Our Members

AARO Members are business and civic leaders with a heart for public service. We are advocates for and from Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.

2024 Board of Directors

  • Jeffrey Richard

    Chair

  • Amy Jones

    Chair Elect

  • Sandy Dochen

    Immediate Past Chair

  • Darrick McGill

    Treasurer

  • Kerry Hall

    Education Committee

  • Tamara Atkinson

    Vision Committee

  • Karen Bondy

    Water Committee

  • Sarah Churchill Llamas

    Health Committee

  • Mark Estrada

    Social Equity Committee

  • Thomas Miranda

    Member Relations Team

  • Laura Huffman

    Transportation Committee

  • Fayruz Benyousef

    At-Large McBee Fellowship Liaison

  • Wade Cooper

    At-Large

  • Marc Rodriguez

    At-Large

  • David Smith

    At-Large

AARO Members

*Associate members were previously Active AARO members who maintain an affiliation with the organization.
Name Title Affiliation
Lissa Adams Owner Lissa Adams Consulting
Scott Alarcon Chief Executive Officer Georgetown Health Foundation
Molly Alexander Founder ITP Consulting
Dave Anderson Director of Land Use Policy Drenner Group
Stacy Armijo Sr. VP - Chief Experience Officer Amplify Credit Union
Tamara Atkinson Chief Executive Officer Workforce Solutions - Capital Area Workforce Board
Mason Ayer Chief Executive Officer Kerby Lane Cafe
Betty Balli Torres Executive Director Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Kyndel Bennett* Chief Executive Officer Cayetano Development, LLC
Jeremiah Bentley Vice President, Marketing and Community Affairs Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Fayruz Benyousef Founder & Principal FBC | Generosity Experts
Karen Bondy General Manager Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority
Kevin Brackmeyer CEO Skillpoint Alliance
Denise Bradley Vice President, Communications & Community Affairs St. David's HealthCare
Rob Bridges Managing Director Marsh Wortham
Jason Buechel CEO Whole Foods
Ed Burger President and CEO St. David's Foundation
Joseph Cajas III CEO/Owner Cajas Digital Agency / Cajas Cleaners
Jon Calvin Chief Executive Officer Lone Star Circle of Care
Amber Carden Managing Director, Private Client Advisor Bank of America Private Bank
Gregory Casas Co-Managing Shareholder Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Emily Chenevert CEO Austin Board of Realtors
Don Christian President and CEO Concordia University Texas
Sarah Churchill Llamas Principal Michael Best Strategies
Rudy Colmenero Partner Vacek, Kiecke & Colmenero
Will Conley Principal American Structurepoint
Wade Cooper Managing Partner Jackson Walker LLP
John-Michael Cortez Head of Government and Community Affairs Google Fiber
Shaun Cranston Senior Vice President and Central Texas Operations Leader Halff Associates
Spencer Cronk Civic Leader
Tim Crowley Regional President, Austin Region Frost
Ashton Cumberbatch Member McGinnis Lochridge
Kelly Damphousse President Texas State University
Susan Dawson President and Executive Director E3 Alliance
Sandy Dochen Civic Leader Civic Leader
Quincy Dunlap President and CEO Austin Area Urban League
Pete Dwyer Owner & President Dwyer Realty Companies
Brenda Eivens City Manager City of Cedar Park
Mark Estrada Superintendent of Schools Lockhart ISD
Scott Flack President Live Oak
Paul Fletcher Chief Executive Officer Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area
Trey Fletcher City Administrator City of West Lake Hills
Cynthia Flores Executive Director Annunciation Maternity Home
Tom Forbes Partner Kemp Smith LLP
Jay Fox President - Austin/Round Rock Region Baylor Scott & White
Karen Friese President K Friese + Associates, Inc.
Montserrat Fuentes President St. Edward's University
John Garrett Founder & CEO Community Impact Newspaper
Steve Goldsmith* Head of Product Integrations Atlassian Foundation
Larry Gonzales Owner Desk 183
Bob Gregory Chaiman & President Texas Disposal Systems
Daniel Guerrero Senior Consultant J.L. Powers and Associates
