Board of Directors: Biographies
Devron Armstrong
Devron Armstrong is highly committed to public education. He manages the Best in Class coalition at The Commit Partnership, and has more than twenty years experience as an education professional, and is a graduate of the 2020-2021 fellow in Leadership ISD’s Legislative Voices Fellowship in the Dallas, TX area. He has taught and coached all subjects across grades 5-12 while serving in various capacities such as content leader, teacher leader, Dean, Dean of Instruction, and school leader.
As founding Dean and Dean of Instruction at two large public charters in the Houston area, Devron observed, coached and evaluated a cohort of teachers across all grade levels and disciplines and shaped school culture using a fully restorative justice-based approach. Due to the hard work of the staff, teachers, parents, students and community, 100% of students since the school’s first graduating class have earned a high school diploma and admission to a two- or four-year college at both schools.
Devron has also worked as a professional development consultant. He supported campuses and districts in developing targeted academic intervention plans using MAP essential reports. Devron also works as an adjunct professor at Houston Community College in the Alternative Teacher Certification Program. In his spare time, Devron pursues his passion for health and nutrition and rollerblading with his business and non-profit Wholelistic Foods.
As a public school graduate from Killeen High School in Killeen ISD, Devron earned his Master’s in Education for Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston Main Campus in 2012. Devron graduated with a B.A. in Business Administration from Tartleton State University in Stephenville, TX in 2006. Devron is actively certified as a K-12 principal and generalist (grades 4-8) with English as a Second Language supplemental from the State Board for Educator Certification. He is currently pursuing an advanced degree in Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Devron currently lives and serves in the West Dallas area.
Nick Brooks
Nick Brooks is General Counsel with Premier, a subsidiary of Ashford Inc. based in Dallas, Texas. The Ashford family of companies own, operate, develop, and provide services to 80+ hotels throughout the United States, Caribbean, and Central America. Premier’s focus is on providing real estate development, architecture, interior design, project management, and procurement services to assets under management and third-party owners. Nick graduated from Denison University in 2009 and Washington & Lee University School of Law in 2012. When he is not at work, he enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy, traveling, golfing, cooking, and spending time with his wife and two young daughters.
Janie Cisneros
Janie is a 10 year User Experience (UX) professional passionately contributing to meaningful experiences through research, design, and empathy. She considers herself a champion for the voice of the customer. Janie has offered her UX expertise and leadership to organizations from start-ups to global companies, always creating quality products built with customers in mind while creating strong project teams along the way. She currently dedicates her talents to the healthcare space, ensuring that the human element remains at the forefront of mobile apps that use AI and machine learning technologies.
Janie was born and raised in West Dallas. She is incredibly grateful to the public school educators who invested time in her scholarly pursuits. After many years away from home, she returned to West Dallas ready to give back to the community that shaped who she has become - starting by serving as a Reading Buddy at Readers 2 Leaders in Booktown!
Some of the notable awards that speak to her community commitments include The West Dallas Volunteer Service Award from the City of Dallas in 1999, The Cornell University Vice Provost Robert L. Harris Award for Outstanding MGLC Leadership in 2005, The National Hermanded Award from Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/ Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. in 2013, and The Anthem Values in Action Award July 2019.
Jordan D'Silva
Jordan D’Silva is the CEO of Web City Properties, a family-owned and operated real estate investment firm focused on single-family rentals, value-add multifamily, and residential development in southern Dallas and surrounding areas. Web City Properties has 14 full-time employees and over 40M in assets under management.
Jordan is also passionate about creating social impact in Dallas, starting a nonprofit to work with local organizations and entrepreneurs to create grassroot level solutions to systemic problems impacting the community. He has consulted with 3+ entrepreneurs, created multiple partnerships with local housing organizations to provide support services, and is poised to lead an immigrant business incubation program in Spring 2023.
