Past Presidents
Cindy Heiser (2025-2026)
Cindy Heiser serves as a Director on The Woodlands Township Board of Directors, At-Large Position 7, elected in 2023. An accomplished local small-business owner, Cindy and her husband, Craig, co-own two Flylock locations in The Woodlands and Austin.
A devoted community leader since 1999, Cindy has generously dedicated her efforts to strengthen and enrich The Woodlands. She is an active member and the 2025-26 Past-President of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands, where she has been recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. Her volunteer service extends to the Junior Leagues of Dallas and The Woodlands, Interfaith of The Woodlands, Giving Goes Glam, and the American Heart Association, the Conroe ISD Bond Committee, and the Woodlands Chamber of Commerce. She is a former Board member of The Woodlands Arts Council. Cindy is also a proud Leadership Montgomery County graduate.
Cindy’s exemplary leadership and commitment to service have earned her numerous distinctions, including recognition as a Montgomery County Woman of Distinction for her service on the Board of the Woodlands Republican Women and The Rotary Club of The Woodlands and as a recipient of the 2025 Trailblazer Award from the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Business Communications, Cindy began her career with notable sales leadership roles at Xerox Corporation and GE Information Services. She later launched her own ventures, Distinctive Designs and The Flying Locksmiths (Flylock), successfully expanding franchise operations in The Woodlands/North Houston and Austin.
Cindy and Craig are longtime residents of The Woodlands and are active members of The Ridge Church. They are proud parents of two adult children, Craig III and Courtney.
Denton Florian (2024-2025)
Denton Florian is a native Texan and graduate of both the University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University. After completing his MBA, he served as the VP of Operations for a start-up company that grew into the largest distributor of medical mobility equipment in the United States.
He served as the Director of Public Relations for Spirit of Texas Bank for five years and has also worked with nonprofit organizations in the areas of strategic planning and organizational change. He currently serves as the 51st President of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands, where he is also a Paul Harris Fellow.
Denton is an active member of the Conroe /Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce. A lifelong enthusiast of early American history, he organized and led the team that produced the celebrated documentary, Sam Houston, which won five EMMY Awards. It has also been recognized for excellence by concurrent resolutions of the Texas House and Senate, and by the Governor of Texas. Additionally, Denton created the film’s companion web site, www.samhoustonmovie.com, which is used by researchers and teachers all over the world. The film, web site, and the assets that have been collected in the project’s hard drives represent the largest collection of digital information on Sam Houston’s life that has ever been assembled. Additionally, he is a ‘Gold Seal’ Airline Transport Rated Flight Instructor. He is also a backpacker, photographer, fisherman and gardener who volunteered for many years with the Boy Scouts (Schucker, 2024).
Kay Boehm-Fannin (2023-2024)
Kay (Kathryn) Boehm-Fannin grew up in Brenham, Texas. She earned her Associate of Arts Degree from Blinn, and her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Engineering from The University of Texas in Austin, where she was awarded the Outstanding Petroleum Engineer Award.
On graduation, Kay went to work for Exxon (now ExxonMobil) progressing through various positions with the company during her thirty-three year career, where she and husband, Gary, (also with Exxon) lived in Louisiana, California, Africa and Texas. She earned her MBA from Loyola University while working in New Orleans.
During the 2023-24 Rotary year, the club continued to remain strong and grow, with weekly Thursday lunch meetings and the Rotary After Hours “RAH” meetings on the first and third Tuesday evenings. Membership was reported to be 210 Active members plus 10 Honorary members at the end of the April 2024 Board meeting, showing steady growth. Club members voted to approve updated Club Bylaws and Constitution. The Evening of Elegance “White Tie and Tiara” Gala in February 2024 honored Steve and Linda Head, and raised approximately $200,000 for the Rotary Foundation, which will go toward scholarships, Rotary House operating expenses, and other Rotary outreach efforts.
The Rotary Club of The Woodlands is an important part of Kay’s life, and she has been honored to serve as the 2023-24 Club President. Kay enjoys volunteering for numerous service projects, and has also served in several other Rotary positions, including President-Elect/Fundraising, Vice President/Membership, Secretary, the Community Service Board position, as well as on numerous service projects. Over the years, community service has been a passion for Kay, participating in volunteer activities in New Orleans (YMCA Board, Big Brothers Big Sisters), in California (Boys and Girls Club Board, Rotary Club), and in The Woodlands (Food Fairs, Spirit of Joy Church Board, Soccer Booster Club Board, Rotary Club of The Woodlands). She was named to the Blinn College Hall of Honor in 2016 and was Rotary Club of The Woodlands’ 2018 Woman of Distinction Honoree (Schucker, 2024).
Zach Richmond (2022-2023)
Born and raised in The Woodlands, Zach Richmond’s life and experiences are particularly well-suited for a career in the real estate industry. Having attended The John Cooper School and graduating from Baylor University in 2010 with a double major in Accounting Information Systems and Entrepreneurship, Zach returned to The Woodlands in 2011 to work as a commercial real estate lender with Woodforest National Bank. Exceptional at his craft, Zach became a top producer originating over $90 million in new loans. Zach’s education, lending background, depth of local knowledge and penchant for client service enable him to excel as a residential and commercial real estate professional and to always exceed expectations.
As a co-founder with his mother-in-law, Marlys Mulkey, of the Richmond Realty Group, which has been named four times the #1 real estate firm in The Woodlands, Zach employs his vast understanding of the community to assist his clients in finding homes perfectly suited for their needs. Beyond that, awarded 2 years in a row the prestigious 2016 and 2017 Diplomat of the Year by The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, Zach utilizes his extensive connections to help clients build personal and business relationships in the local community that make this area a true home.
Zach is involved with and holds positions in the following organizations: Former Board Chairman for the Montgomery County Youth Services (MCYS), Board Member of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands – overseeing all youth services, including five high school Interact Clubs and one college Rotaract Club, Board Member for The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of the Woodlands Family YMCA, 2017 Diplomat of the Year by The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, 2016 Diplomat of the Year by The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, Board Member of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership (EDP), Leadership Montgomery County (LMC) Graduate - Class of 2018, Former Advisory Board Member for Lone Star College – Small Business Development Center, Former Board Member of the Montgomery County American Cancer Society and Member of Commercial Real Estate Association of Montgomery County (Schucker, 2024).
Theresa Wagaman (2021-2022)
Theresa graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in public administration. Since 2007, she has been a licensed residential REALTOR® serving The Woodlands, and Spring. She is a member of the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees, currently serving as first vice-president, and represents Conroe ISD on the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Board of Directors.
Theresa's dedication has earned her numerous honors, including being named a Hometown Hero by Interfaith in 2023 and the 2024 Woman of Distinction by the Montgomery County Women’s Council of Organizations. She was also honored as the Sustainer of the Year by the Junior League of The Woodlands. Joining The Rotary Club of The Woodlands in July 2011, she is a Paul Harris Fellow and Rotary Roll of Honor recipient and chairs the Lone Star Montgomery Scholarship Committee and Family of Rotary.
