Board Members

Dr. Tony Smith

President 

Dr. Smith served as the Superintendent of Education for the State of Illinois, under Governor Bruce Rauner.  He provided leadership and resources to achieve excellence across all Illinois districts by engaging legislators, school administrators, teachers, students, parents, families, and other stakeholders in formulating and advocating for policies that enhance education, empower districts, and ensure equitable outcomes for all students.

Prior, he was the Superintendent of Oakland Unified School District, where he helped improve academic outcomes, district finances, family engagement and organizational coherence. Dr. Smith served as Deputy Superintendent for the San Francisco Unified School District, where he led efforts to close the achievement gap. He also served as Superintendent of the Emery Unified School District.

Dr. Smith earned his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and his M.A. as well as Ph.D. from University of California’s Graduate School of Education.

Chris Jamail, CFP®

Treasurer 

Chris Jamail, CFP® is a board member of Foundation 99. On a mission to grow the Foundation 99 cause, he is working to improve the financial situation and educational opportunities for 99%

Prior to joining Foundation 99, Chris gained experience in working with clients and managing investment assets beginning in 2002 as a financial advisor at TCG. Throughout his career he has increased his focus on investment management and financial planning moving to an investment advisor role in 2004 with TCG Advisors, and then later named Chief Investment Officer. In these former roles, he operated as head of the investment committee, oversaw a team of professionals with responsibilities such as managing and monitoring investment activity, and directing the investment strategy for the firm’s clients.

Chris graduated from Texas A&M University in 2002 with a BBA degree in Marketing and earned the Certified Financial Planner™ designation in 2010. Chris has been recognized as a 2021 Best-In-State Wealth Advisor by Forbes, and as well as being named to the 2019 and 2020 Financial Times Top 401 Retirement Plan Advisers list.

Bun B

Board Member

Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with UGK, Bun B has released five solo albums, including 2010’s Trill OG, which received the rare 5-mic rating from The Source.

He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University, located in Houston, Texas, and a proud member of the board at Foundation 99.

Marques Cormier, CFP®

Secretary

Marques Cormier, CFP® is a Senior Wealth Advisor at TCG Advisory Services, LLC, a HUB International company (TCG), where he works with clients at every stage of their financial lives.

Marques is involved in supporting nonprofit, Foundation 99, which provides financial literacy and education to underserved communities that may not have access to the resources they need to thrive financially.

Marques completed the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® course work at Rice University, and passed the board certified exam in January of 2011. Before joining TCG, Marques worked as the Director of Financial Planning for a private equity firm in Houston for five years. During that time, he also served as President for the company’s nonprofit where he helped to provide medical services to families in need. 

LeMel Humes

Board Member

LeMel Humes is an American songwriter/composer, musician, singer, and producer. He is perhaps best-known for his longstanding songwriting and production relationship with R&B/soul singer Miki Howard, particularly his work on her early/breakthrough albums.

John Pesce

National Advisory Board

John Pesce is TCG’s visionary co-founder and manager in charge. John leads a team of experienced, principled advisors in the sustained effort to provide an unprecedented level of customer service in the finance industry.

In 1987, John started his first business managing private wealth for professional athletes across the country. After selling the business in 1990, he became a Partner and Chief Marketing Officer at a firm in Houston, TX, where he was head of their investment and marketing divisions and focused on individual wealth management and government pension plans. After he and his partners sold the company in 1995, John moved to Austin, TX. In Austin, John deepened his knowledge of government retirement plans and managing institutional money, and he was ready to use that knowledge to start something new.

John joined forces with Mike Cochran to start TCG Group Holdings LLP in 1999. Because of his passion for investing and trading options, John still manages a few portfolios in addition to overseeing the strategic direction of the entire company.

Anita Ward

National Advisory Board

Committed to social justice and impact, Anita was named in the Top 100 global influencers in Fintech for Sustainable Development Goals that recognizes leaders who are leveraging the power of Fintech. Anita is an acknowledged pioneer in the areas of organizational transformation, technology, and change management. Her strategic work has spanned many industries including, non-profit, financial services, banking, insurance, retail, technology, distribution, manufacturing, and healthcare.

Often called an “organizational shaman”, Anita has garnered praise for her innovative approach to organizations, incubation, and corporate problem-solving. Her results have been featured in business guru Jon Katzenbach’s books, Real Change Leaders, and Leading Outside the Lines; and in major magazines including Fast Company, Forbes ASAP, CIO Magazine, Information Week, and Computerworld.

