Meet Our Board of Directors
Bobby Knight, Chairman
Bobby Knight is a distinguished oil and gas engineer and project manager with a 38-year career in Downstream Oil & Gas, culminating in his retirement from Shell in May 2022. He is the Chairman of the Board for Magnificat Houses, Inc., where he continues to serve his community with dedication. A graduate of LSU, Bobby has been a resident of Northwest Houston since 1992 and is an active member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church. He is deeply committed to his family, having been married to Barbara Cowart Knight for 31 years and raising five children together. Bobby's career and community service reflect his strong family values and leadership.
Dominic Fails, Vice-Chair
Dominic Fails is an inspired media and marketing executive who has spent a large part of his 35 year career in the multicultural space. Across that career he has been a digital pioneer and held positions across the marketing spectrum including research, broadcasting, sports and entertainment rights, and client side. Known for his ability to turn around underperforming businesses and stand up new ones, Dominic has been responsible for teams of hundreds spread across the country generating billions per year in revenue. He has also owned the budget and spending decisions on the client side of hundreds of millions of dollars per year in marketing. Dominic is a first generation college student and the son of an immigrant. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and resides in Houston, TX where he is an active participant on charity boards supporting education and serving the homeless.
Clay Jeansonne, Treasurer
Clay Jeansonne is the Vice President of Investor Relations at Talos Energy, with over 25 years of experience in investor relations and finance. Before joining Talos in April 2024, he held similar roles at Earthstone Energy, LLC, LINN Energy, LLC, and Pogo Producing Company. He began his career in the energy sector with the Louisiana Land & Exploration Company in 1990. Clay holds an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for Magnificat House, Inc.
Martin Doublesin, Secretary
Martin F. Doublesin is currently a member of the Magnificat Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Daybreak Foundation. He has served as Assistant General Counsel at Centaurus Capital LP since June 2017. Martin previously was an associate and senior counsel for 26 years at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, an international law firm based in Houston, Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. Martin has served on the board of St. John XXIII College Preparatory and on the board of trustees for Journey to Damascus, Inc.
Kimberly Dennison, CPA, At-Large Member
Kimberly Dennison has been a Board Member at Magnificat Houses since 2019 and has served as Treasurer and Vice Chair. She is a certified public accountant and is self employed as an accountant / consultant to various organizations across the non-profit sector. Prior to this, Kimberly enjoyed a 14 year career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Boston, Australia and Houston and was a senior member focused on mergers and acquisitions. Her favorite part of Magnificat House’s mission is seeing its residents in safe housing and living in community. Kimberly lives in Houston with her husband and her two school aged children.
David S. Buck, M.D., M.P.H, At-Large Member
Associate Dean for Community Health and Clinical Professor at the University of Houston’s College of Medicine; Adjunct Professor at University of Texas School of Public Health – Houston: Management, Policy and Community Health Division; Adjunct Professor at Rice University’s Department of Sociology. He was Professor at Baylor College of Medicine's Department of Family & Community Medicine for 21 years.
He began working with the underserved developing medical and dental clinics for the indigent population in Houston in 1984 after working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India. He has founded, chaired and managed 9 non-profits including in 1999, Healthcare for the Homeless—Houston (a federally qualified health clinic), Houston-Galveston Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Program in 2007, Patient Care Intervention Center in 2009 (leverages community-wide care data and coordination through technology for patients and organizations with complex social and medical needs). He served on the founding board and later as Chair of the International Street Medicine Institute from 2010-2012. He served on the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Advisory Board at the request of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services 2010-2012.
He has published over 30 articles and book chapters on improving the care of persons experiencing homelessness through health services research. He has been responsible for raising over $40M in funding for services, research and data platform designs.
Chad Patel, At-Large Member
Chad Patel is a distinguished engineer and philanthropist with a career spanning over four decades. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from M.S. University, Baroda, India, and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Houston. From 1976 to 2021, Chad held prominent roles in engineering, including Principal Furnace Engineer, Chief Technical Advisor – Mechanical, and Chief Metallurgist at KBR, where he led global projects worth millions to billions of dollars. Renowned as a Subject Matter Expert in Furnace Mechanical Design and Metallurgy, he contributed extensively to the structural, mechanical, and field operations of process furnaces worldwide.
