James McLennan - President

James is a Vice President with S&P Global.  Prior to joining S&P Global in 2020, James was a Senior Vice President with Wood Mackenzie in Houston having relocated from Edinburgh, Scotland in 2010.  He first joined Wood Mackenzie in London in 2003, prior to which he was an Investment Banker with Deutsche Bank.  James graduated from Aberdeen University in Scotland with a MA in Accountancy and began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Aberdeen. 

Married with two children, James spends most of his free time either on the golf course or with family and friends.  James joined the Board of BAFTX in 2011 after being inspired by our late President, Susan Howard's, hard work and vision for BAFTX with the simple mission of providing scholarships and a gateway to a better future for those less financially fortunate and yet so academically gifted.  James became President of the Board of BAFTX in 2018.     

James also serves as President of the British American Business Council (BABC) of Texas which has close working ties with BAFTX as its chosen charity.

Jennifer Ansorger- Board Member

Jennifer Ansorger is a Canadian/UK educator living in Katy, TX under a spousal visa.

Jennifer holds a Masters Degree in Education as well as Bachelor degrees in Education and Arts specializing in History and English. She is an experienced teacher with over 10 years classroom experience in Canada, UK, and US. In addition to classroom duties, Jennifer has taken on the roles of curriculum leader and teacher instructional support/guidance providing push-in support and professional development in K-6 schools. As a teacher, Jennifer was responsible for curriculum design (in all subjects, including STEAM), differentiation, assessment, and writing of program plans in schools with large numbers of high needs, diverse populations, special education, and ESL students.

Jennifer believes that more needs to be done for the underrepresented and underserved youth in Houston, especially in the STEM fields. Jennifer is excited to be a member of a team that is dedicated to providing financial support to those who otherwise may not have the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education.

Jennifer has 2 daughters in secondary school in the Katy school district. In her time outside of being a care-giver for her daughters, Jennifer volunteers as a Katy ISD keys mentor, pre-service teacher mentor, and appraiser for Destination Imagination. She also enjoys home renovations and golfing.

Emily capps - board member

Emily A. Capps is a retired Nurse Practitioner who began serving on the Board for BAFTX in 2023.  She currently serves on the Sustaining Board for The Junior League of Houston, the Boards of the Community Family Center and the Houston Ballet Guild and is a member of The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.  She is an active member of St. Michael Catholic Church and assists St. Michael Catholic School as a board member on the Advisory School Council.

A native Houstonian, Emily attended Texas A&M University in College Station, graduating with a Bachelors in Biomedical Science and Minor in Psychology.  She continued her graduate education at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing followed by a Master in Science specializing as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.  For years, she practiced at Memorial Hermann and Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, providing intensive care for patients in surgical trauma, orthopedics, and neurotrauma service lines.  Emily retired as a Nurse Practitioner to focus on family.  She currently resides in Houston with her husband Allen and their two children.

Martin Hunt - Board Member

Martin Hunt is a Partner at the international law firm of King & Spalding, which has 21 offices world-wide. Martin is based in the firm’s London and Houston offices. He is a corporate M&A lawyer focusing on numerous sectors, in particular the energy sector. He has worked on projects in over 70 countries and has visited over 125 countries. He is a qualified English solicitor and both a Texas attorney and a New York Attorney.

Martin is a graduate of St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge University. He is married with one child. He has been both the President and a Director of the British American Business Council. He has been on the board of BAFTX for around ten years and provides legal advice to the organization.

JACKIE HYDE - Board Member

Jackie Hyde is a British Diplomatic Spouse currently living in Houston, Texas.

Jackie holds a degree in Hospitality Management. She has lived in 10 different countries around the world.  She has been involved with a variety of charities and organizations on a voluntary basis in several countries including the UK.  She enjoys watching most sports, exercising, reading and traveling.

