Board Bios
| Joe DalyBoard Chairman |
Joe Daly is a Gallup Managing Partner and a member of the company’s management committee. Mr. Daly provides advisory services on entrepreneurship to governments and businesses worldwide, supporting them with research and data on the drivers of employment, job creation and business start-ups at the global, national, regional and local levels. He is a member of Gallup’s public release committee, a carefully staffed, historical team devoted to the protection of Gallup’s brand in public facing research. Before joining Gallup, Mr. Daly was a consultant at Accenture. With areas of expertise including change management, process improvement, project management and strategy, Mr. Daly joined the Lemonade Day National Board of Directors in 2016 and serves on the launch committee for the My Lemonade Day app. Gallup, a longtime partner with Lemonade Day, has studied the talents that distinguish successful entrepreneurs and has built an assessment that identifies individuals, such as high school students, with high entrepreneurial talent and helps leadership direct them to the right development and experiences to develop their talent. Mr. Daly’s knowledge in this area is a tremendous asset in his role on the Lemonade Day national board. Mr. Daly works with global governments, academic institutions, nonprofits and corporations worldwide to help them solve the world’s most pressing problems using data from Gallup’s World Poll. Since 2005, the Gallup World Poll has collected opinions reflecting people’s well-being in more than 160 countries and regions. Organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations use these data to investigate and report on a range of issues, such as financial inclusion, food insecurity, well-being, human development and migration. Mr. Daly received his Master in Business Administration with a focus on international business from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He and his family reside in the Washington, D.C., area. | |
| Renea BurnsChair of Finance & Audit Committee |
As a Partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Renea Burns has more than 20 years of public and industry accounting experience serving international and national clients. For the past 13 years, Ms. Burns’ work has focused on the real estate industry. She specializes in audit professional services, and her clients include public and privately owned companies that are real estate investment trusts (REITs) that own, operate, and develop real estate, and/or invest in mortgage or mezzanine loans secured by real estate. She also has experience with multiple segments within the industry including retail centers, office buildings, industrial complexes, multifamily, single-family homes, student housing, and hotels. Ms. Burns is the Vice President for the National Association of Real Estate Companies and a speaker at their conferences. She has also presented on real estate trends for the Financial Executives Networking Group, the Houston Business Journal, and has been quoted in real estate articles for BisNow - Houston. Highly connected in her field, Ms. Burns is trusted by many professional firms and companies over the years including Blazek & Vetterling, Camden Property Trust, and Hines, and Weingarten Realty Investors. She was recently named by Deloitte & Touche the Real Estate Eminence Leader in their firm Ms. Burns’ past volunteerism includes serving on the Board of Directors of New Hope Housing, a Houston non-profit affordable housing developer, where she spent majority of her tenure as Chair of the Finance Committee. Ms. Burns hold a B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from the University of Houston – Clear Lake. As a native Houstonian, she and her husband raise their two sons in the Spring area fostering their own entrepreneurial spirit and athletic prowess. | |
| Heath ButlerChair of Board Development & Governance Committee |
Heath Butler is venture investor, a serial entrepreneur and seasoned corporate executive with over 20 years of experience as a transformational leader with a proven ability to define a vision, execute strategy and deliver accelerated business impact. At Mercury Fund, Heath invests in Work-Tech, Fin-Tech and Sports-Tech B2B Software and is also head of the Mercury Method, the firms proprietary platform, which helps portfolio companies achieve sustainable, long-term growth. Prior to joining Mercury, Heath co-founded Gestalt Theory Venture Partners, a venture studio for early-stage companies; held leadership roles as a fin-tech division president, and corporate development executive at Insperity (NYSE: NSP); led business development for EnergyWorkspace.com; co-founded a fin-tech startup; and, developed his foundational management skills at Travelers Group, United Parcel Service and his parents’ chain of retail stores in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Heath received an MBA in Marketing from Texas Southern University’s Jesse H. Jones School of Business and a B.S. in Finance from the University of New Orleans. Outside of Mercury, Heath is an active angel investor, mentors in innovation communities throughout Middle-America, hosts a quarterly “How to Start a Startup” session at The Ion and blogs @ StartupHeat. He is passionate about educating, empowering, and enabling entrepreneurs, and co-founded two organizations focused on closing the innovation, job, and wealth gaps in urban communities across the country – the Innovation Center for Urban Entrepreneurship (iCUE), a non-profit, designed to on-ramp people of color into the innovation ecosystem and Urban Capital Network (UCN), an investment platform designed to reduce the racial wealth gap. Heath also supports numerous non-profits through board service, including, as a Board Trustee for American Leadership Forum, as a Board Director for Lemonade Day and as a Board Director for DivInc. | |
