Meet the nominees for the 2018-2019 PTO Board. Voting will take place at the monthly PTO meeting on Thursday, May 3rd at 6:30.
President
Michelle Williams
My name is Michelle Williams, and this picture right here is why I love being involved in PTO. My husband Jason and I just celebrated 17 years of marriage and together we are raising three amazing children. Our oldest daughter, Janicka is 22 and currently working on her Accounting degree at University of Houston Clear Lake. Our son, Bryce just turned 15 and will be a Freshman at Shadow Creek High School this next school year. Alexis, our youngest daughter is currently a third grader at Glenn York Elementary. I have been involved in PTO and PTA since our oldest was in Kindergarten.
I currently serve as the Treasurer for GYE and have very much enjoyed this year! As PTO Treasurer, not only was I responsible for day-to-day finance, I also worked diligently to update our financial reports with the State Comptroller and the IRS, reinstating our non-profit status, which was suspended for reports not having been filed in previous years. My family was a sponsor for the carnival, and I was responsible for raising $2500, along with my team. Unless I had a sick kiddo, I was at every event. When you are part of a team, title means nothing. I think it’s safe to say that each of us played all roles at some point during our term.
In preparing to write my bio, I was told to list things I do outside of PTO. This is hard for me because I do these things just because I love to help others. However, I will share a few little things I do to show my appreciation throughout the year. I have made ice bags for the nurse for four years, and this year I started helping with Box Tops program, which means I go through each box top donated to check expiration dates and make sure no information has been cut off. Once I have done so, I count them out and mail them off. The school receives 10 cents per box top so please send yours in. I helped several people within the school privately after Harvey. I volunteer to help teachers with whatever they need, and I bring them lunch as often as I can. Honestly, there is not much I won’t do for Glenn York Elementary. This year was extra special for me because Glenn York Elementary chose me as Volunteer of the Year!
As for outside of GYE, my family is part of the 5pMinus Society, which is a world-wide connection for families who have children with Cri-du-Chat syndrome. Cri-du-Chat is a genetic disorder which affects the #5 Chromosome. I am very active in my son’s school as well. He attends a school for children with learning differences. I hope to be just as active as he reenters public school in high school. I volunteer and help as much as I can with other non-profit organizations like SoléAna Stables and Kyle Academy for Autism.
My vision as President would be to get parents, staff and the community more involved and excited about PTO and to host a variety of events that are fun for families and students and that raise a lot of money, so we don’t have to do other fundraisers throughout the year. Better communication will be key in obtaining these goals. Thank you for supporting your school’s PTO and for your nominations.
Vice President
Nicole McLeod
My name is Nicole McLeod and I have a son entering 2nd grade in the Fall, and I also have 1.5 year-old daughter that will also be a Ranger in the near future. I have had the pleasure of serving as the 2017-2018 Vice President of York’s PTO as well as heading over the event planning. We had a great team this past year, and I believe that we met our goal of striving to make change and improvements to York’s PTO. There is still room to improve and streamline to make PTO awesome again for the 2018-2019 school year!
I also work as a part-time Pediatric Physical Therapist at a major trauma hospital in the Medical Center, in which, I have been there on staff for 14.5 years. On my spare time, I enjoy scrapbooking, crafting, cooking, exercising, reading, and traveling. If I wasn’t a physical therapist I’d be an event planner, home organizer, and/or travel planner.
I believe that it is very important as a parent to be involved in the school to enhance the education of our children. My family is very supportive of my volunteer efforts and I thank them for allowing me to serve my community.
Secretary
Caroline Serna
My name is Caroline Serna and I am the mother of 2 York students, Isabella and Natalia who are wrapping up 3rd and 1st grade this year. Both of my girls have been at Glenn York since kindergarten and we are happy to be part of the York family and to share our time to support our school.
I served as PTO secretary for the 2017-2018 school year and am seeking re-election for the 2018-2019 school year. As secretary, I have been busy this past year trying to better communication with York families about PTO events. I implemented the York PTO website, maintain the PTO Facebook page, and began using email blasts and text message reminders as means of communications. I also started a member database to maintain information regarding memberships that can easily be passed along from year to year as new PTO boards form. While we have made progress in communication this last year, we’ve also learned a lot and there is more work to be done. It is my goal in the next year to streamline communications, to implement better communication procedures between the GYE PTO and the GYE staff, to publish a monthly newsletter consistently to be distributed to all students, and to find ways to reach those families we aren’t reaching to get them excited about and involved in the PTO. In addition to communications, I also assisted in organizing and volunteering at all the PTO events this past year, as well as developing meeting agendas, PowerPoint presentations and keeping the minutes for the meetings. The role of secretary is a big one, and I am excited to potentially have a co-secretary next year.
In addition to spending time with my family, and supporting the PTO, I am also the co-owner of Creative Edge Art Studio. Owning my own business gives me the flexibility to be available to the PTO when I need to be. I have relationships with other business owners which is valuable when it comes to PTO sponsorships and fundraising. I also have the insight and vision for how to structure the PTO to run more like a business and utilize tools and technology to get us better organized and to market ourselves. Creative Edge Art Studio was Community Partner of the year this school year for Glenn York Elementary, volunteering time, and resources as well as being a Ranger General level sponsor of the PTO.
