2020-2021 Executive Committee

Posted in About TSPRA

President Veronica Castillon, APR Executive Director of Communications Laredo ISD 904 Juarez Avenue; Laredo, TX 78040
President-Elect Veronica Sopher Chief Communications Officer Fort Bend ISD 16431 Lexington Blvd; Sugar Land, TX 77479
Immediate Past President Monica Faulkenbery, APR Assistant Director of Communications Northside ISD 5900 Evers Road; San Antonio, TX 78238
Vice President Gulf Coast Area ESC Regions 1, 2 and 3 Craig Verley Director of Public Relations/Marketing Mission CISD 1201 Bryce Dr; Mission, TX 78572
Vice President Houston/Beaumont Area ESC Regions 4 and 5 Kim Hocott Executive Director of Communications Pearland ISD 1928 N. Main; Pearland, TX 77588
Vice President East Texas Area ESC Regions 6, 7 and 8 Jamie Fails Director of Communications Willis ISD 202 West Rogers; Willis, TX 77378
Vice President North Central Area ESC Regions 9, 10 and 11 Megan Overman, APR, CPC Director of Communications Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD 1200 Old Decatur Road; Fort Worth, TX 76179
Vice President West Central Area ESC Regions 12, 14 and 15 Kyle DeBeer Assistant Superintendent of Communications and Community Engagement Waco ISD 501 Franklin Ave; Waco, TX 7670
Vice President Central Area ESC Region 13 Corey Ryan Chief Communications Officer Leander ISD 204 W South St; Leander, Texas 78646
Vice President Northwest Texas Area ESC Regions 16 and 17 Kenneth Dixon Coordinator/Station Manager Lubbock ISD 3201 Avenue Q, Lubbock, Texas 78411
Vice President Far West Area ESC Regions 18 and 19 Melissa Martinez, CPC Executive Director to Community Engagement El Paso ISD 6531 Boeing Drive, El Paso, TX 79925
Vice President San Antonio Area ESC Region 20 Kim Cathey Public Information Officer Floresville ISD 1200 5th Street; Floresville, TX 78114
Vice President At-Large Position 1 Represents all areas Rebecca Villarreal, APR Director of Communications New Braunfels ISD 430 W Mill Street, New Braunfels, Texas 78130
Vice President At-Large Position 2 Represents all areas Stephanie De Los Santos Director of Client Engagement Harris County Department of Education 6300 Irvington Blvd; Houston, TX 77022
Vice President At-Large Position 3 Represents all areas Emily Conklin, CPC Assistant Director of Communications Highland Park ISD 7015 Westchester Dr; Dallas, TX 75205
Parliamentarian Beth Trimble, CPC Executive Director of Communications Red Oak ISD 109 W Red Oak Rd; Red Oak, TX 75154
Executive Director Linsae Snider TSPRA 406 East 11th Street, Suites 101-105 Austin, TX 78701-2617

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904 Juarez Avenue; Laredo, TX 78040

2020-2021 TSPRA President

Posted in About TSPRA

Veronica Castillon, APR

Veronica Castillon, APR, works in Laredo ISD as their Executive Director of Communications. She served as Parliamentarian for 2018-2019 and has chaired TSPRA's Scholarship and Bylaws committee in previous years. She has won multiple Gold and Best of Category Star Awards. She was inducted into the Communications Hall of Fame by the City of Laredo Commission for Women in 2010 and has received awards from the Literacy Volunteers of Laredo, United Way of Laredo, Washington's Birthday Celebration Association and Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations in 1999.

2020-2021 New Officers

Posted in About TSPRA

Here are the new TSPRA Executive Committee Officers for 2020-2021 as voted by the members. Their terms will begin Feb. 26.