Beth Guillot Principal, President Fuse Architecture Studio
Jeff Hahn Principal Hahn Public
Jay Hailey Director and Secretary Equidad ATX
Kerry Hall Civic Leader Civic Leader - KH
Tam Hawkins President and CEO Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce
David Hays Regional Vice President, Business Development First American Title
Clarke Heidrick Partner McGinnis Lochridge
Mike Heiligenstein* Civic Leader CIvic Leader
Paul Hilgers* Chief Executive Officer MTM Collaborative, LLC
Debbie Hiott General Manager KUT & KUTX
Nhat Ho President Civilitude
John Howard Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy Dell Technologies
Laura Huffman President & CEO Civic Solutions Partnership
David Huffstutler CEO St. David's HealthCare
Pete Inman* Principal Camino Real Financial Strategies
Rashed Islam Vice President Regional Director HDR Engineering, Inc.
Keith Jackson Senior Vice President HNTB
Bobby Jenkins President ABC Home and Commercial Services
Amy Jones President/CEO O'Connell Robertson
Ron Kessler Principal RonKesslerGroup LLC
Steve Kester Director, State & Local Government Affairs Apple
Ali Khataw President and CEO Encotech Engineering Consultants
Steven Knebel Tax Partner Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP
Perry Lorenz Real Estate Developer Perry Lorenz
Kristin Marcum CEO/Owner Elizabeth Christian Public Relations
Charles Martinez Jr. Dean and Professor, College of Education The University of Texas at Austin
Meagan McCoy Jones President and Chief Operating Officer McCoy's Building Supply
Darrick McGill Regional Vice President Primerica Advisors
Nan McRaven* Public Affairs Consultant McRaven Associates Consulting
Nikelle Meade Partner Husch Blackwell
Monica Medina President & CEO Affordable Central Texas
Abby Mellott Market President & Publisher Austin Business Journal
Leticia Mendoza Director of Marketing & Communications Texas Disposal Systems
Thomas Miranda President & CEO Sparkovation Advisors, Topline Ventures
Janet Mitchell CEO M Group Agency
Terry Mitchell President Momark Development & GroundWork
Amy Mok Founder & CEO Asian American Cultural Center
Pamela Owens CEO Six Square Black Cultural Arts District/Edge of Your Seat Consulting
Luis Patiño Chief Executive Officer Austin PBS - KLRU
Dewitt Peart President and CEO Downtown Austin Alliance
Richard Reddick Associate Dean for Equity, Community Engagement, and Outreach UT Austin
Frank Reilly Partner Potts & Reilly, LLP
Richard Rhodes President Texas A&M Central Texas
Jeffrey Richard Senior Consultant J.L. Powers and Associates
Marc Rodriguez Governmental Relations Consultant The Office of Marc A. Rodriguez
Sergio Rodriguez President and CEO Hector and Gloria Lopez Foundation
Geronimo Rodriguez Jr. Texas Chief Advocacy Officer Ascension Seton
Regina Rogoff Chief Executive Officer People's Community Clinic
Miguel Romano President Seton and Ascension Texas Foundations
Yvette Ruiz VP of Corporate Responsibility JPMorgan Chase
Shubhada Saxena President Aspire to Age
David Smith Cheif Executive Officer United Way for Greater Austin
Ronnye Stidvent Executive Director Center for Women in Law
Leslie Sweet Director of Public Affairs H-E-B
Simone Talma Flowers Executive Director Interfaith Action of Central Texas
Tim Timmerman Chairman Lower Colorado River Authority
Jeff Trigger President La Corsha Hospitality Group
Tyson Tuttle Civic Leader Civic Leader - TT
Doyle Valdez President Valco Resource Management Inc.
Henry Van de Putte President & CEO Meals on Wheels Central Texas
Sari Vatske President & CEO Central Texas Food Bank
Melva Wallace President Huston Tillotson University
Sharon Watkins Owner Chez Zee American Bistro
Michael Whellan Partner Armbrust & Brown, PLLC
Phil Wilson General Manager LCRA
Ellen Wood President and CEO vcfo
Patricia Young Brown Chief Partnerships Officer Design Run Group, LLC
*Associate members were previously Active AARO members who maintain an affiliation with the organization.

Get to Know Us

Meet the staff that makes AARO so spectacular.

Our Staff