Board of Directors

PAULA J. CIZIK, Treasurer
B.A. from Texas A&M University in Accounting. Received her CPA license in 1985. Initially practiced public accounting with Deloitte Haskins & Sells before moving into corporate banking in Dallas and Houston for 11 years. After years of volunteering, she started her own consulting company directed to not-for-profits in 1994 and ultimately became the Executive Director for a tutoring & mentoring program in Houston for 10 years (I Have a Dream – Houston). Reviving her consulting practice 5 years ago, she now is a business coach to other non-for-profit executives and manages financial matters for entrepreneurs and retired executives.

BOB DAVIS, Chairman
Robert C. Davis. Bob is a Chartered Financial Analyst with a B.S. and M.S. in Economics from the University of Texas (Arlington).  Bob served from 1976-1988 as President of Citicorp Investment Management, Inc., a subsidiary of Citicorp.  In 1988, Bob was a founding principal of Davis Hamilton Jackson & Associates, an institutional investment firm.  Presently, he is a Consultant to Woodlands Asset Management as a strategist and portfolio manager.  Bob continues to be active in charitable work, including Child Advocates, Inc., Houston as a member of the Executive Committee, Court Appointed Advocate and a board member of the CAI Endowment.  He is also active in local community activities.

AMY RADER HIRTZ
Amy Hirtz is originally from Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1989 with a B.B.A. in Finance. Upon graduation, she returned to Houston and worked in the insurance industry. In 1992, after completing her Texas teaching certification, Amy taught elementary school at three of Houston ISD’s campuses. In 2001 with her husband, Henry, they fulfilled their dream of moving to his ranch in Hempstead to raise cattle while renovating a 100 year old farmhouse. During this time, Amy completed her M.S., Education at Prairie View A&M University in Educational Administration. For the next few years, Amy worked as a sales representative for McGraw Hill Education selling textbooks for grades Pre-K through High School. In 2009, Amy and her husband relocated to Brenham with their dogs, horses, and cats. Today, she continues working in education as an independent educational consultant for McGraw Hill Education.

ROBERT L. KNAUSS 
Over the past thirty five years, Mr. Knauss has served as an Independent Director of nine public companies (traded on the NY Stock Exchange and NASDAQ). Currently he serves as non-executive Chairman and Director of Equus Total Return, and as an independent director of the Mexico Fund, XO Holdings, and WestPoint Home. He previously served as Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, Dean of Vanderbilt Law School and Dean and Distinguished Professor of the University of Houston Law Center. He holds a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan and A.B. from Harvard University.

JOYCE STAMP LILLY
Growing up in Rhode Island, Joyce attended the University of Rhode Island and received a BS in Nursing in 1975. She worked as a Registered Nurse in Providence until heading to law school at Boston University, graduating in 1989. She started working an a small divorce law firm in Boston, but left there to try her hand at divorce mediation. Joyce and her husband Ralph, a neurologist, moved to Houston, Texas in 1991 and she has since that time worked as a Plaintiff lawyer representing persons injured in many different settings. She also represents Nurses before the Texas Board of Nursing in Austin. The Lillys moved to Washington County full time in 2009.
Joyce has been very active on The Epilepsy Foundation Texas Board, and started and chaired The Brinker Cup, a polo tournament at The Houston Polo Club for many years, benefitting the Epilepsy Foundation. She remains on the Epilepsy Board and is currently on the Board of The Texas Arts and Music Festival planning the first festival in Brenham in October this year.
Joyce lives in Washington on the Brazos with Ralph, 2 horses, 3 dogs and six cats, all happy in the country.

JEAN SHOUP
Graduated from Trinity University with a B.A. in both Geology and Environmental Studies. She later received a MEd from Texas A&M in Education Psychology and is a graduate of the Texas Developmental Disability Council, Partners in Policymaking. Jean’s career began at the U. S. Geological Survey and then as a Geology Lab Tech at Texas A&M. She has taught at Brenham I.S.D. Jean is the co-owner with her husband of the Antique Rose Emporium. Jean’s community involvement is widespread. She has been a Girl Scout Leader, member and president of The ARC, Bluebonnet Circle, member of The ARC, Governmental Affairs Committee, Independence Historical Society, BISD School Board Member, BISD Education Foundation member and president. Other memberships include the Brazos Valley MHMR Advisory Board, Brenham Main Street Organization Committee, Advisory Committee Brenham Community Education, Brenham Lifetime member and president, HOT Board member and president and a TMC Foundation Trustee. Among other awards, in 2007 Jean received the Washington County Woman of the Year award.

HARRY STOORZA
Rev. Dr. Harry Stoorza is a semi-retired minister who served churches in Texas, Illinois and Florida as pastor and executive pastor.  After graduating from Dallas Baptist University with a degree in Psychology, he earned his  Masters in Education, another Masters in Management and a Doctorate in Organizational Psychology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  The churches served by Dr. Stoorza experienced tremendous growth and were regionally or nationally recognized for innovation and effectiveness in ministry.  Upon retirement, he returned to Maggie’s Meadow, the family acreage in Waller County, Texas where his family started a pet sanctuary, 4 Paws Farm,  one of 26 rescue groups from the 1,200 groups in Houston topartner with Best Friends Animal Society’s No More Homeless Pets network.  It carries the highest designation from Guidestar.org, which rates non-profit organizations.  4 Paws Farm has been a client of Connie Clinic for over 6 years.
One of Dr. Stoorza’s fortés is bringing diverse people together into a vibrant team to accomplish large goals.  As the beginning of a regional approach to animal control, he lobbied the City of Hempstead, TX to stop their long time practice of killing surplus pets.  On September 2, 2014, the City Council amended its ordinances allowing the city to be a “no kill shelter,” one of only six cities in Texas.  This is the foundation for uniting shelters and rescue groups in Waller, Austin, Washington and Grimes Counties to form a holistic approach to saving the lives of shelter pets. Dr. Stoorza is on the Board of Directors of Houston Pets Alive!

BOARD MEMBER EMERITUS

ANGELA KNAUSS
Graduated from the University of Vermont in Political Science and then obtained a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt Law School.  Angela’s career included positions at The University of Chicago, The University of Vermont and The University of Michigan, in administrative roles including medical and scientific project supervision.  Angela founded Animal Friends of Washington County in 2003.