In today’s ever-changing landscape, strong leadership is more valuable than ever! Children at Risk is pleased to announce five additions to our Governing Board of Directors. Their many talents and diverse professional experiences will help our organization continue to serve as a catalyst for change and improve the quality of life for children across the state. Please join us in welcoming our newly-elected Board Members!
Carol Wise serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). She offers more than three decades of knowledge to DART from transit agencies in New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC.
Carol is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended the University of Pittsburgh receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees. When Carol is not managing day to day activities at DART she is engaged in the Human Trafficking program; establishing job opportunities at DART for the homeless; and advancing DART’s “5 Star Service Program: A Journey to Excellence” – a program she created that is being modeled by other transit properties across the nation. Carol has been involved with CHILDREN AT RISK since 2014, and actively speaks out about human trafficking throughout the North Dallas Community.
Michael Kelly, Ph.D. serves as the Vice President of Programs for the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, where he provides leadership for the Health Foundation’s health priority areas and supervises program staff. While at the Foundation, he has led numerous health programs that benefit the underserved in the region. Michael has volunteered extensively throughout the El Paso community over the last 25 years, focusing on health and children’s issues.
A native of Houston, Michael received a Ph.D. in Health Education from Texas A&M University. He also holds a Masters of Education in Health Education and a B.A. in Biology. He now lives in El Paso with his wife Nethia and their two sons.
Chris Wallace serves as President/CEO of the North Texas Commission, a unique public-private partnership that drives large impactful projects and legislative advocacy benefiting a robust 13-county region. Prior to this position, Chris was President/COO of the Texas Association of Business, and he has extensive experience in governmental relations.
Chris is also a member of the faculty at the Institute for Organization Management, a premier training and development program for non-profit professionals in the U.S. He received his BS from Texas Tech University.
Michael Carrasco is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Public Sector Services in Houston. He specializes in organizational transformation advisement and oversight, IT strategy, program design, risk management, complex investigations, and the adoption of technology to enable wholesale organizational change. Michael earned a Bachelor’s degree in Politics and Law from the State University of New York at Binghamton, and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a former U.S. Federal Prosecutor and veteran of both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
While serving as a Diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, he supported U.S.-led international programs to prevent human trafficking of women and children. Most importantly, as a fairly new dad to two boys under the age of 4, he is passionate about protecting children.
Ann Miller formed Affinity Capital in 1995, after beginning her career as an Investment Advisor working for several major wire houses, and as a Vice President of Investments at RBC Dain Rauscher. Her clients have included high net worth individuals and families, and corporate retirement and profit sharing plans. Her firm supports many local non-profit and charitable organizations by providing pro bono services.
Ann is on the Advisory Board of the Leadership Houston Endowment and the Board of The Houston Museum of Health and Medical Science, serving on the Executive, Governance and Finance Committees, and is actively involved in community and charitable groups. She loves to travel and ski and is an aunt to 15 nieces and nephews! Ann has a passion for helping people.