Ray Gill
Ray Gill has over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry and currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the CEO at Santander Consumer USA. In this role she is responsible for overseeing the execution of key strategic priorities for the organization, tracking progress against goals for the year and assisting the leadership team on matters related to regulators, the press and Banco Santander. Ray also plays an active role in the diversity and inclusion efforts across the organization as the regional leader for the EmpowHER Business Resource Group – an initiative dedicated to the development, empowerment and growth of women and their allies.
Ray is a graduate of the University of Leicester and received her MSc in Management from Loughborough University. She lives in Frisco with her husband.
April Honoré
April Honore is a senior human resources leader with more than 20 years of experience driving people strategy, organizational effectiveness, and leadership support across diverse industries. She currently serves as Advisor, Employee Relations at the University of Dallas, where she partners with leadership on complex employee relations matters and workplace strategy.
Known as a trusted advisor to executives, April has led change initiatives, strengthened HR functions, and developed people-centered solutions that align talent strategy with organizational goals. Her expertise spans employee relations, talent acquisition, change management, and human capital strategy.
April holds a bachelor’s degree in Labor Relations and a master’s degree in Human Resource Management. She also serves as a Board Member of Readers2Leaders and is an active member of its Governance Committee and Development Committee, supporting the organization’s mission to advance literacy for students in the Dallas area.
Maggie Huff
As a first-generation American whose family immigrated from Ghana in pursuit of economic opportunity, Maggie’s passion for education is rooted in her lived experiences. While earning her graduate degree at The University of Kansas, Maggie served as an academic advisor and witnessed firsthand the financial and academic barriers her inner-city students faced. Motivated to be part of the solution, she became a middle school math teacher through Teach For America.
After serving as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and assistant principal, Maggie led Mockingbird Elementary School as Principal for five years, earning the distinction of Master Principal twice. She now supports Teach For America and Commit Partnership in building strong talent pipelines to strengthen the education ecosystem and improve outcomes for all students.
Maggie earned her master’s degrees from The University of Kansas and Southern Methodist University, and her undergraduate degree in political science from Texas A&M University. She spends her free time exploring the outdoors with her husband, daughter, son, and dog.
JP Ideker
JP Ideker is the Director of Estimating at L&S Mechanical in Richardson, Texas. Before joining L&S, he received a Fulbright grant to pursue a bilingual MBA in Madrid, Spain. JP has spent most of his career in the social services, nonprofit, and education sectors. Previously, he was the Director of Campus Life at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep in southeast Dallas and a Program and Outreach Coordinator for Oregon State University's Extension Service in Hood River, Oregon. He has experience facilitating college and career readiness workshops for first-generation immigrant families, working with a variety of stakeholders to address food insecurity in rural communities, and writing and implementing Social and Emotional Learning curriculum for high school students. JP is passionate about education, economic inclusion, and social impact and believes that R2L's mission addresses critical educational disparities in the DFW metroplex. He graduated from Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri. In his free time, he enjoys coaching volleyball and tutoring math.
Kriston Jackson-Jones
Kriston Jackson-Jones serves as Vice President of Early Childhood Programs at ChildCareGroup, where she leads Head Start, Early Head Start, and family support services across multiple models. She has extensive experience implementing and expanding federally and state-funded early childhood programs and advancing workforce equity, including designing pay structures that promote parity for educators. Kriston also serves as an adjunct professor, supporting the development of future leaders in the field.
A Dallas native, Kriston is deeply committed to strengthening the early childhood landscape in her community and is proud to see the lasting impact of her work reflected across programs and partnerships throughout the city. As a leader, she is focused on navigating complexity with agility, fostering innovation in others, and leading through strong, collaborative relationships.
Outside of her professional role, Kriston enjoys creative expression through styling and reworking clothing, traveling, and spending time with her adult child. She finds deep fulfillment in both her professional work and the relationships that sustain her and remains committed to advancing opportunities for children and families across her community.
Cathy Helmbrecht
Cathy recently retired as a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers after 37 years of service. At PwC, Cathy served in leadership roles including the U.S. Real Estate Assurance Leader, the North Texas Assurance Leader and the North Texas Financial Services Leader. In addition, she served clients in a multitude of industry segments including asset management, real estate, manufacturing and consumer products.
