Board & Staff

2010-2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

STAFF:
Robin Reagler, Ph.D., Executive Director
Robin has invested seventeen years in WITS, and she has worked in every facet of the organization, from teaching to program development to administration. Currently as Executive Director, Robin not only leads WITS in its Houston endeavors; she also heads the WITS Alliance, a national consortium of literary arts education groups. Robin earned an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a Ph.D. from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her poems and essays have been published widely in books and journals such as Ploughshares and HOW(ever).

Bao-Long Chu, Associate Director
Long plans and implements WITS' creative writing programs. A writer originally from Vietnam, Long earned an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. His poems are anthologized in several books, including Watermark and Both Sides Now. He has been with WITS as an administrator for the past twelve years. He has served on the artistic Board of DiverseWorks Arts Space and Gulf Coast Literary Journal.

Christeen Windon, Director of Finance
Christeen implements and oversees all financial aspects of the organization, including accounts receivable, payables, payroll, budgeting, and record keeping. She supervises the production of contracts for schools and writers and supports the Executive Director in overseeing staff benefits, including insurance, vacation time, and the 403-B plan. She also oversees audit and tax return preparation. Educated in Jamaica and the United States, she has a B.S. in business.

Jack McBride, Program Manager
Jack manages in-school programs, after-school programs, The Menil Collection project, and the Summer Creative Writing Workshops. He is responsible for recruiting, training, and managing writers in teaching placements and leads the WITS summer internship program. Jack graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with a B.A. in art history and Spanish.

Kate Rybka Brennan, Development Coordinator
Kate writes grants and manages the fundraising strategy for WITS. Kate comes to WITS on a part-time level from Neighborhood Centers Inc. where she served as the lead development staff for the $25 million dollar New Century Campaign.  A native of Minnesota, Kate has a B.A.  from Mills College.

Jennifer Watson, Communications Manager
Jennifer is responsible for conveying the WITS message to a variety of people through public relations, marketing materials and maintenance of the blog and website. She comes to WITS as a previous intern with a background in professional writing and editing. A native Houstonian, Jennifer received her B.A. in English at the University of Houston.

Kristina McDonald, Office Manager
In addition to being a WITS writer, Kristina manages the office and keeps it operating efficiently. She provides clerical support for the Executive Director and staff, assists with programming and special events, and helps maintain the WITS blog. A frequent knitter and sometimes poet, she is usually in the middle of writing a novel. Kristina has a B.A. in English from Rice University.