President-Elect
Veronica Sopher

Veronica has more than 15 years in school public relations experience and has been an active member of TSPRA throughout her time in school PR. She is currently the Chief Communications Officer at Fort Bend ISD. As a member of TSPRA, she has served as Parliamentarian, the VP of Central Texas, Audit Committee member, presenter at TSPRA Conference and more. In addition, she has won numerous Star Awards (Crystal Commendations, Gold, Silver & Bronze Awards) and H-E-B Excellence in Education awards. Her expertise includes crisis management, media management, strategic planning and leadership development. She has been associated with positions in the SPRINT, Central Texas and Houston/Beaumont regions.

North Central Vice President
Megan Overman, CPC

Megan Overman, CPC, serves Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD as their Director of Communications. She had previously worked in Birdville, Keller and Grapevine-Colleyville ISDs. She has chaired the TSPRA Audit Committee and TASA/TASB Resource Center Committee and presented at conference on numerous topics, including the Rookie Bootcamp preconference. She is an active member of the Texas PTA and the Texas Association of School Administrators and serves on the Board of Directors for the Northwest Area Chamber of Commerce in Lake Worth.

Far West Area Vice President
Melissa Martinez, CPC

Melissa Martinez, CPC, is the Chief Communications Officer for El Paso ISD. Martinez brings more than 20 years’ experience in communications, having worked as a journalist throughout the region. She presented at the 2016 Annual Conference in Horseshoe Bay and the 2019 Annual Conference at Hyatt Lost Pines. She is an experienced bilingual communications leader with demonstrated history of strategic messaging, marketing and public relations.

San Antonio Vice President
Kim Cathey

Kim Cathey is the Communications Specialist & PIO for Floresville ISD. During her five-year membership, she has served TSPRA in various capacities, including as a member of the nominating committee for two years, as a conference presenter for two years and SASPRA Zone Coordinator. In 2017, she was honored as TSPRA’s Rookie of the Year. She says, “I am passionate about public education. I am passionate about continual growth. I am passionate about building relationships that foster collaboration.”

Gulf Coast Vice President
Craig Verley

Craig Verley works at Mission CISD as the Director of Public Relations/Marketing. He has served as the Gulf Coast Zone Coordinator, TSPRA Parliamentarian, conference social media chair and on the Teller and Executive Director Evaluation committees and organizes the annual 5K run at the conference. He has won the TSPRA Bright Idea Award twice. He served on the board of the American Red Cross South Texas Chapter for six years.

Houston/Beaumont Vice President
Kim Hocott

Kim Hocott is the Executive Director of Communications for Pearland ISD. She has more than 11 years of communication administration experience and 14 years of classroom experience. Kim has been a presenter at TSPRA Annual Conference and has served at Parliamentarian on the Executive Committee during the 2019-2020 term. She has earned several TSPRA Star Awards in addition to other professional awards in the industry.

At-Large Vice President Place 2
Stephanie De Los Santos

Stephanie De Los Santos is the Director of Client Engagement Harris Country Department of Education in Houston. She has won numerous TSPRA Star Awards, including a Crystal Commendation, and has served TSPRA in several capacities. She served as Zone Coordinator of HASPRA and Nominating Committee Member for two years each, Conference Planning Committee for three years, has presented at several TSPRA Conference and more. Stephanie championed a successful campaign for a $1.2 billion bond and was a co-writer for a $2.2 million grant. Her areas of expertise are marketing/branding and multi-lingual communications.

At-Large Vice President Place 3
Emily Conklin, CPC

Emily Conklin, CPC, is the currently at Highland Park ISD. She has presented at TSPRA Annual Conference for several years and served on various committees, including Conference Planning, Professional Awards, Nominating and Vendor Relations. Emily has several areas of expertise, among them are crisis communication, head of large district communications department, social media and EMP.

