Staff & Leadership

STAFF

Elena Portnaya, DMA

Artistic Coordinator
Artistic Director of The Gurwitz

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eric Miller, MD

Executive Chair
Founder, The Spine Group

Vernon Haney

Chair
Sr. Program Leader, Construction Division HEB Facility Alliance

Adriana Flores

Secretary
Vice President, Alamo Music Center

Crystale Cruz, DO

Cruz Interventional Gastroenterology, LLC

Faisal Khan

Principal and Wealth Advisor, Southwestern Money Management LLC

Carlos Miranda

President, PAC Aviation International, Inc

Kumar Parakala

CEO (North America) – Tabhi + Founder and Chairman – Thriveco

Awilda I. Ramos, MD, FAAP, COL (Ret.)

Pediatrician (New Braunfels, TX), Colonel – U.S. Army Reserve (Ret.)

Fa Winsborough, MA, LPC, NCC, LMA

Founder, Luminous Counseling Center

Kristina Zhao

Culinary Director – DASHI Sichuan Kitchen + Bar, Co-Owner – Sichuan House

BOARD EMERITUS TRUSTEES

GLOBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

General Juan Ayala

Major General (USMC Retired)
Director, Military and Veteran Affairs Department (2015-Present)
City of San Antonio

Francisco G. Cigarroa, MD

Chancellor (2009-14)
University of Texas System

Shahrzad Dowlatshahi

Chief Diplomacy & Protocol Officer
City of San Antonio

The Honorable Charles Gonzalez

Texas State Representative (1999-2013)
U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Phil & Linda Hardberger

First Lady and Mayor (2005-09)
City of San Antonio
Co-Chairs

Maestro Sebastian Lang-Lessing

Music Director Emeritus
San Antonio Symphony

Steve Nivin, PhD

Chief Economist (2002-08)
City of San Antonio

Ron Nirenberg

Mayor (2017-2025)
City of San Antonio

Erika Prosper Nirenberg

First Lady of San Antonio (2017-2025)
Senior Director of Community Insights of H-E-B

Leticia R. Van de Putte, RPh

President of Andrade-Van de Putte & Associates
Former TX State Senator

Lionel Sosa

Marketing & Advertising Executive
Founder of Sosa & Sosa

The Honorable Judge Nelson Wolff

County Judge (2001-2024)
Bexar County

BOARD ALUMNI

John A. Acosta	Luci Harty	Luis Ramos, MD
Mary Frances Agnello	Bess Hieronymus	Marleen Richardson
Dominic Anderson	Bruce E. Houston, JD	Sharon Romer*
Suhail Arastu	Crisarla Houston	Suzanne Rostomian, CPA
Yurii D. Borshch, MD	Mariya Houston, RN	Rachel Ruiz
Jenifer Brown	Anne Johnson	Reema Shroff, JD
Judy Crabb*	Ben Jones	Abbas Selgi
Jaime Len Cooke	Waheeda Kara	Frank Stenger-Castro, JD
Diana A. De La Torre	Bradley Kayser, MD	Sheila Swartzman, MD
Alba M. Diaz	Barbara Lind	Leticia Van de Putte
Susan Dunis	Veronika Liskova	Sujata Venkateswar, CPA
Aspasia Erian	Gustavo Medellin, MD	Rafa J. Veraza, PhD, MPH
Richardson B. Gill, PhD	Analisa Mendiola	Daniel Webster*
Caleb Gonzalez	Gladys Miller	Kimberly S. West, CFRE
Fred Grasso	Kevin Moor	Connie White
Arseni Grokhovski	Sebastian Mora, MD	Mary Ann Winden
Kevin Hall, MD	Jan Puckett, MD	Stan Zebrowski, DDS
Kelly Hamilton	Stephen T. “Tim” Quigley*

*Deceased

Independent Contractors

Audio/Video Production – ArtsDrive™️, Catholic Television of San Antonio, Content on Call, Framework Productions, PR Story Studios, Sound City Productions, Sound Crane Audio, Joey Aleman, Steve Peterson, Marius Perron, Rob Viera
Certified Public Accountants – Erin Lecce, Reed J. Smiley
Curriculum Specialists – Corinna Quintanilla, Kayli Beaver
Grant Writers – Tabitha Dunham
Graphic Design – Coral Díaz
Photographers (In-Kind) – Robert Michaelson, Steve Wheeler
Publicist – Nancy Cook-Monroe
Website Design & Digital Marketing – Dryden Labs, LLC