Staff

Ray Martinez serves as the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC), a comprehensive membership association comprising a diverse mix of 48 community colleges across Texas. Public community colleges in Texas play a critical role in supporting the continued growth of our state’s economy by expanding access to high-quality and affordable academic programs, workforce education training, and continuing education instruction. As President and CEO of TACC, Martinez provides leadership to advance state policy, institutional practice, research, and developing meaningful multisector partnerships in support of Texas community colleges.

Before joining TACC, Ray served as Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Workforce Education for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where he led the agency’s critical functions in academic programs, workforce education, and postsecondary readiness and success. Martinez brings a deep understanding of higher education to TACC. He previously served as President of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas and Chancellor of Western Governors University (WGU) Texas, and he has held senior government affairs positions at Rice University and Texas A&M International University. Ray has also served as the director of the Committee on Higher Education in the Texas Senate.

In addition, Ray has substantial federal policy experience, having served in the Clinton Administration as regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and on the White House staff as deputy assistant to the president for Intergovernmental Affairs. Ray returned to federal service in 2003 after being nominated by President George W. Bush – and confirmed by the United States Senate – to serve as a commissioner on the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan federal agency responsible for assisting state and local governments to improve the process of election administration.

Beginning in 2007, Ray served as an adjunct professor of public policy at The University of Texas School of Law and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, where, over a seven-year period, he taught a course on election administration, redistricting, and campaign finance. Ray has also served on the Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which implements the accreditation process for public and private higher education institutions in an eleven-state region, including Texas. 

A native of Alice, Texas, Ray received his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University and his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, and he recently completed postgraduate studies at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Ray and his wife, Beth, a clinical social worker, reside in Austin.

Kimberly M. Lowry serves as the Vice President of the Texas Association of Community Colleges and Executive Director of the Texas Success Center. In this leadership role, Kim spearheads initiatives aimed at enhancing student success and community college leadership across Texas.

Prior to joining TACC, Kim was the Director of Leadership and Impact at The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. There, she played a pivotal role in developing strategies and executing initiatives that significantly advanced student success and community college leadership nationwide. Her leadership substantially contributed to the professional growth of numerous community college presidents and the overall enhancement of community college education standards.

Dr. Lowry's career is distinguished by her dedication to fostering educational excellence and her ability to lead impactful programs. As a nationally recognized expert on community college student success and a published author, Dr. Lowry has made substantial contributions to the field through her research and thought leadership. Before her tenure at The Aspen Institute, she held several key positions, including Vice President of Instruction and Student Services at Lone Star College-Houston North and Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Engagement and Success at Houston Community College. Her efforts have consistently led to significant improvements in student retention, graduation rates, and overall student engagement.

Kim graduated from Antelope Valley Community College before transferring to California State University, Long Beach, where she earned both her M.S. in Counseling with an emphasis on Student Development in Higher Education and her B.A. in Psychology. Dr. Lowry then received her Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of North Texas, where her research focused on community college choice, high-achieving African American students, and student athletes.

Dr. Lowry remains actively involved in numerous professional associations. She has served as the Director of the Community College Division for NASPA, as well as a board member for the National Council of Instructional Administrators and the Southern Region of the National Council on Black American Affairs.

As the Director of Institutional Strategy, Christine Bailie supports the Texas Success Center mission and the Texas Pathways strategy for the 50 community college districts in Texas.

Prior to joining the Texas Success Center, Christine has worked in the field of education for 20+ years and brings expertise in the nexus of practice, research, and policy. Christine has served as a high school educator, led state and regional initiatives to redesign institutional systems, conducted policy analysis, designed research studies, created professional development to promote capacity-building and knowledge development, and facilitated cross-sector regional partnerships to strengthen and align P-16 pathways.

Christine holds a baccalaureate degree in Economics from Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. She also earned an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin.

Elizabeth Chivers serves as the Senior Director of Strategy & Policy Analysis at TACC.  Ms. Chivers will help advance the mission of our colleges and association through data insight and analyses. As a key member of TACC’s policy team, she will support data informed policy advocacy and strategy for our public community colleges.

Before joining TACC, Elizabeth spent almost four years with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where she served in several roles, including program director as part of the data team and most recently as the Senior Director of Strategy & Major Projects. She was involved in helping execute strategic priority planning and engaged in several key agency projects, including the 60x30TX Regional Advisory Groups, SB 25 Recommend Course Sequences, New Texas Transfer Framework, and metric development for the newly adopted Building a Talent Strong Texas strategic plan. She also served as District Director of Institutional Research and a member of the college leadership team at Navarro College.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts from Central College, a Master’s in Sociology, with a focus on criminology and quantitative and qualitative methodologies from the University of Northern Iowa, and additional doctoral level coursework related to furthering her expertise in qualitative methods, work & organizations, and social psychology from North Carolina State University.