Jackie has 2 daughters, at University and boarding school in the UK. Through her children, she understands the challenges facing young people today. In recent years, Jackie been focussing on helping her daughters achieve their goals; now she wants to support other deserving young people to achieve theirs. 

Jackie currently serves as the honorary President of the Daughters of the British Empire of the State of Texas, and on the board of the Consular League of Houston.

Matt Main is from the London area of the UK and is currently a Managing Director at TD Securities, serving as a relationship manager and senior leader in the Corporate and Investment Banking Division, specializing in North American Energy. Matt has been an Energy Banker in the Houston market for over 20 years, following his move to the US in 1998.

Prior to TD, Matt spent over 25 years at Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest, initially in London, UK, before his transfer to Houston. Matt holds a UK Banking Degree / Associateship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and is FINRA qualified in the US.

Matt joined the Board in 2022 having supported BAFTX personally for many years since its inception in 2006. His close friendship with the Howard family has provided him with a deep insight into the goals of the charity and the young people it provides life-changing educational assistance for.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys traveling the world with his wife and children and is a keen sports fan on both sides of the pond.

Tim Mckeon - board member

Tim McKeon serves as Vice President and Treasurer for Halliburton. In this capacity, he leads the Company’s corporate finance, capital markets, treasury operations, pension, risk management, and credit management functions. Previously, Mr. McKeon was the Assistant Treasurer responsible for corporate finance activity, including capital markets, economic analysis, leasing, and trade finance.

Before joining Halliburton in 2006, Mr. McKeon served as Assistant Treasurer for Colonial Pipeline and he also held positions in the corporate treasury group at Ingram Entertainment Inc. and in the institutional trust department at Bankers Trust. Mr. McKeon earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and marketing from the University of Tennessee and received a Master of Business Administration degree from Emory University.

Genie Panaccione - Treasurer

Genie Panaccione has over 30 years of finance, treasury and risk management experience including debt capital markets, structured financings, hedging, stress testing, and credit and collections. She served as Assistant Treasurer for Apache Corp until 2016 where she managed the corporate finance function. Genie has a passion for collaboration and teamwork. Before joining Apache in 1998 Genie was Assistant Treasurer and Director of Finance for Union Texas Petroleum. In 2016 Genie joined AIG as Assistant Director, ERM Liquidity Risk. Beginning in 2019 Genie worked for BDO as a consultant to Invesco supporting the Treasury team and retired in 2020.

Genie graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Accounting. She received her MBA from the University of St. Thomas while working at Union Texas Petroleum and is a licensed CPA. She has served on the Board of Yorkshire Civic Assoc. (a West Houston HOA) since 2013 where she was the Treasurer for 5 years starting in 2014 and currently serves as President.

Genie enjoys spending time with friends and family and is dedicated to her two daughters and two-year-old grandson. Genie’s hobbies include jogging, playing bridge, practicing golf, reading, and spending time at Seabrook Island, a barrier island outside of Charleston. Genie resides in Houston, TX and regularly travels to SC.

Genie has supported BAFTX through Apache and personally for a number of years. The BAFTX accomplishments initially started by Susan Howard and her family to provide scholarships has been tremendous. It is a privilege to contribute to BAFTX and support the community going forward to award scholarships to gifted and talented students on behalf of BAFTX.

Julie Phan Rose - Board Member

Julie Phan Rose is a Human Resources Executive with over 25 years in various industries, with a significant portion supporting the Energy sector.

Julie is originally from Vietnam and immigrated to the US as a child to Seattle, Washington where she lived for 21 years. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Sociology and her graduate degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.

Julie is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and currently holds the position of Vice President, Human Resources at UTEX Industries. She has 2 children in high school and enjoys spending her spare time playing pickleball, traveling and shopping.

Julie Rae - Board Member

Julie Rae has over 32 years leadership experience in Global HR strategy development and international operations. During that time, roles have included Executive Staffing & Compensation, Employee Engagement & Development, and Diversity & Inclusion across the energy sector. Her career with ExxonMobil has spanned several continents and led her to Houston in 2004, where she has settled with her husband and two children.

