Leadership Launchpad, a Substack on leadership and educational progress.

member of the Texas Exes, she proudly bleeds burnt orange and white.

Tiffany lives in Pearland with her husband, Paul, a fellow TFA alumnus, and their two children, Isabella and Westley.

Congratulations to Tiffany as she celebrates 10 Years as Executive Director of TFA Houston!

Teach For America Houston Founding Board Chair

Josephine Powell Smith

Josephine Powell Smith is a native of Richmond, Virginia and a graduate of Smith College. She began her career teaching elementary and preschool in New York City and San Antonio before moving to Houston in 1973.

She is the founding chair of the Teach For America Houston Regional Board and, more than 30 years later, continues to serve as a dedicated board member. Josephine remains deeply engaged in Houston’s education and civic life, currently serving on the board of Breakthrough Houston and on the advisory boards of The Houston Seminar, The Neuhaus Education Center, and The Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at Rice University.

Previously, she served as a trustee of St. John’s School and on the Texas Regional Advisory Board of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Josephine is married to Richard Stowers Smith. They have two children: Quincy, who lives in Hunt and practices acupuncture at her clinic in Kerrville; and Elliott, who lives in Midland with his wife Denise and their son Zachary. Their daughter Katherine recently completed two years as a Teach For America corps member teaching Special Education in Hawaii and currently works as a Senior Associate Consultant for Bain & Company in Atlanta.

A special thank you to our founding board members and early supporters who helped lay the foundation for Teach For America’s lasting impact in Houston.

Your leadership paved the way for the corps members and alumni who carry this mission forward across our city every day.

Our Regional Advisory Board Ben Samuels Board Co-Chair

Board Co-Chair

Farid Virani

Josephine Smith

Sacha Abinader

Paula DesRoches

Chris Johnson

Andrea Alexander

Lisa Gagnon

New York City Corps 2004

Deborah Cannon Sean Cheben Gregg Costa Mississippi Delta Corps 1994

Glen Gonzalez

Founding Board Chair

Caitlin Pickard Houston Corps 2005

Colin Pogge

Hugh Guill

Houston Corps 2005

Cordell Haymon

Dr. Robert Satcher

Tommy Inglesby

Lori Sherman

Colorado Corps 2008

2026 Ignite Potential Luncheon Honoree

Doug Foshee

Doug Foshee is a longtime champion of public education and a steadfast supporter of Teach For America Houston. With a career spanning over four decades in finance, energy, and investments, Doug has brought his expertise and leadership to some of the country’s most complex business challenges—while consistently investing his time, talent, and resources in causes that strengthen communities and expand opportunity.

As former Chairman and CEO of El Paso Corporation, Doug led one of the most notable corporate turnarounds in recent energy history, culminating in its landmark merger with Kinder Morgan in 2012. Today, through Sallyport Investments, LLC, he supports innovative ventures while dedicating significant time to philanthropic efforts, particularly those focused on public education, homelessness, and veterans.

Doug’s commitment to education is deep and personal. He is the current chair of the Good Reason Houston board and has served on the KIPP, Houston GPS, and the Houston Endowment boards. He is a past trustee of Rice University and chaired the Rice Management Company.

A longtime advocate for education equity, Doug has played a vital role in advancing TFA’s mission in Houston and beyond.

Doug holds a B.B.A. in Finance from Texas State University, an M.B.A. from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

2026 HOST COMMITTEE We are deeply grateful to our 2026 Ignite Potential Luncheon Host Committee for their leadership, generosity, and commitment to educational excellence in Houston. Their support made our 35-year celebration possible and helped bring this meaningful moment of connection and impact to life. Thank you for helping us ignite potential and invest in the future of our city.

