Before everybody starts heading out early for the Fourth of July three- or four-day weekend, the Dallas Historical Society’s leadership for 2015-2016 has been announced. Seems sorta fitting at this time of year when traditions, parades and fireworks will take place in the days ahead.
Lynn and Allan McBee (File photo)
Lynn and Allan McBee will be returning as co-chairs and they’ll be joined by the following slate:
- President/Chair Elect: William Helmbrecht
- Secretary: Alison Hunsicker
- Treasurer/Finance Chair: Ken Jackson
- Nominating Chair: Diane Bumpas
- Development Chair: Andrew Clendenen
- Collections Co-Chairs: Shannon Callewart and Karl Chiao
- Marketing Chair: David Feld
- Education Chair: Richard Stanford
- Facilities Chair: Searcy Ferguson
- Governance Chair: Stephen Coke
- Members At Large: Ban Bywaters, Dr. Goran Klintmalm, Verna Mitchell and Mary Suhm
Connie Dufner (File photo)
Nancy Gopez (File photo)
Joining the board will be newbies Connie Dufner, Nancy Gopez, Madelyn Jobst, Dotti Reeder and Glenn Solomon. Sure, you know the new kids-on-the-board, but you just might be surprised by their rundown. Want proof? Here you go:
- Connie Dufner is a Dallas communications professional who has had the privilege of being on the front lines of Dallas history for more than three decades as a writer and editor. She serves as director of communications for Temple Emanu-El. Prior to joining the nonprofit world, she worked full-time in journalism at The Dallas Morning News and Modern Luxury Dallas. A native of Houston, she and her husband are the parents of two grown children.
- Nancy Gopez serves as senior accountant at Brinker International, where she has been employed since 1990. She is a board member of the North Texas Food Bank, where she co-chaired the Harvest Event, and is the productions co-chair for the Cattle Baron’s Ball. She has also served as co-chair of the Mission Ole Event for Trinity River Mission and Milestone Luncheon Sustainer co-chair for the Junior League of Dallas. Gopez is a board member of Turtle Creek Manor, Visiting Nurses Association, The Family Place and Community Partners of Dallas. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington.
- Madeline Jobst is a fifth generation Dallas resident who attended Highland Park High School and then the University of Arkansas and The University of Texas at Austin. She descends from the Cockrell families of Texas including Joseph Elmore Cockrell, prominent attorney and one of the “fathers of SMU” and Alexander and Sarah Horton Cockrell, pioneer business and real estate developers who purchased the John Neely Bryan headwright in 1852 which included the “town of Dallas.” She has been selling real estate in Dallas for 36 years and is currently with Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate. Jobst is a fundraiser for the SPCA and sits on its event advisory board. A past recipient of the SPCA Spencer Humanitarian Award for her dedication to animal welfare, she is also a member of Preservation Dallas and the Junior League of Dallas.
- Dotti Reeder serves as managing director on the client advisory team at Tolleson Private Wealth Management. As a Dallas native, she takes an active role in the community. In addition to serving at Executive Women of Dallas, she assists in leadership roles the Business Council for the Arts, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center Foundation, Child Care Group and Nexus Recovery Center. Reeder attended high school in Highland Park and is a graduate of The University of Texas.
- Glenn Solomon is involved in commercial real estate development and management, commercial theater development and management, and commercial finance. He is president of Dallas-based Simbol Commercial and has also served as president of Gulf States Theaters. He supports a number of charitable organizations, including the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of North Texas, which he served as president from 1994 to 1996. He serves on the boards of the Cotton Bowl and the Dallas National Golf Club and is a past DHS Trustee. During his last term, he helped developed and underwrite Texas Treasures. He and his wife, Margaret, are former co-chairmen of the Fellows as well as the DHS’s Awards for Excellence in 2014.