| Zach EllisLocation: Houston, Texas |
Zach Ellis, Jr. is the Founder and Managing Partner of South Loop Ventures, a pre-Seed/Seed stage venture capital fund for founders of color building companies with a nexus to the Greater Houston, Texas region. With more than 20 years of experience in venture acceleration, community building, and client advisory work, Mr. Ellis has specialized in working with partners and community members as the lead advisor for developing opportunities, spinouts, and startups. He has focused on the positive use of technology to transform people’s lives. Mr. Ellis has held a variety of roles in venture capital, corporate innovation, and technology commercialization across a range of sectors, including biotech, cleantech, agtech and CPG. His previous experiences include Managing Director at Rev1 Ventures, corporate venture capital at PepsiCo; and commercializing university research at The Ohio State University and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. Mr. Ellis serves as an Advisory Board member of The BFM Fund, a seed-stage fund investing primarily in U.S. Black-led and innovative ventures. He began his career as an active-duty officer in the US Navy and holds a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; an MBA from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy. Mr. Ellis lives in Houston, TX with his wife and four children. | |
| Charlie HamiltonChair of Fundraising & Strategic Partnerships Committee |
Charlie Hamilton has enjoyed success across a diverse array of entrepreneurial endeavors. It has been his management expertise, his marketing ingenuity and his sheer tenacity that have been the common thread to his success. His lifelong passion for youth entrepreneurship led him to join the Lemonade Day National Board of Directors in 2013. He accepted the position of Chairman of the Board in 2016. Mr. Hamilton was born and raised in a farming and ranching family in Lubbock, Texas, and opened his first business, a watermelon stand, when he was 10 years old. He co-founded Crestmoor Capital Partners and has strategically assembled seasoned experts to provide specialty merchant banking and advisory services to banks. Crestmoor Capital Partners specializes in partnering with banks on problem loans and asset repositioning programs. Mr. Hamilton is also the managing partner of two residential land development companies in Texas. As a developer, he consistently works to develop close-knit neighborhoods built and designed to provide a sense of community and a treasured place to live. Mr. Hamilton has served on the advisory board for the Rawls College of Business and is the past chairman of the Chief Executive Roundtable for Texas Tech University. In addition, he is a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization). He currently resides in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with his wife, Kate, and their two boys, Conrad and Carson. | |
| Hank HolmesLocation: Houston, Texas |
Hank Holmes is a seasoned banking executive known for his strategic leadership and significant contributions to regional growth in the banking sector. Holmes spearheaded the successful merger of Cadence Bank and BancorpSouth, enhancing shareholder value. As President and Chief Banking Officer, he led Cadence’s IPO in 2017, raising $173 million, with subsequent offerings reaching $1.2 billion. His crisis management skills were crucial during economic downturns, stabilizing the bank and ultimately expanding Holmes also managed complex financial challenges at Amegy Bank, resolving a multibillion-dollar portfolio during the Great Recession and rebuilding its Private Banking division post-9/11. A graduate in Managerial Finance from the University of Mississippi, Holmes is actively involved in community and professional boards, demonstrating a commitment to both professional growth and community service. Holmes and his spouse, Claudia, a native Houstonian, reside in Houston, Texas with their two beloved golden retrievers. The couple has three children: Harrison, aged 23, Caroline, aged 21, and Charlie, aged 18. The Holmes family cherishes their time together, particularly enjoying activities such as fishing, golfing, and traveling. Their favorite destinations include any beach and their family home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they often take extended stays to relax. Recently, Holmes departed the banking industry to establish Holmes Financial LLC, a financial consulting firm that collaborates with various industries. His firm focuses on enhancing banking relationships, | |
| Lisa HolthouseDirector Emeritus Lemonade Day Co-Founder |
Lisa Holthouse, a lifelong Houstonian, is the Executive Publisher of Houston CityBook, as well as an author, an artist and a noted philanthropist. Along with her husband, Michael, she helps lead her family’s Holthouse Foundation for Kids, a platform to serve at-risk youth by supporting programs designed to help them achieve success in their lives through life skills, character education and experiential entrepreneurism. Mrs. Holthouse has served on a variety of boards, including IDEA Public Schools, Healthcorps, Sonima Foundation, AIDS Foundation Houston, National Charity League Houston, After-School All-Stars and Lemonade Day. She has chaired fundraisers for a wide array of deserving nonprofits, including Children’s Museum Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, AIDS Foundation, Lemonade Day, The Giving Back Fund, Hermann Park Conservancy and more. During Super Bowl 2017, Mr. and Mrs. Holthouse chaired a celebrity fundraiser that raised more than $1 million for charity in a single night. She has been honored by organizations for her community service, such as Houston Achievement Place, KIPP Academy, H Magazine as one of “25 Beautiful Houstonians,” Houston Social Book as a “Sweetheart,” and Crohn’s and Colitis as one of their “Women of Distinction.” She is also a Hall of Fame three-time honoree by March of Dimes as one of Houston’s “Best Dressed.” Mrs. Holthouse holds a bachelor’s degree in English with continued studies at the University of Houston and other art institutions in foreign languages and visual arts. Sales of her 2013 children’s book It All Started With a Turtle, which chronicles the real-life teaching moments of how Lemonade Day began, were raised to benefit the organization and its growth. | |
| Michael HolthouseLemonade Day Co-Founder |
Michael is best known in the business world as Founder and President of Paranet, Inc., a computer network services company. As an Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year and a two-time “Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Company” winner, Michael grew Paranet in six years to 27 offices with 1,600 employees and revenues in excess of $120 million and ultimately sold the company to Sprint in 1997. Since then, he has focused on investments, philanthropy and a variety of business interests. His investment company, Holthouse Interests, manages a variety of investments, including those in early-stage technology companies, with the intent to maximize growth and return on invested capital. His family foundation, The Holthouse Foundation for Kids, focuses proactively on the needs of Houston’s most at-risk youth. Community involvement is an enormous part of Michael’s life, and he has served on a variety of boards, including TXRX Labs, Junior Achievement, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Children’s Museum Houston and Boy Scouts of America. Other organizations with which he has involved himself include YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), Leadership Houston, American Leadership Forum and the Center for Houston’s Future. His philanthropic venture is called Prepared 4 Life, which prepares middle school youth for life through fun, proactive and experiential programs infused with life skills, character education and entrepreneurship. Its flagship program is Lemonade Day. The most treasured part of Michael’s life is spending time with his wife, Lisa, and their children. | |
| Rachel Davison HumphriesLocation: Sarasota, Florida |
Rachel Davison Humphries is the Senior Director of Civic Learning Initiatives at the Bill of Rights Institute (BRI), where she leads the outreach initiatives, partnership development and curation, new programs and innovation, branding strategy, and products, and directs the student programs, including the national civic engagement contest, My Impact Challenge. Rachel and her team generate and cultivate scores of partnerships annually, growing BRI’s brand and supporting 75,000+ educators. With nearly 20 years of experience, Rachel has a long track record in the field of education and curriculum development with a deep understanding of the holistic nature of the learner. Prior to joining BRI in 2016, Rachel worked for almost a decade as a Master Socratic Educator, mentor, and trainer in middle, high school, and university environments and continues to consult on a variety of educational projects. She has designed programming and training for Socratic, Montessori, classical, blended, expeditionary, and a variety of radically agency-driven learning environments. Rachel was also the first employee hired by Jeff and Laura Sandefer to start Acton Academy. | |
| Keith KreuerChair of Programming Committee |
As a member of the Lemonade Day National Board of Directors, Keith Kreuer provides over 30 years of experience in starting and building innovative, customer-oriented information technology companies. As Principal with RedHouse Associates, Keith specializes in helping early-stage companies create their business plans, define product roadmaps, build processes that scale and secure angel investments. In his role as a co-founder and investor, Keith has assisted start-up teams in achieving a dozen positive exits, with returns of over $1.2 billion in value to their founders and investors. Mr. Kreuer has mentored executives and entrepreneurs throughout the years and shares his valuable advice with the organization as well as its fledgling entrepreneurs. He joined the board in 2020 and is a member of its My Lemonade Day App Technology Committee; he provides valuable insights on information technology and entrepreneurship. Mr. Kreuer is an active angel investor in the Houston and Austin start-up ecosystems and has participated in over 90 private investments. He is a mentor and advisor to the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Capital Factory and Station Houston, as well as the Rice University OwlSpark and University of Houston Red Labs Accelerator programs. He was an early investor in Idera and served on the board of directors until it was acquired by TA Associates in 2014. Keith co-founded PentaSafe in 1997 and served as its Director of World-Wide Services & Support until its acquisition by NetIQ in 2002. Prior to that, Keith was Co-Founder and President of Penta, Inc., a Houston-based software consulting firm that was acquired by VeriCenter in February 2000. Earlier in his career, Mr. Kreuer served in various positions, such as Director of Operations for Generator Systems, Consulting Manager for Ernst & Young and Software Development Project Manager for Exxon, U.S.A. Mr. Kreuer’s volunteerism and community involvement also includes current service on the board of directors for Goodwill Industries Houston and past involvement on the Target Hunger Board of Directors. Mr. Kreuer is a graduate of Iowa State University, where he received a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in computer science. On any given weekend, you can find Keith either wakeboarding and surfing on Lake Conroe near Houston, or sailing along the Gulf Coast on his family’s coastal cruiser. | |
| George H. "Kam" Kronenberg IIILocation: Austin, Texas |
Kam Kronenberg is the founder and managing partner of Downstream Investments LLC, a private investment firm specializing in strategic investments, leveraged acquisitions, recapitalizations of well-established companies and real estate investment opportunities. With nearly 30 years of experience, Mr. Kronenberg is responsible for all aspects of acquisition and management of the partnership assets and portfolio companies. Mr. Kronenberg has extensive corporate finance, principal investing, strategy, and business management experience across multiple industries including: automotive, consumer debt, construction, consumer products, equipment leasing, energy, medical technology, real estate, professional sports franchising, and financial services. Mr. Kronenberg is focused on the growth and support of the following portfolio companies: La Tierra Realty, Stonebridge Purchasing, Titleist Asset Management, Crestmoor Capital Partners, and Agricapture. Mr. Kronenberg is proud of his work that resulted in COTA and Austin FC coming to Austin. With a B.A. from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, where the Kronenberg Family calls home, Mr. Kronenberg is extremely philanthropic. The Kronenberg Family is proud to partner with Stand Together, Grameen America, Lemonade Day, where Mr. Kronenberg is serving as a National Board Member, and Boys & Girls Club of America where Mr. Kronenberg recently served as a trustee. | |
| Andrew PetersLocation: Terrace, Ohio |
Andrew Peters is a sixth-generation farm kid turned serial entrepreneur who’s learned that chopping weeds out of soybean fields was surprisingly perfect training for life’s biggest challenges. His career began in the most unexpected place—selling life insurance and investments in a city where he knew exactly two people (one of whom worked with him). After making $734 in six months by selling a policy to he and his wife, Andrew quickly realized financial services wasn’t his calling. A kindly co-worker confirmed his hunch, and soon, he was off on a different adventure: entrepreneurship. Armed with “1, 2, 3 Home Depot” books, he launched a design/build firm. It flourished until a bad partnership decision brought it down, a failure Andrew now counts as his best-ever business lesson. Undeterred, Andrew pressed on, building and selling three successful companies, each teaching him something new about creating something lasting. He’s also had a 6-year stint as a pastor at a church that grew from 850 to 20,000+ attendees every weekend and a globetrotting dream job as the Chief Storytelling Officer at Luxottica, where he worked with iconic brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley. But despite the allure, he found that the dream job wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. His current venture (silent.partners) is where he’s truly found his stride—the work he is meant to do for the rest of his life. Now, he’s happiest building his ventures and supporting those crazy enough to believe they can create something out of nothing, turning chaos into order with people he genuinely likes and respects. Andrew holds a BA in Communication and Copywriting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, but his greatest accomplishment? Being certified as the world’s best dad by his four kids. | |
| Mikaila UlmerLocation: Austin, TX |
Mikaila Ulmer is a trailblazing entrepreneur, speaker, and author, best known as the founder and CEO of Me & The Bees Lemonade. Her entrepreneurial journey began at the age of four after two bee stings led her to a deep dive into the crucial role bees play in our ecosystem. What started in Austin, Texas as a small lemonade stand using a recipe from her Granny Helen, has grown into a nationally recognized brand, with products available at major retailers including H-E-B, Whole Foods Market, Target, and CostCo. She is currently steering Me & The Bees into its next phase of growth and is extending the Me & The Bees brand through various strategic partnerships. Her book, Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid, published by Penguin Random House, offers an inspiring look at her journey and practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Mikaila is a leading voice in social entrepreneurship, as well as a junior in college at Emory University where she is learning more about Economics, quantitative sciences, and international studies. Through her Healthy Hive Foundation which she launched in 2017, she continues her mission to save