Maconda and Sacha Abinader`

Jill and Dunham Jewett

Andrea Alexander*`

Jenny and Chris Johnson`

Laura and John Arnold

Ann Kennedy and Geoffrey Walker

Mo and Ric Campo

KIPP Texas Future Fund

Deborah Cannon`

Karen & Ramon Manning

Anne and Albert Chao

Janet H. Moore

Cathy Chapman

Tiffany* and Paul Needham*

Brittany and Sean Cheben

Mariloli and Marvin Odum

Janet F. Clark

Caitlin*` and Ryan Pickard

Jennifer and Gregg Costa*`

Sangita and Colin Pogge*`

Molly and Jim Crownover

Kathryn and Richard Rabinow

Paula` and Reginald DesRoches

Alicia and Shawn Raymond*

Gayle and Bob Eury

Susan and Barrett Reasoner

Sarah and Doug Foshee

Regina Rogers

Monica Fulton

Carolyn Sabat

Lisa` and Peter Gagnon

Marci Rosenberg and Ben Samuels`

Karen and Larry George

Abeena Brewster and Dr. Robert Satcher Jr.`

Glen Gonzalez

Cathryn and Doug Selman

Good Reason Houston

Lori` and Robert Sherman

Annie and Bob Graham

Denise and Elliott Smith

Rebekah and Hugh Guill*`

Josephine` and Richard Smith

Vicki and Bob Harvey

Ileana and Michael Trevino

Ava and Cordell Haymon`

Phoebe and Bobby Tudor

Caroline and Larry Heard

Asha and Farid Virani`

Rebecca Seidl Ingelsby and Tommy Inglesby`

Polly and Jeffrey Whittle

`TFA Houston Board Member *TFA Alumni

EVENT SPONSORS ILLUMINATOR SPONSORS

Janet F. Clark

Sarah and Doug Foshee

CHANGEMAKER SPONSORS

Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation The Dovetail Impact Foundation Claire and Joe Greenberg / Deb and Mark Gregg Guill Family Foundation Beth Robertson Marci Rosenberg and Ben Samuels Asha and Farid Virani

INNOVATOR SPONSORS

Chinhui and Edward Allen Amegy Bank / Regina Rogers The Anderson Family / Checchi Capital Advisors, LLC Anonymous Jennifer and Gregg Costa Paula and Reginald DesRoches / Rice University Jill and Dunham Jewett John P. McGovern Foundation Mariloli and Marvin Odum Jeri and Marc Shapiro Lori and Robert Sherman Josephine and Richard Smith/ Denise and Elliott Smith Phoebe and Bobby Tudor Meg and Dick Weekley Robert Zinn / Zinn Petroleum

INITIATOR SPONSORS Maconda and Sacha Abinader Andrea Alexander Vera and Andy Baker Mo and Ric Campo Deborah Cannon Cathy Chapman Corient Molly and Jim Crownover Barbara and Bill Easter

Good Reason Houston Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Houston Methodist Jenny and Chris Johnson

Ann Kennedy and Geoffrey Walker/Cathryn and Doug Selman

Michol Ecklund/Patti Kraft/Claudia Gee Vassar

Lynn and John Elsenhans Monica Fulton Glen Gonzalez Annie and Bob Graham Hackett Family Foundation

Tiffany and Paul Needham and Friends Waverly and Adam Peakes Sangita and Colin Pogge Alicia and Shawn Raymond Diana Strassmann and Jeffrey Smisek Tex-Trude Valero Reid Whitaker Jenny and Clay Williams

INSPIRER SPONSORS

Brittany and Sean Cheben KIPP Future Fund Karen and Larry George Gloria Nino and Frank Monacelli ConocoPhillips Vicki and Bob Harvey Caitlin and Ryan Pickard/ Goldman Sachs Texas Women’s University – Houston Campus Kelsi and Will White

TFA Houston Network

~214

40+ ~1,900 Alumni Living in Houston

Ignite Fellows (Tutors)

Houston Corps Members

Our Alumni 410+

200+

Alumni Teachers

Alumni Working as School and District Leaders in Houston

~60%

Alumni working in education

31,000+

1,000,000+

by TFA Corps Members, Ignite Fellows, and Alumni Teachers

by TFA Corps Members and Alumni Teachers

Students Taught Annually

Students Taught Since 1991

Our Corps Members To every corps member who has served in Houston and continues to lead and serve our students from inside and outside the education system — thank you. Your impact is living proof that Teach For America corps members and alumni have woven the fabric of Houston’s education system, thread by thread, through their leadership, dedication, and service.

