Board of Directors

Patrick Ley provides commercial real estate brokerage services for ECR. He has earned his SIOR and CCIM designations placing him among the leading experts in commercial real estate for leasing and investments. Patrick has been recognized as an Austin Business Journal “Heavy Hitter” and Austin Under 40 winner among other notable industry and community awards. Patrick served as past-president for the Commercial Brokers Association, co-chair of the Community Advisory Council for RMHC CTX and as past president for Friends of the House, a young professional group supporting RMHC CTX. He is also a member of Leadership Austin and the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Patrick and his wife, Beth, are the 2018 co-chairs for the Bandana Ball.

Tala is a Partner with Notley and Co-Founder and President of JobsiteCheck, a contactless, hardware-free solution for job site check-in and management. She is an innovative thinker with a gift for fearless leadership and strategic growth. Tala joined the RMHC CTX board in 2015 and served as the Development Committee chair, 2015 Bandana Ball chair and the 2016 Red Shoe Luncheon chair.

Ryan Meyer is a vice president of Corporate Banking for Frost Bank in Austin where he assists commercial companies on a wide range of banking services including loans, leasing, and treasury management solutions. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Texas Tech University. Mr. Meyer is a founding member and past president of the Friends of the House, a young professional group serving the mission of RMHC CTX. He and his wife, Haley, co-chaired the 2010 Lights of Love and will be the 2017 Bandana Ball co-chairs.

Thomas Aylor is the Principal Accounting Officer at Big Commerce. Thomas brings many years of experience to the company, including expertise in strategic financial transactions and public company compliance from previous roles at ProjectManager.com, RetailMeNot, Arthur Andersen, and Ernst & Young. During his 12-year tenure at Ernst & Young, he served clients ranging from growth-stage technology companies to Fortune 500 companies. Thomas received his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Texas State University.

David Aronica spent 20 years as an executive in Silicon Valley where he worked at both public and private companies, start-ups, and Fortune 100 corporations. He helped take private companies public and built organizations within a number of successful venture-backed businesses. After moving to Austin, David took a three-year sabbatical and taught Entrepreneurship at Concordia University. David is now an executive at FlowEngine, an Austin-based start-up helping companies leverage their employees’ professional networks to achieve key strategic initiatives. David previously served on the Board of the Goodwill Central Texas and the Goodwill Education Board.

Ryan Bednarz is the Director of Finance and Operations at Alen, a global ecommerce retailer of indoor air purifiers and replacement filters. As the leader of the Finance and Operations organizations, Ryan manages the company’s finance, accounting and supply chain functions. Prior to joining Alen, Ryan spent 10 years in KPMG’s audit practice, focusing on the audits of both publicly and privately held companies ranging in size from $100 million to $4 billion in revenue. Ryan received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Accounting from Texas A&M University. Ryan has lived in Austin since 2006 and is active in the tennis community.

Bobby Boenigk is an entrepreneur that has been involved in several startup companies. Bobby and his family moved to the Bryan/College Station in 1967. He attended public school in Bryan and graduated from Texas A&M University in 1977. He previously served on the Board of United Way of the Brazos Valley and currently serves on the Brazos Valley Community Advisory Council for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas. Bobby and his wife, Rebecca, were the catalysts to the expansion of RMHC CTX services in the Brazos Valley.

Christopher Born is president of Dell Children’s Medical Center, having joined the hospital in October 2017. Most recently, Chris served as President and CEO of Texas Children’s Health Plan, the nation’s largest provider sponsored Health Plan in Texas serving Medicaid and CHIP populations. Prior to his role within the Texas Children’s Health Plan, Chris was tasked by the organization to create a pediatric primary care network for the Hospital. Established in 1995, Chris led the effort to build Texas Children’s Pediatric Associates, the largest pediatric primary care group in the country with more than 300 physicians. Chris serves on the board of directors of numerous professional organizations and is the past chairman for Greater Houston HealthConnect.

Nicky Brennig is a partner in the Global Investment Funds practice at DLA Piper LLP (US). Her practice focuses on advising pension plans, endowments, insurance companies, private market solutions providers, family offices and other financial institutions on all aspects of their business. She is also an active volunteer and enjoys serving her community and has served for several years as a member of the Elizabeth Ann Seton Board. Nicky and her husband Chris have lived in Austin for twelve years and have two children.

