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The Chamber

2008-2009

2009-2010

Chamber Programs: Leadership Lufkin

Profiles

This year’s Leadership Lufkin class will be graduating 22 class members. Following is the first of a series of profiles on each class member.

2009-2010 Class

	Amanda Anderson Amanda Anderson is representing Angelina Beautiful/Clean in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. Amanda is the Program Manager for Angelina Beautiful/Clean and is responsible for the day-to-day internal operations of the program, as well as coordinating the programs and activities of AB/C. Amanda has lived in Angelina County all her life and she is working toward her degree in Communications at Stephen F. Austin. Amanda serves as a volunteer for Junior Achievement, a Lufkin Landscape Taskforce member, a volunteer/member for Angelina County Vision 2020, a member of the Texas Wildlife Association, and a member of Harmony Hill Baptist Church. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, SCUBA diving, scrapbooking, and spending time with her husband, Mark Anderson.

	Art Bullock Representing First Bank & Trust East Texas in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class is Art Bullock. Art is employed as Vice President of Lending and has recently returned to Lufkin after living at The Woodlands since 1987. He and his wife, Michelle, have one son and in his free time, Art enjoys golfing, hunting, and fishing. Welcome home, Art!

	A.J. Goff A.J. Goff represents Axley & Rode in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. He is a certified public accountant and partner/owner of the accounting firm. He assists in managing the Practice, client development, and is an audit partner in the commercial and utility sector. A.J. is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin with a Masters in Accounting and has lived in Angelina County for seven years. He and his wife, Aby, have a two-year old son Peyton. In his free time, A.J. enjoys playing golf and fishing.

	Ronnie Herrington Also representing Axley & Rode in this year’s class is Ronnie Herrington. Ronnie a Tax Partner at the accounting firm and is responsible for tax planning and compliance for a variety of clients. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with honors and a BBA in Accounting, and currently serves as Treasurer of the Angelina Rotary Club. Ronnie and his wife, Mary, have two children, Hannah (21) and Michael (14). In his free time, Ronnie enjoys spending time with his family, reading, watching movies and traveling.

	Jon Hill Jon Hill represents Angelina County and Cities Health District in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. Jon is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a CDC (Center for Disease Control) Public Health Apprentice with responsibilities including epidemiology, infectious disease surveillance, document creation, public health preparedness, and health education. He was selected out of 512 applicants as one of 8 Texas representatives for the CDC Public Health Apprentice Program. Jon is a graduate of the University of Georgia and has been in Angelina County for almost a year. In his fee time, he enjoys reading, golfing, and playing chess.

	Bobbie Hood Bobbie Hood is representing Terracon Consultants, Inc., in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. She is the Office Manager for the consulting engineering firm, and is responsible for the financial performance of the company, overseeing 14 employees including engineers, technicians, and administrative staff and she is also the primary geotechnical engineer for the Lufkin office. Bobbie is a graduate of Lamar University in Beaumont with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. Bobbie is an active member of ASCE, TSPE, and the Lufkin Rotary. She has lived in Angelina County for five years and loves traveling, gardening, off-road jeep trails and 4-wheeling, snowmobiling, and spending time with her family.

	Dan Jacobs Representing Woodland Heights Medical Center in Leadership Lufkin this year is Dan Jacobs. As Director of Marketing and Physician Relations at Woodland Heights, Dan is responsible for interfacing with the public, businesses, physicians and other hospital stakeholders to ensure access to high-quality healthcare services and wellness programs for the community. Dan is a graduate of the University of Washington and Colorado Technical University and has recently moved to Lufkin from Coastal North Carolina with his wife, Lisa, and three children. In his free time, Dan enjoys sailing, golfing, and mountain biking. Welcome to Lufkin!

	Ken Jones Ken Jones, representing Goodwin-Lasiter, Inc., is a 13-year resident of Angelina County and an architect/owner for Goodwin-Lasiter’s firm of architects, engineers, surveyors, and interior designers. After graduating from the University of Houston with a Bachelors Degree in Architecture, Ken is now a registered architect and is responsible for architectural design, production, and project management. He is an active member of the Lion’s Club, Word of Life Church, and the Lufkin Athletics Youth Baseball. He and his wife, Niecy, have four children—Hannah, Austin, Andrew, and Audrey. When he has free time, Ken enjoys photography and aviation.

	Maria Kassabaum Maria Kassabaum is representing Workforce Solutions in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. She is the Managing Director of Workforce Solutions and responsible for the operations of seven workforce centers. Workforce Solutions provides public workforce services within the 12-county Deep East Texas region. She resides in Diboll and has been in Angelina County for 35 years. Maria started her public career as the first female police officer with the Lufkin Police Department and retired from Texas Workforce Commission. She graduated from Kilgore Police Academy, Angelina College and Stephen F. Austin State University. Maria is a member of the Lufkin Adult Learning, and past member of Quality Tech Force Advisory Committee, Hispanic Advisory Board, and Capital Area, Brazos Valley, and Deep East Texas Workforce Development Boards. Maria is married to Terry Kassabaum, has two sons David and Miguel Garza and two granddaughters, Arianna and Alyssa Garza. In her free time she enjoys fishing, walking, and spending time with granddaughters.

	Darlene Kee Representing Consolidated Communications this year in Leadership Lufkin is Darlene Kee. Darlene is employed by Consolidated Communications as their Human Resources Manager and is responsible for employee & labor relations. Darlene has a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Tarleton State University and has a bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. She has lived in Angelina County all her life, is a member of Harmony Hill Baptist Church, and enjoys scuba diving, gardening and reading in her spare time. She is married to Donnie Kee.

