Board officers reflect diversity, expertise of BAHEP organization
Dr. Greg Smith, Clear Creek ISD superintendent and a former Texas Superintendent of the Year, has been elected to head the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership Board for the coming year, following in the footsteps of Boeing Space Exploration Vice President and General Manager John Elbon.
Dr. Smith became the Clear Creek Independent School District superintendent of schools in January 2008. He was named the Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards in 2012, the top administrator by the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, Superintendent of the Year for the Texas PTA, and named the Galveston County Daily News Community Champion in 2013.
He has led CCISD and its 5,000 employees on a journey to transform education in the 21st Century. Under his superintendence, student performance has increased in all state indicators as well on college entrance exams. Today, the Clear Creek School District is considered one of the largest high performing school districts in Texas.
Dr. Smith is co-chairman of the Texas High Performance Schools Consortium, state board member of Texas PTA, a member of the Space Center Rotary Club and the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, which honored him last January with its Quasar Award.
In 2014, Clear Creek ISD was a finalist for the HEB Excellence in Education Award and TASA Honor Board Award. In 2013, Clear Creek ISD voters overwhelmingly approved a $367 million school construction bond that led to the 1:1 tablet initiative known as Latitude 2 Learn.
Dr. Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., a master’s degree in Education Administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and his doctorate in Education Administration from Texas A&M University in College Station.
He and his wife, Kathy, are the parents of two daughters and one granddaughter.
Dr. Jayant Ramakrishnan
Vice Chairman
Jayant Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., is the chief operating officer of Bastion Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Houston and leads Bastion in operations, business development and implementation of strategic growth.
Dr. Ramakrishnan serves on the board of Houston Technology Center and on the National AIAA Guidance Navigation and Control Technical Committee. In addition, he serves on other boards such as the Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Foundation and was recently honored as a distinguished alumni of the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST).
He has published more than 25 papers in conferences, journals and referenced texts and has served as a reviewer for technical journals and international conferences. Dr. Ramakrishnan earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla (now MST). Locally, he is active with the Texas Multiple Sclerosis Society (Bike Ride m arshal on MS 150 rides) and several charitable organizations.
Richard D. Jackson
Secretary
Richard D. (Rich) Jackson is NASA Strategic Account Executive for Leidos. His responsibilities include defining corporate strategy in support of NASA, identifying synergies and collaboration across Leidos, and identification, evaluation, and pursuit of new business opportunities.
Jackson began his career at NASA where he supported the Space Shuttle Program as a flight director for 15 space shuttle flights.
Jackson graduated from Texas A&M University earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and is also a member of the Manned Space Flight Education Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors. He has attained certifications as a private pilot, Advanced SCUBA diver, D licensed skydiver, and jumpmaster.
Jennifer Bowers
Treasurer
Jennifer Bowers is a partner with the law firm of Bowers & Sadler, LLP. The firm specializes in a variety of legal services aimed at assisting closely-held businesses and their owners with their tax planning, business organization matters, estate planning, and probate matters. Bowers is board certified in tax law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
