Our Board

Lara Leigh Bergoon began serving on the Board of Trustees in 2023. Lara Leigh is the Assistant Head of School at The Joy School and has a passion for supporting families of students with learning differences. She helps parents recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of their child, even as they navigate the challenges that can come from “thinking differently”. Lara Leigh believes that positive supportive school experiences in elementary and middle school can be transformational for struggling students, and are vital in helping all children become confident and resilient adults.

Lara Leigh graduated from Texas A&M University in 1989 and has been at The Joy School for over 20 years. She and her husband, Dirk, have two grown children and two Golden Retrievers. She enjoys cooking, entertaining at home, and tailgating at Aggie football games.

Robert “Rob” Bruce joined the board in 2019.

Since 2017, Rob has served as Rice University Adjunct Professor of Humanities and Dean of the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. As Dean, Rob leads the school’s mission-driven initiatives in offering graduate degrees and certificates, personal and professional development classes and programs, online and hybrid courses, and innovative credential and curricular approaches. Rob also collaborates with Rice schools and departments, Houston industry, local school districts, and national associations to advance educational programs for non-traditional and professional students. Prior to joining Rice University, Rob led continuing and professional studies departments at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The University of Texas at Austin.

Bruce earned a B.A. in English from UT Austin, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Texas A&M University. His teaching interests include American satireand 19th and 20th century dark humor. He is President-Elect for the 15,000-member international University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA). He is also a member of the Inprint Houston Advisory Council, the Center for Houston’s Future Advisory Council, and the Greater Houston Partnership Public Education Committee.

Rob and his wife, Gretchen, have three children, Jake (Trinity University graduate), Finn (Trinity University) and Lily (University of Florida)

Melissa Coleman, an emeritus member and past Board chair, began serving on the Board of Trustees in 2008, chairing the Audit and Risk committee. She currently leads Geoscience, Exploration and Technology for ConocoPhillips, and is active in promoting women’s professional development opportunities in the energy industries. She also supports community outreach efforts to develop an early appreciation for science. Melissa was a Post Oak parent since 2003, and has two daughters who graduated from Post Oak Middle School in 2011 and 2016. 

The Post Oak School has reinforced my children's love of learning, something I value highly, and expect they will carry this with them and benefit throughout their lives. It is an honor to be able to support the school in any way, and serving on the Board of Trustees is a great opportunity to demonstrate support to this great educational environment.

TJ Farnsworth began serving on the Board in 2022. TJ is the Founder and CEO of Inception Fertility™, the largest provider of comprehensive fertility clinics and services in North America. After a two-year infertility journey left Mr. Farnsworth and his wife frustrated with the process, he created Inception to put compassionate patient care at the center of fertility treatment. Inception and its family of brands expand access to different types of fertility care while leading innovations in reproductive science.

Prior to Inception, Mr. Farnsworth founded SightLine Health in 2005, one of the largest providers of radiation oncology services in the U.S. In 2010, SightLine was named the fastest-growing company in Houston by the Houston Business Journal and the fourth fastest-growing healthcare company in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine.

Mr. Farnsworth sits on the board of directors of CureDuchenne, a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Mr. Farnsworth was named one of Houston’s 40 under 40 in 2011 and was awarded the 2014 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Healthcare award.

Adam Forman, an emeritus member, began serving on the Board of Trustees in 2008, and has been a Post Oak parent since 2004. He is a deputy general counsel at Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. He and his wife have two boys, one in in Middle School and the other in High School at Post Oak.

My wife and I love this school and the qualities that it develops in children. I believe it is extremely rare to find an educational institution like Post Oak that consistently produces interested and independent young people. I am grateful to be a part of the Post Oak community.

Melanie Gray, an emeritus member, was elected to  the Board of Trustees in  1999. She served for seven years on the Board of Trustees, and has been a Post Oak parent since 1991. She practiced law for almost 40 years, specializing in complex commercial and bankruptcy cases. She has also served on the boards of Syracuse University, Syracuse University College of Law, Greater Houston Community Foundation, Performing Arts Houston, Legacy Community Health Services Endowment, and the local and national boards of Girls Inc. All three of Melanie's children graduated from Post Oak's Middle School.