During her presidency, the Rotary Club resumed meetings and philanthropic activities, winning Best Community Entry at the South County 4th of July Parade and the Sportsmanship Dragon at the YMCA Dragon Boat Races. The club donated fifty books to four local elementary school libraries, held a Mardi Gras themed Evening of Elegance Gala fundraiser, dedicated Crawfish Boil proceeds to Angel Reach to build a home, sponsored five Outgoing Summer Exchange Students, and organized the first All Interact Rise Against Hunger Event, packing 75,000 meals. She also started a tradition of gifting past-presidents with embroidered Rotary ball caps.
Theresa has been active in fund-raising, co-chairing the Evening of Elegance in 2024 with the theme “White Ties and Tiaras” honoring Dr. Stephen and Linda Head that netted over $200,000 for The Woodlands Rotary Club Foundation to support scholarships, Rotary House, Interact programs, Rotary Youth Leadership Conference and other philanthropic activities. She will serve as the Rotary Foundation Board President through 2027 (Schucker, 2024).
Jay Knighton (2020-2021)
Jay Knighton was born and raised in Corinth, a town in northern Mississippi on the Tennessee border 100 miles east of Memphis, TN.
He earned his Bachelor of Accountancy in 1998 from The University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”). As one of the top 24 graduating students, he was awarded a Marcus Elvis Taylor Medal.
In 2001, he earned his law degree (Juris Doctorate) from Tulane University School of Law and in 2002, he earned a Master of Laws in Taxation (L.L.M. in Taxation) from The University of Florida, one of the most recognized legal tax programs in the country.
Jay moved to The Woodlands where he joined Knighton & Stone PLLC in February 2004 and became Managing Partner in November of 2007.
In the greater Houston area community, Jay has served as one of the Directors of the South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Economic Outlook Conference Committee, and formerly served as team leader of the advisory council for the Young Professional Association. He recently concluded a three-year period as the President of the University of Mississippi (Houston) Alumni Association. Jay has been an active member of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands since March 2011.
During Jay’s year as President, COVID-19 struck with a vengeance, forcing cancellation of in-person Rotary Club luncheons and all in-person activities. Most of the meetings were held via video; and even the Gala that year was held on-line. It was a difficult year to say the least; but Jay held the club together and it emerged strong for Theresa Wagaman the following year, when the COVID-19 restrictions were finally lifted (Schucker, 2024).
Randy Kruchten (2019-2020)
Randy Kruchten grew up in Upper Saint Clair, PA, a community southwest of Pittsburgh graduating from Upper Saint Clair High School before attending the University of California at Berkeley where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1983.
He initially worked for Price Waterhouse Coopers as a consultant before founding BIS LLC/APN Resources, Inc where he received awards from the California State Senate, Legislature and House Speaker for contributions to state businesses.
Randy moved to the Houston area in 2010 where he worked with Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative before moving to his current job in 2013 as a Financial Advisor with Mass Mutual Life Insurance Co.
Randy’s year as president saw the successful presentation of our 1st Annual Evening of Elegance fundraiser in February 2020 honoring George Lindahl. But the year took an ominous turn when the COVID-19 pandemic struck the nation and lockdowns prevented groups like Rotary from meeting face to face.
Under Randy’s leadership the Rotary Club of The Woodlands made the decision to use the money budgeted for food meetings to support local restaurants, first responders and nonprofits by purchasing and delivering fresh meals. As of April 21, the club had delivered 424 meals to EMS; fire stations; constables; sheriffs; and Family Promise, which helps homeless families in the area, with an additional 224 anticipated through the remainder of the week.
Randy said one of the recipients of the Rotary meals was heard to say, 'The kids weren't getting ramen noodles tonight; and they were thrilled to get chocolate cake for dessert.”
“It became a win-win-win," Kruchten said. "The restaurants get business and they can pay their employees; the first responders realize the community appreciates everything they do for them; and Rotarians get to be Rotarians and help the community in any way they can."
Randy was elected to The Woodlands Rotary Roll of Fame in 2022 (Schucker, 2024).
Ryan Mathes (2018-2019)
A true native of The Woodlands, TX, Ryan is following in the family footsteps. She received her BBA in Finance with a minor in Sociology from the Texas McCombs School of Business in 2008 before returning to The Woodlands to join Schroeder Wealth Advisors. She is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), a Behavioral Financial Advisor (BFA), and an Accredited Portfolio Management Advisor (APMA) licensed to do business in 30 states, including Texas.
Pinned as a Rotarian in 2009, Ryan developed a strong interest in helping new members get plugged into the club’s activities. This resulted in the creation of the Newbies Meeting in 2011 which continues today. Newbies Meetings provide the opportunity for new members to learn of the more than 50 service committees with which they could become involved.
Ryan designed and promoted the Show Me The Money Workshop, Rotary’s Signature Service project until Rotary House’s inception in 2018. This workshop provided mock interviews and informative sessions on critical interviewing skills and financial literacy to students at Lone Star College Montgomery.
Leading up to and during her presidency, she created the slide show for the Evening of Elegance fundraisers in both 2018 honoring the club’s remaining charter members: Tom Boak, Bill Leigh, Corky Shaw and Coulson Tough, and in 2019 honoring Michael and Vicki Richmond.
At 32 Ryan was the youngest person to ever serve as president of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands. During her term, the Club was awarded the Presidential Citation which included metrics around increasing membership, holding an event to raise funds for polio eradication, sponsoring Interact Clubs and partnering with other entities such as charities or colleges to conduct a joint service project: Rise Against Hunger.
For serving as our President, Ryan was honored as the 2019 Montgomery County Woman of Distinction at the 29th Annual Women of Distinction Luncheon at The Woodlands Marriott on May 3, 2019 (Schucker, 2024).
Judy Olson (2017-2018)
Originally from Conroe, TX, Judy is a 30+ year community banker, having spent most of her career as a Senior Vice President at Woodforest National Bank. She was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to the Stephen F. Austin State University Board of Regents in 2019, where she served 4.5 years prior to SFASU joining the University of Texas System. She has served on a number of charitable organization boards including CASA, Montgomery County Youth Services and The Woodlands Rotary Foundation. Judy often serves as emcee and/or auctioneer at charitable events including The Rotary Evening of Elegance. Judy earned a BA in Communications from Stephen F. Austin State University and an MBA with an emphasis in finance from Texas A&M University.
Judy joined The Rotary Club of The Woodlands in 2005 after being a member of The Woodlands Lion’s Club for 16 years for which she served as President during their 1996-1997 year. Her year as President of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands was best known for the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, which presented some unique opportunities for service by our Club.
Hurricane Harvey hit the greater Houston area during the last weekend in August of 2017. Following this record-breaking storm which brought nearly 50 inches of rainfall, The Rotary Club sprung into action helping two families muck out their homes and helping one of them completely rebuild their home over the following 4-6 months.
