Our Board of Directors is devoted to fostering our mission through inclusiveness, capacity support, and student focus. If you are interested to see if you are a good fit for our Board of Directors, learn more here. Click to learn more about each Board Member.
Graduate of Harvard University. Founder of 501(c)3 non-profits: Foundation For Joy and Eco-Texas. Experience gaining grants and working with board members. Poised with previous nonprofit operating experience mixed with fresh legal cases, Jordan has teamed up with us for long-term possibilities focused on legal and strategic growth.
Rebecca SimmonsAssistant Professor at James Madison University (courses taught include: business statistics, operations management and business process management/improvement). Over ten years of professional experience working in process improvement and process design. Experience with higher education service learning. Holder of Six Sigma Black Belt in operational capacity. Rebecca focuses her energy on breaking down the process of connecting with students and building the programs.
Matthew BurnsCFA Charterholder. BS in Business Administration and a BA in Applied Mathematics from The University of California, Berkeley. 10 years of professional investment experience. Matthew is an extensive devil’s advocate and miner of our finances.
Robert BurnsSenior partner at Burns, Anderson, Jury, and Brenner LLP Law Firm. Previously sat on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood and the Citadel Club. Sits on the State Bar of Texas court rules committee. Brings an experienced legal perspective to the table with pinpointed questions on our approach to legally carrying out projects.
Brian has an extensive knowledge of nonprofit organizational structure, budgets, program advancement, documentation requirements, and communication. Instrumental in guiding program growth, evaluation, and grant application structure.
Brad BurnsFocused on chasing his passions, Brad is a constant innovator and a devil’s advocate with a fire fueled by conviction. His collaboration in co-founding Passion Impact has helped propel us forward.
Cynthia is passionate about books and stories, experiential learning, and her mystery shelter mix, Furiosa, or Osa for short. While living in South Africa nearly a decade ago, she spent time volunteering as a teacher’s assistant in an informal settlement. That experience was eye-opening and eventually led to her signing on as a Teach for America corps member in rural Louisiana. Since then, Cynthia has worked for charter, public, virtual, and state run schools in various capacities. Cynthia believes that education, libraries and the great outdoors are society’s great equalizers and that access to all three should be universal. She spends her spare time traveling, hiking throughout the Pacific Northwest with Osa, and volunteering as a member of the county’s library advisory board. Originally from southern California, Cynthia holds degrees from Harvard and Johns Hopkins.