Scan QR Code or visit bit.ly/35-years-of-impact to see a full list of all corps members that have served in Houston over the past 35 years!

Brooklyn Clark

Houston 2025 Corps Member & Vanderbilt University Alumna 1st Grade Teacher, YES Prep East End Elementary

Wednesday, October 8th, 2025

Margaret Hankins

Houston 2025 Corps Member & Yale University Alumna High School Science Teacher, Hall Success Academy, Aldine ISD

Monday, November 10th, 2025

After a long day with 25 first graders, we transitioned into our final and most anticipated task of the day: math small groups. I pulled Joseph, a new student, aside to work with me.

My pencils are going missing. There is pickle juice in my sink. I have a stack of papers to grade so large it is starting to tip over. And my students will not stop talking.

For two months, I had focused on building strong foundations in addition and subtraction. I was proud of how far my students had come. I wrote 4 + 8 = ? on the board and showed Joseph how to draw circles to find the total.

This school year feels different—and not always in a good way. We have new administrators, a larger student body, and my mentor teacher from last year has left. Many days end with frustration and exhaustion, and I find myself wondering how I am going to find my rhythm again.

He counted carefully and got the answer, 12. Then, he froze. “I can’t remember how to write the number twelve,” he whispered.

But I am starting to realize something deeper is happening. My students are showing up, but they are not invested. They are capable. They are smart. But they are not motivated. And that is on me.

My heart sank. I realized Joseph had entered first grade at a pre-K level. I pulled out a number chart and counted with him until we reached 12 together.

I teach at an alternative school, and that makes this work even more urgent. For many of my students, this feels like their last stop before deciding whether school is still for them.

I knew then that my work with Joseph had just begun. It would take patience, consistency, and intervention to help him catch up, but I was ready for the challenge.

Winter break is coming up. I am counting down the days—not just for rest, but for reflection. I need to rethink my classroom, my systems, and the environment I am creating.

I am going into winter break knowing one thing for sure.

Something has to change—and it starts with me.

Thursday, November 20th, 2025

For the past month, Joseph and I have worked every day on number recognition, addition, and word problems. After each lesson, he grabbed his whiteboard and came straight to me to practice.

He earned stickers and high fives. I sent home extra resources. Slowly but surely, Joseph began to believe in himself.

On the day of our end-of-module assessment, he sat confidently beside me. As I read the word problem, one student smiled and said, “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.” Joseph looked up and said, “Ms. Clark, can you give us more of the hard stuff?”

When I entered the scores, I was stunned. Joseph scored a 90%.

Even more incredible, our class reached 100% proficiency, meaning every student met the standard. I could not believe it.

That day, I did not celebrate just their academic growth; I celebrated their confidence, their resilience, and my own. I was reminded that these wins, these moments, are why I Teach For America.

I know there is a long road ahead, filled with challenges and victories as I work to get my students where they need to be and where they deserve to be. Once again, I am ready for the challenge.

Thursday, November 20th, 2025

I started the semester with a brand-new classroom management system. For the first time in months, I’ve had multiple good days in a row. I walk through the halls feeling like I am in a movie montage where everything finally starts to click.

In my classroom, every student now has a job. Their job is to learn.

They earn five “Hankins Bucks” a day for showing up, paying attention, and completing two major tasks. On the first day of the semester, instead of a syllabus, I handed them employment contracts (and taught them how to read and sign contracts). The next day, I shook each student’s hand and told them, “You’re hired!”