During Judy’s tenure, the Club earned the Presidential Citation in part by growing the club membership with younger members and more female members, by working with other Rotary and Interact Clubs in our area on projects and by planting roughly 700 trees in The Woodlands Village of Creekside Park and the Woodforest community. The Club also practiced what we called “Random Acts of Rotary,” by doing small acts of kindness in the community.
Our Evening of Elegance Gala/Fundraiser in 2018 honored the 4 Charter Members who remained members of our club - Coulson Tough, Bill Leigh, Tom Boak and Corky Shaw. Past President, John Hathaway, served as District Governor of Rotary District 5910 during the 2017-2018 year and several of our members attended the Rotary International Convention held in Atlanta, GA. (Schucker, 2024)
Clay McCollor (2016-2017)
Born into a military family, D. Clay McCollor received a BA in History from Texas A&M University (TAMU) after which he spent four years serving our country in the U. S. Army as a Field Artillery Captain. After military service, Clay went on to earn both a JD from South Texas College of Law and an MBA from the Mays Business School at TAMU. Having practiced law in The Woodlands for 18 years, Clay is currently a Partner with Stibbs & Co.
Clay has served on numerous charitable organization boards, including CASA of Montgomery County, Dive Pirates Foundation, the Strategic Planning Committee and Advisory Committee for St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School and Frassati Catholic High School. He is a two-time Paul Harris Fellow and continues to serve on the Club’s Foundation Board and Rotary House Board often participating as a speaker during Club events, including The Rotary Evening of Elegance.
During Clay’s presidency, the Rotary Club of The Woodlands was searching for a legacy service project, and after much deliberation between several service projects, the Club selected Rotary House in 2017. Rotary House is a separate 501(c)(3) organization that provides low-cost temporary housing to individuals and their families who are receiving treatment at local hospitals in The Woodlands medical center. In its inception, Rotary House of The Woodlands provided two (2), 2-bedroom apartments located within a couple of miles of The Woodlands medical center for use by low-income patients and their families and expanded to three (3) apartments within the following year due to patient need.
During Clay’s term the Club also started the first satellite club within our Rotary District 5910, called Rotary After Hours or RAH, which focused on providing Rotary to young professionals who found it difficult to attend the weekly Club luncheon meetings on a regular basis, but that wanted to be involved with the service and social activities.
During the 2016-17 Rotary year, the Club partnered with Feed the Hungry, where during one Club luncheon over 10,000 meals for the hungry were prepared. The Club partners with the Food Bank of Montgomery County in serving meals and food at Woodforest Stadium. To wrap up the year, Clay and several other key officers attended the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta, GA. (Schucker, 2024)
Julie Martineau (2015-2016)
A native Texan, who grew up in the oil patch, Julie Martineau earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of California at Long Beach where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was the Phi Beta Kappa representative on the Faculty Board for the School of Social Work. She and her husband Russ moved to The Woodlands in 1983.
She was Director of the Friendship Center for 10 years prior to serving as the President of The Montgomery County United Way for almost 20 years. Since 2017 she has been President & CEO of the Montgomery County Community Foundation that provides legacy opportunities to community donors in Montgomery County through endowments that are donor-advised, agency specific, or general.
Julie is an active member of several local organizations. In addition to being a longtime member of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands, she is co-founder, past president, and board member of Rotary House The Woodlands and a board member at HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe. She serves on The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce’s Strategic Planning Committee. Her Rotary District tapped her to establish alternative clubs in the district with two new clubs being chartered to date. She is on the Greater Houston Community Foundation’s Understanding Houston Advisory Committee to bring the Montgomery County perspective to the indicator project.
Rotary Club of The Woodlands honored her as one of their 2019 Texas Legends and with two Paul Harris Fellow awards. The Woodlands Area Chamber named her their 2018 Community Volunteer of the Year; Leadership Montgomery County honored her as their 2016 Distinguished Alumni; and the Rotary Club of The Woodlands named her their 2016 Woman of Distinction. The community honored her as one of the original 25 “Hometown Heroes” for The Woodlands Texas in 2000 and Montgomery County Outstanding Woman of the Year in 1990. Her bio has been included in numerous editions of Who’s Who in the Southwest, in America, of Women, and in the World.
During her year as president, Julie initiated the annual Rise Against Hunger Food Packaging project, did the research and planning for Rotary After Hours to attract younger business professionals who could not attend or afford the weekly model and completed approval and installation of Rotary Clock at Town Center Green (Schucker, 2024).
Bill Friebel (2014-2015)
Bill, a native of Ohio, earned his Bachelor of Science in Management Systems from Kettering University in Michigan. He embarked on his career as a Financial Advisor in 2017, becoming a partner at Starfox Financial Services, LLC. This firm later merged with Wealth Enhancement Group in June 2024. With a quarter-century of experience in advisory and consulting, Bill holds certifications such as Certified Financial Planner™ and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®. His professional journey includes tenures at Merrill Lynch in The Woodlands and KPMG Consulting/Arthur Andersen Business Consulting in Houston and Charlotte, North Carolina.
On the personal front, Bill has been married to Hayli since 2001, and they are proud parents of two daughters. They moved to The Woodlands in 2003 from Houston.
In 2015, during the 40th anniversary year of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands, Bill served as the President. Under his leadership, the Club grew to 167 members and supported Interact Clubs at five local high schools, as well as a Rotaract Club at Lone Star College - Montgomery. Currently, Bill serves as the District 5910 Interact Chair, actively participates in The Woodlands High School and the John Cooper Interact Clubs, and chairs the Investment Committee for The Woodlands Rotary Club Foundation. His commitment to community service includes his previous roles on the boards of CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery and Child Advocates in Houston.
A significant highlight of his presidency was the club’s 40th-anniversary celebration. To commemorate this milestone, a Verdin 4-faced clock was donated to The Woodlands Township. This iconic timepiece found its home in Town Green Park, adjacent to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The dedication ceremony, held on August 8, 2016, was hosted by Dr. Ed Robb, Chairman of The Woodlands Township Board, and was attended by numerous past presidents and members of the Club. This event stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands and Bill’s impactful contribution to it (Schucker, 2024).
Ralph Schroeder (2013-2014)
Ralph was born in Los Angeles, CA and as part of an Air Force family, his family moved every few years. He attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ at the base of the San Francisco Mountains, where he enjoyed skiing and hiking.
He is a financial planner that spent 36 years as a Senior Financial Advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services. For the past four years he has served as the founding partner for Schroeder Wealth Advisors.
During Raph’s year as president, the club averaged about 160 members and held a number of fund raisers including one of the first Wine Dinners which netted about $30,000. This provided some of the funding for scholarships to local high school students.
That year the Club won the Rotary President's award and worked on developing a strategic plan for our Club. They collected items for a school in Nicaragua under a Rotary International project called The Children of the Dump [6] which was created as a result of an Emmy award-winning docuseries by Art Rascon of ABC13 Eyewitness News and chronicled in the December issue of The Rotarian (6). The Club also conducted Interact leadership training for the students in our local high schools, created a Newbie’s meeting for new members and started book donation to the Interfaith library in lieu of giving coffee mugs to the speakers at weekly meetings. For years, Ralph has also coordinated the Salvation Army bell ringing at The Woodlands Mall, which is always a family affair (Schucker, 2024).
