New Advisory Board Members
The Foundation is proud to welcome the newest members to the Terry Scholar Alumni Advisory Board (TSAAB). These new members were chosen through an application process hosted by the Advisory Board Application Committee and began their three-year term in January. The Terry Scholar Alumni Advisory Board is comprised of Alumni who have distinguished themselves in their service to the Foundation and to their fellow Terry Scholars. These individuals represent the Foundation at Terry functions, such as banquets and picnics, and participate in discussions about strengthening and supporting the Terry Community.
Derek Castillo (UT 1988)
“I’m looking forward to finding ways to engage ‘older’ Terry alumni like myself. I’m also interested in exploring possible fundraising strategies for the Foundation.”
—
Derek Castillo is the Transformation and Enablement Leader of IBM’s Marketing Studio. He handles communication, education and various initiatives for a global group of 1200 marketers. Derek is a former award-winning television broadcaster and has also worked in development at The University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Austin with his wife, Veronica. His son, Jared, is a senior at St. Edward’s University majoring in Communications.
Chrissy Citzler-Carr (UT 1993)
“I’m very excited to join the Advisory Board and use my experience to help this Foundation grow and flourish and to continue the networking across the Terry family.”
—
Chrissy Citzler-Carr is currently the Controller for Apollo Endosurgery, a medical device company in Austin, Texas. Before joining Apollo, she previously worked for GE in a variety of financial reporting roles in London and in Connecticut. She is happy to be back in the great state of Texas and loves being able to go to Texas Longhorn games in person, when possible.
Dr. Christopher Loo (TAMU 1996)
“I am most excited about learning the inner workings of the Foundation and assisting with planning the future direction of the Foundation.”
—
Dr. Christopher Loo, MD, PhD is an orthopedic surgeon, serial entrepreneur, investor, author, consultant, executive coach, and keynote speaker. He received his MD-PhD from the Medical Scientist Training Program offered through the Baylor College of Medicine and Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. Dr. Loo started his consulting company in 2017 to promote financial literacy among physicians. Dr. Loo is an author, a regular podcast contributor, director of a monthly career success membership program, manager of a private Facebook group “Financial Freedom for Physicians”, an advisor to Valhalla Healthcare (an early AI healthcare startup), and he is listed by Board Vitals as “One of the Top 50 MD’s to follow on Instagram.”
Laura Friello (UTSA 2006)
“I’m excited about being able to learn more about the inner workings of the Foundation and helping it grow both in numbers and connectivity.”
—
Laura Friello is part of the inaugural class of 2006 UTSA Traditional Terrys and graduated in 2011 with a BS in Civil Engineering. She is currently a Project Manager in the Central Texas Transportation group of Garver, a civil engineering consultant firm, where she plans and designs roadway and pedestrian projects. In addition to being on the Terry Advisory Board, Laura is on the Executive Board for the WTS Heart of Texas Chapter (an organization focused on advancing women in the transportation industry) and active in multiple K-12 and university STEM and scholarship outreach programs. In her free time, Laura loves to watch movies, build models, and hike with her husband, Anthony, and son, Logan.
Krystafer Redden (UH 2008)
“Living out of state, I am looking forward to reconnecting with Foundation staff, current scholars, and alumni; but, I also look forward to opportunities and avenues to use the gifts and passions Howard and Nancy Terry generously supported and nurtured to give back to the perpetuation of their work.”
—
Krystafer Redden currently serves as a Transformation Specialist in the Division of the System Transformation and the COVID-19 Project Manager for Operations and Finance at the Rhode Island Department of Education. In this role, Krystafer provides broad assistance to a cohort of districts and schools identified for improvement; in particular, he supports the annual allocation, implementation, and monitoring of over $6M dollars in federal school improvement funds; develops, designs, and supports teacher and leader talent management, pipelines, and professional learning strategies in turnaround contexts; and shepherds the emergence of new governance models. Recently, he has supported the whole-of-state cross-agency response to COVID-19, focusing primarily on safely reopening school buildings, coordinating braided federal funding streams, and tackling education finance challenges in the wake of coronavirus. Krystafer is also a fellow with the Strategic Data Project within the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
Salma Mendez (UTSA 2012)
“I’m passionate about community and diversity in all aspects of life. I’m excited to serve as an advisory board member to connect with other Terrys and help the Foundation continue to impact lives for generations to come.”
—
Salma Mendez is a 2012 UTSA Terry Scholar from Mexico City. She works in the ed-tech and travel industries and resides in Austin. She is the owner of Travel Guru Destinations, a service designed to help others travel more, and she also works in sales at a higher-ed company called Acadeum — working to create networks of online education for students.
Kyle Russo (UTD 2012)
“I am ecstatic to serve on the Advisory Board as a liaison to enhance the relationship between the Foundation, alumni, and scholars moving forward!”
—
Kyle Russo graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BA in Biology and an MS in Healthcare Management. He is currently a registered nurse for MD Anderson Cancer Center in an acute care setting for patients with various cancers. He lives in Houston with his girlfriend Arlene and their labradoodle, Ecko.
Kwentoria Williams (UTD 2013)
“As a member of the Advisory Board, I look forward to cultivating mentoring relationships with current scholars and sharing fresh ideas to promote the longevity of the Terry Scholarship for generations of Texans to come.”
—
Kwentoria A. Williams, a UTD-2013 transfer scholar, currently serves as Communications Director and Healthcare Liaison for the Honorable Al Green, U.S. Representative for the Ninth Congressional District of Texas. In this role, she oversees all communications operations and serves as a liaison between the congressional office and the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. In addition to the Terry Scholar Alumni Advisory Board, Kwentoria is involved in the community as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, parishioner at Higher Dimension Church, member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), alumna of the Movement Mujeres fellowship program, Board Member for EveryBody Texas, and Ambassador with the United State of Women (USOW).
Logan Jung (UTSA 2013)
“I’m looking to be a mentor for those that are non-traditional students who are most likely going through a life or career change similar to what I went through.”
—
Logan Jung was born and raised in San Antonio and spent 5 years working as a chef in San Antonio, Austin, and Chicago before deciding to go back to school and study statistics. He was of the first round of Transfer Terrys at UTSA and was also part of the first cohort to go through the Master’s in Data Analytics program at USTA. Currently, he works as a ‘Decision Science Analyst’ at USAA. On a daily basis, he answers data, analytics, and visualization questions related to USAA financial content being produced to encourage sound financial decisions among our USAA members and prospects.