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GOVERNING BOARD
GLOBE-NEWS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
BILL GILLILAND, President of the Board is the former Chairman and CEO of Cross-Continent Auto Retailers. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, C-CAR was the first auto retailer to be publicly traded. Mr. Gilliland presently is Managing Director of Gilliland Group Partnerships, which oversees and constructs commercial buildings in over 8 states consisting of more than 80 properties, and Gillco Energy Company, and also serves on the board of SandRidge Energy Company, NYSE. He was Chairman of the Amarillo Board of City Development, Amarillo Industrial Foundation and a Director of the United Way, and was Globe-News man of the year. Mr. Gilliland has been involved in raising funds for a pharmacy school, and many other economic endeavors. He has been honored for his contributions to the arts and by the Chamber of Commerce as an outstanding volunteer.
TOM BIVINS, Vice-President of the Board is a partner in the Bivins Brothers and Partner in the Corsino Cattle Company. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Mary E. Bivins Foundation and has been Chairman of the Amarillo Area Foundation and the Harrington Foundation. Mr. Bivins also served as Chairman of the Amarillo Speech, Hearing, & Language Center. Presently, he serves as the board member of Cal Farley=s Boys Ranch and the Harrington Regional Medical Center. Mr. Bivins and his wife have been honored for their contributions to the arts.
SANDRA GILLILAND, Secretary of the Board is President of the Gilliland Family Foundation. She was the first woman Chairman of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and was chosen Woman of the Year by the Amarillo Globe-News. She was cited as Volunteer of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce and as an advocate of the arts. Mrs. Gilliland has served on the boards of the Amarillo Area Foundation, Amarillo Symphony Board, Amarillo Museum of Art, Harrington Discovery Center, Harrington Cancer Center, Junior League, and two college foundations. She has received the Woman and Youth Award from the Maverick Boys and Girls Club of Amarillo and currently serves on the executive board of Texas Cultural Trust.
MARY EMENY, Treasurer of the Board, is the Executor of Bush-Emeny Properties. She also serves as a board member of Neopoli Inc, Angel Fire Water Co, and the Tecovas Foundation. She is a founding board member of Habitat for Humanity International and was responsible for bringing Habitat to Amarillo. Ms Emeny is the President of the Wildcat Bluff Nature Center and is a three term chairman of the Harrington Regional Medical Center. She has worked with peace education efforts for the American Friends Service Committee in Tanzania and Vietnam. Among her honors are the Women of Distinction award from the Girl Scout Council and Women Helping Women award from the Soroptimist International Club of Amarillo. She was chosen AWoman of the Year by the Amarillo Globe News. Ms Emeny is chair of Window On a Wider World, the education program of the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts.
RON BOYD, Campaign Chairman, is the owner of Duncan-Boyd Jewelers. He is the President of the Boy Scout Council and was Chairman of the Endowment Campaign for the Boy Scouts. He is a past president and present board member of the Amarillo Area Foundation. He also served as a member and President of the Harrington Foundation, the supporting organization of the Area Foundation. He was named Man of the Year by the Globe-News in 2009. He is President of Young Life of Amarillo and has served as president of Amarillo Botanical Gardens. He has received awards from the United Way and Boy Scouts.
SHARON OESCHGER, Mrs. Oeschger is Vice President/Secretary of Jack B. Kelley, Inc., President/CEO of Cryogenic Research and Development, Inc. and Secretary-Treasurer of Golden Spread Energy, Inc. She is on the Board of Regents of Amarillo College and has served or is serving as a member or officer of the following organizations: Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo Little Theatre Board, Symphony Guild Board, Amarillo Symphony Board, Harrington Cancer Center, Junior League, and Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. Among her honors is the Golden Nail Summit Award which is given for lifelong outstanding support of the fine arts.
JOSEPH H. POOL, Mr. Pool is the President/Owner of the Sneed-Pool Cattle Co., Inc. He was President of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, member of the board of the Amarillo Symphony and the Amarillo Museum of Art. Presently he is on the board of the Ascension Academy. Mr. Pool and his wife have been extremely generous in their giving to many arts organizations. Each year they sponsor an Amarillo Symphony concert, productions at the Amarillo Little Theatre, and performances of the Lone Star Ballet. Mr. Pool is also a financial backer of the Amarillo Opera.
LES SIMPSON, became the Publisher for the Amarillo Globe-News in August 2002 upon moving to Amarillo from his former position as General Manager of The Augusta Chronicle. Mr. Simpson has been in the newspaper business since August 1987 when he was copy editor for The Augusta Chronicle. He has held various positions within the newspaper publication world: Assistant Copy Desk Chief, Weekend Editor, Deputy Metro Editor, Managing Editor and Executive Editor. Mr. Simpson was born in Roanoke, Virginia and grew up in Tifton, GA. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Georgia, in Athens, GA. He has received numerous awards for journalism. Mr. Simpson has been an active member of his community and served on boards for United Way, the Food Bank, and the Salvation Army. He has been an active member of the Exchange Club of Augusta, Athens Rotary Club and Leadership Augusta. Mr. Simpson and his wife, Denise, have two daughters, Faith and Meredith.
ALICE O’BRIEN has served in a wide variety of community organizations. Some of them include: Amarillo Independent School District, Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo Community Council, Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation Substance Abuse Advisory Committee, Potter-Randall Education Goals for 2000, Amarillo Chapter of the American Red Cross, Bivins Foundation, Don Harrington Discovery Center. She was also a founding member of the AMoA and has been a member of Amarillo Art Alliance, ACE Advisory Committee, John and Mary O’Brien Foundation, Amarillo Area Tennis Association, Eveline Rivers Make a Child Smile Project, Alex O’Brien Youth Foundation, Amarillo Art Force, Junior League of Amarillo, Tascosa Excellence Council, Amarillo Education Foundation, Cal Farley Foundation, a founding member of Friends of Planned Parenthood and the Texas Panhandle Foundation for Planned Parenthood.
LAURA STREET, Executive Director, has seven years experience creating, developing and managing a women’s center for the Department of OB/GYN School of Medicine of Texas Tech University at Amarillo. Extensive experience in developing programs included financial, public relations, and marketing aspects. In the healthcare field she has been involved in practice as a nurse practitioner, teacher, researcher, and administrator. Community volunteer experience includes President of the Harrington Discovery Center Board, President of the Texas Association for Symphony Orchestras and the Amarillo Symphony Guild, and Chairman of the Amarillo Symphony Youth Orchestra. She is a member of the Amarillo Symphony Board, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and Chair of the Quality of Life Council of the Chamber. Her honors include the Chamber Arts Committee Golden Nail Award for Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of the Year of the Discovery Center, Amarillo Women’s Network Second Mile Award, Texans Caring For Texans Outstanding Employee Award, and Business and Professional Women Texas Women to Watch Award, and the recipient of Amarillo Woman of the Year, 2007.