Mary Matteson-Parish (2012-2013)
Born in Galway Ireland, Mary immigrated to the United States into the Boston area in 1954 where she lived until she married Robert Matteson, an architect by profession who was hired by George Mitchell to help design The Woodlands. She and Robert were one of the first 25 families to move to The Woodlands in 1974. Robert passed away in 1994.
Mary served as the Director of Custom Home sales for The Woodlands Development Company and is considered a "pioneer" resident of The Woodlands.
Long committed to community service, she served on the Lone Star College System Board of Trustees from 1993- 2005. During her tenure, she served as board chair, one term as vice chair, one term as secretary, and as audit committee chair. She also served as co-chair of the citizen's committee that successfully conducted a petition drive and election campaign that permitted the Conroe Independent School District to join the Lone Star College System in 1991.
That effort also led to the creation of Montgomery College in 1992, and the completion of the College's comprehensive campus on College Park Drive in 1995. Mary has participated in and provided leadership and support for many civic, business, political and community development groups, including initiatives associated with the arts.
She was honored in a significant way on Wednesday, May 9, 2007, when the Montgomery College art gallery was officially named in her honor. “We are tremendously excited to have our gallery named in her honor,” said Dr. Tom Butler, president of Montgomery College. “The Mary Matteson-Parrish Art Gallery has a nice ring to it. It is a fitting tribute to someone who has played such an important role in the history of the college, as well as the entire college district (Schucker, 2024).”
Jeff Rhame (2011-2012)
Jeff Rhame is the founding partner and Managing Director of Rhame & Gorrell Wealth Management. Jeff’s vision for starting Rhame & Gorrell was to deliver wealth management services and investment strategies typically available at the highest levels of wealth. Today, clients benefit from these sophisticated financial services, targeted to meet their unique needs. He received a degree in Accounting from Stephen F. Austin State University, and through postgraduate work at The University of Houston, received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Jeff has been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, the Houston Business Journal, CityWire Magazine, Texas Monthly, and Best of The Woodlands – Top Financial Advisors by Woodlands Online.
For over 15 years, Jeff served as an adjunct professor for the University of Houston and Lone Star College Systems, teaching classes on Investment Management and Estate & Insurance Planning. As a member of the Financial Planning Association, he has also taught, and continues to teach, on & off- site retirement workshops for the employees of many Fortune 500 companies, such as ExxonMobil and Chevron.
Jeff serves on Memorial Hermann Hospital’s Advisory Board in The Woodlands and The Nelson Rusche College of Business Executive Advisory Board at Stephen F. Austin State University. He is also an Eagle Scout and has served and as the Vice- Chairman of the Tall Timbers District of The Boy Scouts of America and as an Assistant Scout Master for Troop 772 in The Woodlands. In 2017 and 2019 Jeff served as Scout Master for the BSA National Jamboree and World Jamboree. He also is a past president of The Woodlands Rotary Club and Alden Bridge Village Association.
Most importantly, Jeff has been married to his college sweetheart, Gina, since 1993. They share a son, Jagger (2003), 5 dogs, and 300+ foster dogs over their 30 year marriage (Schucker, 2024).
Ann Wolford (2010-2011)
Ann Wolford was born in Baton Rouge, LA and attended LSU where she received a BA in English literature.
After a brief career in the for-profit sector as a financial consultant for Merrill Lynch, Ann found her passion for nonprofit work when she joined the Santa Fe Community Foundation. In 1997, she moved to The Woodlands and continued her career with organizations that included Interfaith, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, and US Oncology. In 2011, she established The Wolford Group, a consulting firm devoted to helping nonprofits maximize their fundraising potential by providing services that range from strategic planning and board retreats to capital campaigns and event management. Ann’s clients range from start-up nonprofits to multi-million-dollar organizations.
Ann enjoys community service and has served on the boards of the Montgomery County Community Foundation, Leadership Montgomery County, The Woodlands Rotary Club Foundation, and Rotary Club of The Woodlands where she has been recognized as a Paul Harris fellow three times. Ann currently serves on The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce and Angel Reach Boards of Directors. She is also a member of the Memorial Hermann The Woodlands’ Advisory Council. In 2020, she was honored as the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year, and she received the Chairman’s Award in 2022. She was named a Hometown Hero by Interfaith of The Woodlands in 2023 (Schucker, 2024).
Dr. Robert (Bob) Schucker (2009-2010)
A native of Columbia, SC, Dr. Robert Schucker received his BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from The University of South Carolina and a PhD in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Reaction Engineering from Georgis Tech. He is a seasoned veteran of the energy industry with a fifty-year technical and managerial background spanning downstream refining, chemicals, biofuels, biochemicals and electricity storage. He currently serves as President and CEO of Circular Polymer Resources, Inc, a company that supplies waste plastic to the advanced recycling industry.
For eight years prior to joining CPRI, he led exploratory research teams at SABIC (Saudi Arabian Basic Industrial Chemical) in their R&D labs in Sugar Land, TX as well as at their R&D labs located within the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in western Saudi Arabia developing new processes for recycling waste plastic back into the company’s virgin product streams.
For thirteen years prior to joining SABIC, Bob served as founder, President and CEO of Trans Ionics Corporation in The Woodlands, TX, a technology start-up that was named one of the top five companies to present at the Rice University Energy and Clean Technology Venture Capital Forum in 2011.
Prior to Trans Ionics, Bob spent 23 years with Exxon Research and Engineering Company, beginning in the Corporate Research Laboratories in Linden, NJ where he carried our fundamental research in heavy oil chemistry, subsequently moving to Exxon’s downstream R&D laboratories in Baton Rouge, LA developing step-out technology for the petroleum refining business.
The major fund-raising activity during Bob’s year as president was Oktoberfest, patterned after Oktoberfest in Germany and supported by many local businesses. It was held in Town Green Park and raised $50,000 for the Scholarship Fund (Schucker, 2024).
William C. Leigh (2008-2009)
Raised in Houston, TX Bill Leigh later attended Princeton University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics. While at Princeton he served as a member of the Naval ROTC and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Marine Corps on graduation. He served 6 years as a Marine F-4 Phantom pilot flying 215 missions in Viet Nam.
After the military, Bill went into banking, receiving accreditation from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at SMU. As one of the first residents of The Woodlands, he served as the President/CEO of Montgomery County National Bank.
As a Master Builder, Bill has been named Top Custom Builder in The Woodlands nine different years and is a licensed attorney having obtained a Law Degree (JD) from South Texas College of Law.
Bill has served as the Board President and Director at Large for the Montgomery County Hospital District, was a Trustee for the Conroe Independent School District, served as Director/Board VP for the Montgomery County Appraisal District and was Director/co-founder of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.
He has won the Paul Harris Fellowship award twice, was elected to the Rotary District 5910 Roll of Fame and was one of the first Rotarians to be named a “Legend.” He was named a Hometown Hero by Interfaith in The Woodlands in 2002 (Schucker, 2024).
