James E. Wilhelm, III (Jamie); President - Jamie is an executive vice president for the Austin-based student housing company American Campus Communities. He is responsible for leading the company’s efforts relating to the successful development of public-private partnerships with colleges and universities across the country. He and his wife (Kathy) have two married children (JD and Jason) and live in Lakeway, Texas. Kathy is active with their church (The Lakeway Church) and is a group facilitator with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Jamie and Kathy moved to Texas from Columbus, Ohio. Jamie joined the PIH Board in 2019 and has found that serving on this Board is a great way to participate in an important local ministry. He loves how PIH focuses on building sustainable relationships between families suffering from hardship and social isolation with local church groups. These relationships benefit both parties and result in strengthening the Body of Christ.

Brian Oaks; Vice-President - Brian has been a patent attorney with Baker Botts since 1998. Brian grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and came to Texas in 1990, where he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. After law school in Virginia and several years in Dallas, he and his family moved to Lakeway in 2009. They attend Lake Travis United Methodist Church, where Brian serves on the Missions Committee. Brian joined the Board in 2016.

Laurie Hockenberry; Secretary - Laurie and her husband Mike moved to Lakeway in 2013 after retiring from State Farm Insurance. Laurie spent 35 years with the company in various management positions in Finance,  Auditing and Compliance.  They have one son, Brett, who is married to Ali and lives in South Florida. Both Laurie and Mike are active members of ACTS Church Lakeway. Laurie became familiar with PIH when Mike started working with the organization and several members of ACTS in making improvements to a client’s home. She is excited about the opportunity to be involved in an organization that can have such a positive impact on others.

Bob Corless - After living and working in numerous domestic and international locations, Bob and his wife Joni decided to call Austin home in 2013. They have been married for 33 years and have one adult daughter who is studying to become a registered nurse. Bob retired from Chevron in 2016 after 39 years in facilities engineering. Bob is a member of ACTS Church Lakeway and is currently serving on staff as their Facilities Manager. He was introduced to Partners in Hope by helping with Christmas decorations and later led a small project repairing a client’s trailer. Bob initially saw PIH as a great organization that helps the less fortunate in the Lake Travis area but has learned that it is much more. Partners in Hope also benefits members of the Body of Christ by building treasures in heaven that will not wear out, allowing them to get outside of the church walls to share resources and the love of Christ.

Don Crook - Don is a managing partner of Combined Benefits Group, Inc, an independent insurance agency serving public schools. He and his wife, Dena, began serving with PIH several years ago and Don became a Board member in 2023. Don was introduced to PIH through a partner ministry, Cornerstone Restoration. He quickly learned that PIH was so much more than a simple workday. Instead, he views it as an opportunity to serve not only the needs of the community that often go undetected, but to also feed the souls of those who serve their neighbors. This vision of ministry has also called him to be involved with God of Hope Ministries, which brings the gospel to men behind the walls of our prisons who are seeking hope. Don and Dena attend Austin Ridge Bible Church and have resided in the Lakeway/Bee Cave community since 1993. They have two beautiful daughters, Hannah and Gracie.

Richard (Rich) Gilchrist - Rich joined the Partners in Hope board in 2024. Native New Englanders, Rich and his wife Terry were born and raised in Massachusetts and lived in New Hampshire for many years. Their three children are also native New Englanders, but now they all live in the Austin area. They have five grandchildren, plus another one due in June 2024. They moved to Spicewood in 2016, shortly after the birth of their first grandchild and love everything about Texas! The have volunteered regularly for Community Workdays since 2017 and love the mission of PIH. They are members of Zao Church in Spicewood. They will celebrate 44 years of marriage in June 2024. They love their retired life and feel truly blessed!

Dallas Gregory - Dallas joined PIH as a Board member in 2023 and works as the operations manager for MLD Services, a local HVAC company. Dallas has lived with her husband Lee in Leander, Texas since 2002. Their blended family includes seven grown children and three grandchildren. Dallas is a member of Life Church in Leander and has worked with CASA as a Court Appointed Special Advocate since 2020. Dallas loves the mission of PIH and working with families as she is able. Her favorite scripture verse is Philippians 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James (Jim) Holeman - Jim and his wife, Carol, met at Louisiana Tech in Ruston. They lived in Plano before moving to far Northwest Austin in 1990. Jim worked as an electrical engineer for firms like Compaq and HP before retiring in 2021 from Lifesize (a competitor of Zoom). Carol retired from teaching math at Canyon Vista Middle School in RRISD at the same time, so they are enjoying retired life together including spending time with their four married children and four grandchildren. Jim and Carol have been active in church throughout their marriage. Jim leads an adult Bible study and small group at The Austin Stone Northwest. In November 2023, Jim was reintroduced to PIH when he attended a “Walking with Others” training session. Jim was startled to learn that social isolation is endemic in our society and agreed with PIH’s Biblical approach to addressing this problem. With Matt Peacock’s encouragement, Jim has embraced PIH’s goal of “eliminating social isolation in Central Texas.” 

John Mason - John has served alongside PIH for several years and joined the PIH Board in 2023. He is retired and lives in the Lake Travis area, where he attends Austin Ridge Bible Church. He appreciates how Partners in Hope brings together churches, organizations, and people to help those in need in our community and believes this ministry wonderfully fulfills Christ's instruction to raise up people with a passion to care for, serve, and love our neighbor.  John reminds us that a complete understanding of Christ's teaching is summed up in the following Commandment: "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Keith Morton - Keith joined Partners in Hope as a board member in 2022. He lives with his wife Stephanie in Leander, Texas, where his three adult sons live as well. Keith and his family moved to Austin in 2002, after being born and raised in the Washington, DC area. They call Austin Christian Fellowship their church home. Keith serves on ACF’s Mission Leadership Team, and has been on several national and international mission trips to Managua, Nicaragua where he serves alongside the Nicaraguan Resource Network. It is through his serving in Nicaragua where he came to appreciate that missions is more about “being” than “doing.”  Keith works for the National Credit Union Administration, where he serves as the Regional Director and President of the Asset Management Center.

Susan Priddy -Susan works as a freelance marketing strategist and writer. Originally from San Antonio, she is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Susan and her husband Chuck moved back to Austin from the Chicago area in 1993, and they have one adult daughter named Morgan. They attend church at Austin Christian Fellowship (Four Points). Susan joined the Board in 2020 after participating in the development of Matt Peacock’s book about the continued growth of Partners in Hope. After learning about the many stories of lives transformed through the organization’s efforts, she was excited to contribute on a deeper level.

Shannon Scott - Shannon joined the PIH Leadership Team as Board member in 2024.  Originally from upstate New York, Shannon has lived in Austin for 29 years. She and her husband Wesley (an Austin native) have been married and have lived in River Place since 2000. They have a daughter (Reagan) who just graduated from UT-Austin and a son (Ben) who goes to Texas A&M. They have attended Austin Christian Fellowship for almost 20 years. In 2017, Shannon started volunteering with Partners in Hope when she and her son served with YMSL at Community Workdays in the Lake Travis area. She loves supporting the mission and continues to serve by delivering meals and attending workdays. Shannon works for Aon in health care consulting, leading client project work related to employee benefits. She went to Miami of Ohio as an undergraduate and got a master’s in healthcare administration from Southwest Texas State. Although not a native Texan, Shannon has converted and is a now a diehard Longhorn fan!