AVANCE-Houston Welcomes New Board Members

Dr. Nicole McZeal Walters is the Inaugural Dean of the Associates of Applied Science Program at the University of St. Thomas and is also an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership. She previously served as Associate Dean of the School of Education and Human Services in the Graduate Program. Dr. Walters holds a Bachelor of Science in English and Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston, and a Masters and Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Texas Southern University. Her civic involvement includes serving on several local and national boards, college, K-12, and non-profit boards and advisory councils, including Texas Southern University’s School of Education Advisory Board, Baylor Partnership Board, The National Council on Educating Black Children, and most recently she was named to the Advisory Board of Annunciation Greek Orthodox School.

AVANCE is special to Dr. Walters because as a former school administrator in the Aldine Independent School District, she witnessed first-hand the incredible value of AVANCE’s holistic program on families from beginning to end, given that a Head Start program was offered at an Aldine ISD campus.

She is now proud and pleased to share that her former classroom assistant is now a certified teacher working in an AVANCE Head Start center!

When she is not busy working or volunteering, she loves reading, painting, traveling, and spending time with loved ones. She believes time is so precious, and that is how she unwinds.

Ana Salinas is the Operations and Analytics Manager for Energy Edge Consulting. She has more than 15 years of experience in the deregulated electricity and natural gas industry.  Ms. Salinas holds a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in International Business and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the University of St. Thomas.  She is a fellow graduate of Latinos for Education, an organization dedicated to equipping Latino leaders working within and outside the education sector and placing them onto governing Boards of schools and nonprofits.

Ms. Salinas joined AVANCE because she is passionate about early childhood education, and believes every child should have the opportunity to learn from a young age. When a child succeeds the community succeeds. She believes that parents are the first teachers and is fond of AVANCE’s multigenerational approach of educating both parents and children simultaneously.

She is a proud wife and mother of two kids ages 10 and 2. She enjoys exercising, spending time with my family, and watching the Astros!

Sheryl Jimerson is a CPA and owner of Jimerson Tax & Accounting, LLC. She has a history of board and volunteer service with several family-oriented nonprofit organizations in the Houston area including Child Advocates, Children’s Assessment Center, Spaulding for Children (NKA Arms Wide Adoption Services). Mrs. Jimerson received both her Masters of Business Administration in Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from University of Houston.  She enjoys utilizing her strategic planning, finance and organizational skills to contribute to the progress of the community.

Mrs. Jimerson was drawn to AVANCE by its holistic approach to building strong communities, as it addresses three essential aspects of healthy, productive environments:  education, parent-child relationships, and marital relationships.

In her spare time she enjoys reading suspense novels and family trips with her son and husband.