Young Women’s Preparatory Network (YWPN) announces the appointment of a new chairwoman, Evelyn Henry Miller, and three new members to its board of directors: Christine Breck, Lisa Cooley and Stef Mauler. A nonprofit, YWPN’s mission is to support single-gender, college-preparatory, public education in Texas and beyond, giving young women, many of whom are the first to attend college in their families, the academic and leadership skills to achieve success in college and in life.
According to Lynn McBee, chief executive officer of the Young Women’s Preparatory Network, “Evelyn has been a founding board member and has helped guide the organization from the very beginning and continues to do so because she’s passionate about our mission. We’re also pleased to have Christine, Lisa and Stef join us as their experience, leadership and energy are what the network needs to serve our young women.”
Evelyn Miller is the chief financial officer for TDIndustries, a premier mechanical construction and facility services company. She has more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector, as well as expertise in media and technology. Miller was named 2012’s Outstanding CFO for Midsize Public Companies by D Magazine. She is involved with many charitable organizations and has served on several boards, including eight years on the board of directors of Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. Currently, she also serves on the board of directors for Dallas CASA and DentaQuest. Miller earned her degree from the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.
Christine Breck serves as a managing partner of Longstone Capital Advisors. With more than 25 years of experience in the financial industry, she has worked in high level roles for Source Trading, Bank of New York, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken and the Bank of Darien. In 2008, she founded Texas Wall Street Women (TWSW), a not-for-profit networking and philanthropic group for women in the financial industry in Texas and serves as president. TWSW supports Young Women’s Preparatory Network schools through financial and volunteer contributions. She received a bachelor’s in French from Connecticut College and is a CFA charterholder.
Lisa Cooley is dedicated philanthropist involved in many charitable organizations. A new member of Crystal Charity Ball, she is currently serving as the honorary chair for The Family Place’s Partner’s Card and co-chairing the New Friends New Life luncheon. She has co-chaired of the Children’s Cancer Fund, and has served as honorary chair of both Heroes and Handbags and Housing Crisis Center. She moved to Dallas after graduating from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and she and her husband, Clay, started a car sales business. A mother of three and a dedicated advocate for many organizations, she and Clay have have been involved with many organizations including Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Dallas Women’s Foundation, among others.
Stef Mauler is founder and president of The Mauler Institute, an educational consulting firm that offers support for high school students and their families with planning and transitioning into college. Previously, she served as senior director of Operations Practice and Management for Corporate Executive Board in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, she worked for Lazard Asset Management and the University of Pennsylvania in undergraduate admissions. Mauler graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in economics and international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and received her MBA from Harvard Business School. She also has a certificate in college counseling from the University of California, San Diego.
In addition to Chairwoman Evelyn Henry Miller, the other board members include Matt Adams, Laura Estrada, Margaret Keliher, Barbara D’Auria Lerner, Marion Flores (treasurer) Camie Shelmire, Michele Snyder, Kelly Tacke (past chairwoman) and Michele Vobach. Honorary Directors are Gina Betts and Todd Williams. Each board member serves for three years and is eligible to serve two terms.
About Young Women’s Preparatory Network: Founded in 2002, the Young Women’s Preparatory Network is a nonprofit agency that partners with public school districts in Texas to operate the largest network of all-girls, public, college preparatory schools in the nation. The organization provides funding and other resources to eight Texas schools with more than 4,400* students in 6th through 12th grade. Each YWPN school features a STEM-focused curriculum and is largely attended by economically disadvantaged students. In 2015-2016, the network’s 291 graduates received offers of more than $41.9 million in academic and merit scholarships and have matriculated to 115 different colleges and universities. More information can be found at http://youngwomensprep.org.
*self-reported, Texas Educational Agency numbers to be released in Nov. 2016.