When she is not working, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with family and friends, checking out local art and music, and cooking a variety of cuisines.

Art Cook serves as the Office Manager at the Texas Association of Community Colleges. In his role, Art is responsible for the organization and supervision of all contracts and work orders pertaining to the upkeep and maintenance of the TACC building. He also provides member support and services to facilitate strong relationships with community college CEOs and administrators.

Mr. Cook has more than 30 years of leadership experience in varying industries including property management, hospitality, financial services, and logistics. Prior to joining the TACC team, Art was office manager for RunLab medical clinic.

Outside of the office, Art enjoys running ultra-marathons, adventure racing, and spending time outdoors with his family.

Sondra Cooper serves as the Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Texas Association of Community Colleges. 

Ms. Cooper previously served as the Program Coordinator for TACC. Prior to joining TACC, she served as the Community Engagement and Partnerships Manager at Girl Scouts of Western Washington, focusing on creating accessible opportunities for diverse families in Seattle. She also spent time as a Program Manager at Bilingual Education for Central America in Honduras where she managed operations for local/international partners to facilitate bilingual academic opportunities in low-income communities.

Cooper holds a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Washington and an M.A. in International Community Development from Northwest University.

Outside of the office, Sondra can be found sport climbing, camping, and otherwise enjoying the great outdoors. 

Jacob Cottingham serves as the Senior Director of Government Relations at TACC. Mr. Cottingham develops and implements legislative policy goals and strategies for the association, as well as monitors legislation and regulatory changes relevant to Texas community colleges. As a key member of TACC’s advocacy team, Jacob builds critical relationships between TACC member colleges and policymakers.

Before joining TACC, Jacob Cottingham spent six sessions working in the Texas House of Representatives. During his time at the Capitol, he staffed the House Appropriations Committee, with a focus on education finance, as well as the House Higher Education Committee, where he concentrated on affordability and student support policy. Prior to working at the Texas Legislature, he honed his policy skills working in city government and as Policy Director for a County Commissioner.

Mr. Cottingham has a long and varied history within higher education. He graduated from Bard College with a degree in Language & Literature, including time spent studying in Qing Dao, China. He credits additional coursework at his local community college for paving his way to graduate school and he obtained a master’s in public affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas in Austin. On occasion, he serves as a guest lecturer for classes at UT Austin.

When he’s not working, Jacob enjoys spending time with his family and two children, smoking meats, and taking advantage of the many natural swimming holes in Central Texas.

Felicia Day serves as the Senior Grants & Contracts Accountant for the Texas Success Center (TSC). In her role, Ms. Day develops grant reports, budgets, reconciliations, and payment requests in alignment with the grant reporting process. In addition, she ensures that financial information is accurate and in compliance with grant contracts and budgets to assist the association in being a good steward of grant resources.

Before joining TACC, Felicia worked as a Senior Accountant at the City of Lakeway and a CPA in the oil and gas industry.

Day graduated from Houston Baptist University in 2015 with a Master of Accountancy and a BBA with a concentration in accounting. She received her Certified Public Accountant license in 2016 and has been a part of various academic accounting organizations and Texas CPA accounting organizations.

Outside of work, Felicia loves to spend time with her family, go on nature hikes, and make memorable travel experiences.

As the Director of CCATT, Nicole builds trustee and regent capacity through professional development, board engagement, and connecting CCATT members to ongoing legislative issues and strategies coordinated by TACC.

Prior to this role, Nicole served on the Austin Community College District Board of Trustees and CCATT Board of Directors. She participated in the CCATT Legislative Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee between TACC, CCATT, and TCCTA for the 2021 legislative session. Additionally, Nicole served on the Austin Community College Foundation Board.

Eversmann graduated from Austin Community College with an Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies and transferred to the University of Texas at Austin (UT) to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Government with a minor in Educational Psychology. In May 2022, Nicole graduated from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT with a Master’s in Public Affairs and earned the Dean’s Certificate in State & Local Finance. 

Kristina Flores is the Senior Director of Research & Evaluation at the Texas Success Center where she manages the comprehensive Knowledge Development component of the statewide guided pathways strategy for community colleges, the Talent Strong Texas Pathways strategy. She develops the Center's research agenda, designs and implements all research and evaluation processes, and manages internal and external collaborations to ensure projects are high quality, action-oriented, and equity-focused. Additionally, Kristina recruits and manages the Knowledge Development Steering Committee composed of national and state leaders in research, practice, and policy and supervises the Community College Research Fellowships, which support early career scholars and community college practitioners to conduct action-oriented research aligned with the Talent Strong Texas Pathways Knowledge Development Agenda. Additionally, Kristina manages the Center's databases, and performs and supervises quantitative and qualitative analyses of implementation, student outcome, and student voice data to inform the Center's strategy and college supports. She composes reports and other research deliverables, designs interactive public dashboards, communicates findings with stakeholders, and informs the creation of training, technical assistance, and professional development for Talent Strong Texas Pathways colleges.

