Our Board

President

Jenny Moore joined the MEF board in 2016. She is Director of the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, TX. Since her appointment in 2013, Chinati successfully completed the latest addition to its permanent collection, Robert Irwin's untitled (dawn to dusk), a 10,000 square foot building-cum-artwork, and completed the first master plan for Chinati's complex of 34 buildings on 340 acres. Before her move to Marfa, Moore worked in the field of contemporary art in New York City for more than fifteen years, as a curator and project manager at various museums and organizations including the New Museum, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and the Guggenheim. She received a B.A. cum laude in Cultural Anthropology from Wake Forest University and an M.A. from the Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture, Bard College. Moore lives in Marfa with her husband and two young daughters, both of whom have attended MISD.

Vice-President

Susan Kirr worked as a journalist for 10 years in Tokyo (The Japan Times and CNN Tokyo), Dallas (The Dallas Morning News) and Austin (The Austin American-Statesman and Texas Highways Magazine) before segueing into film, and she has worked in the film industry in the Southwest for 18 years. She has produced the independent features “Amanda & Jack Go Glamping,” “Winter in the Blood,” “All She Can,” "Only in America," and "Husband for Hire," as well as the Amazon pilot “I Love Dick.” She served as line producer on the Fox series “Cosmos,” Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life,” Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” Michael Winterbottom’s “The Killer Inside Me,” Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly," and John Sayles' "Honeydripper," among others. She holds a B.A. in English and Theater from Princeton University, and an M.F.A. in Film from New York University. She has volunteered and served on several non-profit boards, all geared toward supporting education and the arts.

Treasurer

Marilyn Sanders has served as MEF Treasurer and Grant Writer since 2014, and grew up in rural Nebraska where she was lucky to receive a solid grade school and an outstanding high school education.  These opportunities led to a B.Sc. in chemistry (Stanford) and a Ph.D. in biochemistry (University of Washington).  She spent thirty years on the faculty of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University doing basic biomedical research and teaching pharmacology to medical students. She and her husband retired to Marfa in 2003.  In Marfa, she used her research experience to obtain grants totaling over a million dollars to establish the federally-supported community health clinics now operating in Marfa, Presidio and Alpine.  Her teaching experiences with medical and graduate students support and substantiate the mission and goals of the Marfa Education Foundation. 

Secretary

After two decades in California earning a degree in Meteorology, practicing Tae Kwan Do, operating satellites for the US government, and flying gliders, Scott headed back to the family home of Marfa. The past 16 years have featured several careers including obtaining a Texas Teaching certificate in science. He now spends most of his time wrestling his dogs, rounding up kitties and growing up a passel of veggies.

Katie Price Fowlkes grew up in Lubbock, Texas and attended public school K-12, including a “magnet” junior high and high school.  She attended college at the University of Texas in Austin, studying Government and French.  Following college, she was an au pair in Paris, France and then attended law school at the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  She practiced environmental law for six years before moving to Marfa to work as an attorney with the U.S. Border Patrol in 2002.  She has been on the Marfa I.S.D. School Board since 2010 and is presently Board President.  With two kids in the Marfa I.S.D. Montessori School, she spends time volunteering with their extracurricular activities, including the Big Bend Youth Soccer Association.  She believes Marfa I.S.D. is the cornerstone of our community, partnering with businesses and non-profits in the area as well as families and alumni to create the best school to champion all students and to improve student achievement and produce college-ready graduates and lifelong learners.

Annette’s first 5 years of experience as an educator began in Alpine and Marathon, TX. She applied her graduate studies from Sul Ross in both urban and rural schools of southeast Texas. Later, a Master's degree from Lamar University was key in allowing her to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Her career background includes work as a teacher, special education teacher, an educational diagnostician, and finally as a counselor in public and private schools.

As an educator, she believes the ultimate goal is for us all to "win" as a community. Children have families, teachers, and neighbors as champions to help them realize their potential. She chose to be part of MEF because it supports teachers in achieving their dreams, and taps into student potential. The outcomes are gifts to our broader community. The win-win concept is a reality in Marfa; it is an honor for her to serve the community in this way.

Vince Fuentez originally grew up in El Paso, TX, though his extended family on both sides is originally from, and still lives in, Presidio County. Since the mid-1800s, his family has ranched, farmed, and wrangled horses in the Big Bend Region. He and his wife are grateful to have careers in which they can work remotely and be a part of the Marfa community.

Vince is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), knowledgeable in providing solutions for facility management and energy assessments. He has spent the past 16 years in the high efficiency heating, cooling, and outside air system equipment sector providing application solutions for commercial buildings, both new construction and retrofit projects. Vince graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering & Engineering Management. His family resides in Marfa, Texas, and they also spend time at their ranch in Casa Piedra. His wife, Stela is also active in the nonprofit Marfa Community, and their two children proudly attend Marfa ISD.