OUR BOARD

Meet the Houston Health Foundation Board Members.


  • CHAIRMAN | WILLIAM F. BURGE, III

    Mr. Burge is a former Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the Board of Mitsubishi Estate Company Associates, USA. He has experience in commercial and residential real estate development in Houston, Dallas, New York, New Orleans, Atlanta and Los Angeles. He served as Chairman of the Harris County/Houston Sports Authority from 1996 through 2006 and oversaw the development of landmark public projects for both Harris County and the City of Houston. The impressive lists of public projects includes the $300mm Houston Metro Railway System, $450mm Reliant Center NFL Stadium, $200mm Toyota Center NBA Arena and the $215mm Minute Maid Park Baseball Stadium. He currently has a consulting arrangement with Entergy, whose corporate offices Ayrshire built in downtown New Orleans. 


    Mr. Burge currently serves as Chairman of the Grand Parkway Association, as well as Chairman of the Harris County Housing Finance Corporation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Wallis State Bank and formerly served on the Board of Whitney National Bank. He is a Board Member of the West Houston Association, which he formerly chaired, and is also a former Trustee of the University of Houston Foundation. He is also on the Board of the Urban Land Institute Foundation as well as the Narramore Christian Foundation. Mr. Burge is currently on the Texas Bowl Board of Directors. His most recent appointment is as the Chairman of the Board of the Houston Health Foundation, Inc.

  • VICE CHAIR | JONITA REYNOLDS, PH.D

    Dr. Jonita Reynolds affectionately called, Dr. J, is a native Houstonian, and a notable leader in the community. Since December 2004, she has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Gulf Coast Community Services Association, Inc. (GCCSA), the largest Community Action Agency in the state of Texas. With an annual budget of $20 million, 350 full-time employees, 26 Head Start sites and a host of community partners, GCCSA has facilitated the economic independence for Harris County’s most vulnerable populations. She previously served as the Director of Strategic Management and Quality Improvement for the Houston Independent School District. Dr. Reynolds received her Master's and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Houston. 
  • treasurer | Mark zeidman

    Mark Zeidman, a born and bred Houstonian, currently serves as the Vice President and Sponsoring Broker of Friedman Real Estate Houston. He oversees all day-to-day operations of the company’s activities and responsibilities in Texas. Formerly, he served as the Vice President of Acquisitions and the Chief Lending Officer of PrivCap Companies, where he was responsible to select and acquire commercial real estate properties around the Southeastern US to yield a maximum return on investment for investors. Mark has a passion for directly engaging individuals, whether it be by advising clients regarding maximizing returns on their real estate investments or serving real individuals.  Mark received his B.B.A. in Economics from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX and his Master’s Degree in Business from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. 


    Mark has a passion for serving, having participated and led numerous community-oriented groups. He was a board member of the Children’s Museum in Boca Raton and co-founded South Florida Gives Back – a group of young professionals that regularly volunteered in their communities. He has actively participated in Habitat for Humanity as well as in Miracle League, a little league baseball program for special needs children to promote inclusivity and empowerment. Moreover, he served as a member for the Chamber of Commerce for Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach. Currently, he volunteers on two committees for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He would love nothing more than to continue this history of service in his hometown of Houston. 

  • EX-OFFICIO | DIRECTOR, HOUSTON HEALTH DPT.  STEPHEN L. WILLIAMS, M.ED, MPA.

    Mr. Williams joined the City of Houston as the Director of the Houston Health Department (HHD) in June of 2004. He received his Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College, City University New York, a Masters of Education from Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama and his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Social Work from Huntingdon College also in Montgomery, Alabama.


    Mr. Williams serves on several boards of community, professional and civil rights organizations. He is the most recent past president of the Texas Association of Local Health Officials.  HHD is a full service public health department with approximately 1,000 employees

  • ANN MASON

    Ms. Mason is a veteran of the petrochemical industry, having moved to Houston to serve as the Manager of New Business Development with Occidental. She has also worked as a Product Manager with Coca-Cola Co. and as a sales and marketing consultant for Pioneer Chlor-Alkali. Ms. Mason served on the founding board of the Children's Museum of Houston and volunteered with Duchesne Academy and Episcopal High School.

  • ROBERTA BENTLEY

    Roberta is a Medical Science Liaison with 18 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Her previous roles centered on projects aimed at increasing immunization rates in adolescents and adults. Prior to working in the pharmaceutical industry, Roberta was a certified ophthalmic medical technologist and retinal angiographer. Her family owns an optical company and her passion for eye care started early in life. Roberta is passionate about people and forging connections that will make a difference in underserved populations.

