Our Board

Mark Brown

Board Chairman

Mark is Judah’s father and blessed to have spent 3 wonderful years with him before his death. Mark is looking forward one day to being reunited in heaven with Judah. Professionally, Mark is a CEO of a Houston charity and an ordained Episcopal Priest. Mark is also a Reserve Deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Cynthia Cedeño

Treasurer

Cynthia Cedeño, Board Treasurer, is our financial go-to person. She was born and raised in Mexico City and has 3 children. This graduate of Texas A&M University (and a true aggie at heart) owns an accounting and tax preparation firm in the Northwest Houston area that specializes in non-profits. When she heard Judah’s story, she wanted to be involved in this mission of educating every child and adult about water safety and drowning prevention.

Carolina Nicholas

Dr. Nicholas has been a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics for 14 years. She has lived in Houston since 1994 and in Spring, Tx since 2005. She studied biochemistry at Rice University and attended medical school at McGovern Medical School in Houston. Dr. Nicholas joined Judah Brown Project in 2018. As a pediatrician, pool safety is an important topic that pertains to children. She was blessed to be Judah’s pediatrician for a short time before he passed. She was extremely honored to join the project and to be able to participate in an organization that will do so much good for so many children.

Dan McInnis

Dan is the owner of Greater Houston Pool Management and Greater Houston Pool Builders. He spent his younger years swimming competitively, which is what led him to his passion of all things aquatic. He spent his teenage years lifeguarding, teaching swim lessons and lifeguard classes. Dan is a graduate of the University of California Davis. He was a member of the UCD swim team and spent his summers coaching swimming and teaching swim lessons. Everything he did professionally kept leading him back to the aquatics industry, which eventually brought him to Houston. Dan is a proud father of three amazing children and shares his life with his incredible wife, Jennifer.

Yalisha Reed

Yalisha is a mother of two and a 20 plus years educator who is currently serving as an Educational Diagnostician. Of her greatest gifts from God, was the survival of her now 16 year old daughter, who experienced a near fatal drowning at age two years 11 months. Yalisha’s heart for the advocacy and survival of children with diversities is her greatest accomplishments

Wendell Gragg

Wendell is Judah’s grandfather (Papa) and after Judah’s death, has been committed to furthering the reach and mission of Judah Brown Project. Not only has he advocated for drowning prevention, but he has taken on the role of webmaster for the Judah Brown Project website, which he looks on as a labor of love in honor of Judah. Wendell retired in 2022 after 48 years in information technology (mostly in libraries) and divides his time between maintaining the website and being a partner in a 3D printing business.

Garrett Thibedaux

Garrett is a territory manager with Stellar Sales. He has been in the swimming pool industry since 1998. Born in New Orleans, he’s lived in Houston since 2005 and is also involved in PTSA.

Shellie Stasny

Shellie has been certified and has taught survival swim lessons for the last 9 years (Survival Swim School of the Brazos Valley) and has 35 years experience in teaching swim, including stroke work, adult learn to swim lessons, open water swimming, and training triathletes.

Amy Ragan

Amy Ragan has 32 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, marketing and special events, half of which she has served as the Chief Development Officer for Houston Food Bank. Ms. Ragan has been the staff lead for three capital campaigns all of which met or exceeded their goals and leads a team of 30 people to raise funds and awareness for the food bank. Ms. Ragan is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the 2018 recipient of AFP Houston’s Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award and a 2020 HBJ Women Who Mean Business Honoree. She most recently joined the Board of the Judah Brown Project. She received her B.A. from Vanderbilt University.

Ethan Armstrong

Ethan Armstrong is Judah’s brother and is a member of the JBP board. He attends Sam Houston State university and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in political science. Ever since his brother’s death, he has had a desire to see that no other child drowns and no other sibling has to experience the tragedy of losing their brother or sister to drowning. He is fully committed to helping the Judah Brown Project stop this tragedy from happening.