This school deserves substantial credit for the outstanding character I believe my children have. I want to be sure this jewel is available to Houston families for generations to come.

Vean Gregg joined the Board of Trustees in 2014 and is serving as the current Board chair through completion of the 2020–2021 school year. He and his wife, Jessica, live in Houston and have two daughters in high school, Carly and Josey, who have attended The Post Oak School since Primary.

Vean is managing partner of Local Capital Partners where he collaborates with private companies that have strategic or tactical opportunities to invest capital and create value. Previously, he has 18 years of experience with J.P. Morgan Securities, most recently as Managing Director and Group Head, North American Oil and Gas Investment Banking where he completed M&A and capital raising projects with public and private companies across the energy sector. Prior to banking, he has three years of international experience in strategic planning with Bellezza Club International, a manufacturing and merchandise trading company in Tokyo, Japan, working on business development projects in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Since 2014, Vean has been on the board at Approach Resources Inc., a publicly traded independent exploration and production company, where he serves as lead independent director, chairman of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Besides The Post Oak School, he also serves on the boards of The Woods Project and The Center for Houston’s Future.

Vean has a MIM from Thunderbird—The American Graduate School of International Management and a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Bob Harvey is an emeritus member who began serving on the Board of Trustees in 2002. He chaired the Board at the time the decision was made to open the high school.  He and his wife, Vicki, were Post Oak parents from 1993 through 2008. Bob recently retired as President and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership.  He is Chair Elect of the Greater Houston Community Foundation and serves on the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research Advisory Board.

Maura Joyce came to Post Oak in 2016 after serving as head of school at Montessori in Redlands (California) for 16 years. She holds AMI diplomas at both the Primary (3–6) and Elementary (6–12) levels, a master's degree in education from Loyola College, and a bachelor's degree from Boston College. Maura has ten years of classroom teaching experience at the elementary and adolescent levels. She has been a featured presenter for both AMI/USA and NAMTA and has also lectured at various Montessori schools and training centers around the country and has been an examiner for AMI. Maura served on the Board of the Montessori Administrators Association for eight years. She completed a three-year term (2020-2023) as a member of the ISAS Standards Committee, serving as Chair from March 2022 through June 2023, and has accepted a role on the ISAS Board through 2026. A native of New York, Maura came to Houston with her husband, Roberto, and son, Francesco, a Post Oak alum who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University in Forth Worth in May 2024. 

Susanna Kartye began serving on the Board in 2022. Susanna founded the Sarrazin Group following her tenure as a development director with a privately-held global real estate company. She has managed the delivery of over two million square feet of commercial and medical office space for major nonprofit and corporate clients and investors, in addition to serving in business development and asset management roles.

Susanna is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Texas and a LEED Accredited Professional for both the BD+C and LEED for Homes rating systems. She holds both BA and MA degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and serves on the boards of the Astrodome Conservancy and Covenant House Texas. She and her husband are proud parents of a member of the Post Oak class of 2031.

Lloyd Kirchner joined Piping Technology & Products in 2024 and is the most senior operating executive at the Company. .  Since 2014, Lloyd has held various executive positions in Engineering, Operations, Business Development, Safety and Quality.

Formerly, Lloyd was an Officer at Zachry Group  where he held various executive positions in Engineering, Operations, Business Development, Safety and Quality.  Prior to Zachry Group, Lloyd served as President and CEO of Commonwealth Engineering and Construction, where he also held executive positions in Operations, Sales, Marketing and Commercial Management. Lloyd joined Zachry Group through the acquisition of Commonwealth.  Prior to Commonwealth, he was a founding employee of Capstone Turbine Corporation and held various executive positions in Engineering, Supply Management, Manufacturing and Product Development.  Lloyd started his career with Amoco Corporation working in all three business units:  Exploration & Production, Refining and Chemicals.
 