	Jessica Knight Jessica Knight is representing Abeldt’s Gaslight Pharmacy in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. Jessica is the Marketing Director for Abeldt’s and is responsible for coordination and management of sales and marketing activities, promotion of growth and profitability of the business, and public relations. Jessica has always resided in Angelina County and is on the Board of the Healthcare Networking Association and is a Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce Diplomat. Jessica is married to Bobby Knight and they have three sons--Dalton Windham and Jake and Brandon Knight. In her free time, Jessica enjoys scrapbooking, cooking, hunting and fishing.

	Mike Love Mike Love is representing the law firm of Mike Love & Associates in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. Mike is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University and South Texas College of Law. He is a member of Southside Baptist church and participates in community outreach efforts such as the annual community food drive, sponsoring scholarships, and helping to organize hurricane relief efforts. Mike’s law firm is responsible for the July 4th fireworks show at Lufkin’s Ellen Trout Zoo for the past four years. He has lived in Angelina County for 35 years and is married to Kim Love. They have two children—Haley (9) and John (3 months). In his spare time, Mike enjoys flying, boating, 4-wheeling, and off-road driving.

	Caleb McCusker Representing Harmony Products in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class is Caleb McCusker. Caleb is a Manufacturer’s Representative for Harmony Products. He spends the majority of his time in the Houston area providing sales and service to a variety of companies in the oil and gas industry. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. Caleb moved to Angelina County two years ago with his wife, Jeanie Poland McCusker, and their three children—Claire (5), Caleb (3) and Cooper (1). In his spare time, Caleb enjoys Volunteer football, woodworking, and golf.

	Selena Mitchell Selena Mitchell, representing Alexander, Lankford & Hiers, Inc., is a CPA and a partner in the accounting firm. She is a native resident of Angelina County and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. Selena is married to Terry Mitchell and in her free time, she enjoys playing softball, scrapbooking, traveling and spending time with her family. She is a member of Carpenters Way Church.

	Rebecca Osborn Rebecca Osborn is representing the Law Offices of Robert G. Osborn in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and South Texas College of Law and is an attorney for the Law Offices of Robert G. Osborn. Rebecca has lived in Angelina County most of her life and her hobbies are running, traveling, playing the piano, and shopping.

	Armando Salas Armando Salas, representing Lufkin Industries, Inc., is an 11-year resident of Angelina County. Armando is the Wind Energy Manager and is responsible for all operations within Lufkin’s Wind Energy Service Center. He is a graduate of West Texas A&M with a degree in Engineering. Armando and his wife, Aimee, have two children—Griffin (5) and Amanda (2). In his free time, he enjoys golfing, classic car restoration, computers, and spending time with his family.

	Joshua Smith Joshua Smith is representing Administrative Consulting/TexasISD.com in the Leadership Lufkin class. He manages the TexasISD.com website and business operations related to it, as well as the consulting and support for training and legislative work related to public school finance issues. Josh is a 30-year resident of Angelina County and a graduate of Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. He is an active member of Carpenter’s Way Baptist Church and is on the church’s Security Team, is a Sunday School Substitute Teacher, and a member of the Concert of Lights Team. Josh is married to Jennifer Smith and his hobbies include cooking, traveling, RVing, hunting, fishing, geocaching, reading, and home improvement.

	Kevin Smith Representing ServiceMaster Clean in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class is Kevin Smith. He is new to Angelina County and is the Business Development Manager for ServiceMaster, a carpet cleaning and fire and water damage restoration service. Kevin is married to Melanie Smith and in his free time, he enjoys working out and traveling.

	Debbie Squyres Debbie Squyres is representing Zeleskey Law Firm in this year’s Leadership Lufkin class. Debbie is the Operations Director and is responsible for day-to-day operations including implementation of policies, planning and controls, personnel administration, systems and physical facilities, and financial review. Debbie is an active member of the First Christian Church and Junior Achievement Volunteer Board Director. Also, with 3 sons, she has been active in almost every aspect of Boy Scouts of America. Debbie is married to Reggie Squyres and in her free time, she enjoys camping and bird watching.

	Julie Walker Representing Chick-fil-A in this year’s class is Julie Walker. Julie is a long-time resident of Angelina County and is the owner and operator of Chick-fil-A at South Loop Crossing. She is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a BBA in Management and in her career she has received the 1, 2, 3, and 4 Million Dollar Milestone Awards and the Symbol of Success Award. She is an active member of the First United Methodist Church and the Alzheimer’s Association Walk Chairperson for Lufkin. Julie and her husband, George, have two children—Emily (6) and James (8). In her free time she enjoys gardening, photography, and Handbell Choir.

	Stephen Walker Stephen Walker is representing the Law Office of Stephen R. Walker in this year’s class. Stephen is the owner/attorney of his law practice that specializes in civil litigation. He has two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Texas, a Master’s degree from Baylor University, and a law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. Stephen is originally from Austin, Texas. He recently moved to Angelina County with his wife, Hilary Haglund Walker. Stephen is member of Lufkin Host Lion’s Club, a member of the Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas and a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. In his free time, Stephen enjoys bay fishing, dove and deer hunting, sports, music, vacations, and cooking.

	Steve White Representing Regions Bank in this year’s class is Steve White. Steve has recently moved from Fort Worth to Angelina County and is the City President with the responsibility of growing Regions Bank in Lufkin. He is a graduate of University of Texas Arlington and enjoys golfing, running, and fishing in his free time. Steve and his wife, Charity, have three children—Jacklynn (20), Paige (16) and Brooke (13). Welcome to Lufkin!