They bought into the system immediately. Now our classroom is full of conversations about our “workplace,” raises, loaning each other money, and even whether they can collect interest. One student shouted, “Like loan sharks! That would be crazy!”

Students can redeem their “Hankins Bucks” for rewards, from snacks to sitting at the spinning lab chairs or renting the “mansion” (large classroom couch).

We are only a few weeks in, but my new approach is already working. My students are stepping into their “jobs,” taking ownership of their learning, and showing me what they are capable of.

My students are learning to love school and love learning, perhaps for the first time in a while.

Together, we are all learning the value of showing up, even when it’s hard.

They are showing me what they are capable of, and reminding me what I am capable of, too.

I know there will still be hard days ahead. There always are. But the good days and rewarding moments remind me why this work matters — and why I chose to Teach For America.

35 Profiles for 35 Years Scan QR Code or visit bit.ly/ to meet some of our incredible alumni whose stories reflect 35 years of impact across our city and beyond.

To every Teach For America alum leading in Houston — we are deeply grateful for your continued commitment to our students. Your leadership across classrooms, communities, courtrooms, and boardrooms is shaping the future of education in our city.

Houston is a different place today because of the organizations you have built, the systems you have transformed, and the solutions you continue to lead. Your impact reflects the powerful legacy of Teach For America in Houston. Together, we move closer to One Day.

Let’s meet a few of our impactful alumni

Ashley Cash

Placido Gomez

Chief Executive Officer, EMERGE

Elected Trustee, Houston ISD

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

Q: What inspired you to join TFA?

My time in the corps showed me that what happens in the classroom and what happens beyond it are both essential.

Perhaps more importantly, TFA introduced me to the power of individuals working as part of a collective. I saw people starting, scaling, and improving things that could positively impact entire communities. Before that, I didn't know that was something I could do.

I joined Teach For America because I was once a student in an underserved high school and I wanted to do something to support people going through that injustice... Working with students who many adults have given up on taught me that students will rise to the level of expectations if given the opportunity and support.

New Orleans ‘09

5,500+

Students Impacted

San Antonio ‘13

400+

Students Impacted

Joseph Stewart

Iris Tian

Lead 6th Grade Math Teacher, Plummer Middle School, Aldine ISD

Deputy Commissioner, Analytics, Assessment, and Reporting, Texas Education Agency

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

Q: What inspired you to join TFA?

Teach For America grounded my perspective on education. The fundamental idea behind TFA touched who I wanted to be. I wanted to change the narrative of young black and brown students, male students in particular, who were being left behind.

I joined Teach For America because of the stark differences in education I witnessed firsthand and my deep-seated belief that public education is the most important lever in making the American Dream a reality.

Houston ’18

1,500+

Students Impacted

Houston ’11

5.5 Million Students Impacted

Justin West

Monica Zdrojewski

Houston ’11

Dallas-Fort Worth ‘12

Principal, YES Prep Northwest

Chief of Staff, Houston ISD

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

Teach for America helped me realize my passion to inspire the next generation.

Serving in the North Forest community allowed me to build positive relationships that still persists today. The opportunities have shown me the impact of great educators dedicating themselves empower the lives of others.

Teach For America set me on a lifelong path in public education and sparked a deep passion for education policy and a desire to understand how and which systemic reforms can better support students and teachers. Since then, I’ve worked to identify successful initiatives and explore how to scale and replicate them so that all students have access to high-quality learning opportunities.

6,000+ 200,000+ Students Impacted

Students Impacted

Teach For America Houston Annual Supporters $250,000+

$100,000 - $249,999

Sarofim Foundation Texas Education Agency The Brown Foundation The Cullen Foundation

ExxonMobil H-E-B Houston Endowment Inc. Kinder Foundation OneStar Foundation Samuels Family Foundation

$25,000 - $99,999 Adrienne and Snehal Amin Asha and Farid Virani Beth Robertson C.T. Bauer Foundation Cathryn and Doug Selman CFP Foundation ConocoPhillips Dovetail Impact Foundation

Guill Family Foundation Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo J Squared Family Foundation Janet F. Clark John P. McGovern Foundation Marci Rosenberg and Ben Samuels MD Anderson Foundation Rockwell Fund, Inc.

