Governor Abbott Names Vice Chair And Appoints Five To OneStar National Service Commission
May 20, 2019 | Austin, Texas | Appointment
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Lonnie Hsia and Lori Stevens and reappointed Kirk Beckert, Ronnie Hagerty, Ph.D., and Roger O’Dell to the OneStar National Service Commission for terms set to expire on March 3, 2021. Additionally, the Governor named Annette Juba vice chair. The Board promotes volunteerism in Texas and oversees the administration of the AmeriCorps programs for the state.
Lonnie Hsia of Round Rock is a project manager at Applied Materials. He is a member of Project Management Institute and Agile Austin. He is a volunteer with CASA of Williamson County, Asian Family Support Services of Austin, and Refugee Services of Texas and a former volunteer with the SAFE Alliance. Hsia received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Alaska and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from Texas A&M University.
Lori Stevens of Royse City is the CEO and Founder of Patriot PAWS Service Dogs, an organization that raises and trains service dogs for disabled veterans. She has over 30 years of professional dog training experience and is an active member and evaluator for Assistance Dogs International, the only accreditation organization for service dogs worldwide. She is also a member of the International Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Stevens graduated from North Garland High School and the Animal Behavior University in San Diego and earned certifications from Karen Pryor Academy and as a professional trainer.
Kirk Beckert of Richardson is retired and is formerly the chief marketing officer at Texans Can Academies. Prior to that, he worked for Summit Consolidated Group and served as a teacher and coach at Richardson Independent School District. He has served in leadership positions as a board member of the Texas Association of Business and member of the Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. Beckert received a Bachelor of Science in hotel administration from Cornell University. He also completed graduate studies at the University of North Texas and holds a Region 10 alternative certification in special education.
Ronnie Hagerty, Ph.D. of Houston is assistant vice president of community relations and talent management for the United Way of Greater Houston. She is an adjunct professor at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and former lecturer at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. She serves as a board member for The Rose, and as an advisory committee member for the Houston Arts Alliance, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, Career Gear, and University of Houston Downtown Master’s in Nonprofit Management program. She is a member of the PowerTools for Nonprofits Advisory Board and is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston. She was previously a member of Renewing our Communities Advisory Committee and the American Diabetes Association. Hagerty received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Saint Mary’s College – Notre Dame, Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston, and Doctor of Philosophy in leadership and change from Antioch University.
Roger O’Dell of El Paso is the executive director of Model Cities-El Paso and MRE/Higher Ground Hosting. He also owns PosiTrend Industries which serves as an energy cost containment consulting firm. Previously, he was the manager of credit and collections for El Paso Electric Company. He is a life member of the El Paso Jaycees and Junior Chamber International JCI Senate. He has previously held leadership positions in the community as co-founder and member of the El Paso Character Council, chairman of the Rio Grande Economics Association and Hospice of El Paso, co-founder of El Paso’s East Side Civic Association, member of El Paso Auto Theft Task Force, alumni member of the U.S. Marshalls Citizen Academy, board member of El Paso Pregnancy Help Center, and former chairman of deacons and chairman of trustees of Immanuel Baptist Church. O’Dell received a Bachelor of Business Administration in management from The University of Texas at El Paso.
Annette Juba of Austin is the deputy director for AGE of Central Texas, a regional non-profit organization serving older adults and their family caregivers. She is former co-chair of the Aging Services Council and a University Field Affiliate in The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. Juba received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Master of Science in social work from The University of Texas at Austin.