2022 Winter Conference Recap

The TASPA 2022 Winter Conference was held on December 5-7 at the Kalahari Hotel & Convention Center in Round Rock, TX. We had a successful turnout with 286 attendees. The spacious event center allowed for a record 35 exhibitors! We are especially grateful to our Diamond Sponsors: ESS, Frontline, Gulf Coast FCU, iteachTEXAS, Kelly Education, and Texas Teachers. With their support we are able to provide YOU, our TASPA members, with continued services and professional development.

During the three-day conference, TASPA was able to host three general sessions and 40 breakout sessions. We had 64 speakers that included law firms: Eichelbaum Wardell Hansen Powell & Muñoz, P.C.; J. Cruz & Associates, LLC; Ogletree Deakins and Walsh Gallegos Treviño Kyle & Robinson, P.C. We also had presentations from HR practitioners, TEA, TASB HR Services, TRS, TX DPS and many others. Thank you to speakers, TASPA board members, TASPA staff and TASPA members to help make this conference a huge success!

During the second General Session, we acknowledged our 2022 TASPA award winners and scholarship recipients.

Dr. Mary Hopkins Personnel Administrator of the Year

Congratulations to Chris Tatum. Chris is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Amarillo ISD. Chris Tatum’s tenure with Amarillo ISD began in 1998. For three years, he served as a teacher and coach at Caprock High School. In 2001, he became an Assistant Principal at Bowie Middle School. He was there for one year before moving to Amarillo High School to serve as the Assistant Principal for four years and Associate Principal for two years. In 2007, the AISD Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Chris to be the Principal at South Lawn Elementary where he served for five years. His experience and skill set was needed at Fannin Middle School where he was Principal for one year before becoming the Director of Secondary Personnel for AISD in 2013. After six years in that role, Chris was promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer of Amarillo ISD in 2019.

Chris and his wife, Dalea are proud parents of two grown sons who both now have families of their own. His delight is in seeing them be successful in their chosen professions and their success as young fathers. Chris is also a proud “Bear” to three grandchildren whom he adores.

Distinguished Service Award

Congratulations to Monica James. Monica has worked successfully under the leadership of two Waxahachie ISD superintendents, Dr. Bonny Cain and Dr. Jerry Hollingsworth. She has served in human resources leadership in Round Rock ISD, Manor ISD, and College Station ISD before coming to Waxahachie ISD. She has served in the roles of HR generalist, Assistant Director, Director, and currently holds the title of Chief Human Resource Officer.

Monica came to Waxahachie ISD in 2019 and brought a vision for progress and innovation to the department. She hired a new HR team and transformed the department. Within a year, all records had been converted to a digital format and hiring processes were updated. She led a very green HR team to learn their new roles and responsibilities. Over the last 4 years, the team has grown tremendously under her leadership in all areas of Human Resources. Monica has led the team with integrity and support. She never hesitates to go to bat for a team member or stand up for what she knows is the right thing to do. Monica is always willing to share her knowledge with others.

Monica has been a member of TASPA for 17 years and served on the TASPA Board for 4 years as District II representative. She is proud of being one of the first to become certified as a pHCLE. She is currently serving on the scholarship committee.

Monica has a strong commitment to growing HR Team members by attending TASPA trainings and conferences. She consistently encourages her team to become involved and hold leadership positions in the organization.

Honorary Membership Awards

It is our pleasure to recognize Sharon Fuery and Dr. Lolly Guerra as TASPA Honorary Members.

Sharon Fuery has been an educator for 40 plus years. She was an English teacher and a cheer coach for 13 years. Her personnel/human resources career began as Director Secondary Human Resources in Northside ISD for 13 years and Executive Director of Human Resources in Judson ISD for four years. She served on the Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators (TASPA) Executive Board for five years serving as President in 1999 and was selected as the TASPA Administrator of the Year in 2000. She has served on the TASPA Legislative Committee and was selected to speak to the Texas House and Senate Education committees as a school human resources expert on several occasions. Sharon retired in 2010 after thirty-two years in education. She worked as an HR consultant for Laredo ISD and medical staffing company. In January 2015, she returned to Judson ISD as Interim Executive Director of Human Resources for a brief period. In October 2015, she was hired as a part-time HR Administrator to support the Director of HR at Southside ISD and was later hired as the Executive Director of Human Resources. After serving in Southside ISD for seven years, she retired again in June 2022. In August 2022, she was hired by South San ISD to work part time as the Interim Executive Director for six weeks is now serving as a part-time HR Administrator. She is also working as an HR consultant at Judson ISD. With over 25 years of experience in school human resources/personnel, she also serves as a member of the Education Service Center Region 20 Human Capital Services Advisory Board.

Dr. Lolly Guerra has been an educator for almost 48 years. She began her career as an elementary school bilingual teacher and served in that position for six years. Her career then progressed to serving as a Bilingual Program Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and an Elementary School Principal for 17 years. In 2003 she became the Chief Human Resource officer for the San Marcos CISD and served in that position for 13 years. She retired from the San Marcos CISD in 2016 and the very next day began her position as Program Director at TASPA. She served in that position for a year and a half and then was selected to lead TASPA as the Executive Director. During her seven years at TASPA, she has presented over 130 workshops throughout the state, and either assisted with or organized 25 TASPA conferences.

In her spare time, Dr. Guerra serves on the Board of Directors of A+ Federal Credit Union where she has volunteered for the last 12 years, including serving as chair of the Board from 2017 – 2020. She has been married for almost 44 years to her husband, Fred, and is the proud mother of one daughter, Andrea. She has been blessed with two grandsons, Jakson and Jameson, who are the light and joy of her life.

Ann Berg Scholarship Award

David Otterstetter is a senior at Southwestern University and will graduate in May 2023 with a certification to teach history at the secondary level. David has maintained a 3.945 GPA, is a US Army veteran and is a firstgeneration college student.

Barry Nettles Scholarship Award

Jessica Roxanne Gross is a senior at Wayland Baptist University and graduated in January 2023 with a certification to teach EC-6 Elementary Core Subjects. She attained a 3.911 GPA and while also serving as a Life Skills Special Education aide for Frenship ISD.

Pete Chernick Scholarship Award

Kayla Good is a senior at Southwestern University and will graduate in May 2023 with a certification to teach EC-6 Elementary Core Subjects and Special Education. Her excellent undergraduate record of 3.902 GPA is evidence that she is both hardworking and committed to her chosen discipline.

North Central TASPA Scholarship

Holly Dasher is a senior at Mary Hardin-Baylor and will graduate in May 2023. She maintains a 4.00 GPA while working, being an excellent student, and campus leader.

Gulf Coast ASPA Scholarship

Kaylie Kramer is a senior at Mary Hardin-Baylor and will graduate in May 2023. Kaylie will be receiving certification in EC-6 Elementary Core Subjects and ESL. Kaylie has excelled academically, volunteers her time in service and leadership organizations such as Heart of Gold and Search Cru.