Legal Assistance Fund Board

Rolinda Schmidt has served on the Kerrville ISD Board of Trustees since 1996, holding various officer positions, including president, vice president, and secretary.

Schmidt is actively involved in local youth education programs, including the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, Rotary Club Foreign Exchange Student Program, Head Start, and the Kerrville ISD sixth-grade outdoor education program. In 2014, she was named Families & Literacy’s Champion of Education.

Schmidt has a bachelor’s degree in social services from San Jose State University. She is a managing partner in her family-owned and family-operated commercial real estate development and management company.

She is a graduate of the Leadership TASB program and a member of the School Board Advocacy Network.

Hopkins has served on the Friendswood ISD Board since 2008 and is currently the board president.   

He is president of Four Creeks Investments LLC, an independent energy consulting and investment firm, and serves as chief financial officer of 11 companies. Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree at Lamar University and a master’s degree at Rice University. 

He is a Leadership TASB graduate and Master Trustee. 

Hetrick is in her fourth term on the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees, currently serving as vice-president.  

Her professional experience includes working as an adjunct professor for Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM), Troy University, and Austin Community College. In 2014, she founded a nonprofit consulting business. Hetrick received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The University of Texas Pan American (now UT Rio Grande Valley), a master’s degree in public administration, a certificate in nonprofit management from AUM, and a doctorate in public administration and public policy from Auburn University. 

She is a 2017 Leadership TASB graduate and Master Trustee. 

Leandra Ortiz is an attorney at Walsh Gallegos Kyle Robinson and Roalson P.C., where she practices in the areas of litigation, employment law, student law, board governance, and immigration. Before joining Walsh Gallegos, Ortiz served as the first in-house staff attorney for Brownsville ISD.

Jennifer Powell is an attorney with Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Muñoz, P.C., where her practice focuses on labor and employment, constitutional, and civil rights issues, as well as school law. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas Labor and Employment, Litigation, Appellate, and School Law Sections, as well as an officer of the Texas Association of School Board’s Council of School Attorneys.

Martha Salazar-Zamora is the President of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). She has worked in education for 30 years and has served as the superintendent of Tomball ISD since 2017. Prior to joining Tomball ISD, Salazar-Zamora worked in leadership positions in Round Rock, Houston, Spring, and Kingsville ISDs.

She received a doctorate in education from Texas A&M University, a Master of Education in educational administration and a Master of Education in special education at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and a Bachelor of Science at Texas A&M University. She was named the 2023 Texas Superintendent of the Year.

Chris Moran is the President-Elect of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). He has worked in education for over 30 years and joined San Angelo ISD in January 2024 with 12 years of experience as a school superintendent in Whitehouse ISD and Brownsboro ISD. He was named the Region 7 Superintendent of the Year in 2019.

He received his undergraduate degree from Evangel University and his graduate degree from The University of Texas at Tyler. He earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2005. He has also received Post-Doctoral training through the Lamar University Center for Executive Leadership and the SMU District Leadership Fellows. 

Dan Troxell is the executive director of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). He has more than 30 years of experience as a public school leader and was named the TASB Superintendent of the Year in 2008.

Troxell began his career in public education in 1987 as a middle school social studies teacher at Round Rock ISD. He quickly moved on to administrative roles, serving as assistant principal and grade-level principal at Round Rock ISD, principal at Allen ISD, principal and assistant superintendent at Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, and superintendent at both Kerrville ISD and Leander ISD.

Holding a doctorate in education administration from The University of Texas at Austin, Troxell has taught university-level courses as an adjunct professor and authored several journal articles, including an article on multicultural competencies and one on board president-superintendent collaboration.

At TASB, Troxell is responsible for advancing the association’s mission of promoting educational excellence for Texas schoolchildren through advocacy, visionary leadership, and high-quality services to school districts.

Kevin Brown is the Executive Director of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA). Prior to joining TASA in 2018, he served as superintendent of Alamo Heights ISD. In addition to his role at TASA, Brown has held top leadership roles at the Texas School Coalition, Texas Association of Mid-Size Schools, and Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators.

Brown holds a doctorate in education administration from Texas A&M University, a master’s degree in education administration from Texas State University, and a bachelor’s degree in government with honors from The University of Texas at Austin.