president@harvardelementarypta.org

Hi! My name is Anar Abasov, and I am excited to serve as President for the Harvard PTA. My wife, Sarah, and I love the Heights community and are excited to further contribute to its growth. My family immigrated from Azerbaijan to Houston during my childhood thanks to the Energy industry. I have called Houston my home ever since then. I hold a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Sarah and I have three wonderful sons. Our two oldest sons attend Harvard Elementary School, and we look forward to the younger one joining them in the next few years. We look forward to working with the Community and the School this year.

advisor@harvardelementarypta.org

Hi! My name is Melissa Rodriguez and I am happy to serve as the Continuity Advisor of Harvard PTA. My first volunteer opportunity at Harvard was with the Fundraising Committee. Over the past several years, I have served as President, VP Education, and VP Membership. My husband and I are native Houstonians and enjoy living near our family. This is our 10th year at Harvard. Marco is in 5th grade and Rico is in 8th grade at Hogg. As a family, we enjoy all sports, beach adventures and outdoor fun! Harvard has such a supportive community and I love being a part of it!

parliamentarian@harvardelementarypta.org

Hello! I’m Laurie, and I am excited to serve as your Harvard PTA Parliamentarian! I am currently a stay-at-home mom to my two Harvard students, Amelia (4th grade), and Elijah (2nd grade). I am a native Houstonian and UH alumna (Go Coogs!). My husband, Matt, and I got married right here in The Heights in 2010 at Rockefeller Hall on Washington Ave. Pre-kids, I’ve worked as an accountant in various industries including technology and oil and gas, and I am happy to utilize my skills in service to our PTA.

In my free time I enjoy crafting in all varieties (lately cross stitch and painting), reading through an ever-growing stack of to-be-read books, training for half-marathons, and being a music geek with my husband.

secretary@harvardelementarypta.org

Hello! I'm Claire Wrigley and I'm excited to be serving as Secretary for the 2023-24 school year. This is my second year on the board, previously serving as a grade representative, and I have helped with the annual fundraiser for the last 4 years as Auction Team co-chair. I grew up in England before moving to Houston 30 years ago. After graduating from UT Austin at the same time as my husband Andrew, we settled down in the inner loop area. I previously stayed home with my son, William (4th grade) but I recently returned to the workforce and I am keeping busy between home life, school volunteering and work. When I do have free time, I am an avid reader and love to watch movies with my family.

treasurer@harvardelementarypta.org

I am looking forward to serving as your PTA Treasurer. This is my first volunteer opportunity at Harvard and I am excited to give back.

I grew up in the Houston area and have lived near or in the Heights since 2010. I have seen this area grow so much. This has turned into a great community for my boys, Collin and Quinn, to grow up in.

Collin is starting 1st grade this year after a successful Kindergarten experience. Quinn is 3 and will follow behind him shortly.

I am sure I will see you around the campus. Please don’t hesitate to say hi or ask any questions.

fundraising@harvardelementarypta.org

Hi, I am Barrett Donahue-Mink , and I am the VP of Fundraising. I am also the co-chair of our 2024 Spring Fundraiser - this will be my 8th year chairing and I am so excited to see this amazing and fun event come together once again. Our family moved here 9 years ago from New York City for my husband’s job and choose the Heights because we loved the sense of community and the walkability. My husband Paul and I have three kids, Jane (8th grade at Hogg), Colin (3rd grade) and Ronan (1st grade). We love the community of Harvard and each year it gets better and better. I love to be involved and make Harvard the very best school for all of our children.

communication@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardelementarypta

Hi! My name is Lisa Riley and I am the VP of Communications. It’s my fifth year on the PTA board. I also volunteer in the library, in the classrooms, and this will be my sixth year co-chairing the annual Auction Fundraiser Gala. Thank you for making our galas such big successes for Harvard!

I grew up in Clear Lake, a suburb of Houston. After graduating from Texas A&M (whoop!), where I met my husband, Brad, I had an 11 year career as an engineer at NASA-JSC training astronauts on the computer and navigation systems on the Space Shuttle. I am now a SAHM to Cameron (5th grade), Allison (1st grade), and our puppy, Maisy. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, traveling, shopping, and graphic design. Our family loves being a part of the Harvard Community!

community@harvardelementarypta.org

Hello there! My name is Kelly Collins and I will be your VP – Community Building this year.

This is my third year serving on the board and I am excited to work again with such a wonderful group of people. I grew up in Iowa City, IA and attended the University of Iowa. Go Hawkeyes!

I moved to Denver, CO after college, met my husband Brent, and lived there for 15 years. I worked in public accounting and the energy industry in various accounting and finance roles during my professional career. I ‘retired’ and became CEO of the Collins Household when we moved to Houston in 2015 for my husband’s job. We have three kids, two of which are at Harvard. My middle son Noah will be in 5 th grade this year and my youngest daughter Sutton will be in 3rd grade. My oldest son Elliott graduated from Harvard and will be in 7th grade at Hogg Middle School this year. We love living in the Heights and being part of the Harvard family.

education@harvardelementarypta.org

I am excited to serve as VP of Education on the Harvard Elementary PTA. I value and respect the significance of this position in coordinating programming that crosses all grade levels, including assemblies, and library, STEM and art initiatives, to name a few. This is my second time on the board, and I am happy to be back working among this dedicated group.

