2010 Inductees

Jenny Carnes

As a lifetime sports enthusiast, Jenny Carnes serves as the Executive Director of the NCAA Final Four for San Antonio Sports. This program brings millions of dollars in economic impact and media exposure to our city. Nationally, she is known as one of the nation’s brightest young sports management stars! Earning her BBA at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) by playing basketball, she was the first woman inducted into the UIW Sports Hall of Fame. Jenny works closely with the Go Girl Sports Academy. Over 225 girls have benefitted from a program for which Jenny received a grant in partnership with the San Antonio Independent School District’s Young Women’s Leadership Academy. College girls receive valuable lessons from Jenny through two programs: College Tip-Off that allows 2000 high school girls to attend the college fair and vie for $10,000 scholarships; and, Dome Dribble. She is a volunteer for SLAM DUNK for LIFE as well as a member of the 2007 class of San Antonio’s “40 Under 40”. She has also provided her expertise to the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad. When she’s not dribbling the ball down the court, she serves on the UIW Alumni Association’s Board and is a Toastmistress! Jenny has made significant contributions to putting San Antonio on the national sport’s map

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins

One of San Antonio’s “go getters”, Barbara administers 2 campuses of the George Gervin Academy as Executive Director. The Academies serve close to 900 students, grades PK-12, from the entire San Antonio community with 130 employees. She has founded many entities that provided avenues for low socioeconomic, pregnant girls, homeless families, or troubled young men to learn new knowledge and skills so their outlooks on life could be positive. She created an emergency shelter for runaway and homeless girls, ages 8-18. Countless young adults and refugees have earned their high school diplomas or GEDs in order to move to the workforce or college/technical schools and bring a better quality of life to themselves and our city. Currently, she has developed the College Extravaganza program to solicit college students to mentor high school students and provide an easy pathway for them to go to college. In her greater community work, Barbara has developed a 54 unit low income elderly apartment complex that serves as a HUD model. She has assisted nine families in purchasing homes. Barbara created the Association of Progressive Non-Profits for which she received a $625,000 grant from the city. Services through this collaboration will reach 450 low income families. Barbara continues to create partnerships among school districts and colleges/universities. She was recently honored by LULAC in Puerto Rico and earned the La Prensa “Making Dreams Come True” award

Susan Hughes

As a longtime elected director of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, Susan has provided strong leadership in the challenge to keep our single source water supply at a healthy level. Her environmental instincts have led her down many important pathways including the National Audubon Society, the South Texas Farm and Range Forum, and the Bexar Audubon to bring rural landowners and urban conservationists together. As an environmental visionary, she also co-founded Save the Laja, Inc., focusing energies on the natural corridor issues from Texas to Central Mexico.

As an unsung heroine of San Antonio, Susan has founded many community initiatives including Sustainable San Antonio, bringing together representatives from development, neighborhood agencies, local government, and conservation communities to focus on common interests. The initial outcome of this effort was the passage of the $65 million sales tax issue to protect open space. She serves on the Eagleland Subcommittee of the San Antonio River Authority. Susan’s expertise is sought after by the city concerning our energy and open space issues. A long time employee of Datapoint, she has a keen knowledge of the high tech and telecommunications world which have benefitted her in her own company, Wordwright Associates. If it were not for Susan and her tireless efforts to save and promote our natural environmental attributes, we would not be able to enjoy our quality of life in San Antonio!

Nelda Guerrero Drury

Nelda is a world renowned, highly accomplished folk dancer. Graduating from the University of Texas in Austin in 1941, she continued her education at Columbia University, studying with the authors of her college textbooks. Serving 25 years as a premier dance instructor at San Antonio College, she brought the finest dance teachers and groups from around the world to San Antonio and Texas. Her dancers performed at the World’s Fair in 1964 and throughout Mexico, Canada, Europe, and Japan. Prince Mikasa, the Emperor’s brother, presented Nelda with a special award for her contributions to the people of Japan in 1956.

Nelda has received numerous recognitions and awards including being inducted into the National Folk Dance Organization’s Hall of Fame, the Texas International Folk Dance Hall of Fame, and the National Folk Dance Federation of Japan Hall of Fame. The Ford Foundation honored her for her contributions to youth and education. Nelda founded the Folk Arts Cultural Center of San Antonio as well as an international dance camp in Mexico where people from throughout the world call Nelda “teacher and friend”. Nelda continues to teach, save, document, and promote our valuable piece of culture…folk dance!