Andy Cox (2007-2008)
Andy received his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and is a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy. He has spent his career treating orthopedic and sports medicine patients of all ages and numerous years in clinical management (Schucker, 2024).
Steve Wolford (2006-2007)
Steve was born in Baton Rouge, lived in New Orleans, Hattiesburg, MS, Mobile, Alabama, AL and Mission Viejo, CA during his formative years. He graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) with a degree in Marketing where he earned an MBA in Finance and Management as well. He started his career in New Orleans in sales for a national cement company transferring to Houston in 1979 where he has lived since. Steve and his brother Scott, who was also a Rotary Club President, started Corporate Medical Systems, Inc in 1987. In 2020 they changed the name of the company to Accumed Revenue Systems providing revenue cycle management to medical providers.
During Steve’s year as President the Club hosted the first Wine Dinner fund raiser, which has evolved over time into the yearly Gala. At that time, a selected winery provided the wine and someone to talk about the winery along with dinner. Another fundraiser during Steve’s year was The Woodlands on Board game- a monopoly type game with the properties representing local businesses in The Woodlands.
Before the start of his year as President, Steve attended the Rotary International Convention in Copenhagen. At the convention he met Rotarians from Paris and Florence, Italy. He had plans to visit both of these cities after the convention and was able to attend the Rotary meetings in each place.
Steve had a glowing description of these Rotary Club meetings: “The Paris Rotary meeting was a dinner with about 20 people sitting at one table with the office of Alfred Nobel down the hall. Wine was served and the dinner was fantastic. In Florence the meeting was at an Italian Villa in the hills…There were about 40 people there. Dinner was served with wine and was also fantastic…It was quite an experience for my wife Amy and I to attend both of these meetings. Of course, I exchanged flags and spoke about our club at each meeting. I kept in touch for many years with the people that we met at these clubs. This is one of the great things about Rotary – meeting people around the world and being treated like family (Schucker, 2024).”
C. J. Haynes (2005-2006)
Cassandra J. (C.J.) Haynes is a native of Indiana growing up in Noblesville IN just northwest of Indianapolis. She received her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.
C.J. served as an Employee Benefits and Regional Pension Manager (Aetna & Cigna) before moving to Texas in 1992 with Aetna Life & Casualty. She works with her husband in their business, IAS Wealth Management which is now celebrating 30 years in business.
Throughout her career, she has made an impact through service. Despite being involved in more than a dozen organizations in Montgomery County and being twice elected to the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees, C.J. does not think she is busy. "I like giving back to the community, that has always been a priority," said Haynes. "I don't see myself necessarily as busy, but engaged in the community in which I live."
That engagement includes her volunteering and leading various organizations, including The Woodlands Rotary Club, Interfaith of The Woodlands, Education for Tomorrow Alliance (EFTA), South Montgomery County YMCA Executive Board and Partners of Youth Division Leader. She has also served on organizations such as the South Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, the National Charity League, The Woodlands Chapter, Executive Women's Alliance and the Friendship Center.
C. J. served as a Conroe ISD Board Trustee from 2003 to 2014. “Being re-elected is the validation that you are doing a good job, that you are continuing to impact the people that will be making a difference in our future — our children,” she said.
She is also passionate about her work at the Friendship Center, a nonprofit organization offering services for senior citizens aged 65 and over. Resources included Meals on Wheels, transportation, dining and case management.
During her year as the President of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands, C.J. and her board focused on the Tamina Home project, raising funds for international water wells project, Hunger Plus, student of the year awards and college scholarships (Schucker, 2024).
Jeff Early (2004-2005)
With a BA in Economics/Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin, Jeff Early is an experienced Finance/Operating Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the Consulting, Automotive Oil Change, Medical Device and Title industries. Jeff joined The Rotary Club of The Woodlands in March 1994 and celebrated his 30th Rotary anniversary this year.
Since his first days in Rotary Jeff has been involved with the financials and record keeping and for many years has served as the Club’s Treasurer. He was named Montgomery County Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and elected a Hometown Hero by Interfaith in 2006 (Schucker, 2024).
Norman Parrish (2003-2004)
A native of Denton, TX, Norman Parrish received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and two master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (one in mathematics and one in statistics). He is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries, a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and an enrolled actuary in the Joint Board of Actuaries. He filled the position designated for a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries.
In 1976 Norman co-founded The Woodlands’ Center of Hewitt Associates, a global HR firm purchased by Aon in 2010. He and his wife Mary Matteson-Parrish, reside in The Woodlands where he serves on the finance committee of The Woodlands Methodist Church (Schucker, 2024).
Ron Clary (2002-2003)
Ron Clary attended the U.S Military Academy at West Point graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army. He served as an officer in the Construction Battalion of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1971-1976.
Since that time Ron has focused on Project Management with companies such as Robert E. McKee, Inc. in El Paso, TX and Turner & Associates, Oak Ridge, TX. He served as Vice President for Alliance Construction and Fretz Construction in Houston.
Ron served on the Rotary Board of Directors for a number of years starting in 1994 and as President of the Club 2002-2003. Afterwards he served as President of The Woodlands Rotary Club Foundation for 5 years during its inception and growth years. While he served as President of the Foundation, he started the tradition of the Wine Roast, with JR Moore as its first “roastee.”
During his presidency the Club sponsored the formation of the Magnolia Rotary Club. He recalls going to many of their initial meetings, helping them with programming and encouraging them to “hang in there” when the growing pains seemed a little tough. Also, during his term the Club transitioned from phone call messaging to email and Ron was instrumental in encouraging club members to get email accounts and setting up the email database for the Club.
In addition to the Rotary Club of The Woodlands, Ron has served as a Board member and President of The Woodlands Area Little League (Schucker, 2024).
Rebecca McGowan (2001-2002)
Rebecca is the owner of The Woodlands Sew and Vac (Schucker, 2024).
Dr. Ann Snyder (2000-2001)
Dr. Ann K. Snyder holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Colorado State University, a Master of Education from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and a Doctorate from Baylor University.
Ann served as President and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands where she successfully led Interfaith with a staff of more than 450 people and 61 member congregations by developing and implementing strategic initiatives throughout the nonprofit. She also served as the President & CEO of Interfaith Community Clinic. Under her leadership, Interfaith Community Clinic became a highly regarded charity clinic both financially and operationally in the greater Houston area.
Ann is well known throughout Montgomery and Harris Counties for her countless years of service to her community. Currently, she serves as Chairwoman of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors and Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital Board of Trustees. She served on the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees for fifteen years, Chairman of the Board for two terms and is a past Chairman of The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce.
Non-profits are a focal point of her life serving on countless nonprofit boards. Dr. Snyder has been the recipient of many honors for her years of service and dedication and is a graduate of the Center for Houston’s Future Leadership, 2015 Houston’s Most Influential Women, a 2000 Hometown Hero, three time Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary District 5910 Roll of Fame, 2007 Citizen of the Year, 2009 Drum Major Award, Junior League Sustainer of the Year, as well as many other accolades and honors.