Born and raised in Dallas, Cathy attended Dallas ISD schools and has always had a passion for the importance of education for every child.
Cathy is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a BBA in Accounting. Cathy’s involvement in the community has included the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, March of Dimes and Leadership Dallas.
LeeAnn Mallory
LeeAnn Mallory is the founder of Rise Leaders, a Leadership and Organizational Development firm located in Dallas, TX. For over 25 years, she has been helping leaders reach their next level of impact and value-add.
LeeAnn believes strongly that the purpose of businesses expands well beyond profit and that the contemporary business leader must be willing to step into a world of complexity and change with vision, and an open and curious mind. They must be willing to risk, fail and relate well with others.
LeeAnn coaches senior executive and director-level leaders. The most common focus areas for coaching today tend to be confidently stepping into roles of greater responsibility, self-authoring (as opposed to reacting or maintaining status quo), navigating conflict, and elevating the contribution of others through feedback and coaching.
LeeAnn is certified as an Integral Coach through New Ventures West, A Somatic Coach through Strozzi Institute and uses multiple assessments in her work: The Leadership Circle Profile, Be Well Lead Well Pulse Wellbeing Assessment and Tilt 365.
Laura Mancini
Laura Mancini is an art educator and museum professional specializing in inquiry-based learning, cross-curricular teaching, and community engagement through the arts. She serves as Assistant Director of Education at the Meadows Museum, where she develops programs that connect audiences of all ages with art through observation, critical thinking, creativity, and dialogue.
Laura earned her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Southern Methodist University and her Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to her work in museums, she taught PK–8 visual art in West Dallas with Dallas ISD and Uplift Education.
In her current role, Laura leads K–12, family, and educator programming and collaborates with schools, universities, nonprofits, and community organizations to expand access to arts education. She regularly presents on Artful Thinking and interdisciplinary learning, contributes to educational journals, and advocates for the role of the arts in fostering observation, inquiry, and critical thinking skills. Laura was also named a 2026 Texas Art Education Association Leadership Scholar.
Marjorie Murat
Marjorie Murat has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations providing impactful direct services, leadership, and being a people- centric change-maker who produces results. She is driven by the belief that education, including OST, is crucial to solving inequities, and is passionate about educating people of all ages that their circumstances do not define them.
Marjorie holds a BA in Sociology from State University of New York College at Cortland, an MA in Counseling from Amberton University, and a Non-Profit Leadership Certificate from SMU. Marjorie is a Leadership ISD alumni, a Bridging Fellow with the Independent Sector, and is a Licensed Child Care Director through the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Andrea Payne
Andrea Payne is the founder of Casa Granada, a company that works with artisans and small businesses, primarily in Colombia, to bring their unique goods to buyers in Texas. Prior to starting her business, she worked in the nonprofit sector for nearly a decade, primarily in the prenatal and early childhood policy space. She has also worked in refugee resettlement services and philanthropy. A second-generation Colombian-American, Andrea received her M.P.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and her B.S. from Georgetown University. She is an avid reader and cares deeply about creating more opportunities for young children to learn and grow. Andrea lives in East Dallas with her husband.
Jazmine Price
Jazmine Price is a Regulatory Compliance Manager at Affirm, where she leads global regulatory issues management and enterprise-wide compliance training across the US, UK, and Canada, with active expansion into other international jurisdictions. She holds the Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) designation from the American Bankers Association and previously spent six years in regulatory compliance at Goldman Sachs.
An active member of the Junior League of Dallas since 2020, Jazmine served as one of the project managers for the restoration of the Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House. She commissioned an original educational coloring book for the project, distributed to Dallas ISD elementary schools. She also volunteers with the Dallas Museum of Art.
