Leadership TASB Class of 2026 Members Announced
Austin— The Texas Association of School Boards is pleased to announce the 32 school board trustees selected to participate in the Leadership TASB Class of 2026.
The board members were chosen through a rigorous review process, which concluded with a committee made up of LTASB alumni recommending the class members and presenting the selections to the TASB Board’s Member Services Committee for approval during its July meeting.
“We want to congratulate and welcome this newest cohort of trustees as they begin their yearlong journey with Leadership TASB,” said Dan Troxell, TASB executive director. “This group is about to be both challenged and inspired through this transformative program. Not only will they gain leadership skills, but they will also expand their knowledge of board governance with the goal of better serving the more than 5.5 million public school students in Texas.”
For more than 30 years, LTASB has proven to be the premier school board trustee training program of its kind in Texas, with more than 1,000 Master Trustees having completed the program.
In 1993, LTASB was first developed and designed by school board members for school board members as part of TASB's ongoing commitment to provide visionary leadership to Texas school boards. The program arose from a request from the TASB Board of Directors to increase trustee involvement and provide advanced educational training and leadership opportunities.
Each year, a cohort of experienced board members is selected based on demonstrated leadership in their local school district and communities. The trustees represent districts from across the state that vary in size and the student populations they serve.
“I want to congratulate all of the members of LTASB Class of 2026 on being chosen to participate in the program,” said Rolinda Schmidt, TASB president and Kerrville ISD Board vice president. “As an LTASB alum, I know the challenging and exciting work that lies ahead for these trustees. I can honestly say that there is no better feeling than knowing you are putting in every effort to better support and serve your students and your community.”
The program kicks off in Houston Sept. 11-14 at txEDCON, the largest gathering of public school leaders in the state hosted by TASB and the Texas Association of School Administrators.
Over the course of the year, the members will travel to innovative school districts around the state. This year, along with Houston, the group is slated to visit Amarillo, Harlingen, Texarkana, and wrap up in June 2026 in Fort Worth, where they will complete the program and earn the designation of Master Trustee.
The members of the Class of 2026 are:
- Matthew Aguilar, Pearsall ISD
- Lynn Boswell, Austin ISD
- Ester Cardoza-Wade, Monte Alto ISD
- Jason Choate, Cooper ISD
- Ariel Cruz, San Benito CISD
- Ron Franklin, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD
- Ginger Friesenhahn, East Central ISD
- Becky Gonzales, Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD
- Katherine Goodwin, Plano ISD
- Diane Hern, Eanes ISD
- James Hernandez, Edgewood ISD-Bexar County
- Jacqueline Jean-Baptiste, Stafford Municipal School District
- Jose Jimenez, Galena Park ISD
- Albert Johnson III, Alvin ISD
- Kathryn Knotts, North Zulch ISD
- Kristi Littleton, Port Aransas ISD
- Lorenzo Luevano, San Elizario ISD
- James Matlock, Hutto ISD
- Chasiti McKissic, DeSoto ISD
- Amber Moffitt, Grand Prairie ISD
- Alex Payson, Marble Falls ISD
- Benita Reed, Mansfield ISD
- Mary Richarte, Irving ISD
- Priscilla Ruiz, Bastrop ISD
- Monica Ryan, Judson ISD
- Meagan Sullivan, Sharyland ISD
- Anji Taylor, Greenville ISD
- Clinton Temple, Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD
- Dolly Trolley, Corpus Christi ISD
- Jessica Ward, Midlothian ISD
- Denishea Williams, Cedar Hill ISD
- Tommy Wilson, West Orange-Cove CISD
Learn more about LTASB.
About TASB
TASB is a nonprofit organization established in 1949 to serve local Texas school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The number of public school students served by TASB members is more than 5 million.