2023-2024 Board of Directors

  • Becky Steph is a long-time Tyler resident who is thoroughly enjoying retirement after 30 years in Human Resources at Trane Technologies. Becky holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Baylor and a Master of Education degree in Guidance and Counseling from UT Austin. This is her 7th year as board member for the Literacy Council of Tyler. Prior community service experience includes executive and chair assignments for United Way of Smith County and Tyler Business Education Council. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Tyler Class 8. In retirement, Becky is focused on her daughter Kait and her three crazy pups. She enjoys reading, cooking, fitness, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

  • Carolyn retired as the Executive Vice President and CFO for Brookshire Grocery Company, where she also served on the board. She graduated from Texas A&M with a Master's in Accounting. Carolyn is a board member of the Program for Humanitarian Aid and a member of the discipleship team at Marvin United Methodist Church (UMC). She is also a past chairperson for Goodwill Industries of East Texas and a past chair for the administrative council and women’s ministry at Marvin UMC. She has been married for 26 years and enjoys time with her family.

  • Ikey Eason is the Owner & Operator of Chick-fil-A Highland Village, Troup Highway location. He was born and raised in East Texas. Ikey graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler. At the age of sixteen, he began working at Chick-Fil-A as a dishwasher and never left. Ikey is married, with two children and owns a very small dog.

  • Daniel Gamez is a CPA with Gollob Morgan Peddy P.C. and has been there for 10 years. He is active in the community and has been a board member of the Hispanic Professional Association of Tyler, Hispanic Business Alliance, & Keep Tyler Beautiful. Daniel is also an alumnus of Leadership Tyler Class 30. Daniel holds a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Accounting from the University of Texas at Tyler. Daniel is a native East Texan. He and his wife Bethany have been married for 13 years. They are parents to an amazing little girl, Emi. Coming from East Texas, Danny loves the outdoors. Hunting, fishing, and spending time on his family are his favorite things to do.

  • Smittee Root earned her Bachelor’s degree in marketing from UT Tyler and spent the first fifteen years of her career working for a national manufacturing firm. She is a member of LT Class 21. She then served on the Board of Directors, including Board President. In 2017, she was honored to be selected to participate in Leadership Texas. She spent the past eight years as the Executive Director for Leadership Tyler. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, The Women’s Fund of Smith County and Literacy Council of Tyler. Smittee and her husband Brad have four children ages 28 to 19.

  • Cristy Arscott is retired, previously serving as Executive Director with the Smith County Bar Association. She has been a volunteer tutor with LCOT in our GED program, and also serves on the board of Women's Fund of Smith County. Her philanthropic efforts are widespread throughout the county; with leaders in education and law now receiving the Cristy Arscott Liberty Bell Award in her honor.

  • Michelle graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BBA in finance and started a career as a Stockbroker in Dallas. After marrying Tim in 1991, Michelle moved to Tyler. Michelle’s interest in promoting adult and youth education shapes much of her work throughout the city. She has served at Grace Community School, Literacy Council of Tyler, Salvation Army, East Texas Communities Foundation, Bethesda Health Clinic, UT Health Center Foundation, East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Tyler Museum of Arts, and UT Tyler. Michelle’s greatest joy is time with her lovely family.

  • Todd joined Greater Texas Capital Corporation (GTCC) in 2012 and has served as President since 2016. Prior to joining Greater Texas Capital Corporation, Todd spent 6 years as a business consultant serving both small businesses and large corporations in the areas of finance, operations, mergers, and acquisitions, and securing access to capital through Buchanan Advisory. Prior to Buchanan Advisory he spent 17 years in the corporate world in accounting, finance, and operational roles. Todd earned a BA in Accounting from Texas Lutheran College in 1989, passed the Texas CPA exam in 1991 (not licensed). He is active in the community and is involved with several political, civic, and faith-based organizations. He currently serves on the boards of Tyler Economic Development Council, Tyler Business Education Council, Hope Haven, UT Tyler, Soules Business College Advisory Council, and involved with Leadership Tyler (Class 27). Todd has been happily married for 30 years to his wife Carol and are enjoying their empty nest with two out of three grown children off the payroll and one graduating in December. They actively attend and serve at Southern Oaks Baptist Church in Tyler.

  • Dr. D. M. Edwards is a Tyler-based businessman with locations in Tyler, Houston and Odessa, Texas, and Shreveport, Louisiana. He has served as board chair for the Rotary Club of Tyler, Camp Tyler Foundation, East Texas State Fair, and East Texas Baptist University. In 2019 he received the East Texas Philanthropist of the Year award. He has endowed scholarships at Tyler Junior College, UT Tyler, Baylor University, and East Texas Baptist University, with over 40 students on scholarships each semester. Dr. Edwards is also the current board chair for the East Texas Symphony Orchestra Association.

  • Ashley Feistel is the Director of Client Management at Health First. She earned her BBA in Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma and has extensive experience in marketing and healthcare administration. Ashley is an active member of Junior League of Tyler. She and her husband have one daughter.

  • Santana is an Alabama native and Troy University alumna who most recently managed a group of newspapers in Alexander City, Alabama. She moved to East Texas at the end of 2020 to work at M. Roberts Media, where she is now managing editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph and ETX View Magazine. She became a journalist to tell untold stories and be a voice for those without a platform. She loves close-knit communities like Tyler and is looking to become more involved in the community.

  • Bio coming soon.