She holds a doctorate in Cultural Anthropology and is a globally requested speaker who draws upon years of experience to share insights and bring clarity to business transformation and its impact on strategies, models, and organizations. Leveraging her anthropological training and her knowledge of technology, Anita earned executive roles in respected organizations including Salary Finance, Operation HOPE, JP Morgan Chase, Texas Commerce Bank, American General, Cambridge Technology Partners, Safelite Autoglass, and the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

Kennedy Ihezie

National Advisory Board

Kennedy Ihezie is a Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion leader at American International Group (AIG). Kennedy is a subject matter expert with a rigorous understanding of talent management and the Diversity & Inclusion field.

Jarren Small

National Advisory Board

Jarren Small is a millennial mogul from Missouri City, Texas. Mr. Small believes in striving for greatness and paying it forward. While attending Hightower High school he was accepted to the broadcast media academy. Smalls found comfort in expanding his knowledge in media. This opportunity helped him perfect his skill set to work with many leading companies like BET, NBA, and Comcast Sports.

Mr. Small graduated from Prairie View A&M University in fall 2012 with his Bachelor’s in Mass Communication with a Minor in Marketing. While attending college, he developed a passion for the betterment of the student body by obtaining the position of Student Government Association president in 2011. This led to him forming a relationship with the mayor of Houston and HTV also known as the Houston Television.

Today, Small is the Co-founder of Legends Do Live (LDL) and Educational Entertainment (EDENT).

Mr. Small has worked and partnered with Corporations such as the Houston Rockets, Nike, Jordan Brand, Beats by Dre, Microsoft, HEB, SHIPT, PepsiCo, Whataburger, Reebok, Puma, the City of Houston Mayor’s Office, and Jack Daniel’s to give scholarships and establish programming for inner-city public schools and youth.

Small’s goal is to make sure that he is a leading example of what the city of Houston invested in him as a child. He accomplished all of his endeavors under the age of 31 and wants the world to know that anything is possible with a positive mindset.

Douglas Johnson

National Advisory Board

Douglas Johnson Jr is a Founder of Legends Do Live, a non-profit 501c3 organization that focuses on equipping and funding disadvantaged youth and communities through workshop programs and community engagement headquartered in Houston, Tx 

Douglas has a long history of helping people, accumulating up to 30,000 hours of community service going into college and continues that work through all his businesses and endeavors. With a background as a Brand and Marketing Strategist, Douglas has executed Marketing plans for Fortune 500 companies and startups. He also has led teams for execution of large conferences, concerts, and events with attendance of 80,000 plus people and affecting sales in over 60 countries. Douglas is also a voting member for the Grammys and cares very deeply about music and its preservation. 

Douglas has found success in real estate becoming an expert investor and Entrepreneur launching a Real Estate Brokerage Grif in Locations with his wife. Douglas also co-created and founded Educational Entertainment whose mission is simple. The E stands for Everyone. Educate. Entertain. Evolve. ED ENT is the parent company of programs such as Reading With a Rapper, a program that relates academics and socially conscious lyrics, video content, and technology.

Douglas has landed coverage in print and broadcast outlets around the world, including Fox, NBC, CBS, NPR, Radio One, Clear Channel and Essence Magazine. Along with partnering with numerous fortune 500 companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Nike, Jordan brand, HEB, Beats By Dre, Shipt, Pepsico and other international brands of all industries. 

Mike Hall

Velocity 99 Advisory Board

A former United States Marine and Founder of American Wheelman, Michael Hall has been building professional racing programs with Jack Roush Jr. and Roush Performance through B2B opportunities and sponsorships for well over a decade.  A business developer, special projects manager and business owner, managing relationships and making sure the best people are in the same room and at the same table is his superpower.

With a lifelong passion for motorsports and aviation, Michael made the transition from enthusiast to professional.  Over the last fifteen years, he has been involved in race team development, professional driver management, sponsorships and business partnerships.

Michael has significant creditability and experience in developing endurance sports-car GT race teams that compete in IMSA and SRO in the US and internationally.  As a motorsports professional and African American, Michael recognizes the need to give back to the community and show America’s youth the many professional disciplines and career paths required to put a race car on the grid, or an airplane in the air, via his involvement in foundations and STEM programs, as a founder, director, and mentor.

Bryce Lineker

Ambassador

Bryce is a Commercial Insurance Broker at HUB International. In this role he is responsible for providing insurance placement, risk consulting and mitigation solutions to HUB commercial Property and Casualty clients. Bryce works with a vast array of clients in many different industries tailoring solutions to fit their business risks and needs.