STAFF

ALENE HAEHL COGGIN, Executive Director

Alene has served as the Executive Director of HSPVA Friends since 2012. As a product of HISD magnet schools and an alumna of Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, she has a long-standing appreciation for the caliber of Houston’s exceptional arts high school. Before returning to Kinder HSPVA in her current role, Alene spent several years as a consultant with AndrisinAbbey, LLC, a boutique consulting firm for non-profit organizations, where she guided organizations through strategic growth of their development programs. She graduated magna cum laude from Boston University’s prestigious University Professors Program with a cross-disciplinary degree in the Management and Development of Non-Profit Organizations. Alene is a member of the Bayou Bend Docent Organization and the Association for Fundraising Professionals.

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MATTHEW JAMISON, Director of Strategic Engagement

Matthew is a Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumnus. From 2016-2019, he was HSPVA Friends’ Development Manager, and he helped strategize and implement the capital campaign for Kinder HSPVA’s downtown campus. He served as the Institutional Giving Manager at Stages and the Director of Relationship Management at Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas before returning to HSPVA Friends. Matthew graduated summa cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Theatre and Gender Studies. He holds an M.A. in Gender Studies from Utrecht University (Netherlands) and the University of Oviedo (Spain) and completed coursework towards a Ph.D. in Performance Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Matthew is a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals and a founding member of the Media Metadata Research Lab, a San Francisco-based art research collective.

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PATRICE WOOTEN HIGHTOWER, Operations Manager

Patrice is a third generation Houstonian with deep family roots in the city. She has extensive business, management, and corporate investment experience and has served on boards and as Treasurer of several non-profit organizations. Patrice holds Bachelor’s and Master’s of Business Administration degrees from the University of Texas and the Bauer School at University of Houston. She attended HISD primary and secondary schools.

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Frank Angelle, Chair 

Kimberly Hickson Spaw, Secretary 

Hon. Grant Dorfman, Treasurer

Patricia Bonner

Algenita Scott Davis

M. Kaye DeWalt

Hon. Andrew Edison

Sally Edmundson

Cristina Esquivel

Janis Jarosz