Governance

Martha I. Aguirre has more than 28 years of school business experience with a career that began as an entry-level campus clerk and progressed with her holding various roles of increasing responsibility within the school business office.

She currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for El Paso ISD. She previously worked as the executive director of financial services for Canutillo ISD. She earned her MBA in human resources management from the University of Phoenix where she also earned a bachelor’s degree in business/accounting. She is a Registered Texas School Business Administrator.

Aguirre is also an active member of the Texas Association of School Business Officials, including the TASBO El Paso Area Affiliate Chapter, and a board member for the El Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center.

Susie Byrd has 18 years’ experience in education/school business and 20 years’ experience in corporate and private accounting. She taught at the middle school level for eight years and has been in school business and finance for the last 10 years and currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance at Marshall ISD. Byrd supervises the Financial Services, PEIMS, and Information Systems.

Byrd graduated from Texas A&M-Texarkana with a BBA in 1991 and Lamar University with a Master of Education in Administration. She holds a teaching certification and a principal certification. She is also an active member of the Texas Association of School Business Officials and the Association of School Business Officials International. In addition, she holds a TASBO Registered Texas School Business Administrators certification.

Cheryl Chambers has more than 30 years of experience in county government. A lifelong resident of Waxahachie, she began her career in 1992 working as chief deputy treasurer in the Ellis County Treasurer’s office and then later in the Auditor’s office as the first assistant auditor. In 2011 she ran for and was elected as Ellis County treasurer and continues to serve in that capacity in her fourth term.  

Chambers became a certified investment officer in 2009 and was named the Ellis County investment officer in 2011. She served as president of the County Treasurers’ Association of Texas in 2017-18 and was named the 2021 Outstanding County Treasurer of Texas. She has continued to be an active member of the County Treasurers’ Association of Texas, serving on several committees.  

Chambers is an active member in her community and volunteers with several local organizations including the Waxahachie Lions Club.

Tim Harkrider was named superintendent of College Station ISD in 2023. His career in education spans more than 23 years and includes serving as a principal, teacher, coach, and administrator in the East Texas area, including Grand Prairie ISD and Willis ISD.

His leadership has earned him multiple awards. Most recently, he was named the 2019-20 Empowered Superintendent by the K-12 Chief Technology Officer Council for his work to advance meaningful use of technology in classrooms. In 2018, he was named the Region 6 Superintendent of the Year in the Texas Association of School Boards annual award program and was one of five finalists in the state competition.

He holds a Bachelor of Science from Stephen F. Austin State University, a Master of Education in educational leadership and policy studies with principal certification from The University of Texas at Arlington, superintendent certification from Lamar University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Sam Houston State University.

Vernagene Mott was elected to the Pflugerville Board of Trustees in 2004.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from  UT Austin. Her math/science teacher career included Pflugerville, Austin, Texas City, and Galveston ISDs.

Mott is a charter member and founder of the Pflugerville Education Foundation, Pflugerville’s Heritage House Museum, and LTASB Alumni Association. As a local historian, she has coauthored five published books. In honor of her accomplishments and impact on her community, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce. Vernagene Mott Elementary School is named in her honor.

Mott previously served on the TASB Board of Directors for 13 years.

DeeAnn Powell was named superintendent of Pasadena ISD in November 2015. She has held many leadership positions in the district over her 30-plus-year career. She made history as the first Pasadena ISD graduate and the first woman to be named superintendent of the district.  

She has been recognized for her leadership throughout her career. In 2018, she was named a Hurricane Harvey Hero, leading the district and helping the South Belt and surrounding communities in the aftermath of the disaster. She received the 2018 Learning for Texas Award for Outstanding Support from a Superintendent for Professional Learning. During her tenure as superintendent, Pasadena ISD has been named Model Professional Learning Community PLC District by Solution Tree, and HEB Award of Excellence Large District Top 5 Finalist in 2022 and 2024. 

Powell holds a bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University, a master’s in educational management, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston, Clear Lake.

Steve Snell has served as the superintendent of Liberty Hill ISD for six years. He began his career as a middle school teacher in Amarillo ISD. His career in education spans 30 years and includes 27 years in administration in Brazosport, Hutto, Longview Spring Hill, and Liberty Hill ISD. Snell also serves on the TASA Executive Board of Directors and civically on the Liberty Hill Foundation Board. 

Cindy Spanel has been on the Highland Park ISD-Potter County Board since 2004, serving as secretary for six years and vice-president for four years. She is a 2010 graduate of Leadership TASB and a Master Trustee.

She is a member of Panhandle Area Association of School Boards and secretary of the Potter/Randal Country Appraisal Board, where she has served for nine years. In addition, she served as a board member and secretary of the Amarillo Highland Park Education Foundation.

Spanel is a veteran of the United States Navy. She served 1974–77, with an honorable discharge, disabled veteran. She earned an associate of applied science degree from Amarillo College.