Amber Carden is Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor at U.S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management, where she has worked since joining the bank in 1983. She manages a financial team who advise clients in the area of wealth management, focusing on wealth preservation, estate and tax planning strategies, philanthropy and customized credit opportunities. She and her team are designated to cover institutional philanthropic clients and have a number of non-profit organizations and foundation clients within their portfolio of business. Amber joined Bank of America after graduating from Baylor University in 1982 (BBA) and 1983 (MBA) with finance degrees. Amber holds securities license in Series 6, 63 and 7. She currently serves on the local Bank of America Foundation selection committee and is a member of U.S. Trust Associate Advisory Board.

Amber’s past and present community board activities include Caritas of Austin, Ronald McDonald House of Central Texas, Dell Children’s Hospital Foundation Council, Les Ami de Hospice, The Junior League of Austin, National Charity League of Austin, AARO, and Leadership Austin. She has also chaired fundraising events for Dell Children’s Hospital of Central Texas, Hospice Austin, Phoenix House, I Live Here/I Give Here, Anderson High School, Breakthrough, Caritas, Con Mi Madre, Heartgift, Helping Hand Home, and Leadership Austin. Amber was a past recipient of both The Junior League of Austin’s Community Service Award and Volunteer Extraordinaire, as well as AFP’s Fundraising Volunteer of the Year, the Grant Professionals Association 2015 Giving Star Award, and a finalist for Austin Under 40’s Mentor of the Year 2015.

Thomas Fowler is the vice president of Central Engineering at Silicon Labs. He is responsible for coordinating a large multi-national team of engineers and layout designers, as well as managing the business relationships with Silicon Labs’ global supply partners. Mr. Fowler has a degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas Austin and an MBA in Technology Management from University of Phoenix.

Tam Hawkins is currently the President and CEO of the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce. Prior to this role, she served as the Vice President of Corporate Engagement & Membership. Her background includes a primary concentration in Corporate Sales & Marketing management roles for some of the nation’s most admired companies. Tam’s volunteer commitments have been directly in line with her passion for the following local, national, and international organizations: Sickle Cell Disease Association Dallas Chapter, Special Events Chair; Literacy Instructions for Texans – Volunteer Teacher; Airline Ambassadors – United Nations Liaison; Susan G. Komen: Dallas Affiliates Chapter – Fundraising committee and a Mocha Moms Austin former board President. Tam serves as a board member of the East Austin Conservancy and Austin Partners in Education.

Sirus has been with Enterprise Fleet Management for 20 years and currently serves as the Director overseeing the Austin and San Antonio market. His career has taken him from Southern California to Pittsburgh and most recently St. Louis. He has extensive board and non-profit experience having served as a Committee or Board Member for Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis, Better Business Bureau, and Make-A-Wish Foundation. Sirus, along with his wife Kendra and daughter Kayla, moved to Austin in 2018 and are excited to call this community home.

Katie Owen is a vice president with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Austin where she is responsible for managing solutions for her clients. This includes partnering with specialists across the firm to assist her clients with private banking, investment management, fiduciary services, and wealth transfer strategies. As an active member of her community, Katie is 2018 chair of The Contemporaries for The Contemporary Austin and serves on the museum’s Development Committee. She is also a founding member of the Dell Med Society for Health and Business. Katie will serve as the 2018 chair of RMHC CTX’s Red Shoe Luncheon, scheduled for September 2018.

Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Texas Aggie Band in the Corps of Cadets. He received his commission in the United States Army Field Artillery from Texas A&M in 1979 as a Distinguished Military Graduate. During his 31 years of military service, General Ramirez commanded soldiers around the world including serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff for United States Central Command during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Deputy Division Commander for the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea. His most recent assignment was Deputy Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy for US European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. General Ramirez holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Texas A&M; Masters Degree in Management from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri; and a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

David Ritter spent 15 years as a Partner at McKinsey and Company in Chicago where he advised senior executives on a wide range of strategic and operational topics. As a leader in McKinsey’s Consumer practice, Dave focused on driving transformational change at both public and private consumer-facing companies. During this time, Dave led McKinsey’s relationship with the RMHC-Chicago and Northern Indiana leading multiple pro-bono consulting engagements. Since returning to Austin, Dave has formally joined the Advisory Boards of Pensa Systems and Afresh Technologies where he acts as a senior advisor to the executive teams. Prior to McKinsey, Dave was a Captain in the U.S. Army Field Artillery for 5+ years culminating in a year-long deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Dave has a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Dave, along with his wife Kate and son Davey, moved back to Austin in early 2019 and are glad to be home.