Jazmine is a working poet. Her poem “What Remained” is currently exhibited at the Dallas Museum of Art through June 2026. She holds a BA in User Experience Design with a minor in Business Law from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Leigh Ann Ripka
Leigh Ann currently serves as Associate Vice President of Business Development at Broaddus & Associates, where she leads strategic growth initiatives and partners with clients and teams to deliver high-performing projects across healthcare, education, and public sector markets. She has more than ten years’ experience in Marketing, Strategy, and Business Development. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana and a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she received her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, she has been recognized as a creative, forward-thinking, and highly motivated leader, receiving the 20 Under 40 Award for her work within the business community and philanthropic spaces through Let’s Vibe, LLC, an organization she founded. She is also a proud mom of one and remains actively involved with Readers 2 Leaders.
Jana Simons
Jana represents individuals and multi-generational families. She primarily focuses on tax planning, drafting complex wills and trusts, implementing wealth preservation strategies, and charitable giving. Jana emphasizes helping clients achieve their objectives by designing creative and functional solutions tailored to their specific goals, whether it involves business establishment or reorganization, or facilitating the administration of a trust or estate.
Jana draws from a vast breadth of experience in her law practice. Prior to joining the firm, she managed a large horse ranch and cultivated successful real estate and insurance practices. Jana’s business-focused background allows her to understand her clients’ concerns and employ a practical approach to tax, estate, and business planning issues.
She holds an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center with an academic concentration in Estate Planning. During her time at Georgetown, Jana served as an extern for the United States Department of Justice, Tax Division. While working on her J.D., Jana completed her Master’s degree in Personal Financial Planning, represented pro bono clients in tax controversy matters with the IRS, served as a Peer Financial Counselor, and clerked for the Honorable Robert L. Jones, United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas.
Jana is admitted to practice in Texas. She is a Certified Financial Planner, CFP®, and is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Mark Sinatra
Mark Sinatra is a 15-year CEO (8x Inc. 5000) who is currently CEO of Aspen HR which provides PEO services and HR support to small/medium-sized businesses. Mark is also a co-founder of ETA Equity, which is an investment firm focused on investing in search fund acquisitions.
Mark is an MBA graduate of the Wharton School of Business and holds a BA in Economics from Fordham University. He is an active member of YPO (Young Presidents Organization) and a partner with Social Venture Partners. Mark is also a former Board chair of First3Years. Mark enjoys spending time with his family and playing tennis and basketball.
Barbara Stanton
Barbara has more than 20 years of public accounting experience providing comprehensive tax services to public and private middle-market businesses. Some of her specific service capabilities include managing complex tax planning and compliance engagements in an integrated team environment and ASC 740 accounting for income taxes expertise, including use of OneSource Tax Provision. Barbara has deep technical expertise in consolidated returns as well as the ASC 740 implications of business combinations. She has an unwavering commitment to quality.
Barbara has served clients in the firm’s Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas offices. She enjoys mentoring the newer tax professionals by serving as both a formal coach as well as an informal mentor to various tax teammates. She enjoys working closely with her teams to provide real-time tax technical training and facilitating local and national trainings. Barbara has served clients in many industries, including healthcare, professional services, and manufacturing/distribution.
Barbara has been a Dallas Court Appointed Special Advocate (“CASA”) since 2020, where she works with children who have been removed from their homes and placed in foster homes or other placements. She is a graduate of the Leadership Arts Institute, which provides training in leadership, nonprofit board best practices, and empowerment to tackle the current issues affecting cultural institutions in North Texas; this program was founded by Business Council for the Arts. Barbara is also a member of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Education & Workforce Council, which aligns with her passion for education.
Beja Williams
Beja Williams is a Regional Director with Teachstone Inc. Her role involves consulting with Head Start programs, K-12 districts, collegiate departments of education, and stakeholders, to grow learning systems focused on quality interactions between teachers and students in an effort to drive higher learning outcomes. With nearly 20 years of leadership experience across multiple sectors, including Center Director and Quality Manager for Texas Rising Star (Dallas County), her passion for education continues to grow throughout multiple positions held during the tenure of her career.
As a former volunteer of Readers 2 Leaders, Beja understands firsthand the importance of literacy and the impact of R2L in the community. This year, she is a BIG with Big Brothers Big Sisters and uses her influence as a mentor to shape her Little’s future.