Dr. Snyder was the first woman President of The Woodlands Rotary Club. Her greatest commitment to The Woodlands Rotary Club was her longtime investment in McCullough, The Woodlands High School and College Park Interact Clubs. “Service Above Self” is exemplified throughout her life. Conroe ISD named an elementary school, the Ann K. Snyder Elementary School, in her honor. It opened in the Fall of 2013 (Schucker, 2024).
Bob Guagenti (1999-2000)
The Rotary International Theme for Bob's year was: Rotary 2000: Act with Consistency, Credibility, Continuity (Schucker, 2024).
Scott Wolford (1998-1999)
Scott was a native Louisianian who attended Louisiana State University where graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance in 1978.
Scott and his brother Steve formed Corporate Medical Systems in 1987. As President of CMS, the medical billing company was truly Scott’s “baby” for the past 30 years and he treated and thought of his employees as family.
Scott joined The Woodlands Rotary Club and remained very involved for a number of years, being named a Paul Harris Fellow and member of the District 5910 Hall of Fame, and served as President from 1998-1999. In addition Scott was very involved as a member of Woodlands Church until his untimely passing in 2020 (Schucker, 2024).
Terry Brown (1997-1998)
Terry is a local insurance agent with his own firm who has been active in industry leadership positions at the national, state and local levels of his profession. He was a National and State Delegate for his associations for many years, serving at all levels, as well as on the Regional Board of Directors, and was the State legislative Chair for several years, making annual trips to Austin and Washington DC for his industry.
He’s been a resident of The Woodlands since 1978 when he and his wife Gay became the first couple married in the newly founded Woodlands Methodist Church and was an original member of that congregation. He was the bond Chairman for the building campaign for the church’s first facility in The Woodlands, a congregation of now 14,000+ members. He served as Administrative Board Chairman for 3 different terms and served the church in many areas of its growth. Terry has been a Rotarian since 1985 and served as President in 1997-98. He is a multiple Paul Harris recipient and has been chosen as a member of the District Role of Fame, having served in several capacities at the district level.
He also was active with Conroe ISD, serving on several Bond Committees, and Site Base committees to facilitate the growth of the district and also assisted Montgomery County as a Precinct Chair and Election Judge for many years.
During his year as President, the Club hosted a Group Study Exchange from The Philippines and donated a new mobile home to an underprivileged family in Tamina, just outside The Woodlands (Schucker, 2024).
Mitch Mitchell (1996-1997)
Rotary International Theme for Mitch's year was: Build the Future with Action and Vision (Schucker, 2024).
Langston Rogde (1995-1996)
Langston was a Certified Public Accountant who began his career with Arthur Anderson Accounting Firm in Houston where he worked for four years. He then worked in oil and gas accounting until 1988, at M&R Utility Company and then Tri-Lex Energy. He was the founding Chief Financial Officer at the John Cooper School, a K-12 private school in The Woodlands, TX. In 1995, he was hired as the Chief Financial Officer for Seoul Foreign School (SFS), a PreK12th grade International Baccalaureate School in Seoul, South Korea. The following year he was appointed SFS's Assistant Head of School for Operations. In 2010, he retired and relocated to San Antonio after 14 years living abroad. He was also a longtime member of Rotary International where he served as The Woodlands Rotary Club President from 1994-1995 and served as a director of the Seoul Rotary Club in Seoul for several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Schucker, 2024).
Dan Cox (1994-1995)
Dan Cox received an BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. He was with Arthur Anderson for six years and then served as President of Texas Medical Products until it was sold to Norton Company.
He co-founded SurgiMedics for which he served as President for 15 years before it was sold to Lifestream. His last position was as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Conroe Independent School District, which he held for 13 years before retiring (Schucker, 2024).
Dr. Howard Lufburrow (1993-1994)
Dr. Lufburrow graduated from Baylor University in 1977 with a degree in biology. He completed his DDS at the University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston in 1984 and has been a member of the Academy of General Dentistry since 1984. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. He was also awarded a fellowship in the International Congress of Oral Implantologists for his work in implants.
After serving as Rotary president, Howard moved to Salado, Texas. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Debra; and they have two married children, Blake and Erin, and seven grandkids. They enjoy traveling, working around the house and spending time with their pets. He is currently a member of the Salado United Methodist Church and has traveled with church mission trips to give much-needed dental care in Belize. In 2010, he authored a mystery/suspense novel, Crown Deception. He is currently working on a sequel (Schucker, 2024).
Don Stirman (1992-1993)
Don Stirman was admitted into the Texas Bar, the United States District Court and 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1973 and moved his practice to The Woodlands in 1983. He served as the President of The Woodlands Bar Association and was the Director of what is now The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce. He was Director of ProBank, N.A. which eventually became PNC Bank, N.A. and Director of Montgomery County Youth Services, which is now known as Yes to Youth.
Over the years he served on CISD bond committees and was an AV Preeminent Attorney for 40 years - peer review for legal ability and ethical standards. Don was a Qualified Mediator and served on the American Arbitration Association's National Panel of Neutrals and as a Court appointed Mediator. He is one of the owners of South Land Title Company of Montgomery County.
During his year as Rotary President, to foster a spirit of community, Don started a joint meeting of The Woodlands Rotary Club, The Woodlands Lions Club and The Woodlands Kiwanis clubs which continues to this day. He also had an opportunity to attend the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia. In a recent interview Don commented “Melbourne welcomed Rotary International with open arms. Wherever you went you saw Welcome Rotarians signs. The number of people from all over world was amazing.”
“It was an honor to serve as President of The Woodlands Rotary Club and I am glad I am still around to watch the great work the Club does in this community (Schucker, 2024).”
Virgil Yoakum (1991-1992)
Virgil Yoakum is a native Texan who received a degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A & M. He started his career with The Woodlands Development Company in December 1977; and over the next 28-plus years he was involved in a variety of capacities involving planning, design and construction of the various villages of The Woodlands. As Vice President of residential land sales and land development, he guided the development of many major projects including the 200-acre Lake Woodlands and dam, the Bear Branch detention reservoir, the Carlton Woods/Nicklaus gated community and The Woodlands East Shore Garden District.
In October 2006, Virgil joined The Johnson Development Corp. to help build a “new town” in Montgomery County. This involved the start-up of a new, 3,000-acre master planned community, Woodforest. As Vice President/General Manager for Woodforest Development, Inc., Virgil assembled a small and talented team to steer the development. Woodforest opened in July, 2009 and continues to grow, surpassing 13,000 population and 5,000 single-family homes. Woodforest has remained one of the nation’s fastest selling master planned communities since 2012.
Prior to taking his position as Club President, Virgil had an opportunity to attend the Rotary International Convention in Mexico City which he described as “a grand and awesome experience where 60,000 Rotarians gathered for brotherhood.” That year the huge Rotary announcement/goal was to eradicate polio around the world and Virgil continued “it struck me then how proud I was to be part of an organization that would be willing to take on such an important cause.”
