Board of Directors

Deborah Morin – President of the Board

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Deborah is the co-founder of The Great Springs Project and President of the Board of Directors. She was a past Board President of the Hill Country Foundation and has continued working to preserve local springs and creeks in the Texas Hill Country.

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Dianne Wassenich – Secretary

The former Executive Director of the San Marcos River Foundation (SMRF), which she helped found 33 years ago, Dianne has dedicated her career to the protection of the San Marcos River by preserving recharge zone lands above the San Marcos Springs.

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Kyndel Bennett – Treasurer

A 30-year veteran of the real estate industry who has worked in development, construction, and as a principal in a billion-dollar real estate investment fund, Kyndel is CEO of Cayetano Development, a developer of affordable residential communities throughout the State of Texas.

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Hope Andrade – Member

Hope Andrade has been a successful entrepreneur, business leader, and government official in the state of Texas for more than three decades. Hope has served as Texas’ 107th Secretary of State, Texas Workforce Commissioner, and Texas Department of Transportation Commissioner.

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April Ancira – Member

April Ancira is the VP of Ancira Auto Group and oversees the operations of 12 franchised auto stores. She has San Antonio roots, having attended high school at Saint Mary’s Hall, received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Finance from Trinity University, and her Masters in Business from UTSA. 

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Cindy M. Matula – Member

Cindy recently retired as Managing Director & Central Texas Region Manager for JPMorgan Chase concluding a thirty-three year career with the firm.  She is a 1983 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile & Clothing-Fashion Design and in 1987 earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from UT-Austin. 

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Tom Bacon – Member

With over 30 years of real estate experience, Tom co-founded his current firm, Civicap Partners, in 2018. Civicap targets the workforce housing sector and brings private sector capital and creativity to the space.

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Andrew Sansom – Member

Advisory Board

Anne Ashmun

General Manager of Ashmun101 Ranch LP for ten years, Anne’s environmental volunteer work has been a lifelong passion. Anne has served on The Nature Conservancy (TNC) boards in Texas, North America and Patagonia …

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Ray Brimble

Mike Burke

Mike Burke is the retired CEO of four multi-billion dollar energy corporations, including the Fortune 500 corporation Tesoro Petroleum. He is the Founder of the San Antonio pk-12 regional Education Forum and the San Antonio annual Water Forum.

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Ted Flato

Since founding Lake Flato with David Lake in 1984, Ted Flato has received a reputation for his straight-forward regional designs that leverage each unique site and connect people to the natural environment.

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Phil Hardberger

During his tenure as mayor of San Antonio, Phil Hardberger championed parks as essential to the soul of any city and an important piece of San Antonio’s South Texas natural heritage. With unprecedented vision and leadership, he created a legacy with Phil Hardberger Park.

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Bill Johnson

John Mackey

John Mackey is the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. He was named the 2003 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and one of the top 30 CEOs in 2007 by Barron’s magazine. 

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Les Shephard

Les spent much of his career at Sandia National Laboratories developing technology solutions that address our 21st century energy, water and security challenges in regions of high strategic importance to the United States.

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Lee Walker

Raised in Three Rivers, Texas, Lee Walker graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics graduating Phi Kappa Phi. Lee received the NASA and National Science Foundation funding for his post graduate work in nuclear physics (theoretical cosmic ray research).  

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Bill West

Bill has over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and marketing professional. He has led advertising and brand strategy teams for over 100 clients from small business/start-ups to large regional and national brands. 

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