To read about our current officers, follow this link: Current Executive Committee

2019-2020 Committees

Posted in About TSPRA

Media Training	Linsae Snider, TSPRA State Office
Accreditation (APR)	Rebecca Villarreal, APR, New Braunfels ISD, Chair Monica Faulkenbery, APR, Northside ISD Candace Ahlfinger, APR, Richardson ISD Tim Carroll, APR, Allen ISD Craig Eichhorn, APR, Alief ISD Veronica Castillon, APR, Laredo ISD Angela Duitch, APR, Tyler ISD Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR, CPC, Pharr-San-Juan Alamo ISD Sheleah Reed, APR, Aldine ISD
Budget	Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President, Northside ISD, Chair Veronica Castillon, APR, President-Elect, Laredo ISD Kristin Zastoupil, Immediate Past President, Forney ISD Rebecca Villarreal, APR, At-Large VP Place 1, New Braunfels ISD Kristyn Cathey, At-Large VP Place 2, Port Arthur ISD Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, CPC, At-Large VP Place 3, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Matt Mitchell, Leander ISD, Audit Chair
Bylaws	Committee not functioning in 2019-2020
Crisis Team Development Ad-Hoc Committee	Patti Pawlik-Perales, Alamo Heights ISD Ian Halperin, Wylie ISD Melissa Tortorici, Texas City ISD Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President, Northside ISD
Executive Director Evaluation	Veronica Castillon, APR, President-Elect, Laredo ISD, Chair Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President, Northside ISD Kristin Zastoupil, Immediate Past President, Forney ISD Amanda Simpson, Coppell ISD Stephanie De Los Santos, HCDE
First Year Communications Academy Planning Committee	Ian Halperin, Wylie ISD Megan Overman, CPC, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Danielle Clark, HCDE Rebecca Villarreal, APR, At-Large VP Place 1, New Braunfels ISD Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President, Northside ISD
Member Review of Financial Records and Procedures	Matt Mitchell, Leander ISD, Chair Cheryal Loosmore, Lake Travis ISD Christina Courson, Lockhart ISD
Nominating	Veronica Castillon, APR, President-Elect, Laredo ISD, Chair
NSPRA Liaison	Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR, CPC, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD
Past Presidents Council	No more than six Past Presidents, five of whom will be appointed by the chair, three to serve two-year terms and two to serve one-year terms. Chair may serve two years but only one year as chair.
Professional Awards	Susan Ard, CPC, Cleveland ISD, Chair Patti Pawlik-Perales, Alamo Heights ISD Julie Thannum, APR, Carroll ISD Cynthia Ybarra Leal, Mission CISD Kate Hope, Magnolia ISD Erin Gregg, Lubbock ISD
Scholarship	Beth Dombrowa, Goose Creek CISD, Chair C Rena Thomas, DeSoto ISD Jana Williamson, Pampa ISD
Star Awards Review Committee	Teresa Benden, College Station EF Christy Tarkington, Humble ISD Amanda Flannery, Dickinson ISD Janet Crock, TSPRA State Office
Strategic Planning	Veronica Castillon, APR, President-Elect, Laredo ISD, Chair Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President-Elect, Northside ISD, Chair Kristin Zastoupil, Immediate Past President, Forney ISD Rebecca Villarreal, APR, At-Large VP Place 1, New Braunfels ISD Kristyn Cathey, At-Large VP Place 2, Port Arthur ISD Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR, CPC, At-Large VP Place 3, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Denise Blanchard, Amarillo ISD Craig Eichhorn, Alief ISD Leslie Francis, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Ofelia Hunter, Alice ISD
TASA/TASB Resource Center	Lauren Loyless, Highland Park ISD
Teller	Liza Rodriguez, Canutillo ISD Clarissa Silva, Texas City ISD Jenny Bridges, Waxahachie ISD
TSPRA Document Vault	Rebecca Villarreal, APR, At-Large VP Place 1, New Braunfels ISD Kristyn Cathey, At-Large VP Place 2, Port Arthur ISD Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR, CPC, At-Large VP Place 3, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD
Website Ad Hoc Committee	Committee not functioning in 2019-2020