Beyond his professional achievements, Chad has been actively involved in non-profit work since 1996, serving as ASIE President in 2000 and engaging in disaster relief, community development, and charitable initiatives. He founded the Maniba Charitable Trust in India in 2018 and Homeless Empowerment International in Texas in 2019, alongside the Homeless Advocacy & Solutions Network. A dedicated volunteer, he continues to make a difference through organizations like Loaves and Fishes and Hope Impacts.
Chad retired from KBR on July 15, 2021, leaving behind a legacy of engineering excellence and humanitarian contributions.
JoAnna Bruce, At Large Member
JoAnna Bruce is a member of the Magnificat Board of Directors. She has volunteered with MHI at St Joseph Clubhouse and co-chaired the past 2 fundraisers. JoAnna’s background includes American Airlines Management Program, Aeroxchange Project Manager, BP Analyst for the Trading Group, and BP Chemical Engineer. JoAnna received her Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University and MBA from University of Texas.
Sr. Carol Mayes, O.P. , At-Large Member
Carol Mayes, OP is a native Houstonian. She is a graduate of St. Agnes Academy; Dominican College, Texas Women’s University and University of Notre Dame. She is a former high school teacher and as Principal of O’Connell H.S. in Galveston, coordinated the consolidation of Ursuline Academy, Kerwin H.S. and Dominican H.S. Sr. Mayes served in parish ministry at St. Cecilia Catholic Community, received her Certification as a Spiritual Director from the Cenacle here in Houston and currently coordinates with the Dominican Family here. She has served in a variety of leadership positions with the Houston Dominican Sisters, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Dominican Sisters Conference here in the U.S. as well as on the Board of Directors of St. Agnes Academy, St. Catherine Montessori School, St. Pius X H.S.
Ken Hertel , At-Large Member
Full bio coming soon.
Scott Hickey, PhD, At-Large Member
Dr. Hickey has enjoyed a forty-year career in community mental health. His training as a clinical psychologist has permitted a wide variety of responsibilities including his current position as Director of Health Analytics & Research at The Harris Center for Mental Health & IDD. He enjoys the application of data analysis to the evaluation and improvement of clinical practice. He teaches both clinical and research skills. In the past he has been a clinician, a clinical supervisor, a program developer, and a mid-level manager, directing both clinical and psychiatric rehabilitation services.
Christopher Powell, At-Large Member
Full bio coming soon
Abigail Gunderson , At-Large Member
Abigail Gunderson is a member of the Magnificat Board of Directors and currently serves as the Secretary for the Executive Committee. She is a Certified Financial Planner ™ and has been in the financial industry since 2003. As a Senior Wealth Advisor, she helps design and implement comprehensive financial and estate plans for executives, professionals, and business owners at Tanglewood Total Wealth Management, a boutique Registered Investment Advisory firm in Houston. Earlier in her career, Abigail also worked in the aerospace industry as a Crew Procedures Engineer for Lockheed Martin. She worked closely with astronauts, cosmonauts, and scientists at NASA and Star City, Russia in the development of experimental procedures utilized on the Space Station MIR. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1991.
Zachary Witten, At-Large Member
Zach Witten, a board member since 2023, received his double major in finance and business management from the University of Houston Bauer College of Business. His fields of expertise are real estate, investing, and finance. Many years before he came to really know Magnificat, he volunteered at Loaves and Fishes while in high school at Saint John XXIII. Little did Zach know that one day he would be a part of this remarkable organization. Zach is an active outdoors person and a devout Catholic. He is proud to be a part of the Magnificat family and the wonderful mission it provides.
Jeannie Gardner, At-Large Member
Jeannie Gardner is an Executive Business Operations Leader with over 20 years of experience in continuous improvement, digital transformation, and process optimization. At Shell Downstream, Inc., she was instrumental in defining organizational job capabilities, building trust, and managing relationships while driving change management initiatives. Jeannie lead a global team utilizing Lean Six Sigma principles to manage multi-million dollar projects, continuously improving processes to reduce costs and enhance value. Her achievements include promoting over $20M in business process improvements annually, automating processes to generate significant value, and securing contract agreements that resulted in a 35% savings on $52M in commodities. Recognized for her outstanding performance, she now leads global supply chain business transformation and strategic sourcing projects across various industries.
Magnifcat Houses Advisory Board Members: