Fred Hills is vice president of instruction at McLennan Community College. He is a tenured faculty member and served as dean of Arts, Sciences and Business, QEP director, and program director for Computer Information Systems at MCC prior to his appointment as vice president. Dr. Hills retired from the U.S. Air Force, where he served as an information systems and telecommunications officer. He has a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of North Texas in Denton.

Andrea was elected to serve on the Waco City Council representing District 1 in 2018 and is currently serving her third term. Improving her community’s access to economic, educational and housing opportunities is what drives Andrea.

She serves on numerous boards and commissions including Texas Municipal League, Texas Association of Black City Council Members (Vice Chair) National League of Cities, REAL- Race Equity and Leadership- NLC (Co-Chair) Texas Travel Alliance Board, Prosper Waco Board (Vice Chair), NAACP (Vice President), Communities in Schools Board, McLennan County Community Investment Fund, StartUp Waco Board and the Texas Lyceum.

Andrea joined the Ardurra engineering firm in 2023 as a Client Services Manager. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director of the Texas Brazos Trail Region.

Andrea is also a proud member of the Waco Central Texas Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and Waco Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Andrea is a Sam Houston State University graduate, where she met husband Elijah, and they have been happily married for 21 years. They have two beautiful sons, Drew and Jaxon.

Sharon Shields is superintendent of La Vega Independent School District. Dr. Shields received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in curriculum & instruction from Texas A&M University in 1993; her Masters of Education degree, Mid-Management Certification, and Counseling Certification from Baylor University in 1983; and she earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Baylor in 1980. She is a former La Vega ISD educator and counselor.

Isabel (Bell) Weeden is the Chief Financial Officer at Waco Foundation. Previously, she held the position of Chief Operating Officer for Research Tax Consultants, an oil and gas tax consulting firm. Bell has 24 years of experience in finance, data management, and accounting.  She is passionate about the use of data to solve problems and identify opportunities across a variety of platforms. Her areas of expertise include severance tax, database management and reporting tools, budget management, FPA, legislative finance, public accounting, and investment management.

Bell serves/has served on the following boards in Waco: Communities in Schools, Meals on Wheels Waco, World Hunger Relief Farm, and Business Resource Center.

Rev. Rubén Andrade Jr., born in West, Texas, and raised by his paternal grandparents in Waco, attended Waco ISD schools and Baylor University. With over 30 years in the nonprofit sector, he was recognized as a White House Champion of Change by President Obama and received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Biden. Pastor Rubén has been a national speaker on parental involvement, fatherhood, and community engagement, and has served as a consultant for Head Start Programs. In 2009, he founded Family of Faith Worship Center and later established Family of Faith Christian Academy and the Eva A. Soza Dream Center, providing essential services and education to thousands in the Greater Waco area. Celebrating his 18th year as pastor, Pastor Rubén's effective community partnerships highlight his unwavering commitment to serving children and families.

Board Chair Jackson Griggs is the Chief Executive Officer of Heart of Texas Community Health Center, a fifteen-site federally-qualified health center serving 60,000 patients in Central Texas. Dr. Griggs is a family physician who has practiced medicine for fifteen years, focusing on families living in poverty. Before executive leadership, he trained over 150 resident physicians while on faculty of the Waco Family Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Josie Gutierrez presently works in the Waco Independent School District as the Deputy Superintendent, assisting the Superintendent with the day-to-day operations of the school district. Prior to coming to Waco, Josie worked as a national educational consultant focusing on school turnaround where she got the opportunity to work with more than 40 organizations in sixteen states that serve schools in urban, rural, suburban and Native American reservations.  In addition to consulting with districts, Josie has served in a variety of school and district leadership roles in Fort Worth, Dallas, and the Houston area.  She is deeply committed to school improvement work because she believes that a child's zip code should not determine their outcomes.

Dillon Meek was elected mayor of Waco in November 2020. He served on the Waco City Council 2015-2020, representing district 4. While on council, he learned the importance of listening, fostering collaboration, and building consensus. He has served on the boards of the following organizations: Downtown Waco Farmers Market, Unbound Waco, Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization, City Center Waco, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, Greater Waco Sports Commission, and Inspiracion.

Sarah is an entrepreneur with a passion for developments and their ability to transform businesses and communities.  Sarah is a partner in real estate development and business ventures locally and nationally. Sarah is also founding principal of KSR, working with innovative clients to deliver development projects. Previously, Sarah spent over a decade leading regional economic development at the Greater Waco Chamber. Roberts is an active member of the Waco business community, serving on multiple civic and business boards, currently including Alliance Bank of Central Texas, Waco Business League (past president), and StartUp Waco. Sarah’s work has garnered national and statewide awards, including being recognized by New York-based Development Counselors International as the inaugural class of 40 under 40 Rising Stars Economic Development. Roberts holds a BBA from Baylor University’s Entrepreneurship program.