Round Rock, TX – Trellis Foundation, a statewide grantmaker focused on improving higher education outcomes in Texas, has announced the appointments of Ms. Alma García as chair and Mr. Josh Hunt as vice chair to its board of directors. Ms. García will assume the role of chair from Ms. Dora Ann Verde, who will now serve as the immediate past chair.
Ms. Dora Ann Verde served as the Trellis Foundation’s board chair from January 2024 to December 2025. During that time, the Foundation significantly expanded the number of grants awarded to support postsecondary attainment, providing $32.7 million across 180 grants to 122 grant partners. Most notably, the Foundation built on early efforts to provide general operating support for community-based organizations and launched a new initiative—Streamlining Success in Nursing Training Programs in Texas—alongside UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute.
Beginning in January, Ms. García took over as chair of the Trellis Foundation Board of Directors. Ms. García began her career as a bilingual education teacher in the Brownsville Independent School District, where she later served as an elementary and secondary school principal. She later joined the University of Texas at Brownsville, where, as an adjunct professor, she designed instructional methods courses for graduate and undergraduate students in secondary education programs and later served as director of GEAR UP, a college awareness, readiness, enrollment, and outreach program. She joined Educate Texas in 2004 and is among the foremost experts on dual enrollment, dual credit, and innovative school models like Early College High Schools (ECHS) and Pathways in Early College High Schools (P-TECH). In 2015, Ms. García established a consulting practice dedicated to supporting school districts, administrators, and nonprofits statewide with leadership and instructional guidance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from UT-Pan American and a master’s degree in educational administration from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Mr. Josh Hunt will be stepping into the role of vice chair. Mr. Hunt is executive vice president and vice chairman of the board of directors for Hunt Companies, Inc., headquartered in El Paso, Texas. He is also president of the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation and serves on several other Hunt governance boards and committees. In addition to his duties at Hunt Companies, he serves on numerous civic, non-profit, and professional boards and committees, including the Board of Directors for the Texas State History Museum Foundation; The Texas Tribune; WestStar Bank; the Paso Del Norte Foundation. Mr. Hunt is also a member of the Executive Committee for the Texas Business Leadership Council (TLBC); a member of the Executive Committee of the Borderplex Alliance; the Advisory Council for the Hunt College of Business Leadership Council at UTEP, and a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) El Paso/Juarez Chapter. He is also chair of MountainStar Sports Group (MSSG), which owns several professional sports teams.
A complete list of Trellis Foundation’s Board of Directors is available at https://www.trellisfoundation.org/about-us/our-people/.
About Trellis Foundation
Trellis Foundation advances equitable educational opportunities in Texas by supporting postsecondary programs, practices, and systems that reduce disparities and lead to success for students, institutions and organizations. More information is available at www.trellisfoundation.org.