Originally from Cornwall in the UK, Julie received her Business Honours degree from Robert Gordons University in Scotland and started her career with Mobil in both Aberdeen and London. She has always appreciated the value of her education and global career experience, giving her the opportunity to practice her profession in many geographies and cultures. Newly retired in 2021, she is now in a position to pay forward as much of that perspective and support as she can in the education and development of young people.

Julie loves to spend time with family and friends, enjoys being outdoors on the polo field or golf course, and travelling as much and as often as she can.

JIM reilly - board member

Jim is now retired after a 43 year career in energy/oil and gas banking. At retirement, he was Vice Chairman and Global Head of Energy Corporate Banking at Citigroup. Prior to his nearly 30 years at Citi, Jim worked for Bankers Trust Company for 14 years, ending his time there as Global Head of Energy Finance. Throughout his career, he managed the relationships of the respective banks with majors/international, large cap and small/medium cap energy clients worldwide.

Jim grew up in Washington, DC. He graduated from Villanova University in 1974 with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and received a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from American University in 1976.

Jim has lived in Houston since 1982 with prior assignments in London and New York City. He has been married to Aileen for nearly 43 years and has four children and three grandchildren.

Kathy Sauvé - Board Member

Kathy Sauvé is Manager of Stakeholder and Community Engagement for Marathon Oil Corporation. She is responsible for managing the Company’s external sustainability strategy and reporting, and developing Corporate-wide stakeholder engagement and social investment strategies.

Prior to joining Marathon Oil, she was director of Public Affairs for TEPPCO Partners, L.P., a U.S. pipeline partnership, where she was responsible for internal and external communications and philanthropy.

Kathy holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from The University of Texas at Austin. She also serves on Board of Directors of the Houston Coalition for the Homeless Board, and the IPAA/PESA Education Advisory Committee.

LETITIA VERLANDER - SECRETARY

Letitia is from Glasgow, Scotland and moved to Texas in 2012.   She is an English Attorney whose legal career involved working in education and public law, with a focus on helping young people to secure access to education and other essential services.  Prior to her law career, Letitia worked for the UK Government in a variety of policy roles.   

Since moving to Texas she has been an active volunteer in a number of charities and not-for-profit organizations with a particular emphasis on underprivileged children.

Letitia is passionate about empowering young people to access education to reach their potential, and improve their future life chances.  She also recognizes the financial constraints for scholars from lower income homes in accessing higher education, and so she’s excited to be part of BAFTX’s mission to help these scholars.

Married with two children, Letitia has lived in South Africa, Italy and the UK before moving to Houston.  In her spare time she enjoys working out, yoga, cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Kay Thomson - Executive Director

Kay started her role at BAFTX in 2016. She believes that education is the most significant driver in social and economic improvement, giving talent and ambition a chance to benefit us all. She is determined that BAFTX will continue to grow and build on its success, and that education and achieving objectives should not be dependent on financial status.

Kay is from East Sussex in the South of England. She graduated from the University of Surrey with a double honors in French and Economics, speaks 4 languages and started her career as a Technical Translator at Electricité de France in Paris. Since then, she has worked in public and private sectors including higher education in Singapore, Baku, Aberdeen and Paris before moving to Houston in 2013.

Kay serves the Board of the British American Business Council of Texas.

Nichola Sloss - Executive Administrator

Nichola Sloss is originally from near Bath, England. She lived in Inverness, Scotland with her husband and three children for 12 years before moving to Houston in 2019.

Nichola’s career started in the financial sector working for Lloyds TSB in London and then moving to the charity sector supporting educational programs for children with special needs. 

Nichola is excited to be joining the BAFTX team and work at enabling more students fulfill their potential with education. 

In her spare time Nichola enjoys travel, Formula 1 and baking.