by Emily L. Martin

“From day one, we have had a board of incredibly hard-working members,” says Richard H. Vitale, president. “Thanks to their vision and dedication, we have extended our scope as we have expanded our assets and activities.”

The original board of directors included Vitale plus Gary Griffith, Paul Dalton, Emily Martin and Susan Schuerger. Vitale, Griffith and Dalton are all alumni of Woodrow Wilson High School; Martin and Schuerger served as PTA presidents. One other original board member, Brad Fletcher, concluded his service in 2011. “Brad went over and above what anyone would expect of a board member,” says Vitale. “He provided the legal services to help us establish our tax-exempt, non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service.”

Other community members who joined the board in 2010 included Jason Kulas, also an alumnus, plus Jody Hodges and Michael Morath. “Each of these men brought specific talent and expertise to the board,” explains Vitale. He adds that they, too, have gone beyond expectations in their work in establishing the Foundation.

The newest board members include: Patricia Arvanitis, Charles Glover, Colleen McCain Nelson, Kenneth Sheets, Derek Smith, Leigh Straughn, and Lon R. Williams, Jr. Brief biographies of all the members of the Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation board of directors are attached.

The Foundation is presently organized into several committees that are charged with carrying out day-to-day operations—such as the Finance and the Communications Committees—as well as forward-looking tasks, such as the Scholarship Advisory and the Needs Assessment Committee. Vitale explains that forming these goal-oriented committees was part of the impetus for recruiting new board members. “The tasks we’ve set out for our Foundation are challenging and labor-intensive,” he says. “Our newest members have excellent experience in connecting with educational institutions and helping them achieve their objectives.

We can hardly wait to see where the creativity and energy of these new board members will lead us as we seek to strengthen our public schools and our community.”

Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation Board of Directors: January 2012

***New Board members are noted with asterisks.

***Patricia Arvanitis is the President of Leadership DISD and also serves on the DISD Magnet School Parent Advisory Council Leadership

Paul Dalton is a Shareholder with the law firm of Cowles & Thompson. He is an alumnus of Woodrow Wilson High School, and President of the Woodrow Wilson High School Alumni Association.

***Charles Glover is Executive Director of Teach For America - Dallas-Fort Worth, the nation’s largest charter region.

Gary E. Griffith, a Woodrow Wilson High School alumnus, is the President of the Today Foundation and a former member of the Dallas City Council.

Jody Hodges is Senior Vice President with Bank of America.

Jason Kulas is Chief Financial Officer of Santander Consumer USA, Inc. He is a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School.

Emily Martin is Managing Partner of Thompson & Martin Strategic Communications and an active community volunteer.

Michael Morath represents District 2 on the Board of Trustees of the Dallas Independent School District.

***Colleen McCain Nelson is an Editorial Columnist for The Dallas Morning News. Susan Schuerger is a Community Volunteer and Chairman of the Woodrow Wilson High School Community Council.

***Kenneth Sheets is the Texas State Representative for District 107.

***Derek Smith is District Executive Director of the YMCA at White Rock.

***Leigh Straughn is a Community Volunteer and an alumna of Woodrow Wilson High School.

Richard H. Vitale is Senior Vice President with Bank of America and an alumnus of Woodrow Wilson High School.

***Lon R. Williams, Jr. is a Partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani.