PAULA J. CIZIK

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

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.

James F. Arens, MD

Dr. Arens grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota. He received his MD degree from Creighton University, interned at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, and did his anesthesiology residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. After four years in the Air Force, he was appointed Chairman of Anesthesiology at Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans. Subsequently, he served as Professor and Chairman of Anesthesiology at the University of Mississippi, UTMB, MDAnderson, and UT Health Science Center, Houston. He has served as President of the Texas and American Societies of Anesthesiology, the American Board of Anesthesiology, and the American Board of Medical Specialties. He has received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Medical Association. l. 

Jennifer Hermann

Born and raised in Brenham, Texas. The daughter of Patsy Hermann and the late John Hermann. After attending college, she returned home and became the fifth generation at Hermann Furniture, working with her father. Jennifer began her active involvement in the community by being asked to reign as the Senior Maifest Queen in her senior year in high school. Jennifer presently serves on the board of the Main Street Preservation board and is a director at Crossroads bank in Yoakum. Jennifer is also a member of the Bluebonnet Garden Club, the Heritage Society of Washington County, and the Brenham Heritage Museum. When she is not at the store planning special events and conducting seminars, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three Bassett hounds, Wilbur, Winston, and Winifred, and five cats, Peanut, Dot, Buster, Tater, and Krinkle.

Amy Rader Hirtz

Amy 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 to work in the corporate world and then teach elementary school.  In 2001, she and her husband, Henry, left Houston and moved west to the country.  Amy and Henry reside in Brenham on a cattle ranch plus have cattle in Waller County.  Amy spent five years working in Brenham ISD and now enjoys tutoring children.

Jeffrey King

Jeffrey King is retired from owning a business in the pet containment and dog training field.  He is a dog and animal lover and owns three dogs currently.  As a youngster he was a member of 4H and FFA and learned how to break horses and work cows from his dad.  His love for agriculture and a rural life led him to Waller country in 2014.  In retirement he has a small acreage homestead in Central Texas where he enjoys the country life and his wife of 20 years.

Jeffrey works with a limited number of non-profit groups that are doing good work in the local community and that support the benefits humans can enjoy from having dogs in their lives.
Jeffrey attended university at Tarleton State University (BS – 1990) and University of North Texas (MBA – 1992).

Elizabeth Stevens

Elizabeth is a native Texan but grew up in Oklahoma.  She moved back to Texas in 1978.  She has a BS in Math and Accounting and an MBA in Finance from the University of Central Oklahoma. She spent her career in finance with several banks and oil companies.  She has done extensive volunteer work at the Methodist Hospital and The Center for the Retarded.  She is married to Tom Stevens and makes her home in Chappell Hill.

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 Master's in Education, another Master's 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. 

Andrew Ybarra

Andrew was born & raised in Killeen, Texas, and is the youngest of 5 kids.  His Dad was in the military, and his Mom worked for the Killeen Police Dept.  Andrew graduated from Southwest Texas University (now Texas State) with a criminal justice degree – always wanting to be a cop when he grew up.  He joined the Travis County Sheriff’s Dept in 1988 and retired in late 2016. Andrew and his wife have one dog, Baussie, an Australian Shepherd mix. Both Andrew & Baussie can be found at the Animal Friends Dog Park daily.  Andrew moved to Brenham in 2022 and feels like they have won the lottery with the Mayberry-like feeling of this small town and his new ‘family’ of friends at the Dog Park.

Angela Knauss - Board Member Emeritus

Angela 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.