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BackgroundOneBranch.org was founded in 2000, and established as a 501 c 3 nonprofit educational organization in November 2001. The founding board and founder come from diverse backgrounds with the common interest in finding and sharing useful resources that can help build stronger families and communities. The founder started an independent benchmarking initiative of family resources after becoming a mother in 1996, inviting collegues and family to seek out books and information that contain basic knowledge and are fun to read. In the year 2000, the board and founder started the process of obtaining nonprofit status, after deciding that they wanted to share what they were learning and encourage an integrationist approach to learning, looking across disciplines for helpful solutions to common issues in families and communities. Executive Director, Connie Maxfield, M.S. Connie lives in Spring, Texas and has an extensive knowledge and practical experience in applying productivity and quality improvement, team development, facilitation, instructional systems design, and research and analysis in government, the private sector, education, and non-profit sectors. She is a mother, a grandmother, and an enthusiastic supporter of increasing public awareness of ways people can partner actively to improve their communities in Texas. Founder/Community Education Facilitator, Lisa Westbrook Lisa is a wife and mother of three children in Frisco, Texas. Her background covers a wide range of research and analysis in process improvement, training and development, and adult learning. Her work as an Information Specialist and Benchmarking Specialist during her employment with the American Productivity and Quality Center provided the skills she brings to the Onebranch library to research quality of life issues and facilitate participatory problem solving and learning. President of Board, Sherry Hammons Sherry lives with her husband in Amarillo, Texas. She has two grown children, one grandchild and has been a teacher for about 20 years. She has won "Teacher of the Year" twice. She loves chapter books and picture books and expresses the wish that "parents were reading even half of the books we are reading in the classroom." Vice-President of Board, Rhonda Waites Rhonda lives with her husband in Anna, Texas. She has three grown children, two grandchildren and a two-year old daughter. She was a few credits away from getting her teacher's certificate in bilingual education from Texas Women's University when she found she would be adding to her family. Her background with special needs have been especially helpful in researching activities for children with special needs. Her youngest daughter has Down's Syndrome and is thriving under Rhonda's love and care. Board Member, Beth Solomon, MLS Beth lives with her husband in Austin, Texas. She has two grown daughters and is a librarian at the Austin Pubic Library - Anderson Branch. She has a special interest in working with youth and keeps her eye out for chapter books that can help teens understand and deal with life's issues. Board Member, Lilly DeHaven Lilly DeHaven lives with her two cats and a dog in Houston, Texas. She is a CPA by profession but recently completed education for becoming an Environmental Educator. She seeks out volunteer opportunities where she can encourage youth to participate in science and nature and has a keen interest in sustainable living practices. For more information on any of these or other board members, please write to us or call us at 214 705-8220. Founding Board of Directors (2000-2002) Becky Elliott |