During his year the Club constructed a massive “Spook House” with ghouls and creepy crawlers for the brave at heart. They also constructed their first Habitat for Humanity house and carried out several local clean-up days in Tamina (an impoverished community adjacent to The Woodlands). Fund raising consisted of selling a book of raffle tickets to each Rotarian for the chance to win $3,000 cash prize. At the Annual Awards Dinner, Virgil started the tradition of the Year in Review (Schucker, 2024).
Gary Pierce (1990-1991)
During Gary’s term the Club hosted the International Fellowship of Golfing Rotarians at the Resort and Conference Center in The Woodlands; and a major milestone was reached when $50,000 was placed in the Permanent Scholarship Fund (Schucker, 2024).
John Hathaway (1989-1990)
Our next President was John Hathaway who was very active in local and district activities later serving as District Governor for Rotary District 5910. During his tenure as President Mary Matteson was elected to membership and John was named to the District 5910 Roll of Fame.
Rotary International ramped up its Polio Eradication Program which was begun in 1979 in The Philippines and established the first clubs behind the Iron Curtain.
Population in The Woodlands topped 30,000 and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion opened with concerts by the Houston Symphony and Frank Sinatra (Schucker, 2024).
Dave Smalley (1988-1989)
Dave Smalley was the Founder and CEO of Spectrum Catering, Concessions & Events. During his year as President, members of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands joined the International Golfing Fellowship of Rotarians, which was founded at the birthplace of golf, St Andrews, in Scotland in 1963 and today has activities in Australia, Europe and North America as a mechanism for promoting international fellowship.
Also during this year, the Club awarded its first 4-year scholarship to Kim Andes; and the John Cooper School, today one of the premier private schools in the region, opened its doors. Cooper was built on a 43 acre tract designate for that purpose by George Mitchell (Schucker, 2024).
Dr. Michael Freeman (1987-1988)
Dr. Mike Freeman, a local dentist, followed Rob as President. Prior to this time, Rotary membership was available only to males; however, in a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, Rotary International vs Rotary Club of Duarte, CA, the Court ruled on May 4, 1987 that Rotary International could not prevent a local club from electing female members. This overturned a major policy that had existed since the original founding of Rotary by Paul Harris in 1905. Charter member Bill Leigh nominated Toni Baker and the Rotary Club of The Woodlands held a special election in November 1987 during their normal weekly meeting. After much discussion, they voted to elect Toni as their first female member. Toni was at the time an executive with Stewart Title in The Woodlands and more interestingly was pregnant. It is conceivable that she was the first Rotarian in the world to give birth (Schucker, 2024)!
David Slavin/Rob Eissler (1986-1987)
David Slavin was elected President but had to resign; and the remainder of his term was filled by Rob Eissler, who was President of Eissler and Associates, an executive recruiting firm in The Woodlands until being elected to the Texas House of Representative for five terms. Since leaving the House, he has served as a consultant for the Schlueter Group out of Austin, TX. Rob served a total of 18 years on the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees and in 1999 was named one of the 25 original “Hometown Heroes” for The Woodlands by The Woodlands Villager/Courier newspapers and The Woodlands Development Company. This year saw the opening of The Hardy Toll Road which made traveling to Houston much easier. At its meeting on June 18, 2024, the Board of the Conroe Independent School District decided to name a new elementary school after Rob (Schucker, 2024).
Dr. George Kaufman III (1985-1986)
A native of Illinois, George (Joby) Kaufman attended Western Illinois University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He attended the University of Houston College of Optometry receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiological Optics and a Doctor of Optometry degree.
In 1976, Joby and his family moved to south Montgomery County, where he opened Woodlands Eye Associates in Grogan’s Mill Village, the first and only village of The Woodlands at that time.
Joby was an early pioneer in helping to establish a sense of community in the area. He was an active member of the South Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and was president of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands in 1985. As a Rotarian, he was honored with the Paul Harris Fellow Award. He served on the Service Academy Nominations Board on behalf of U.S. Congressman, Kevin Brady.
In 1986, he became a member of the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees and served the next 18 years. During that time, Dr. Kaufman saw tremendous growth in student population, building construction, and student achievement. He was president of the school board from 1993-1995 and Kaufman Elementary was named in his honor when built in 2006. During his presidency The Rotary Club of The Woodlands awarded its first scholarships to Oak Ridge High School students; and overall, scholarships topped $50,000.
The Club also made its first contribution to the Gift of Life Campaign and sponsored its first Seniors Party, which has become a Club tradition. The Club co-hosted the 5th International Age Group Diving Championship (Schucker, 2024).
J. R. Moore (1984-1985)
To round out the first decade of club activities, J. R. Moore was elected President. J. R. had been a grocer but went into the hardware business with fellow Rotarian Jim Pitchford ultimately buying him out and owning the store alone. Later J. R. went into politics running for Tax Assessor/Collector and serving The Woodlands in that capacity for 27 years before retiring in 2014. During J. R.’s tenure Interact Clubs were formed at both McCullough and Oak Ridge High Schools. The Club was awarded two Rotary Presidential Citations and received its first Outstanding Club award. In The Woodlands, the fourth village, Village of Indian Springs, opened as did The Woodlands Hospital.
Lake Woodlands, which occupies 200 acres, was excavated and filled in 1984 and hosted the Last of the Bottom of The Lake Festivals complete with a tug of war. Today, Lake Woodlands provides a recreational playground for residents and tourists alike (Schucker, 2024).
David Dollahite (1983-1984)
Significantly, during this year, the Club established the Permanent Scholarship Fund and a raffle system was put into place as a fund raiser. Scholarships to local students topped $25,000. Administratively, the past presidents were made the nominating committee for prospective club officers.
The Club co-hosted the 3rd FIAN World Diving Championship. In The Woodlands, the third village, the Village of Cochran’s Crossing, opened for sales of homes (Schucker, 2024).
Brad Norvell (1982-1983)
In the 1982-83 year Brad Norvell served as President (Schucker, 2024).
Glenn Hall (1981-1982)
Glenn Hall was born and raised in Wharton, Texas, a small town located just southwest of Houston. After high school, he was accepted to the University of Texas College of Pharmacy in Austin, graduating from there in 1972 with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy. He was registered to practice pharmacy in Texas during that year and remains so to this day.
After a short stint as an employee pharmacist, Glenn partnered with his brother, also a pharmacist, to form Hall and Hall Pharmacies. This group expanded to several pharmacies in the Greater Houston area by the mid1970s. Glenn purchased the pharmacy in The Woodlands in 1977 and built his own chain with the addition of three pharmacies co-owned with other pharmacists. Glenn sold his pharmacy interests from 1986 through 1994 to concentrate on real estate and other businesses that were growing during that time period.
Glenn was the co-founder of the Texas Pharmacy Cooperative, Inc. In 1982, TPC purchased the first Legend Pharmacy Cooperative Franchise from the original Legend Cooperative shareholders in New York. For the next fourteen years, Glenn served as Chairman of the Texas Co-op as well as a member of the National Advisory Board of Legend Cooperatives, President, and Director of Third Party programs.
