Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Presbyterian School Director of Facility Operations, Jay Hilton, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

A steadfast man of faith, Jay felt a strong calling as a teenager to follow God. A graduate of Texas Bible College, Jay served on staff for three churches prior to coming to Presbyterian School. His work in ministry included youth ministry, directing young married couples, and serving as associate and lead pastor. Concurrent to working in churches, Jay had his own successful marina construction business for over a decade. To allow more time for ministry and family, Jay sold his business and began working at Presbyterian School as the Directory of Facility of Operations in 2017. Jay currently pastors The Home Church of Clear Lake. In his spare time, Jay enjoys fishing and being creative. He is an avid artist and loves mixed media, painting, drawing, wood carving, and making things with his hands. 

Jay is married to Cindy, a fifth grade Language Arts teacher at PS, and they are parents to four boys ranging in age from 10 to 21 years old.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Presbyterian School Alum, Jorge Ortiz, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

A graduate of one of PS's first graduating classes in 2004, Jorge is a proud alum and supporter of the School. Following Presbyterian School, Jorge attended St. John's for high school and then earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. Jorge has established himself as an experienced entrepreneur with a successful history of working in media, sports and the technology sector of the start up world. Jorge's expertise ranges from building and growing companies from the initial ideation stage through acquisition in the technology space. He is currently the founder of and CEO of Varsity Hype and has been an integral part of numerous other start-ups including Silly Box, Inc,  GameDay Films, The FrontRow.Media, Vype Media, and Come and Take It Apparel. Presbyterian School is grateful for the use of Varsity Hype to livestream the School's athletic games. 

Jorge is married to his high school sweetheart, Laura, and they have a one year old daughter, Isla.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with First Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor, Rev. Jim Birchfield, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

A graduate of Michigan State University, Dr. Jim Birchfield was a senior executive with a magazine publishing company when he became a Christian and sensed a calling to go full-time into Christian ministry. Accordingly, Jim resigned from his lucrative career in advertising and marketing and entered Fuller Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry. In his early years of Christian service, Jim worked as a director of high school ministry, director of missions, and director of single adult ministry, before moving into the role of associate pastor for young adults, singles, missions, and discipleship, and finally executive pastor. Jim served in two churches in California before moving to Houston to lead First Presbyterian Church in 2009. Jim is a voracious reader, who tries to stay current on Christian theology and its practical applications to his ministry. He is active in encouraging local and global ministries in addition to serving on the board of The Nehemiah Center, Main Street Ministries and Strategic Resource Group.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Brenton Smith, School Chaplain, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

Brenton's involvement in Presbyterian School has run deep and wide spanning over 14 years since she began as a second grade student in Lower School. Brenton graduated PS with the Class of 2011 and attended St. Agnes Academy, followed by Westbury Christian. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Texas A& M University and her Masters of Theology from Fuller Seminary. In 2019, Brenton began as a Chaplain Intern under Jo Leever, former PS Chaplain, and now works full time serving alongside Rev. Nathan Tenney as one of the School Chaplains. Brenton leads Early Childhood and Lower School Chapels, teaches bible classes and coordinates service learning projects for each grade level. Brenton comes from a rich heritage and family of faith, and follows in her mother, Amy Smith's footsteps who served as Presbyterian School's Chaplain from 2007- 2015.  Brenton is also currently serving as the president of the PS Alumni Association.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Dr. Melissa Carbajal, NICU Physician, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Director of the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program for Baylor College of Medicine, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

Dr. Melissa Carbajal wears numerous hats as a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine and an attending physician Texas Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units as well as at the NICU at Ben Taub General Hospital.  She graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor's of Science and went on to earn her MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.  She completed a General Pediatrics Residency followed by Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and currently serves as the Director for the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Carbajal's care of newborn infants, her involvement in medical education, and her work with physician trainees reflects her passion for helping people reach their greatest potential.  Outside of the medical profession, Dr. Carbajal is married to her husband Chris Carbajal, she is the mother of three PS students/alum (Sophia '20, David '22 and Mark '24), serves on the Presbyterian School Board of Trustees and is an active member of First Presbyterian Church.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Mike Cobb, the Head of School at All Saints Episcopal School in Tyler, Texas in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

With a passion for student engagement and authentic learning, Mike Cobb currently serves as the head of All Saints, a 3K-12 school of 650 students. The school has received national recognition for innovative learning and leadership with Mike at the helm. All Saints has created innovative learning spaces and progressive programs that emphasize authentic learning and student agency. The design and implementation of ground-breaking spaces like their Collaboratory, Center for Innovation, Learning Farm, Learning Villages, STEM Zone, Outdoor Learning Center, Science Explorium, and more demonstrate the very best of active learning.  Like PS, All Saints is a member school in the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, and Mike will be leading the Visiting Team considering Presbyterian School's ten-year re-accreditation at the end of March.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Associate Head of Middle School, Toni Mouton, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

Toni Mouton grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from LSU and her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Louisiana. She has been in education for 25 years with 15 years teaching and leading at Presbyterian School. Toni began her teaching career as a middle school English teacher, but her infectious and genuine love for middle school students made her a natural fit for middle school administration and leadership. In her current role as Associate Head of Middle School, Toni is one of the School's biggest cheerleaders advocating on behalf of academic support for students, instructional support for teachers and educational support for parents as each go through the middle school years. Toni's work to bring together counselors, teachers and tutors in support of a student's success plan is instrumental for students with learning differences. 

Toni and her husband, Onezieme, are parents of Presbyterian School alum, Oni, (Class of 2019). 

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with 5th Grade Math Teacher, Ralph Head, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

Ralph Head grew up in West Columbia, Texas which is the first capital of the Republic of Texas. He received his Bachelors of Science from Southwestern Assemblies of God University and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Houston Baptist University. A man of deep faith, Ralph had a deep passion and calling to become a pastor and to serve doing mission work. After serving as a youth pastor, associate pastor and lead pastor for different churches, Ralph made a decision to switch careers and went back to school to get his graduate degree and teaching certifications in education. Tune into the podcast to hear about how his dream of shepherding and teaching people began in the church and is now being fulfilled in the School. Ralph is a Presbyterian School parent of four students (Tori '19, Natalie '21, Alie '24, and Walter '29) and husband to 7th Grade Science teacher, Anna Head.

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Director of Athletics, Alvaro Baltodano, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

 Alvaro Baltodano grew up in Nicaragua and moved to Houston, Texas when he was in middle school. In the Podcast, Alvaro shares about this difficult transition and the challenges and choices he had to meet head on. Soccer played a pivotal role in his transition to the United States and he played for the Houston Football Association (HFA) until he had a sport-ending injury. Following this, he graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Sports Administration. Prior to coming to Presbyterian School 14 years ago, Alvaro worked at Emery Weiner. Over the years at PS, Alvaro has served as PE teacher and Assistant Athletic Director, in addition to coaching soccer, volleyball, girls and boys lacrosse, and baseball for the School. He assumed the role of Director of Athletics in the 2020-21 school year. Alvaro is also a Presbyterian School parent (Noah '24, Natalia '27, and Naomi '31).

Tune in to hear Head of School, Dr. Mark Carleton, chat with Dean of Faculty, Christy Heno, in a new episode which is now live and available for download on our People of PS Podcast. 

Christy Heno graduated from LSU with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and received her Masters of Education from Walden University. Christy was an elementary school teacher in Richardson ISD, Tyler ISD and Houston ISD for eight years. Following this, she served as the Director of Children's Ministries at St. Luke's United Methodist Church and then moved to Presbyterian School where she has worked for the past 14 years in various positions including Chaplain, Early Childhood and Lower School Head and now Dean of Faculty. Christy is also the Houston Representative for Camp Mystic and author of two books, My Tummy Talked in Church Today and The Christmas Pageant.

In 2016 Christy became a Gallup Certified CliftonStrengths Coach to help individuals discover what is best about themselves and how their strengths contribute to their daily performance. Hear more on the podcast about how she utilizes CliftonStrengths in her new position as Dean of Faculty to create more of a cohesive, happier and high-functioning work environment at the School.