Thou Art My Sister

Veronica Ezell

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Veronica, a 26 year old native of Sherman, Texas, graduated from the University of North Texas with a Master’s of Education in May 2007.

Veronica is currently a second grade teacher in the Anna Independent School District.

She is the founder of The McFail Scholarship Fund. She served as a volunteer for Big Brother Big Sisters of North Texas and Latter Rain C.O.G.I.C. Youth Group Leader. She also served as a judge for the 2007 Ms. 2007 Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant.

Her goal is to develop a Scholarship Foundation for graduating seniors who has served in the community and church youth group, aspiring to attend college.

Ms. Veronica Ezell
Anna ISD Educator (M.ED)
vlezell0001@yahoo.com

Rev. Mary Lyles

Rev. Mary Lyles is the daughter of the late Rev. Delia East. She is also the mother of eight children and the widow of the late Ret. Sgt. Thomas William Lyles.

After raising her children, she continued her academic education and later obtained an Associate’s Degree from Weatherford Jr. College, Weatherford, TX. In addition to her college education, she successfully completed course such as Basic Alcohol and Drug Counseling; Strategies for Success; Violence Prevention; Battered Women/Why They Stay; Borderline Personality/Desperately Seeking Perfection; Intimacy and Recovery; Behavioral Approaches for Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder; Discipline with Love and Logic before it’s too late and Working with Anti-Social Children.

She has received numerous recognitions for her outstanding service to the community and her participation in outreach ministries.

She accepted her call to ordain ministry and was licensed to preach in 1982. She was ordained Itinerant Elder and served as pastor at Smith Chapel A.M.E. Church, Eastland, Texas for 6 years. She resides in Oklahoma and continues her ministry by serving on the Ministerial Staff at her church.

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Andrea Kelly

Andrea W. Kelly is a Texas native. She was born in Longview, and moved to Dallas with her family

when she was 2 years old. She graduated with honors from Dallas Carter High School in 1983,

received a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, and earned a law

degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1992. Before attending law school, Ms. Kelly

worked from 1987 to 1989 as a business reporter for the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, which was

purchased and shut down by the Dallas Morning News in 1990. After graduating from law school,

Ms. Kelly served as an Assistant District Attorney for Tarrant County from 1992 to 1998, where she

prosecuted crimes ranging from DWI to Capital Murder. After leaving the DA’s office, she joined the

federal government as an Assistant Chief Counsel for INS in 1999. She remained with the agency

after September 11, 2001, when it became the US Department of Homeland Security. She left the

federal government in 2005 to become the Managing Attorney of the Immigration Department for

Bailey & Galyen law firm in Bedford, Texas.

She is a wife, a mother of four, and a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas.

Cassandra Jones

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Cassandra J. Jones a native of Denton, TX. She is a graduate of Denton High School and Texas Woman’s University. She has completed some post graduate work at the University of North Texas.

Cassandra is a longtime member of St. James A.M.E Church, Denton, Texas. She serves her church in many areas.

Cassandra is currently the Marketing Educator at Allen High School, Allen, Texas. She has taught Marketing Education for 15 years.

Cassandra is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Marketing Educators of Texas, Delta Kappa Gamma and DECA. She currently serves as an Association of Marketing Students Advisor and was selected as DECA Advisor of the Year for 2005-2006.

Landeia Phillips

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Greetings!

My name is Landeia Phillips. I am a recent graduate from the University of North Texas with a B.A. in Communication Studies and Spanish minor. During my undergraduate education, I enjoyed serving as a UNT Housing Resident Advisor, Lambda Pi Eta Communications Honor Society Member, and volunteering for the Arc of Dallas special education advocacy foundation. I currently attend Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University as a Masters of Divinity candidate. My career development revolves around my interest in inner-city/international missions and special education advocacy. In my free time, I enjoy shopping, watching movies, and attending aerobic classes. My encouragement to pass on to you, my sister in Christ, is to “be the change you wish to see in the world”, stated by Mahatma Ghandi, a legendary spiritual and political leader from India.

Anthony Sims

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Anthony Sims was born in Stephenville, Texas. He lived in Fort Worth most of his formative years. He moved back to Stephenville and later graduated from Stephenville High School. After graduating from Stephenville High School, he attended and graduated from Howard Payne University, Brownwood, TX. Anthony also obtained a Master’s in Education from Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX.

Anthony became an ordained minister in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in 1973. He served as senior pastor for five churches in the West Texas Conference and two churches in the Dallas Forth/Worth Conference. Anthony served in the ministry for over thirty years. Of those 30 plus years, he served as the senior pastor for 24 years.

Anthony has worked for the Denton Independent School District for 16 years. He taught at Fred Moore Learning Center and Denton High School. He joined the staff at Calhoun Middle School in the summer of 1997 where he served as an assistant principal for four years. In 2001, Anthony became the principal of Calhoun Middle School. He has proudly served as the principal of Calhoun Middle School for seven years.

Anthony has been married to his wife, Vanessa for 27 years. They are the proud parents of three sons.

Joetta and James Tayor

Mrs. Joetta Taylor is a native of Longview, Texas. Her parents are Mr. and Mrs. Willie Hodge. Joetta graduated from Marshall High School in 1978. She continued her education at Panola College in Carthage, Texas. Her major was in manicure and pedicure. She graduated in 1990. She is a license masseuse. She became an entrepreneur and worked until 1997 when she sold her business.

She is married to Pastor James Taylor and together they have eight wonderful children. She and James became parents to two additional children until they went back to their parents.

Joetta and Rev. Taylor founded Power House Ministries in June 2005. They are featured on KJTX 104.5 FM in Longview, Texas every Friday. She is a missionary, goes daily goes into the community to minister to those that are lost. She also takes time each day to pray for those in need and counsels many throughout the city.

To find out more about Power House Ministries, go to www.PowerHouseMinistriesjt.org .If you are interested in taking a vacation, contact her at www.ytb.com/elderjamestaylor .

Milton Wallace

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Milton Wallace is the Director of Alternative Programs for the Longview Independent School District in Longview, Texas. This is his first year in this position. Prior to this position, he served in the following positions:

· 2004-07 Principal of Longview High School

· 1990-2004 Principal of Denton High School

· 1987-1990 Assist Principal of Denton High School

· 1984-87 Principal of Union Hill High School

· 1983-84 Teacher/Assistant Principal Commerce
Middle School

· 1978-83 Teacher of Commerce Middle School

During his 29 years of teaching, he has received numerous awards and served on board of directors. He was recognized as High School Principal of the Year for Region 7 during the 2006-07 school year. He received the Assistant High School Principal of the Year for Region 11 during the 1989-90 school year. Mr. Wallace just completed a three year term on the board of directors for the National Association of Students Councils. He serves on the committee that selects the articles that go into the Texas Study for Administrators that is produced by Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.

In the Longview community, Mr. Wallace is a member and founder of Longview Community Men. He also belongs to the NAACP and serves on the Longview MLK Celebration Board of Directors.

He has been married for 18 years to Gwendolyn. They have no children.