Kathleen Bruck

As a powerful and influential educator, Kathy has worked diligently as a 1) teacher of seriously handicapped children, 2) principal of a school, 3) special education director, and presently, 4) Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction in the Harlandale Independent School District. Kathy has provided the steady guidance and encouragement to the 24 schools for which she is responsible with results showing that 13 of these low socio-economic schools have achieved the 2009 Texas Education Agency’s Gold Performance Acknowledgements of RECOGNIZED or EXEMPLARY. Her grant writing capabilities have resulted in over $27 million being awarded to the district for a myriad of programs including the Pregnancy Education and Parenting program. She has provided guidance to groups such as the Southwestern Bell YMCA Board, Unicorn Board, P-16 Council, and the Alamo Area Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The Council of PTAs bestowed the Lifetime Award to Kathy for her many years of fighting for their children. Kathy is one of our humble, quiet servants who “does what’s right for children” and has proven to be their strong champion. Serving as a role model for younger women through her church, she provides guidance and assistance to them. Her efforts in education and the community were recognized this year as she was inducted into the Harlandale Hall of Fame

Dr. Sara Jackson

As an internationally known business education leader, Dr. Jackson has established the Southwest Texas Border International Trade Center and the Small Business Development Center in Mexico to improve communications and practices between and among businesses. As an Assistant Professor of International Business at the University of the Incarnate Word, Dr. Jackson expanded the study abroad program, taking students to Mexico to learn first hand about international trade practices. She then included Europe focusing on a sister university in Germany. Dr. Jackson received a Business International Education(BIE) grant of $350,000 to increase participation in international business activities by undergraduate students and the business community. She has since been called upon numerous times by the BIE to present workshops to the grant directors and to serve as an evaluator/reviewer of the grants. Working world wide with business leaders, Dr. Jackson was recently elected president of NASBITE International, a top honor. Through this organization, she has helped to develop a professional certification that is endorsed by the US Department of Commerce and the International Association of Trade Training Organizations as the standard for the United States. Dr. Jackson has served as a mentor for and encouraged women to enter the field of international business that is predominantly dominated by men. Dr. Jackson is recognized by the U. S. Small Business Administration with her models of business programs and expertise in writing/rewriting federal guidelines. As a Fulbright Scholar, she has authored international research and received honors from abroad including Germany.

Dr. Jan Patterson

Dr. Patterson has been on the faculty of the University of Texas Health Science Center(UTHSC) for over 15 years and one of the first women to hold significant leadership positions in the School of Medicine. She has authored over 100 peer reviewed articles and presented at over 100 scientific meetings nationally and internationally. She has played important roles locally and nationally in the fields of infection control and hospital epidemiology. Especially, she has had a key role in planning for influenza and biological disaster response for San Antonio and South Texas. As Chief of Medicine Service at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, she has pioneered interprofessional education by moving away from the silo models to the collaborative systems of care. She has instituted continuing education programs for health professionals as well as programs to promote junior faculty through a mentoring system. One such program is the Clinical Safety and Effectiveness Course wherein thirty-four physicians, nurses, and other health professionals have learned how to improve clinical practice. Her list of women health professionals who have been mentored by Dr. Patterson is quite impressive and they are currently in many positions of leadership and authority. Dr. Patterson has earned the honor of being the leading local and national expert on the H1N1 Pandemic Flu situation facing us here and globally.  Dr. Patterson has been named “Top Doctor” many times in Texas and the US. She is definitely the woman leader at the UTHSC who has been a role model and mentor to the next generation of health care professionals!

Dr. Janet Realini

Dr. Realini’s accomplishments are many and include a long service as physician, teacher, researcher, public health leader, and community activist. Her innovative efforts have built exemplary programs to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancies in San Antonio and Texas. As a medical professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Dr. Realini’s patient care, research, and teaching promoted adolescent and women’s health, family planning, and teen pregnancy prevention. She was the first woman to sit on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Family Medicine. Again, a trailblazer, she was the first woman to chair the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee for Family Medicine. Dr. Realini established Project WORTH, a collaboration between the city and the San Antonio Independent School District, that includes health education, public information, and clinical services for teens. This model is an Abstinence – Plus program and has become a national model. She authored BIG DECISIONS, a 10 session Abstinence – Plus sexuality curriculum that is free to school districts.
Dr. Realini’s third innovation is the Healthy Futures Alliance(HFA), a diverse community coalition to reduce teen and unplanned pregnancies. As President of the HFA, she promotes common ground and common sense public policies to the legislature to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancies. Unplanned pregnancies among young adults causes disrupted education, low birth weight, family turmoil, post-partum depression, and abortion. Dr. Realini has been able to mobilize the community, recruiting pro-life and pro-choice members to advocate effectively for access to contraception and sex education for youth, women, and men. Through her varied efforts, our community is becoming empowered to have more PLANNED pregnancies and  PREPARED parents  with the result of building a community with skilled workers, great education, and healthy families!