Lloyd received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Post Oak School in Houston, the Baylor College of Medicine and Mercury Chamber Orchestra.  Previously, he was elected to the Executive Board of the Engineering and Construction Contracting (ECC) Association for 10 years, where he served in various leadership roles, including Board Chair. 

Lloyd is an avid automotive and boating enthusiast who enjoys competing in athletic endurance events.

Judy Le is CEO of TakeRoot, LLC, a leadership and team development company. She also teaches at Rice University’s Glasscock School and the American Leadership Forum. She serves on the board of Girls, Inc. of Greater Houston, EMERGE Fellowship, and on the advisory boards of the Young Center and Asia Society. Judy earned her master’s degree at The University of Texas and her bachelor’s degree at Rice University. Don and Judy have two kids at Post Oak and one adopted son in college. She enjoys gathering people in her kitchen, embarrassing her kids with bad puns, and snuggling with her charismatic dog Harvey (otherwise known as “Mom’s favorite child”).

“Post Oak is special in its approach to developing the whole child. In so much of my work, I see the biggest struggle people have is not in increasing knowledge, but in inter and intrapersonal development. I love how my kids are accountable to how they show up in community. I am grateful for how the school values independence, collaboration, and service.”

Gabriel Loperena is a Partner at Porter Hedges LLP.  His practice focuses on corporate governance and general corporate and finance matters.  He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.A. from Harvard College.  Gabriel was elected to the Post Oak Board in 2019 and is the proud father of two children in lower elementary who have attended Post Oak since YCC.  He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Grand Opera. 

Pat Mitchell, an emeritus trustee, joined the Post Oak Board in  1999. She served for six years with two years as board chair. As an emeritus trustee, Pat has chaired the head support and evaluation committee, and assisted in research to assess learning agility of Montessori students. Pat has a B.A. from Rosement College, an M.A. in Organization Development from Antioch University, and executive education certificates from Harvard Business School. She retired from her position as senior vice president of Texas Medical Center in 2013, and currently serves on the board of a medical center institution, the San Jose Clinic. Pat’s daughter graduated from the Post Oak Middle School in 1997 and completed her B.S. at Austin College and M.S. at Stanford University in computer science. Her daughter is currently pursuing a Master’s in Divinity.  

I joined the Board after Sara graduated; I felt it was a way to give back to The Post Oak School. We had received so much from the school, and I wanted to be sure Post Oak would be here to serve many future generations.

Jennifer Norten joined the Post Oak Community in 2004 when her family relocated from North Carolina to Houston for her husband’s employment at MD Anderson. Her daughter, Megan, attended Post Oak through 8th grade, and Emily was a “lifer”, starting in primary and graduating from the high school in 2020. Jennifer will be eternally grateful for the Post Oak Community.  It was here that she found a warm group of intelligent and like-minded friends in a new city.  While the girls were enrolled, Jennifer was active in the school serving as a room parent, volunteering through POPA and utilizing her musical/theater talents to help launch and direct the Post Oak children’s opera experience.  Professionally, Jennifer completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology at Northwestern University and Ph.D. at UNC, Chapel Hill.  She has worked in hospital settings, university counseling and private practice as a clinical psychologist.  Jennifer is acutely aware of the pressures facing modern families and children, particularly with the lingering impact of the pandemic.  She is honored to join the board and bring her expertise in mental health to help guide the community in strategic decision making that incorporates consideration of the whole person.

Oscar Parada began serving on the Board in 2022. He has been a Houston resident since 2008, and has two daughters who are current students at Post Oak. He has worked in various areas with Chevron since 2012, and currently focuses on products. He earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Javeriana, Colombia, and an MBS from University of New Orleans. His hobbies include cycling, hiking, tennis, reading, and travel. Fun fact: Oscar has visited twenty-one countries.

