Our Leadership

Meet the dedicated team working to support microschool excellence across Texas

Board of Directors

Our board brings together diverse expertise in education, non-profit management, and microschool innovation to guide TxMSAS's mission.

Mike Feinberg

Chairman

Co-founder of KIPP and KIPP Academy Houston. Received honorary doctorates from Yale University (2010) and Duke University (2015). Former Teach For America corps member and 5th grade bilingual teacher in Houston.

Leo Linbeck III

Board Member

President and CEO of Aquinas Companies, LLC. Stanford MBA graduate and lecturer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Former adjunct professor at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business.

Karol Musher

Board Member

Speech-language pathologist at Texas Children's Hospital and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. Educational consultant at St. John's School and founding co-chair of KIPP Houston board.

Dr. Howard Fuller

Board Member

Distinguished Professor of Education and Founder/Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University. Former Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools (1991-1995).

Leadership Team

Our Leadership Team brings together experienced education leaders with deep expertise in school navigation, parent advocacy, and educational innovation.

Colleen Dippel

President

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Families Empowered, a Texas-based nonprofit parent service organization that has provided K-12 school navigation services to over 105K low-income families in Texas. Former public school teacher, 2013 LEE Emerging Political Leadership Fellow, and 2017 Pahara-Aspen Fellowship recipient. Serves on multiple advisory boards including Rice Educational Entrepreneurship Program and Thrive with Autism Charter School.

Deanna Sheaffer

Vice President

More than 25 years of non-profit advancement and development experience, primarily in education. Former Director of Alumni Support for Teach For America's Houston office and Director of Alumni Engagement and Finance at Rice University. MBA from Rice University's Jones Business School and 1991 Teach For America corps member. Previously worked with the Advancement Team at KIPP Houston.

Advisory Council

Our advisory council includes education experts, community leaders, and advocates who provide guidance and expertise to TxMSAS.

Katie Brass

Kathy Britton

Tom Castro

Kristi Chickering

Roberto Contreras

Philip Davidson

Brian Dinerstein

David Doll

Steven Dow

Randa Duncan

J.B. Fairbanks

Checker Finn

Paul Gregory

Shawn Gross

Hugh Guill

Toby Hamilton

Rick Hess

Dave Holmes

Sonny and Jodie Jiles

Ann and Johnny Johnson

Steve Kean

Mush Khan

Steve Klineberg

Carla Knobloch

Sultana Mangalji

Sister Jane Meyer

Lauren Morgan

Ricardo Nazario

Chris Papouras

Bob Peebler

Jeremy Radcliffe

Yandell Rogers

Steve Rosencranz

Ben Samuels

Dwight Scott

Josephine Smith

Shawn Taylor

Benjamin Warren

Donnie Young

Get in Touch

Have questions about TxMSAS or want to learn more about our leadership team? We'd love to hear from you.