After selling his last pharmacy, Glenn served as EVP of the co-op which had grown to almost four hundred members in three states. He subsequently served as Vice President Managed Care Marketing for Cardinal Health Care.
Glenn served as President of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands for the 1981-1982 Rotary year, which saw the club co-sponsor the 3rd International Age Group Diving Championship. In The Woodlands, the Houston Area Research Center (HARC) and the Research Forest, both heavily favored by Mr. Mitchell, were opened. Oak Ridge High School across I-45 opened in September 1981 (Schucker, 2024).
Corky Shaw (1980-1981)
The next year, Corky Shaw served as President and the meetings of the club were moved to the Blue Room in the Conference Center. Corky had graduated with an MBA from Michigan State University and moved to Houston in 1972 to join Terradevco Development Company, a joint venture partnership with Mitchell Energy & Development, building The Woodlands Inn and Conference Center with Tom Boak.
Corky was an original founder and charter member of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands, serving as president in 1981. He was honored with two Paul Harris Fellowship awards and was chosen for the highest award by the Rotary District, "5910 Roll of Fame" in 1996.
Through Rotary, Corky served as the "Interact" sponsor for The Woodlands and College Park High Schools for over 30 years, guiding students to follow the "Service Above Self" motto to enrich their lives and give back to the community. The Service Above Self Award was presented to students who strive to the highest standards of the organization. It was renamed "The Corky Shaw-Ann Snyder Service Above Self Award", in 2008. He was also presented an award from The Woodlands Rotary for his years of service and dedication to "Interact (Schucker, 2024). "
Dr. Ron Rogers (1979-1980)
Dr. Ron Rogers (1979-1980) Dr. Ron is a native Texan who attended Abilene Christian University followed by Dental School at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. After receiving his DDS, he served in the United States Air Force from 1969-1971 before entering Orthodontic School at UT in 1973.
He married the former Claudette Spain in 1973 and moved to Oak Ridge, TX, where he started his practice as he “watched them bulldoze across I-45 to begin shaping The Woodlands.” He joined The Rotary Club of The Woodlands in May 1976 and is one of our longest serving active members.
Over the years Ron has been very active in our community serving on the Executive Board of Interfaith of The Woodlands, the Board of The Woodlands Hospital, the Advisory Council Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital, the Board of The Woodlands National Bank and the Board of a Municipal Utility District in The Woodlands.
During Ron’s presidency, the Club grew to about 50 members and co-hosted the 1st FINA World Diving Cup at the WAC. Deserving recipients Vernon Robbins and Tom Boak were awarded the first Paul Harris Fellowships given by our club (Schucker, 2024).
Darrell Streater (1978-1979)
Darrell Streater was elected for the 1978-79 year but had to resign; and Tom Boak filled in for the remainder of the year. McCullough High graduated its first class that year; and The Rotary Club gave our first scholarship of $1,000 to a deserving graduating senior (Schucker, 2024).
Charles Kelly (1977-1978)
In the subsequent Rotary year Charles Kelly, a charter member of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands and a local realtor, served as President and that year saw the Board grow to 9 members by adding the Secretary, Treasurer and Past President (Schucker, 2024).
Dr. Thomas W. Dorrell, Sr. (1976-1977)
Dr. Tom Dorrell, a veterinarian and owner of Pineland Animal Hospital, succeeded Tom Boak as President after David Powell had to resign after a job transfer took him out of the area. Jesse Jones was elected to the empty Board seat.
During this year The Rotary Club of The Woodlands hosted the first International Age Group Diving Championship. It was in September 1976 that McCullogh High School opened in its current location on South Panther Creek Drive with just a Sophomore class (Schucker, 2024).
During this year The Rotary Club of The Woodlands hosted the first International Age Group Diving Championship. It was in September 1976 that McCullogh High School opened in its current location on South Panther Creek Drive with just a Sophomore class (Schucker, 2024).
Tom Boak (1975 – 1976)
Tom had come from Columbia, MD where he had worked for Howard Research and Development Company (HRD), a subsidiary of The Rouse Company that created the new master planned community just outside of Washington, DC.
One of the projects he had worked on in Columbia was a conference center; and when George Mitchell hired Len Ivins and a team of 34 from Columbia, Tom was hired in 1973 with Corky Shaw to develop the new Woodlands Resort and Conference Center.
Tom had been a swimmer for most of his life, successfully competing in high school and college; and in 2016 was inducted into the International Swimmers Hall of Fame (ISHoF). It is not surprising then that during his year as President of The Rotary Club of The Woodlands, he was instrumental in the design and construction of The Woodlands Athletic Center (WAC) – a world class facility that opened in 1975.
Created by George Mitchell as a recreational center that would help to attract new residents, the WAC, a membership-based organization, offered swimming, diving, tennis and other youth activities. It featured a 25 meter heated indoor pool, a 50 meter Olympic sized outdoor pool with international competition lane distances and a diving venue with 5, 7 and 10 meter platforms.
“People would come from all over the world for this facility, competing and practicing outdoor among the birds and trees,” Woodlands area diving coach Kenny Armstrong said. “It was phenomenal. It was a great vision.”
The Woodlands gained national and international prominence by hosting diving events at the WAC under the direction of renowned diving coach and charter member, Dick Smith; and the Rotary Club of The Woodlands began (under Tom’s leadership) to co-sponsor many of teams (including the Brazilian Diving Team) and events (National Synchronized Swimming Championship and the American Cup Pre-Olympic Competition) by housing athletes in their homes, at one meet hosting over 100 divers.
The Rotary Club at that time had no cash reserves and began to have fund-raisers, the first of which was a Turkey Shoot. For $10, participants could buy a ticket to shoot at targets; and the best aims were rewarded with a turkey.
Tom and his partner, Corky Shaw, who were co-owners of CTC Enterprises, built custom homes in The Woodlands for 44 years and until recently, Tom was an active member of the The Woodlands club. During his tenure he received two Paul Harris awards and was selected for the District 5910 Roll of Fame. He and his wife moved to Sacramento, CA in 2023 to be closer to some of their grandchildren; and Tom is now an active member of the Rotary Club of Elk Grove where he has started a Rotary After Hours (RAH) program patterned after the one started by The Woodlands club and is actively sponsoring a new Interact club at a local high school (Schucker, 2024).
Vernon Robbins – Charter President (May – June 1975)
With prior Rotary experience, Vern Robbins was a logical choice for the first president of the newly formed club and served from May 19, 1975 – June 30, 1975, at which time the President-Elect, Tom Boak, took the reins and led the club through its whole first year of operation. The Rotary Club of The Woodlands began meeting in the Glass Menagerie located in The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center (Schucker, 2024).
The Rotary Club of The Woodlands sincerely appreciates Dr. Robert Schucker for allowing us to share content from his book, "In Pursuit of Service Above Self."
Last Updated: G Brown 2025-06-27