MEET OUR PRINCIPALS

Candace O’Keefe Mathis has more than 20 years experience as a nonprofit professional, including more than 12 years as executive director of the national Foundation for Women’s Resources where she oversaw the state leadership program, Leadership Texas, counseled Leadership America throughout its transition as a separate nonprofit organization and helped to develop the national young women’s leadership retreat, the Power Pipeline. The author of two publications about women’s history, Candace served as the project director and founding executive director of the $31 million Women’s Museum: An Institute for the Future, which opened in Dallas, Texas, in association with the Smithsonian Institution, in 2000. A frequent presenter on leadership, development and nonprofit turn-arounds, Candace led the Pharos team that successfully guided Leadership America through recent change from 2002-2005.

In her previous lives, the University of Texas at Austin journalism honors graduate served as a writer and publications director at the Texas Department of Agriculture, a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman and as Texas state director for Elderhostel, an international travel-study program based in Boston, Mass. She is passionate about her husband Dirk, two cats and one perfect granddaughter.

 

Bea Bourne spent more than 20 years at SBC Communications before taking early retirement in 2000. While working for SBC, she trained hundreds of successful sales representatives, managed a sales organization, designed a national sales recognition and awards program and held a variety of leadership positions. During her career, Bea held various management positions in both the Yellow Pages and wireless divisions of SBC. From 2000 – March 2005, she served as the chief operating officer of The Women's Museum: An Institute for the Future, the nation's first comprehensive women's history museum. She currently teaches business and management courses at LeTourneau University and the University of Phoenix in Dallas. Bea has a BS in marketing from Maryville University, St. Louis, MO, master's degrees in marketing and human resources development from Webster University, St. Louis, MO, and is completing a doctorate in management and organizational leadership.

She relocated to Dallas in 1998 as the result of a corporate relocation with SBC Communications. Before moving to Dallas, the South Carolina native lived in St. Louis, Mo., for 14 years. A health and fitness enthusiast, she enjoys spending time with her husband Bryant, friends and family.

 

Dirk J. Mathis builds on more than 30 years of experience in for-profit, nonprofit, public school, and university environments, using his expansive knowledge of educational programming, organizational development, project management, training and grants administration in his work with Pharos. Previously, Dirk held several administrative positions in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD), most recently as project director for the district’s K-12 reading initiative. In that position, he was responsible for securing and managing external grants in excess of $15 million and oversaw all aspects of the development and implementation of the DISD reading/ language arts curriculum. With a BS in secondary education and master’s in curriculum and instruction, Dirk has completed all coursework for a PhD in adult education and human resource development leadership as well as certification as a public school administrator. In 1999, he was appointed director of development, grants and contracts for the College of Education at the University of Texas at Arlington.

A frustrated architect, this former resident of Denver, Co. and Santa Fe, NM, spends many of his off-hours dreaming of building the perfect home and escaping the Texas heat.

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