  • JOEL SHANNON, JD

    Mr. Shannon has been active in the start up of the Houston Health Foundation's work with the See to Succeed Program. He also served as Vice Chair of the board of El Centro de Corazon, a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Houston's East End. Mr. Shannon has also served on the boards of Crossroads School, Portfolio Residential Services, Essilor Vision Foundation, and Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries. He has served Episcopal High School as Executive Board Chair, Founder, and Trustee. Mr. Shannon was a partner with Andrews Kurth LLP and led the law firm's Commercial Real Estate Group. He is married to Margaret Shannon and has four children and four grandsons. 
  • MARGARET SHANNON, JD

    Ms. Shannon is a retired attorney and oilfield services company executive.  She has served in leadership positions of several Houston not-for-profit organizations in various fields, including health care, women’s leadership, and South Texas College of Law.  She has served on the board of directors of a public Dallas-based oil and gas company.  She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Quanta Services, a public company based in Houston.  Quanta Services is the leading specialty contractor with the largest skilled labor force in North America - providing fully integrated infrastructure solutions for the utility, energy, and communications industries.

  • HEMINA PATEL, MBA, CPA

    Ms. Patel is Director of Contract Administration with Community Health Choice, Inc., a non-profit health insurance company with a service area of Harris and surrounding counties.  Ms. Patel was born in India but identifies Houston as home, where she received a Bachelor’s in Accounting, a Master in Business Administration, and a CPA license. Ms. Patel’s previous experience includes 12 years at the Harris Health System where her last role was as Program Director of Contract Administration.  Ms. Patel also has experience in public accounting. Ms. Patel is an active volunteer with the See to Succeed Program and is a proven leader in contract management, accounting, and finance.

  • JOEY ROMANO

    Joey Romano is President of Local Sun Energy, a renewable energy company that develops, generates, and retails solar powered electricity. With Local Sun, Joey developed Houston's first merchant solar power project and Texas's first community solar program in an area served by retail choice. Prior to founding Local Sun, Joey led an off-grid solar company called Mobile Grid and developed the Mirabeau B at Hyde Park, a sustainable apartment building in Houston. Joey has previously served on the boards of Aurora Picture Show and Nameless Sound

  • SPENCER TILLMAN  

    Spencer Tillman is a sports broadcaster, former NFL player ,journalist, businessman, churchgoer, devoted husband, and father.  Mr. Tillman currently cohosts of KTRK's Houston Texans Inside the Game, a 30-minute weekly post-game recap and analysis program. He has written pieces for the Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronical and the Houston Chronical and others. . In 1999, Tillman joined CBS Sports for College Football Today as well as to cover NCAA Men’s Basketball.

     

    Mr. Tillman’s book, Scoring in the Red Zone, is the basis for his frequent lectures on the topic of youth success and leadership. His work with local Houston area school districts underscores his commitment to this work.  An all- American Running Back for the University of Oklahoma, has started and ended his pro-career with the Houston Oilers and in between played with the San Francisco 49ers, where he won the Super Bowl and served as team captain. Mr. Tillman earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from the University of Oklahoma.  Mr. Tillman possesses an in-depth knowledge of media and broadcasting and demonstrates a commitment to developing leadership capacity in youth.

  • VICTOR RODRIGUEZ, D.D.S, MED

    Dr. Victor Rodriguez has a private practice in general dentistry in the Clear Lake area of Houston, Texas. family and cosmetic dentistry. He is the immediate past president of the Houston Dental Society and currently serves on the Texas Dental Association Board. He is also past president of the University of Texas Dental School Alumni Association. Dr. Rodriguez also served as the president of the Hispanic Dental Association in 2010 and remains an active member of the Board.


    Dr. Rodriguez has been the recipient of numerous service awards from local, state and national dental associations. For the past three years he has been recognized as one of Houston’s top dentists by Houstonian Magazine. Dr. Rodriguez was born and raised on the east side of Houston, Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and received a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the UT Health School of Dentistry in Houston. To pursue his interests in education, he received his Masters of Education from the University of Houston in 2013. Dr. Rodriguez is currently a volunteer clinical assistant professor at UT Health School of Dentistry Houston.  Dr. Rodriguez has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the field of dentistry and consistently advanced access to dental services among Houston’s underserved populations.