Prior to joining the Center, Kristina served as a member of Teach for America teaching secondary mathematics in Baltimore City, Maryland; a Title I math instructor at a charter high school in Austin, Texas; and as an associate professor of mathematics, assistant dean of academic courses, developmental math advisor, and campus math contact at Austin Community College. Kristina holds a baccalaureate degree in Mathematics from Georgetown University, a master's degree in Mathematics from New York University, and a Ph.D. in STEM Education from the University of Texas at Austin.

Nour Hammoudeh serves as the Events Planner for the Texas Success Center at the Texas Association of Community Colleges. In this role, Nour coordinates various logistics including communication with hotels and event contracts, manages registration sites, food and beverage orders, and audio-visual requests for specific educational events. In addition to planning efforts for live events, Hammoudeh supports the management of software for virtual meetings and webinar platforms.

Prior to joining TACC, Nour worked for the Texas State Independent Living Council which provided her with insight into governmental funding and nonprofit policy-driven programs and initiatives. At the Texas SILC, she oversaw the planning and execution of the statewide cross-disability annual conference. Ms. Hammoudeh has worked in the events industry for more than 6 years planning programs for nonprofits, socials, catering, corporate, and agency organizations.

Nour graduated from Austin Community College with an associate's degree in Meeting and Event Planning, and then transferred to the University of Houston to complete her Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Nour is also currently serving as Director of Programs for the Meeting Professional International Texas Hill Country Chapter.

Outside of work, Ms. Hammoudeh enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her two cats.

Chelsea Laughrun serves as the Program Coordinator for the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC). In her role, Chelsea provides support to both TACC and the Community College Association of Texas Trustees (CCATT) to coordinate events that actively engage various stakeholders, including association members, partners, and external organizations. Through effective communication and relationship building, Chelsea fosters collaboration and encourages participation in the programs. 

Before joining TACC, Ms. Laughrun worked at the Texas State Capitol for both the Texas House  and Texas Senate during the 88th and 87th Legislative Session respectively. Chelsea has held a variety of positions from Legislative Aid to Student Ambassador at the University of Texas at Austin. 

Laughrun holds a B.A. from the University of Texas with a double major in Government and International Relations & Global Studies. She also graduated with a certificate in Security Studies. During her time at UT, Chelsea was named a Distinguished Liberal Arts Honors Scholar and graduated magna cum laude on the Dean's List. 

Outside of the office, Chelsea enjoys exploring Austin, listening to podcasts while walking at parks, and traveling as much as she can!  

Amber Silva serves as the Graphic Designer for the Texas Success Center (TSC). In her role, she helps to conceptualize and provide visual graphics for the TSC. Mrs. Silva also assists in website management and coordinating audio-visual production for our Texas Pathways Institutes and Board of Trustees Institutes. 

Amber joined TACC with 5+ years of graphic design experience working for various design agencies and non-profit organizations. She holds an associates of applied science degree in visual communications specializing in graphic design from Austin Community College.

Outside of TACC, Silva enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying new restaurants, and paddle boarding on the lake.

Lori Stalheber is the Director of Finance at TACC. She oversees accounting, payroll, maximizes the return on financial assets and is responsible for human resource management. Ms. Stalheber ensures the association remains fiducially responsible and provides accurate reporting to TACC’s members and CEO.

Before joining TACC, Ms. Stalheber lived in Houston, Texas and was the Director of Finance at the St. Martin’s Episcopal Church— the largest Episcopalian church in the country. Prior to this, she contributed to various non-profit organizations.  

Having graduated in 2003, Ms. Stalheber holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. While attending St. Thomas, Ms. Stalheber was a member of the accounting honor society along with various other clubs within the university.

Beyond TACC, Ms. Stalheber enjoys cooking, a variety of outdoor exercises and spending time with her family.  

As the project manager of the Texas Success Center, Sway Youngston works to improve processes, communication, and efficiency for the Center's signature events and grant reporting efforts.  

Sway has grown in many support roles for various industries throughout her 15 + year career and is excited to grow as she learns about the needs of community colleges in Texas. She has a unique perspective as a former student at Texas community colleges and understands the value organizations like TACC provide.   

Sway has a BA in communication with a minor in English from the University of Houston. She is furthering her project management knowledge through classes at our very own Austin Community College. She enjoys bicycling, social dancing, and cooking nutritious food.