Sarah and Doug Foshee The Astros Foundation The Clayton Fund The Elkins Foundation The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation Vivian L. Smith Foundation

$10,000 - $24,999 Barbara and Louis Sklar Chinhui and Edward Allen Claire and Joe Greenberg Community Connect Church Deb and Mark Gregg George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Goldman Sachs & Co. GRITS Foundation Harvey R. Houck Jr. and Patricia W. Houck Foundation, Inc.

Jennifer and Gregg Costa Jeri and Marc Shapiro Jill and Dunham Jewett Lisa and Will Mathis Lori and Robert Sherman Lynn and John Elsenhans Maconda and Sacha Abinader Mariloli and Marvin Odum

Patricia Dolan Mullen Phoebe and Bobby Tudor Posey-Glickert Foundation Robert Zinn Sangita and Colin Pogge The Hevrdejs Foundation The Tapeats Fund Vera and Andy Baker

$5,000 - $9,999 Adobe Adriana and Eduardo Nunez Alice Harcrow Alicia and Shawn Raymond Andrea Alexander Anna and Fred Charlton Anne and Albert Chao Annie and Bob Graham Barbara and Bill Easter Barbara Burger Blue Wave Carla Knobloch Carol and P. John Burke Jr Cathy Chapman Corient Deborah Cannon Denise and Elliott Smith

Diana Strassmann and Jeffery Smisek Nancy McGregor and Neal Manne First Horizon Bank Nancy O'Connor Glen Gonzalez Paula and Reginald DesRoches Good Reason Houston Perry Homes Hackett Family Foundation Regina Rogers Jenny and Chris Johnson Reid Whitaker Jenny and Clay Williams Rice University Josephine and Richard Smith Sarah and Jeff McParland Kathleen and Robert L. Clarke Suzanne and Robert Nimocks Kathy and Brian Reid The Anderson Family Kathy and Martyn Goossen The Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Family Foundation Knox Charitable Foundation The Mendelsohn Family Fund Linnet Deily The Willard and Ruth Johnson Charitable Foundation Mo and Ric Campo Third Wave Molly and Jim Crownover Valero Monica Fulton Waverly and Adam Peakes

$1,000 - $4,999 Amegy Bank Ann Kennedy and Geoffrey Walker Anne Furse Barbara and Jonathan Day Betty and Stephen Newton Brett Mossman Brooke and Iain Sharpe Caitlin and Ryan Pickard Catherine and Brian James Cece and Michael Fowler Clare and Jim Doyle Connie and Scott Funk Doreen Stoller Dr. Robert Satcher, Jr. Elizabeth and Albert Kidd Eric Pulaski Gloria Nino and Frank Monacelli Harsha Reddy

Jeffrey and Margaret Tucker Jim and Pam Harris Johanne and Joe Gatto Joy Horak-Brown Karen and Larry George Karen Reifel Kate and Malcolm Hawk Kathryn and Richard Rabinow Kelsi and Will White KIPP Texas Future Fund Kristen Harrison-Habich Kristy Bradshaw Leslie and Jack Blanton, Jr. Linda and George Kelly Lisa and Peter Gagnon Lois and George Stark Louise Wiggins Rios Michael Morgan

Morgan and Christopher Hollins Nancy Manderson Nora Zabriskie Pamela Campbell Pamela Gray Polly and Jeff Whittle Robert H. Blocker Simin and Gaurdie Banister Susan and Barrett Reasoner Taylor and Sylvanus Polky Tex-Trude Texas Women's University

Dear TFA Houston Community, What a privilege it is to close out this unforgettable celebration of 35 years of impact, commitment, and community.

