Chairman, Bobby Knight
Bobby Knight is a distinguished oil & gas engineer and project manager, currently serving as the Chairman of the Board for Magnificat Houses, Inc. His exemplary career, steadfast dedication to community service, and strong family values have made him an influential figure in both the corporate world and his local community.
Bobby's journey began when he graduated with a degree in engineering from LSU in May 1984. Armed with a solid foundation in his field, he embarked on a remarkable 38-year career in Downstream Oil & Gas, leaving an indelible mark on the industry.
Throughout his professional journey, Bobby Knight's unwavering commitment extended beyond the confines of his workplace. He is a devoted member of St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church and has been a resident of Northwest Houston since 1992 where his connection to the community runs deep. He understands the unique challenges and opportunities that his community faces and has consistently sought ways to address them.
However, Bobby's greatest source of pride is his family. He has been happily married to Barbara Cowart Knight for an impressive 31 years and together they have raised five children. This long-lasting partnership is a testament to Bobby's commitment not only to his career but also to his loved ones.
In May 2022, Bobby retired from Shell, concluding an illustrious career that spanned nearly four decades. While his professional responsibilities have evolved, his dedication to serving his community has remained steadfast. As Chairman of the Board for Magnificat Houses, Inc., he continues to channel his expertise, leadership, and passion into improving the lives of others.
VICE-CHAIRMAN
Kimberly Dennison, CPA
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.
SECRETARY
Martin Doublesin
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.
TREASURER
Clay Jeansonne
Clay Jeansonne currently leads Investor Relations for Earthstone Energy. Mr. Jeansonne has over 25 years of investor relations and finance experience. He began his career in oil and gas with the Louisiana Land & Exploration Company (LL&E) in 1990, holding several finance positions within that company. As a result of the merger between LL&E and Burlington Resources, Mr. Jeansonne joined Burlington as its Investor Relations Specialist. In 2001, he joined Pogo Producing Company as Corporate Director of Investor Relations and was quickly promoted to Vice President of Investor Relations. He held that position at Pogo until the sale of the company to Plains Exploration in 2007. Mr. Jeansonne also served as Vice President – Investor Relations and Corporate Communications for CheMatch.com prior to joining Pogo. He then went on to serve as Vice President – Investor & Public Relations for LINN Energy, LLC from 2007 to 2017 and as Director of Investor Relations at Ranger Oil Corporation from 2018 through 2022. Mr. Jeansonne received a Master’s Degree of Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Computer Sciences from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He is a past board member and current member of the National Investor Relations Institute – Houston Chapter. In May 2011, the Oil and Gas Investor named Mr. Jeansonne as the winner of its 2010 Best IR Program award.
AT LARGE BOARD MEMBER
Michael A. ("Mitch") Ackal, III
Mitch Ackal serves as Gray Reed's Business & Commercial Litigation Practice Group Leader. Known for his ability to explain complex issues and adapt his approach to any case, Mitch focuses his practice on guiding a diverse group of clients through every stage of high-stakes commercial and business disputes in Texas and throughout the country. He handles litigation in state and federal courts, arbitrations and on appeal. His case load typically involves prosecuting and defending clients in oil and gas disputes along the entire energy stream, breach of contract and other business-related actions, franchise/distribution disputes, partnership disagreements, and commercial cases involving the Uniform Commercial Code.
Mitch is involved in challenging roles that not only involve complex dispute resolution, but also allow him to serve as an integral team member and go-to advisor for clients on a broad range of matters impacting their businesses outside the courtroom. For example, as national litigation counsel for one of the world’s largest plastic distributors, Mitch is always on call to find effective solutions for a variety of everyday and big-picture issues. He also oversees and manages litigation for clients from coast to coast involving contract disputes, employment matters, trade secrets, non-compete/non-solicitation agreements and products liability.
Competing and winning at a high level is nothing new for Mitch. After growing up in both New Orleans and Houston, and graduating from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, he played college baseball for Rice University and was a member of Rice’s 1999 College World Series team.
DIRECTOR
JoAnna Bruce, MBA
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.
DIRECTOR
Dominic Fails
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.
DIRECTOR
Sr. Carrol Mayes, O.P.
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.
DIRECTOR
Ken Hertel
Full bio coming soon
DIRECTOR
Scott Hickey, PhD
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 rehabilitatio0n services.
DIRECTOR
Trevor Pinkerton
Trevor G. Pinkerton is a native Houstonian, husband, and father of two sons. He is a partner with King & Spalding LLP, a top-ranked international law firm, practicing in securities, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate governance. Prior to that he was a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. He received his Juris Doctor (with honors) from Emory School of Law and a Masters of Theological Studies from Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. He completed his undergraduate studies (cum laude) at Rice University in Houston with a double major in History (honors) and Art History. He is a parishioner at the Catholic Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. He has been a board member of Magnificat Houses since Jan. 1, 2024.
DIRECTOR
Abigail Gunderson
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.
DIRECTOR
Zachary Witten
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.