On this episode of the "What I Wish I Knew Podcast", Ashley sits down with Courtney Galle.

Courtney Galle, IOM, has over 20 years of marketing, public relations and fundraising experience. Currently she serves as the marketing manager for Lone Star Family Health Center. Prior to that, she served as the director of special events for the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, marketing and PR manager at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and communications manager for the Lake Conroe Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism--Public Relations from Sam Houston State University.

Courtney currently serves on several nonprofit boards and committees. She was honored to be a recipient as a Woman of Distinction for Leadership Montgomery County in 2020. She is a certified nonprofit organizational manager from the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management. Courtney is a graduate of Leadership Montgomery County and Greater East Montgomery County Chamber’s Pathway to Leadership.

Courtney has resided in Montgomery County for over 21 years and currently lives in New Caney. She was born and raised in Brenham. She is a godmother to five goddaughters, has a niece and two nephews plus a dog named Scout, which all keep her busy in her spare time. She loves to read, watch old movies, shop and spend time with family and friends.

Courtney has a passion for volunteering and giving back to the community in which she lives.

On today's episode of "What I Wish I Knew", we sit down with Commissioner Ritch Wheeler.

Ritch Wheeler is a dedicated leader and community servant with deep Texas roots. A proud Baylor graduate, US Veteran, and lifelong Texan, Ritch is also a committed family man, devoted husband, and father of three amazing boys. Since moving to Montgomery County with his wife Laura in 2009, Ritch has actively contributed to his community, serving Shenandoah in numerous capacities, including on the Civic Club, Planning and Zoning Board, Municipal Development District, and as Mayor. He also balanced public service with a successful career as a National Vice President for a Woodlands-based company. Ritch felt called to continue serving and is now Commissioner for Montgomery County Precinct 3. Driven by his faith and dedication to his community, Ritch is committed to building a thriving future for Montgomery County.

This week, Ashley sits down with Melanie Bush.

A highly motivated entrepreneur and community leader, Melanie’s passion is pouring her heart into positively impacting people, businesses, and the community. As the founder of Better Bookkeepers, she has cultivated a workplace culture that redefines leadership and fosters a positive, solution- oriented environment for clients. In her role as Montgomery County Treasurer, Melanie is committed to promoting transparency and accountability in county finances.

Giving back is at the core of who Melanie is. She has dedicated countless hours to volunteering with various nonprofits and previously served as a Conroe ISD Trustee for four years. Her passion for service extends to her family—Melanie, her husband Alan, and their daughters Rebekah and Audrey actively serve together at their church, National Charity League (NCL), and other nonprofits close to their hearts. With Rebekah attending Texas A&M, the Bush family can often be found cheering at Aggie games when they are not supporting The Woodlands High School (TWHS) Band at competitions.

On today's episode of the "What I Wish I Knew" podcast we sit down with Judge Matt Beasley.

Judge Matt Beasley was born in Slidell, Louisiana and moved to The Woodlands in 1996 where he graduated from The Woodlands High School class of 2002. After graduating from the University of Houston-Downtown police academy, he was hired by Constable Tim Holifield as a Woodlands Patrol Deputy and later transferred to the Sheriff’s Office where he worked for Sheriff Tommy Gage as a Detective before leaving to work for Commissioner James Noack as a project manager and later as Chief of Staff.

Judge Beasley has served the community in many different capacities, Grogan’s Mill Village Association Former Vice President, member of The Woodlands First Baptist Church and past master of Oak Wood Masonic Lodge #1444 and was appointed to serve the Grand Lodge of Texas as the District Education Officer. He also served as the secretary to the City of Oak Ridge North Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone board of directors. Judge Beasley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Tarleton State University and is also a Certified Public Manager with the State of Texas through course work from the William P. Hobby center for public service at Texas State University.

Since Judge Beasley’s election in November 2018, he and his professional court staff have implemented new dockets to provide better access to the court including;

-Criminal night court

-Civil night court

-Teen court

Providing more convenient times for the public to handle their cases has been a hallmark achievement for Judge Beasley and the court staff.

It is the mission of the Justice of the Peace Court to serve the people of Montgomery County with professional and efficient administration of justice with integrity, fairness and respect.

On today's episode Ashley sits down with Donna Russ.

Donna Russ is a seasoned Lead Software Engineer with a strong background in designing, developing, and deploying cutting-edge software solutions. With a deep expertise in software architecture, full-stack development, and agile methodologies, she has been instrumental in building high-performing applications that drive business success.

With over 25 years of experience in the technology industry, Donna has led development teams in creating scalable, secure, and innovative software solutions tailored to diverse industries. She specializes in designing robust system architectures, optimizing code efficiency, and implementing best practices in software engineering. Her proficiency spans multiple programming languages, frameworks, and cloud platforms, allowing her to deliver seamless, high-quality applications.

As a strategic thinker and problem solver, Donna excels in transforming complex business requirements into efficient software solutions. She is passionate about continuous learning and staying ahead of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and Microsoft Power Platform.

Beyond coding, Donna is a collaborative leader who fosters a culture of innovation and excellence within her teams. She is dedicated to mentoring junior software developers and analyst, driving process improvements, and ensuring software solutions meet both technical and business objectives.

Her commitment to excellence, innovation, and teamwork has made her a trusted leader in the field of software engineering.

Today, Ashley sits down with GJ Snyder.

GJ has held multiple IT roles, primarily focused on software development, working at Stainless Steel Studios, Houston Advanced Research Center, 21 st Century Fox, and The Walt Disney Company.

Additionally, he has been volunteering with EfTA for over 20 years and has been on the board of directors for 8 years.

Today Ashley sits down with Kyle Quinn, the ExxonMobil IT Leader for Supply Chain, Commercial, Manufacturing Operations and Trading. In this role, he is accountable for end-to-end digital solution delivery across ExxonMobil’s global footprint. He has worked at ExxonMobil for 24 years with prior roles including IT Strategy and Upstream Operations IT. Kyle has a Bachelors of Computer Science from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from the University of Calgary.

On this episode of the "What I Wish I Knew Podcast", Ashley sits down with Ryan Tsamouris. Ryan Tsamouris serves as a Cloud Security Architect within the Global IT Security team at Chevron Phillips Chemical Company. With over 17 years of experience in various technology roles, including six years in healthcare EMR systems and the remainder in the oil and gas industry, Ryan has a comprehensive background in IT services. His expertise includes data security, IT mobility, integration, field work, and remote connectivity. Ryan holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Engineering from Texas A&M University. He frequently presents at conferences, sharing insights on technology challenges and opportunities in the oil and gas sector. 

For our final Engineering spotlight this month, I sit down with Brent Wunderlich. Brent Wunderlich is an experienced people leader with a proven track record in optimizing healthcare supply chain operations. He has been with McKesson Corporation for 22 years, currently serving as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives & Insights.  Brent collaborates with internal and external partners to drive large-scale projects and strategic initiatives. With a background in engineering and analytics, Brent leverages data to improve supply chain performance and has held various leadership roles within McKesson.  He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.  Brent is also actively involved in community organizations, holding board positions with several local non-profit and community organizations.

On this week's episode of "What I Wish I Knew", I sit down with Tim Byers. Tim Byers, PE, is a Deepwater Completion Engineering Advisor for Occidental Petroleum Corporation in The Woodlands, Texas. Tim has worked for Anadarko (now Occidental) since graduating as a petroleum engineer from Marietta College in 2006. He has held a variety of increasingly technical roles in several geographic locations during his tenure with Anadarko. He also volunteered as a lead campus recruiter for Anadarko at his alma mater for several years.

Outside of work, Tim loves spending time with his wife Valerie, their two children, William and Samantha, and their dog Buster. Tim and Valerie work tirelessly with the Cure Sanfilippo Foundation to advocate for a treatment or cure for Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare, terminal genetic disorder that William was diagnosed with in 2015.