Damon Putman currently serves as a Managing Director and Senior Investment Analyst covering public and private companies in both the traditional and transition energy sectors at Silver Point Finance, the private capital solutions arm of Silver Point Capital, L.P.  Prior to Silver Point, in 2013 he co-founded the energy investment team at Angelo Gordon serving as Managing Director and member of the energy investment committee.  Before joining Angelo Gordon, Damon was CFO of Torch Energy Advisors, a private energy company with investments in the upstream, midstream, and renewable energy sectors, and served as a member of its executive committee.  Early in his career he worked in energy investment and commercial banking.  Throughout his career, Damon has held board positions across several public and private energy companies.  Damon and his wife, an alumna of the school and former POPA chair, have two children at Post Oak.  Damon holds a B.B.A. degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.  

Whitney Walsh joined the Post Oak community in 2005 when her oldest daughter joined the Young Child Community.  Her two sons followed in 2007 and 2011.  Years later, she has fully engaged in the school through volunteering as POPA Dinner Co-Chairman, Annual Fund Class Captain, Starstruck Gala Chairman (2014) and POPA Co-Chairman (2015-2017).  Whitney joined the Post Oak Board in 2017 as the Chairman of the Development Committee. She is currently serving as Board Chair through 2025.  Whitney is from Houston, attended The Kinkaid School before graduating from Duchesne Academy in 1992.  She earned a BA in Organizational Communication with a minor in Spanish from The University of Oklahoma. She worked in Public Relations for Neiman Marcus and in Development for Rice University before becoming a full-time community volunteer.  Whitney has been very active in The Junior League of Houston and The Woods Project; she currently serves on the KIPP Texas Houston Advisory Board and the Glasscock School of Continuing Education at Rice University.  Whitney and her husband, Marc, are proud parents to Sutton (Post Oak Class of 2022, attending Rice University), Andy (Post Oak Class of 2023, attending The University of Oklahoma) and Quinn (8th grader at Post Oak). 

Manual "Manolo" Sánchez is a director at Fannie Mae (FNM), Stewart Information Systems (STC) and BECU after having served as chair & CEO of BBVA Compass for 10 years.  At Rice University’s Jones School of Business, he teaches disruption in financial services with a focus on crypto currencies and blockchain.  Manolo is an advisor to several fintech and blockchain start ups.
His banking career at BBVA, spanned over 27 years, with positions in the US, Mexico, France and Spain, and executive roles in risk management, real estate, correspondent, corporate and investment banking.  
Manolo has served as a director of OnDeck Capital (ONDK purchased by Enova in October 2020), BanCoppel Mexico, the American Bankers Association, the Institute of International Bankers, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Financial Services Roundtable and BITS (the technology policy division of FSR).  He is currently a trustee at the Center for Houston’s Future.
Manolo has volunteered extensively in the communities where he has worked, with a focus on education, health, and the arts.  He is an emeritus trustee and past chair of the Post Oak Montessori School board, as well as a director of Good Reason Houston, KIPP Texas, Brighter Bites and Texas Children’s Hospital.  He is a past director of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the Houston Grand Opera and the Houston Symphony. 
A graduate of Yale University, Manolo earned master’s degrees in international relations from the London School of Economics and in advanced European economics from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. 
A native of Murcia, Spain, Manolo first came to the US as high school exchange student. In addition to English and Spanish, he speaks French, German and Arabic. A naturalized US citizen, Manolo and his wife Daniela are the parents of three teenagers at Post Oak School, where they have been schooled for over a decade.

What my wife and I love about The Post Oak School and the Montessori model is their holistic approach on children's education. We see how teachers live by that vision and we are grateful that they focus on the many facets of the children's development.

Troy Thacker began serving on the Board in 2022. Troy Thacker co-founded Ara in 2017, co-heads the firm alongside Charles Cherington and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Troy has been investing in or serving as Chief Executive Officer of sustainable, impact-oriented businesses for over 25 years. He has led over 30 private equity transactions spanning the 1990s to today in the environmental, industrial, software, renewable and conventional energy and insurance industries. In addition, Troy spent eight years leading, growing and building businesses in the recycling, environmental services and safety industries, generating exceptional returns for investors. 