honeybees, donating a percentage of Me & The Bees' net profits to this cause. Her commitment to making a positive impact extends beyond her company; Mikaila is passionate about educating others on the importance of finance, investing, and venture capital, especially for the next generation of diverse entrepreneurs. Mikaila is also a sought-after speaker who inspires adult, tween, or teen audiences worldwide. She is passionate about educating others on the power of entrepreneurship and providing encouragement and guidance for the next generation of changemakers. She has spoken in venues and conferences such as the White House, Microsoft Corporate, and South by Southwest (SXSW), Since her first appearance on Shark Tank at age 9, Mikaila has been featured in major media outlets including Good Morning America, NBC News, Inc, Yahoo! Finance, and Forbes. Mikaila’s story is not just one of early success, but of a young leader continually evolving, learning, and motivating others to make a difference. She shares her journey and insights on Instagram and LinkedIn. | |
| Andy MainAdvisory Board |
Andy Main is the former Global Chief Executive Officer for Ogilvy, and is the former Global CEO of Deloitte Digital. Throughout his career, Mr. Main has grown the value of Fortune 500 companies through the combined power of creativity, technology, business value, and experience innovation. He transformed Ogilvy into the world’s leading creative agency in only two years, well ahead of market expectations. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Mr. Main led Deloitte Digital and scaled it into a multi-billion global business. He's an entrepreneur and reshaped the industry by making the first move by a consulting firm to compete in the creative services market. Mr. Main is one of the industry's most highly regarded executives, featuring in Adweek’s Top 100 Leaders in Marketing, Media, and Technology. He has also been named as one of the world’s Top 25 consultants by Consulting Magazine. Originally from Scotland, Mr. Main has lived in the USA for over 30 years, most of it in Denver where he and his family currently reside. He recently became a USA citizen, so the question is "What took him so long?". He doesn’t know. He serves on the board of the Keystone Science School, which provides camp-based STEM education for kids in the great outdoors, and is a patron of the Denver Art Museum. He loves to cycle, ski, and hike the Colorado mountains. If you wish to share in his pain, then please follow his lifetime passion of being a supporter of his hometown football team, the mighty Raith Rovers. | |
| Paul B. Murphy, Jr.Advisory Board |
Paul Murphy has served at Cadence and its predecessors since December 2009. Cadence is a bank holding company headquartered in Houston, TX that is traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CADE. Previously, Mr. Murphy spent 20 years at Amegy Bank of Texas, helping to steer that institution from $75 million in assets and a single location to assets of $11 billion and 85 banking centers at the time of his departure as the Chief Executive Officer and a Director in 2009. Mr. Murphy is an advocate of the community and has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. Currently, he is on the boards of Oceaneering International, Inc., Natural Resource Partners, Hope and Healing Center and Institute, Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Houston Complete Communities Advisory Board. He also is active in YPO Gold Houston. Mr. Murphy earned a bachelor's degree in banking and finance from Mississippi State University and his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. | |
| Amanda Kathryn PascaleInterim CEO, Lemonade Day National |
With over 30 years of dynamic leadership in social entrepreneurship across Main Street, K Street, and Wall Street, Amanda is a transformative force in purpose-driven business. Renowned for partnering with global leaders, Amanda equips changemakers to operationalize their values and drive systemic change. As a lead strategy and innovation executive, Amanda has shaped and executed growth strategies for numerous organizations, spanning from start-ups to expansive restructures. She has trained thousands of leaders and orchestrated mastermind communities that foster ongoing growth. A co-founder of three pioneering organizations—Living Room Conversations, Bridge Alliance, and the Institute for Corporate Transformation—Amanda architects spaces for courageous conversations and systemic shifts. Her role in co-creating the Conscious Capitalism consultant certification program has catalyzed a global network steering businesses toward stakeholder-centric models. Amanda's insights have resonated on world stages including Fast Company Innovation Festival, Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit, Oslo Freedom Forum, Wanderlust Wellspring, United Nation’s Future of Capital, and Freedom Fest. She currently influences the entrepreneurial landscape as the Interim CEO of Lemonade Day, a national nonprofit teaching kids the power of entrepreneurship and advises the Stetson University School of Business Administration's Prince Entrepreneurship Program. In her role at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and as the LaunchPad Innovation Ecosystem Director for the State Policy Network, Amanda democratizes the best practices of sustainable value creation. Residing in Lake Nona, Florida, she remains a community stalwart, contributing to Leadership Orlando, Conscious Nona, and the Lake Nona Regional Chamber of Commerce. | |