To our event sponsors, thank you for making this gathering possible. To our board members, donors, and longtime supporters, your belief in our mission fuels our work. To every current and former corps members, thank you for your service, your passion, and your enduring commitment to students. And to our district partners and elected officials, your leadership is critical to expanding opportunity for all students, and we are deeply grateful for all that you do.

Today, we celebrate 35 years of progress. Since our founding in 1991, TFA Houston has partnered with hundreds of schools to place thousands of corps members, reaching hundreds of thousands of students. We’ve built an unstoppable network of more than 3,500 leaders; educators, advocates, school founders, policymakers, and innovators, who are shaping a stronger future for Houston’s children. We are so proud of what we’ve accomplished, together.

And yet, we know our work is far from done. The data continues to reveal deep disparities in access and opportunity across our city. As we look to the future, I invite you to join us in writing the next chapter of this movement. There is more to do to ensure every child in every neighborhood has access to an excellent education, and we cannot do it without you.

Let’s take the energy from today’s celebration and use it to propel us into the hard work ahead.

Yours in the movement,

Houston Campus

Tiffany and Paul Needham Vicki and Bob Harvey Virginia and Richard Mithoff Y. Ping Sun and David Leebron Zachary Langevin

*List reflects gifts greater than $1,000 committed/received between June 1, 2024 - February 6, 2025

Tiffany Cuellar Needham

(Houston ‘03) Executive Director, Teach For America Houston

Alvin Abraham Houston ’02 President, ExxonMobil Foundation

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

Teach For America transformed my life and career by grounding me in the belief that leadership starts with service and proximity. It taught me resilience, empathy, and the ability to solve complex challenges while mobilizing others toward a shared vision. That experience didn’t just accelerate my career - it anchored my lifelong commitment to expanding opportunity and driving impact wherever I lead.

10,000+ Students Impacted

ali

beard

canzius

Victoria Chen Houston ’11 Co-founder and Executive Director, BridgeYear

Q: Why are you still in this work?

carcamo

Teach For America shifted my perspective on the many barriers students face that are out of their control - and especially the barriers they face in choosing a path forward after high school. I hope to create change by changing the narrative on postsecondary success and ensuring all students have a path to economic mobility after high school.

50,000

Students Impacted

Staci Childs Houston ’13 Member, Texas State Board of Education

Q: Why are you still in this work?

This work matters to me because a kid’s future shouldn’t be determined by their zip code, their race, or the politics of the day. I’ve stayed in this work because I’ve seen the brilliance of students who just need someone to fight for them.

5.5 Million

Students Impacted

costa

Mark DiBella Houston ’99 Chief Executive Officer, YES Prep Public Schools

Q: Why are you still in this work?

I'm still in the work because not being in the work is not an option. It's no longer a choice I even consider. It's just what I do.

It's who I am. I go to work every day hoping that I can impact others in some way close to the way the students, teachers, and staff I've worked with over the years have impacted me.

40,000

Students Impacted

guerrero

kataria

marrs

moorman

needham

oeser

patterson

perkins

pichon

plecki

poerschke

Corey Prados Houston ’14 Principal, Askew Elementary, HISD

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

Teach For America was a turning point in my career because it pushed me to grow rapidly as a teacher and leader, forcing me to develop adaptable instructional practices and data-driven decision making. My time in the corps showed me that meaningful impact begins in the classroom and scales through collaboration, mentorship, and community partnerships.

5,000+

Students Impacted

raymond

richard

salhotra

James Sheridan Houston ’99 AP English Teacher, YES Prep East End

Q: How did TFA change your life or career trajectory?

scott

Teach For America shaped my career trajectory by defining it. I have worked for 26 years now as a teacher in under-resourced schools in communities that deserve excellent teachers... My time in the corps showed me that the crucial and careful work of educating in challenging spaces is my true life's work.

2,000+ Students Impacted

tashima

terrones

whitaker

wright

zucker