Prior to co-founding Ara, Troy served as the Chief Executive Officer of Total Safety, Inc., an international worker safety solutions company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. Total Safety has approximately 4,000 employees, over 150 locations and serves multinational industrial, energy and process industry customers in more than 26 countries. From 2010 until 2013, Troy served as President and Chief Executive Officer of R360 Environmental Solutions, Inc., a leading recycling and environmental services business, which he sold for $1.4 billion to Waste Connections, Inc. in 2012. He was also a founding partner of Paine & Partners, LLC, (now known as Paine Schwartz Partners), a generalist private equity firm that together with its predecessors, managed in excess of $3 billion in equity capital across three institutional funds and based in San Francisco, CA. 

Troy holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Rice University and attended Harvard Business School to play rugby and get an MBA. Troy sits on the Council of Overseers of Jones Business School at Rice University and serves as a director of the Hermann Park Conservancy. He is married, has three children and in his free time can be found on a paddleboard in the Gulf of Mexico watching sea turtles and fishing plastic out of the ocean. 

Sabina Walia and her husband, Mani, joined The Post Oak School community in 2014 when they enrolled their first child in a YCC classroom and currently have three kids at the Bissonnet Campus.  Sabina is a Partner at CBL Energy Law PLLC, a boutique law firm focused on the federal regulation of natural gas and liquids pipelines.  She received a BA in Psychology from Rice University and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. 

Sabina’s first exposure to the Montessori method was her own education, which started in a Montessori primary classroom in Yokohama, Japan.  She is thrilled that her kids have been able to receive the same Montessori foundation at The Post Oak School.  Over the last decade, Sabina and Mani have appreciated not only the exemplary education provided by the school, but also how the shared values of mutual respect and personal agency reinforced by the community of teachers, staff, parents, and students have contributed to the personal development of their children.

Sabina joined the Board of Trustees in 2023.

Alison Wong is a trial consultant with Salmons Consulting. She has published articles on gender in the courtroom, the use of juror psychology in jury selection, and patent litigation in the Eastern District of Texas. Alison and her husband have two children at Post Oak and she is also an alumna of the school, having attended through Elementary. She went on to attend St. John's School, Southwestern University, where she received a BA in psychology and sociology, and then The University of Texas School of Law, where she earned her JD. She served as co-chair of the Post Oak Parents Association (POPA) before joining the Board in 2016.

Jordan and Christi are proud Post Oak parents and passionate about the school’s positive impact on its students and community. Jordan is also Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at ChampionX, a global leader in chemistry solutions, artificial lift systems, and highly engineered equipment and technologies that help companies drill for and produce oil and gas safely, efficiently, and sustainably around the world.  Before joining ChampionX, Jordan spent nearly 14 years at GE, where he served in HR leadership roles in multiple divisions while based in the U.S., Turkey, Italy, and the U.K. Jordan began his Human Resources career at Rotorex International and later progressed into leadership roles at Graham Packaging Company and Monsanto. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in industrial relations (MSIR) from West Virginia University, where he now serves on the university’s John Chambers College of Business & Economics MSIR Advisory Council and leads an annual practicum with its graduate students.

Alan and Anita Ying and their three children joined the Post Oak community in 2008.  Alan joined the Board and was involved in the creation of the Museum District Campus and the transition from John Long (prior Head of School) to Maura Joyce.  Sydney ('20) and Emory ('22) graduated from The Post Oak High School to attend Rice University and Haverford College, respectively.  Cooper graduated from middle school in ‘22.  Alan served three terms as a Trustee and is currently an Emeritus member of the Board.  Alan has been Chairman, CEO, Director, and investor of various businesses for over 20 years, and is on the Board of KIPP Houston.  Anita is a physician executive at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  Anita’s family is native to Houston; Alan is from Cleveland, OH, and got here as soon as he could.