CONFERENCE

2020 Annual Conference	Conference Planning Committee Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President, Northside ISD Veronica Castillon, APR, President-Elect, Laredo ISD Kristin Zastoupil, Immediate Past President, Forney ISD Rebecca Villarreal, APR, At-Large VP Place 1, New Braunfels ISD Kristyn Cathey, At-Large VP Place 2, Port Arthur ISD Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR, CPC, At-Large VP Place 3, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD
Co-Chair	Claudia McWhorter, Eanes ISD
Day Chairs	Erin McCann, Crandall ISD Kim Cathey, Floresville ISD Emily Conklin, CPC, Northwest ISD Jordan Ziemer, Ph.D., Floresville ISD
EF Co-Chair	Courtney Sanguinetti, Lindale EF
EMP Co-Chair	Kenneth Dixon, Lubbock ISD Ray Rush, Frenship ISD Charles "Bubba" Willis, Forney ISD Scott JuVette, Fort Worth ISD
Partners Chair	Crystal Matern, Gregory-Portland ISD
Web/Creative Chair	Jessica Johnston, Brenham ISD
Conference Logo	Luisa Saldana, Northside ISD
Conference Program	Luisa Saldana, Northside ISD
Conference T-Shirts	Luisa Saldana, Northside ISD
APR Prep	Rebecca Villarreal, APR, New Braunfels ISD
Rookie Boot Camp	Barry Perez, Northside ISD
Roundtables	Emily Conklin, CPC, Northwest ISD Claudia McWhorter, Eanes ISD
Banquet Decorations	Hanna Chalmers, Angleton ISD
Business Meeting	Monica Faulkenbery, APR, President, Northside ISD Veronica Castillon, APR, President-Elect, Laredo ISD Kristin Zastoupil, Immediate Past President, Forney ISD Kim Hocott, Parliamentarian, Pearland ISD
Evaluations	Jordan Ziemer, Ph.D., Floresville ISD
President's Luncheon	Kristi Lee, Bastrop ISD
Photographer	David Bowe, Hays CISD
Publications Exchange	Claudia McWhorter, Eanes ISD
Registration Desk	Janet Crock, TSPRA Retired Members
Retiree Volunteers	The Usual Suspects
Social Media	Jason Wheeler, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Samuel Alaniz, Medina Valley ISD Brittany Blanchard, Angleton ISD Frankie Sauseda, Lamesa ISD
Sponsorships	Linsae Snider, Executive Director
Technology Concierge	To be determined
Vendor Relations	Stephanie Fretwell, Amarillo ISD

ZONE COORDINATORS

Gulf Coast Zone Coordinator	Lyndall Gathright, Corpus Christi ISD
Houston/Beaumont Zone Coordinator	Stephanie De Los Santos, Harris County Department of Education
East Texas Zone Coordinator	Jessica Johnson, Brnham ISD
North Central Zone Coordinator	Sonya Cole-Hamilton, DeSoto ISD
West Central Zone Coordinator	Jennifer Marshall-Higgins, ESC Region 12
Central Zone Coordinator	Marco Alvarado, Lake Travis ISD
Northwest Zone Coordinator	April McDaniel, Canyon ISD
Far West Zone Coordinator	Gustavo Reveles, El Paso ISD
San Antonio Zone Coordinator	Kim Cathey, Floresville ISD

2019-2020 TSPRA President

Posted in About TSPRA

Monica Faulkenbery, APR

Monica Faulkenbery, APR, is the Assistant Director of Communications at Northside ISD. She has served as San Antonio Area Vice President and an At-Large Vice President, chaired the TSPRA Scholarship Committee, worked as an APR mentor in the San Antonio area and throughout the state, and has been the Chair of the Texas Welcome Committee for the NSPRA National Seminar. She is active in the San Antonio chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and is a frequent guest lecturer at local universities and organizations. She has received TSPRA's Professional Achievement and Most Valuable Member awards, as well as the San Antonio PRSA Lifetime Achievement Award. Monica is a twenty-year veteran of TSPRA.

Click here to read Monica's profile in Texas School Business magazine.

2020-2021 Executive Committee

2020-2021 TSPRA President

Veronica Castillon, APR

2020-2021 New Officers

2019-2020 Committees

ZONE COORDINATORS

2019-2020 TSPRA President

Monica Faulkenbery, APR

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