Prior to opening Creative Edge, I worked as a project manager for an architecture firm. I was managing over 20 projects at a time with multiple teams and clients. I was responsible for developing the project budgets and schedules, as well as managing the project team, consisting of co-workers, consultants, contractors, and the client. I delivered multi-million dollar construction projects on time and in budget. I also was also responsible for billing, keeping minute notes, and leading weekly meetings.
I am looking forward to taking the knowledge I gained this last year as secretary and using it to improve upon things in the next year.
Co-Secretary
Deidre Mears
My name is Deidre Mears, and I would love the opportunity to serve as Co-Secretary for Glenn York Elementary PTO. I’m the proud mom of two girls, both at Glenn York Elementary, one currently in third grade and the other in Pre-K. My husband Ed is greatly involved in the community, and we love living here. We brought our family to Pearland in 2015 and plan to stay here, with the many opportunities the Houston area offers.
I was active this year as a PTO member, and I helped secure several monetary sponsorships for the Spring Carnival, as well as participants in the fall Trunk-or-Treat (our family was one!). I attended nearly all PTO events and meetings and helped sell tickets at the Spring Carnival.
I loved working for over fifteen years in public libraries as a librarian (and library assistant prior to earning my Masters in Library Science), working with all ages. Library work is more about PEOPLE than books, if you can believe! I am currently staying at home and would love to have the opportunity to use my skills and to be of service. I have created and maintained websites and social media presences for the public libraries where I’ve worked. I’m a thorough minute taker, which is what I would do in the secretary’s absence, and I would love to assist him/her above and beyond my job description. I also don’t shy away from asking people for money, which I often did in my professional positions.
I believe we have much to exploit when it comes to our online presence and communications, which has greatly improved this year. I also enjoy speaking with people face-to-face and would love to represent the PTO at school events and get more people involved! I think this is key to our continued success, and it’s an ongoing struggle with any organization. I speak Spanish, which may be useful in communicating with some family members.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my skills and help Glenn York Elementary PTO continue to succeed.
Co-Treasurer
Nicole McLeod
My name is Nicole McLeod and I have a son entering 2nd grade in the Fall, and I also have 1.5 year-old daughter that will also be a Ranger in the near future. I have had the pleasure of serving as the 2017-2018 Vice President of York’s PTO as well as heading over the event planning. We had a great team this past year, and I believe that we met our goal of striving to make change and improvements to York’s PTO. There is still room to improve and streamline to make PTO awesome again for the 2018-2019 school year!
I also work as a part-time Pediatric Physical Therapist at a major trauma hospital in the Medical Center, in which, I have been there on staff for 14.5 years. On my spare time, I enjoy scrapbooking, crafting, cooking, exercising, reading, and traveling. If I wasn’t a physical therapist I’d be an event planner, home organizer, and/or travel planner.
I believe that it is very important as a parent to be involved in the school to enhance the education of our children. My family is very supportive of my volunteer efforts and I thank them for allowing me to serve my community.
Member Rep
Candice Wooley
I have been happily married to my Husband, Columbus Wooley for 12 years. We have an 8-year-old Son named Chase Wooley who currently attends GYE in the 2nd grade. We’ve resided in the Shadow Creek Ranch community since February of 2017 and have lived in the Pearland Community for more than 10 years. We thoroughly enjoy residing in Pearland. I am seeking the Member Representative position because I enjoy being active in my Son’s school, local community, and representing the general members of the PTO. I graduated from the University of Houston with a BS in Consumer Science & Merchandising. Consumer science is a social discipline that focuses on interaction between people and the environment. This will be my 2nd year serving as a member representative. I look forward to another year of working closely with such a dynamic group of Women. I will continue to encourage interaction between our families and school by supporting the GYE teachers, staff, and the community at large in effort to improve our Children’s educational experience!
Lauren Stockard
My name is Lauren Stockard and I’m the proud mom of two girls – Skye, who will be in 5th grade next year, and Savannah, who will be in Kindergarten next year at Glenn York. We are very new to the Pearland area and live in Southern Trails. We love the area and our new school – Glenn York!
My husband and I own a Marketing company and work with clients throughout Texas to help them get more business online. While I am a busy business owner, I try to be very supportive of our children and am looking forward to being involved in the PTO at Glenn York.
I have been on PTA’s and PTO’s since Skye was in Kindergarten and have planned and organized many school events, including school carnivals, teacher appreciation and membership drives. I have served in several volunteer roles including Membership and President of a former PTA.
I am very eager to jump right in and help support the PTO as a Member Representative. I know that my skills and background will serve your PTO well in the 2018-2019 year. I look forward to working with the parents and staff to ensure a great year at GYE!
Renee Garcia
Hello my name is Renee Garcia. I am a homemaker and your local Avon Lady. I am the proud mother of my two wonderful, strong and fun boys, Jacob and Andrew. I am married to my wonderful husband, Daniel for 14 years and have been living in Shadow Creek for almost 8 years.
I held several positions such as secretary, treasurer and director on the boards of community groups such as Jaycees, Optimists and our Cub Scout Pack. I have also volunteered at Glenn York as a room mom, PTO work and CORE mentoring program. I really enjoy volunteering and to volunteer is part of our family mission.
Thank you so much for the nomination for Member Representative of Glenn York’s PTO. I hope to serve on the board of 2018-2019.