As a bit of background, I attended Duchesne Academy, LSU for undergraduate, and Albany Law School where I obtained my juris doctorate (and met my husband, Charles!). After practicing law in New York for 8 years, I moved back to Houston, and I am currently working as a Tribal Court Judge. My family landed in the Heights in 2016 and I cannot think of a better community in which to live. For the 2023-24 school year, my daughter, Olivia, will be entering 3rd Grade, and my daughter, Eva, will be entering 1st Grade. We are happy to be a Harvard family.

volunteer@harvardelementarypta.org

Hi! My name is Laura Fitzgerald and I am the VP of Membership and the Volunteer Coordinator. This is my second year serving on the Harvard PTA Board and I’m excited to be helping for the 2023-2024 school year! I went to TCU for undergrad then moved to Houston to get a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology. After working in hospitals and rehab centers, I decided to stay home with our daughters full time. My husband John and I have two daughters, Emma (2nd grade) and Caroline (1st) who are both at Harvard! We love living in the Heights and being a part of the Harvard Community! I'm excited for this school year and look forward to assisting Harvard families to find fun ways to get involved and volunteer throughout the year!

classof2029rep@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardclassof2029rep

Hi! My name is Megan Freeman, and I am the PreK/Kinder Representative. It is my first year on the board and I am looking forward to working with such an amazing group of individuals for the 2023-2024 school year. I also volunteer in the classrooms, library, where I assist our amazing librarian, Ms. Garcia, with the Scholastic Book Fair, and this will be my third year on the Fundraising Committee. I grew up in Spring, a suburb 30 minutes outside of Houston. After graduating from Texas A&M, where I met my husband, Taylor, we moved to New York City for 3 years. While living there, I worked as a substitute teacher for one year and then a teacher at a charter school in Harlem for two years. We moved back to Houston in 2012 and I worked as a teacher in Katy ISD. I spent several years in education until 2016. I am now a stay at home Mom to Cooper (2nd grade) and Cade (Kindergarten). We love living in the loop and being a part of the Harvard Community! I'm excited for this school year and look forward to assisting new and veteran Harvard families this year!

classof2028rep@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardes2028

Hello! My name is Sam Krenz and I am the 1st Grade Representative for the 2023-2024 school year. This is my first year on the PTA board and I am looking forward to getting involved at Harvard!

I grew up moving around the states and abroad but landed in Texas for my last 2 years of high school. I graduated from Texas A&M where I met my husband, Rob. We have two sons, Matthew (1st grade) and Kyle (age 3). After college I went to PA school at UTMB in Galveston and now work as a Physician Assistant in neurosurgery. In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, baking, traveling and working out. We are excited about the new school year and getting to know more people in the Harvard family!

classof2027rep@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardes2027

Hi! My name is Bridget Kushiyama and I’m the 2nd grade representative for this year. It’s my first year on the board, but I have been involved with the PTA since my son started at Harvard. For the past two years, I served as the Food and Beverage Chair for the fundraising gala.

I’m originally from Louisiana where I graduated from the University of Louisiana and met my husband, Shawn. I then moved to Houston to get a Master’s degree I Human Resources Development. I now work as a training consultant for various government agencies. We have one son, Logan, who is eager to start 2nd grade. We’re all really excited for the school year to start and love being part of the Harvard community!

classof2026rep@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardes2026

Hi! My name is Carrie Rosas and I am excited to be the 3rd grade rep for the 2023-2024 school year! This Is my first time serving on the board, but I have been the Logistics co-chair for the annual fundraiser for the past 5 years and have volunteered for the Spirit Store Sales. My husband (Miguel) and I are native Houstonians and I am a UH alumna (GO COOGS). We have two boys, Mikey who just recently graduated from Harvard and will be starting at Hogg in the Fall and Jacob who will be in the 3rd grade. Miguel and I love the Harvard community and look forward to the new school year!

classof2025rep@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardes2025

Hey there! My name is Courtney Valenti and this is my first year on the board as the 4th grade rep. My husband and I are originally from New York and have lived in Houston for 8 years now. I am a mom of two boys, Salvatore (4th grade) and Gabriel (kinder) and two adopted pups, Cannoli & Rocco. When I’m not wrangling our kids I am running my interior design business, Tre Designs. In my free time you can find me traveling with an iced coffee in hand or trying out the most recent restaurant with yummy food. I can’t wait for the year ahead!

classof2024rep@harvardelementarypta.org

@harvardes2024

Hola, My name is Gaby Ramirez and I’m honored to serve as your 5th grade representative this year! I’m mom to Pablo (high school senior), Felipe (8th grader), and Elena (5th grader). We have been a part of the Harvard family since 2011 and have served in various capacities since then (on the PTA board, library, and classroom). Sadly, this is our last year at Harvard and we plan to make it memorable!

A little about me. Born in Guatemala, but consider myself a native Houstonian. I met my husband, Noe, at UH and we’ve been married since 2002! I work full time in Energy lending. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, running marathons, and staying active as a family. On the weekends you can find me on a soccer field, football field, track, or park cheering for my kids! I look forward to a new school year at Harvard!