Spanel is active in her community, teaching a fitness class at her church, doing competitive cattle sorting, and serving as a substitute teacher for Amarillo ISD, until she retired in July 2023.

Dan Troxell is the executive director of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). He has more than 30 years of experience as a public school leader and was named the TASB Superintendent of the Year in 2008.

Troxell began his career in public education in 1987 as a middle school social studies teacher at Round Rock ISD. He quickly moved on to administrative roles, serving as assistant principal and grade-level principal at Round Rock ISD, principal at Allen ISD, principal and assistant superintendent at Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and superintendent at both Kerrville ISD and Leander ISD.

Holding a doctorate in education administration from The University of Texas at Austin, Troxell has taught university-level courses as an adjunct professor and authored several journal articles, including an article on multicultural competencies and one on board president-superintendent collaboration.

At TASB, Troxell is responsible for advancing the association’s mission of promoting educational excellence for Texas schoolchildren through advocacy, visionary leadership, and high-quality services to school districts.

James Walters is the finance director for the City of Schertz and has worked there since 2010. He has received a City Manager Award for Excellence from two different city managers for his accomplishments in finance and forecasting. During his tenure, the city has achieved and maintained an AA+ bond rating from Standard & Poor's.

Walters completed the Quality Texas Foundation training to be a Baldrige examiner and has joined a team evaluating applicants. The Foundation was created by the Governor in 1994 to help Texas businesses, hospitals, schools, government agencies, and nonprofits improve performance.

Walters graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor's degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration.

AlexAndrea Zamarripa has been the Director of Operations and Managing Partner of a small oil and gas company in Pecos since 2012. She is the current Board President of Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD, having served on the board since 2021. She is a 2024 graduate of Leadership TASB and a Master Trustee. She is a part of the Strategic Planning Implementation Committee for the Mexican American School Board Association.

Jessie Cline is the Chief Financial Officer for Clint ISD, which is the Region 19 area of El Paso, Texas. Jessie started her career as a high school science teacher and served in various roles, including District Testing Coordinator and Data & Accountability Lead. She moved from instruction to the finance world in 2021 and has provided a new perspective and learner-centered approach to budgeting and business operations.

Jessie received her bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Texas at El Paso. She is also a Doctor of Education with a focus on Special Education.

Jessie served as an adjunct professor teaching university courses for future principals and worked as an adjunct consultant providing support and training on the state’s A-F accountability system. She served on the Texas Statewide Network of Assessment Professionals (TSNAP) board and the Region 19 Texas Council of Women School Executives board.

David Edgar joined Deer Park ISD as its Assistant Superintendent for Business Services in 2020. He previously served as a chief financial officer in various Texas school districts since 2000. Before becoming a school district chief financial officer, David spent 12 years in public accounting with most of those years serving public school districts and other governmental entities as an independent auditor.

David is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Lamar University.

Hollie Fregia is the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations for Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD. Following her 2001 graduation from Lamar University she went to work in the audit division for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston, Texas. In 2002 she returned to Beaumont, Texas, to work for a local accounting firm in both tax and audit, transitioning to school business in 2004 at LCM CISD.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Lamar University, a master’s in educational management from Texas A&M University-Commerce, and in 2024 earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Baylor University. She has participated in the TASBO Emerging Leaders program and served as the 2016-2018 President for the Southeast TASBO local chapter. 

Robert Galindo has served as the finance director for the city of Alamo Heights since June 2015 and has more than three decades of experience in municipal government.

In his current role, he is responsible for overseeing the city’s financial management, developing policies for sound financial management, complying with legislation, coordinating the annual budget, and ensuring the audit is completed. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University and his Master of Business Administration from Our Lady of the Lake University.

He is an active member of the Government Finance Officers Association of Texas.

Kelly Penny is a retired Registered Texas School Business Administrator with more than 23 years of public-school finance experience, working for three districts, most recently Coppell ISD, from which she retired in 2018 as the chief financial officer. 

Her school finance expertise is extensive and varied. She led districts of varying sizes through bond elections, tax-rate ratification elections, software conversions, and multiple credit-rating upgrades. 

Penny has served as a board member of the Lone Star Investment Pool, a board member and president of the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO), and as president of the DFW TASBO Affiliate. She also served as a board member of Cypress Waters Tax Increment Financing District (City of Dallas) and of Mobility Credit Union. 

She is a cum laude graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas and holds a bachelor’s degree in business (accounting) and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas A&M at Commerce. 

Penny is the recipient of TASBO’s Commitment to Excellence Award and the Association of School Business Officials International’s Eagle Award. With a strong compassion for animals, she serves as a Board member, volunteer, and foster for DFW Rescue Me, an all-volunteer mixed-breed dog rescue. She is married to David Tiffin, enjoys playing tennis, and spending time with her grandson and dog, Gus.