The Honorable, Esperanza "Hope" Andrade

As Secretary of the State of Texas, Hope is the first Hispanic woman to serve in this capacity. Previously, she had served our state as Chair of the Texas Transportation Commission. As a successful entrepreneur in our city, she served as Texas’ Chief Election’s Officer, Chief International Protocol Officer, and the governor’s Chief Liaison on border and Mexican affairs. Her own multi-million dollar business helped place numerous professional/paraprofessional individuals (mostly women) throughout the health care industry. Secretary Andrade is known throughout Texas as a motivational speaker addressing young people no matter gender, cultural background, or educational level.

Secretary Andrade has held key leadership roles with VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, United Way, San Antonio Symphony, and the Board of Trustees of Our Lady of the Lake University. Her awards and honors are numerous and include San Antonio Leadership Hall of Fame. Mother of the Year by AVANCE, and the Lifetime Achievement Award through the Hispanic Chamber. Hope has provided “hope” to many struggling entrepreneurs and women trying to better themselves in life through education!

Sonya Elissa Medina

Working within the White House corridors is precisely what Sonya did as a senior advisor on education, women and children’s health, youth development, and global diplomacy to President George W. Bush and First Lady, Laura Bush. She was known as the Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Director of Projects for the First Lady. While at the White House, she helped launch the HEART TRUTH campaign wherein the Red Dress symbol became the picture of heart disease for women today.
Sonya has administered the AT&T Corporate Foundation as its Director, distributing over $120 million in charitable gifts. She also led the development of the new strategic focus on education, the College and Workforce Readiness-High School Retention program. She is currently Director of Community and External Affairs at Silver Eagle Distributors and manages their philanthropy in her hometown community. Sonya’s passion for helping women attain their dreams has opened many new pathways for her research and analysis abilities to be utilized including becoming an accomplished Assistant Researcher at Baylor School of Medicine’s Center for Cancer Control Research. She is an active member of the University of Texas Health Science Center’s Women’s Council for Excellence. Believing that identifying and sharing her authentic leadership inside and outside the office, Sonya chairs many groups including the Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Her public service has allowed her to assist, inspire, and empower others to reach their dreams.

Dr. Susan Moobery

Dr. Mooberry is a consummate researcher dedicated to the discovery of more effective therapies for the treatment of cancer research, primarily breast cancer, critical to the scientific efforts being made in San Antonio and to their growing importance in heath care. At the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC), she is Professor of Pharmacology and Interim Director of the Institute for Drug Development at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center(CRTC). She co-leads the Experimental and Developmental Therapeutics Program, one of the 63 National Cancer Institutes in the U. S. and one of only 4 in Texas.
Dr. Mooberry has mentored over 30 women from under-represented ethnic groups in the past two decades, with many becoming physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, etc. A prolific writer, she has contributed to the research and printed knowledge in her field. Dr. Mooberry has 7 patents issued for a compound with anti-cancer  potential. She is an advisor to the National Institutes of Health and known internationally for her advice on cancer drugs. Dr. Mooberry is an advisor to the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Program. The Susan B. Komen Cure for Breast Cancer Program utilizes Dr. Mooberry’s expertise as a scientific advisor. Her scholarly and prestigious scientific activities contribute to the intellectual standing of UTHSC and our community.

Dr. Arline Patterson

Dr. Patterson personifies volunteerism with descriptions of her such as: humanitarian, founder, designer, visionary, innovator, leader, mentor, advocate, ambassador, organizer, advisor, donor, survivor, role-model, and CHAMPION OF WOMEN. Her volunteerism is always for the long haul and includes leadership to the organization or project. Dr. Patterson was responsible for attaining a grant 20 years ago to create an academy for high school students in the North East Independent School District (NEISD) who needed a non-traditional approach to teaching and learning, hence, the Academy of Creative Education(ACE), a nationally recognized model. During that time frame, Dr. Patterson has helped over 3,700 formerly at-risk students receive their diplomas and further their education to become productive community citizens. As a board member of the ACE Advisory Corporate Council, she has provided leadership in the establishment of the Endowment and Scholarship Fund.
Dr. Patterson serves as Educational Consultant to the newly formed Texas A & M University San Antonio Foundation. She was a founding board member of City Year San Antonio, Inc., which developed San Antonio’s AmeriCorps Program. She was a founding member of the NEISD Educational Foundation. As Director of the Texas Leadership Institute Council, she leads a statewide planning board that provides professional education for elected officials. Dr. Patterson serves on the George Gervin Academy board as well as the Alamo Ovarian Cancer Alliance. Dr. Patterson retired from Texas Lutheran University as the founder of the Center for Professional Development, a community education program. We salute Dr. Patterson as a “leader of outstanding character and uncompromising integrity”.