  • Nathan serves as Vice President and Investment Portfolio Manager for Regions Asset Management in East Texas – covering Tyler, Longview, and Lufkin. He began his banking career in 2002, and has served in roles as a Personal Banker, Treasury Management Officer, Consumer Lender, and Wealth Advisor. He is a 2008 graduate of University of Texas at Tyler. He holds designations as an Accredited Fiduciary Investment Manager (AFIM), Certified Wealth Strategist (CWS), and is currently pursuing the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. He is also certified in Applied Behavioral Finance. He enjoys working with his clients by learning what is most important to them, helping them develop a framework for making financial decisions, and creating the ability for them to focus more on life and less on money. Nathan currently serves as a Board Member for the Literacy Council of Tyler, Junior Achievement of Tyler, and the Tyler Museum of Art. He has previously served at Leadership Tyler and the United Way of Smith County. He and his wife, Cherié, reside in Tyler. He enjoys exercise, being outdoors, cooking, and spending time with Cherié and their two dogs, Fenway and Scout.

  • Pam graduated with a teaching degree from UT Tyler. She taught theatre, speech, and debate at Tyler Lee and All Saints. Pam is married and has two children and five grandchildren.

  • Esmeralda was born and raised in Tyler. She grew up with her parents and two sisters that still live here. She is happily married to her high school sweetheart and they have a 10-year-old son. They enjoy traveling and spending time with loved ones. She has worked in the financial industry for 13 years and she really enjoys being able to help people make financial decisions that are best for them and their families. She has been a manager over the last 4 years and enjoys developing, coaching, and mentoring. She is currently in school pursuing a Psychology degree.

  • Mike grew up in southwestern North Dakota before attending and graduating with a BA in English from St. John’s University in Minnesota. After bumming around the USA, Canada and Mexico for two years, he attended SMU Law School and graduated in 1977. He practiced trial law for 19 years before having a full time mediation practice for 20 years. He retired in 2016. Mike has served on many professional, city, and non-profit boards. He’s happily married and between his wife, Penny, and him they have 5 children and 16 grandchildren.

  • Margaret graduated from UT Austin. Margaret taught English and History until she completed her degree in Library Science and ultimately became a school librarian. Education is still important to her and influences her passions and community service with TJC and other education-focused organizations. She married right out of college and is still married today with two children. Together, they run Citizens First Bank.

  • Candace is the owner of ComproTax Porter-Condry and Opportunitee Prints. She has been a tax professional for over 9 years. She started Opportunitee Prints in 2018. She obtained a Bachelor of Psychology from the UT Tyler. Candace has over 10 years of leadership and management experience in local government. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and very active in her community. Candace’s service includes being a board member for CASA and LCOT, Leadership Tyler Alumni, Catalyst 100 Member, and East Texas Human Needs Network Volunteer.

  • Bonnie Rayford is a community volunteer and a former educator. She is a graduate of Tyler Junior College and UT Tyler. She taught for 17 plus years. She is married to Rick Rayford. They have two daughters and seven grandchildren.

    Bonnie has served on various boards, which include: Discovery Science Place, Smith County Champions for Children and UT Tyler Education and Psychology Advisory Council. She has served on Literacy Council of Tyler board for several years.

  • Sue Saxenmeyer has nearly four decades of marketing, public affairs, and communications experience, and has served both public and private companies including Allied Texas Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank Texas), TCA Cable TV, Inc., and Cox Communications. She is a long-time member of the board of the LCOT and has served on state and national boards of various professional organizations. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska—Omaha, with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism; the School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado; and the University of Texas at Tyler with a Masters of Business Administration degree. Sue was married to A.W. “Bill” Saxenmeyer for 43 years, until his passing in 2016. Their daughter, Julie, lives in Tyler. She is a lifetime gardener, and an avid walker…much to the delight of long-time walking companion, George, a wonderful Shih Tzu rescue.

  • Jim Thompson has been CFO for Cavender's since 1998. He has over 30 years of financial professional experience in public and private company environments. He has worked in retail, wholesale distribution, and public accounting. His experience includes responsibilities over accounting and financial reporting, treasury, risk management, mergers and acquisitions and operations in small and medium sized enterprises. He has an MS in accounting from Texas Tech University and a BS in accounting from State University of New York at Plattsburg.

  • Ebaristo Torres was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but grew up in Tyler. He graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1998 and attended Stephen F. Austin State University where he received his Bachelor's degree in Music. He became the owner of D&N Grocery in 2016. D&N Grocery has been a convenience store and gas station serving Tyler since 1987. Ebb enjoys running a local small business as well as staying involved in the community. Ebb currently serves as the President of the PATH Board of Directors. He also serves on the Red Cross and East Texas Symphony Orchestra boards. During Ebb's free time he enjoys spending time with family, traveling overseas, and taking fun day trips to explore all of what East Texas has to offer.

  • Brent Wallace is currently the Dean of the School of Continuing Studies and Executive Administrator at TJC West. Brent previously served as the Executive Director of the LSUS Division of Continuing Education and Public Service at Louisiana State University Shreveport. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in speech communication from Baylor University and a Master of Business Administration from Dallas Baptist University. During Brent's free time, he enjoys jogging, fishing, and spending time with his wife and children.

  • Ivette was born in Caracas, Venezuela and came to Tyler 16 years ago with her husband and her two young children. She attended the Central University of Venezuela and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Advertising. Her professional experience started at Avon Cosmetics Venezuela in the marketing area and also at PromoEncorp; an Advertising Agency where she worked for several years. Since she started a new life in the US, she has worked in several non-profit organizations such as Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County and Mentoring Alliance, and she also was the Multicultural Marketing Coordinator for Brookshire’s Grocery Company for many years. Since 2020, she works for Fuzion Radio that is part of Encouragement Media Group. Ivette has been married for 31 years and has 2 grown children and 2 grandbabies. She is grateful that God brought them to Tyler, a place she calls "a little piece of heaven," where they have the opportunity to find peace and a new home. They are members of Bethel Bible Hope Church. Ivette loves God, family, friends, serving others, nature, music, and art.

Ex-Officio Members

Ginny Ragland

Mike Starr