Board of Directors

Officers

Vidal G. Martinez, Chairman
Vidal is a highly respected international lawyer, speaker and author. He is a partner of Franklin, Cardwell & Jones. Vidal began his career in 1977 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice in Houston. Since 1981, he has been engaged in private practice handling primarily international commercial business transactions and dispute resolution matters, particularly those focused in Latin America where he grew up. Vidal was the chair of the board of directors of the State Bar of Texas in 2001-02. He is the chairman of the Texas Education Reform Caucus, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to promoting public education innovation and improvement.

Jon H. Fleming, Vice Chairman
Jon is Chairman of Shepherd Creek Enterprises, an educational and health care consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and capital formation. His career also includes service as Professor of Psychiatry and Ethics in The University of Texas Medical School at Houston (1971-76 & Adjunct 1976-1984); Executive Director of Health Science Center Relations - The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (1974-76); Professor of Psychology and Human Development and Executive Vice President of Texas Woman's University (1976-78) and Professor of Psychology and President of Texas Wesleyan University from 1978-1984. In 1983, Jon was appointed to the Governor's Select Committee on Public Education resulting in House Bill 72 (Academic - Chair; School Finance; Textbooks; Teaching Profession - Vice Chair and Curricular Reforms - including “No Pass - No Play”). In 2003, he was appointed co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Texas eLearning Initiative, charged with identifying and making recommendations to the Legislature for technology's rapid and effective integration in Texas' schools.

Torrence Robinson , Secretary
Torrence is the Director of Public Affairs for Texas Instrument Inc.  He provides leadership to TI education priorities by promoting quality science, technology engineering and math education programs in Texas public schools and higher education priorities.  He co-founded The Infinity Project, a national program that has created and is delivering a math and science-based engineering curriculum for high school students.  Torrence has served on numerous school district initiatives to improve math instruction and student achievement and directed a technology workforce committee that oversaw a competitive grant program awarding $8.2 million to 29 Texas university departments of engineering and computer science.

David Webb, Treasurer
David is the CFO for Deer Park Independent School District. He is responsible for managing the budget and leads the business office operations. David has served as the CFO for LaPorte ISD, Executive Director for Business & Finance for the Alief ISD, Director of Accounting & Payroll for Pasadena ISD, and Controller/Internal Auditor for Alvin ISD. He has served as the President of the Texas Association of School Business Officials. David is a member of the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Business and Education Coalition.

Board Members

Arthur L. Baird, Fmr. Vice Chairman, Mrs. Baird’s Bakeries, Inc.

Tracy Baskin, President & CEO, Houston READ Commission

Chrissy Borskey, Govt. Relations Manager, Dell, Inc.

Darlene Brown, Director Alternative Certification, University of Texas at El Paso

Gene Buinger, Superintendent, Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District

Tom Burnett, Mgr., Strategic Initiatives, Apple, Inc.

Sally Cain, Former SRR Region VI, U.S. Department of Education

Jonas Chartock, President and CEO, Charter School Policy Institute

Patti Clapp, Vice President Workforce Development, Greater Dallas Chamber

Gayle Fallon, President, Houston Federation of Teachers

John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, Texas High School Project

Jeanne Gerlach, Assoc. Vice President K-16 Init., University of Texas at Arlington

Martha Harris, Director External Affairs, AT&T

Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent, Dallas Independent School District

Mike Hudson, President, National Center for Educational Accountability

Dianne Johnson, President, Houston ISD Board of Trustees

Don McAdams, President, Center for Reform of School Systems

Diane Rath, Commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission

Randle Richardson, President & CEO, Community Education Partners

David Russell, Vice President Extl. Affairs, Verizon

Abe Saavedra, Superintendent, Houston Independent School District

John Sawyer, County School Superintendent, Harris County Dept. of Education

David Thompson, Partner, Bracewell & Giuliani, L.L.P.

Johnny Veselka, Executive Director, Texas Association of School Administrators

Robert Wimpelberg, Dean, College of Education, University of Houston

Justin Yancy, Executive Director, Governor's Business Council

Why We Have Come Together

The Texas Public Education Reform Foundation (TPERF) is a not for profit 501c3 corporation established in 2001. TPERF is committed to planning a long-term strategy for change in public education so that Texas is better prepared for the economic development of the 21st century which will require technological innovation and a highly skilled workforce.

Our mission is to strengthen the Texas public education system through:

Communication and education efforts that build recognition of the importance of a quality PK-16 public education system to economic and workforce development: Our work is premised on the belief that broad public awareness and an understanding of school improvement efforts is critical to helping all students achieve at high levels.

Through interactive statewide forums, we bring together key education stakeholders to discuss and debate the most pressing issues facing our schools and to motivate one another with the sharing of ideas and solutions. We help these stakeholders become better decision makers as they develop and refine strategic school improvement plans.

Serving as a common voice for school improvement efforts, the Foundation collaborates with educators, business leaders and representatives of statewide agencies and associations in the development and delivery of a statewide media message that educates all Texans on the value of education reform.

TPERF believes the components of a successful education system are:

1. high standards in curriculum that clearly define 21st century expectations for student success in school, the workplace and life;

2. an assessment system with diagnostic and comparative capabilities focused on results;

3. an accountability system that measures educators and students on performance with corresponding rewards and sanctions;

4. professional development and continuous learning for teachers and administrators;

5. student success tools and innovative efforts to keep students interested in learning and in the classroom.

Research & Data Publication and Distribution: TPERF is a credible source for education-related data and its interpretation. Our research provides guidance and recommendations to statewide education organizations, educators and policymakers in their efforts to maintain and build on the progress achieved by the education reform movement. Rigorously reviewed data must be gotten into the public domain so that key stakeholders can be aggressive and honest with the data in order to identify strengths, weaknesses and priorities from which to make resource allocation and policy decisions.

Forging partnerships among stakeholders in order to stimulate and support local school improvement initiatives and public-private partnerships: The future of Texas depends on the success of our education system. The responsibility for the continuous improvement of student and school achievement must be shared by educators, business leaders and policymakers. TPERF is a driving force for improved collaboration and communication among these stakeholders as they build and implement a plan to improve public education in Texas.