Becki Benton Russell is a second-generation McDonald’s owner operator. Ms. Russell began her career with McDonald’s at age 14 when working with her parents Mike and Dianne Benton. After careers in retail, banking and law, she returned to the family business to begin the McDonald's ownership track. In 2004, Ms. Russell became a certified McDonald’s owner operator. Collectively, Becki, her brother Allen Benton and their parents own 20 McDonald’s restaurants in the Austin area. They frequently volunteer at the House and with various committees.

Carolyn joined the RMHC CTX team in 2013 and serves as executive director. Carolyn has her Master's Degree in Social Welfare from UC-Berkeley. Prior to coming to RMHC CTX, Carolyn was founding executive director of Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM). She helped build a first-of-its-kind, nationally recognized organization, providing access to affordable health care for Austin's musicians. In 2009, Schwarz was named Austinite of the Year and won the Arts and Entertainment category for the 11th Annual Austin Under 40 Awards. In 2010, she was named a winner in the Austin Business Journal's 16th Annual Profiles in Power and Women of Influence Awards. In 2011, she was one of four people to receive Austin ICON Award. She lives in Austin with her husband and their two children.

Molly H. Sherman is the director of community affairs for the Central Texas Division of St. David’s HealthCare where she is responsible for identifying, negotiating and securing corporate sponsorship opportunities with local non-profits and community partners. Prior to St. David’s HealthCare, Molly spent 24 years as a nonprofit fundraising professional, devoting 17 years as the director of development at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Molly has had the privilege of serving, both professionally and personally, numerous local and statewide nonprofit organizations.

Meredith Silliman is an attorney in Jackson Walker’s Austin office with a practice focused on executive compensation, employee benefits, and ERISA, including assisting clients with the design, drafting, implementation, and ongoing administration of qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, bonus and equity compensation plans, and other executive-level compensation arrangements. Prior to moving to Austin, Meredith stayed at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas’ Family Rooms and House with her husband, Justin, while their son, Paul, was in the NICU for 150 days. She is excited to help share the impact RMHCCTX has had on families like hers.

Anne Meinig Smalling is president of HM International, LLC (HMI). Mrs. Smalling serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Quality Sausage Company, American Innovations, and rateGenius. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Igasamex, as Treasurer of Board of Directors of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and is also a member of the Cornell University Advisory Council. As trustee of the Meinig Family Foundation, she participates in the evaluation and allocation process of the Foundation’s gifts.

Jeanie Smith is the owner of multiple McDonald’s restaurants in Texas, with over 25 years of experience with McDonald’s restaurants. She has previously worked with the Ronald McDonald House in Houston, Texas and has volunteered with many nonprofit organizations including American Cancer Society, Walker County Chamber of Commerce, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Christopher Szeliga is senior vice president of the JE Dunn Construction Austin office where he is responsible for management of projects and personnel along with strategic growth initiatives in Central Texas. Chris has been in the construction industry and worked with JE Dunn for 20 years. He is a US Navy Veteran with the SeaBees’ (Construction Battalion) from 1993 to 2001, and a LEED Accredited Professional. Chris serves his community as a member of The Associated General Contractors’ of America board of directors and has served as chair for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas’ Lights of Love in 2015 and 2016.

Garry Wiseman, former Senior Vice President, Digital Customer Experiences, drove research and development for Dell’s commerce platforms and applications (including Dell.com). Before joining Dell in 2017, Garry spent more than 20 years building global online consumer and enterprise products for start-ups and the world’s largest technology companies such as Microsoft, eBay, Salesforce.com. Garry studied international business administration at Wolverhampton University and has authored eight U.S. patents for commerce-related inventions.

Earl Wurzbach is a retired McDonald’s owner/operator having owned restaurants in the San Antonio, Baytown and Bryan-College Station over a 25-year career. Mr. Wurzbach has extensive experience with Ronald McDonald House Charities having served as president of the Ronald McDonald Charities of San Antonio and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Houston and Galveston as well as being a member of their board of directors. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education and a Masters of Education. He is very active in the community and has volunteered and participated in several nonprofit organization including the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club of Baytown, and San Jacinto Hospital board of directors.