Young Professionals Board

Miranda Knippers

YP Board President

College Recruiting/Training
Champion X

Miranda Knippers

YP Board President

Miranda Knippers grew up in East Texas outside of Palestine with her mom, dad and younger brother, Leif.  Stock showing, hunting, fishing, working on the family blueberry farm, and riding 4wheelers to Grammie’s house were key highlights growing up.

A proud West Texas A&M University Buff Alum, Miranda graduated in 2011 with a BBA in General Business & Secondary Education.  As a student, Miranda was actively involved on campus and represented WT on the Texas A&M University System’s Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council, Student Government senator, a student worker at the HUB, and member of the Student Alumni Board.

Miranda now resides in Houston, TX and works for Champion X, a specialty chemical company in oil and gas.  In her current role, she supports the college recruiting team and leads the US land and Gulf of Mexico sales internship program.

Beau Grenier

YP Board Vice President

Commercial Production
Bowen, Miclette & Britt Insurance Agency

Beau Grenier

YP Board Vice President

Beau is originally from New Orleans, LA, and moved with his family to Houston in 2005.  He graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and currently works for Bowen, Miclette & Britt Insurance Agency.  He focuses on the development and implementation of commercial insurance programs for a variety of industries that will deliver savings and superior protection to his clients. 

He joined Sky High for Kids YP Board in 2019 and focuses primarily on event planning and the annual golf tournament.

Beau and his wife, Kelsey, live in Houston with their son and dog. He enjoys watching sports, golfing, hunting, fishing, cooking, and traveling.

Tim Ashe

YP Board Treasurer

Vice President
Cadence Bank

Tim Ashe

YP Board Treasurer

Tim is a native Houstonian and has lived in Houston for 25 years. He graduated from Louisiana State University in 2013 with a BS in Finance. He also graduated from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business receiving an MBA in May of 2019. Tim started his career at Capital One, and he has since worked for Cadence Bank for the last 9 years. He is a commercial banker providing loans, treasury products, and other financial services to middle market businesses.

Tim was previously a board member of the Young Texans Against Cancer (YTAC) prior to joining Sky High. He has been involved in Sky High since early 2019 in various roles including Social Chair, Co-Head of the Annual YP Golf Tournament, and now Treasurer. He is proud of what our YP Board has accomplished over these last 4 years and look forward to continuing to grow!

In his spare time, Tim enjoys running, hunting, LSU football, Houston sports, and spending time with family and friends.

Erica Ferens

YP Board Secretary

Director of Business Development
JD Fields & Company, Inc.

Erica Ferens

YP Board Secretary

Chris Gallio

YP Board Service Chair

Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Panther Fluids Management

Chris Gallio

YP Board Member

Robby Walls

YP Board Social Chair

Senior Associate
Marble Capital LP

Robby Walls

YP Board Member

Robby Walls serves as a Senior Associate at Marble Capital, focusing on sourcing and evaluating new fund investments and performance oversight and reporting on existing fund assets. Before joining Marble Capital, Robby worked in Facebook’s Global Operations division where he managed teams in India and across the U.S. Prior to Facebook, Robby worked as a management consultant for Oliver Wyman within the investment banking, energy, and aviation industries. Robby received his MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and liberal arts honors from the University of Texas.

Brad Hortenstine

YP Board Member

Assistant Vice President
Cadence Bank

Brad Hortenstine

YP Board Member

Brad Hortenstine is a native Houstonian and has lived in Houston for nearly 25 years. Brad graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2017. He then graduated from University of Texas’s McCombs School of Business receiving a Masters of Science in Finance degree in 2018. Shortly after graduation, Brad started his career with Cadence Bank, where he has been for the last 5 years. He is a commercial banker providing loans, treasury products, and other financial services to middle market businesses.
Brad has been involved in Sky High since early 2019, and he joined the YP Board in 2023. He serves as the Co-Head of the Annual YP golf tournament. Brad is looking forward to continuing to grow the tournament and being a small part in Sky High’s mission to end pediatric cancer.
In his spare time, Brad enjoys playing golf, Texas football, watching sports, playing pickleball, and spending time with family and friends.

Dillon Weitl

YP Board Member

Director of Architecture
ARCO Design/Build

Dillon Weitl

YP Board Member

Dillon Weitl is the Director of Architecture for ADB Design Services, an ARCO Design/Build Company specializing in industrial and commercial design. A licensed architect in multiple states, Dillon has contributed toward the design of cold storage, manufacturing and distribution facilities during his time at the company. In 2020, he transitioned from Atlanta to join the ARCO team in Houston while leading the growing architectural team.

Ellen Bennett

YP Board Member

Ellen Bennett

YP Board Member

Emily Porter

YP Board Member

Sales Agent
Compass Real Estate

Emily Porter

YP Board Member

As a native Houstonian, Emily has been in Houston for 30+ years. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 with Bachelor’s degree in Education. Emily started her residential real estate career at Greenwood King Properties and has worked since at Compass Real Estate for the last 4 years. After 10 years working with buyer and sellers, Emily focuses primarily on inner-loop and surrounding Houston neighborhoods. Prior to joining Sky High, Emily served a board member for Champions for Children where she acted as the Vice President for two years. In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband Mark and their two children, Poppy and Jack. They love to go on walks, swim, travel, and spend time at their family ranch in Round Top, Texas.

Errin Williams

YP Board Member

Manager
Coosa Consulting

Errin Williams

YP Board Member

Errin Williams owns and operates Coosa Consulting, a Land Surveying company that focuses primarily on the Permian Basin but has operations sprinkled all over the United States. Coosa offers a full range of surveying services, GIS Mapping services and provides project management solutions on a wide range of other services to clients including ROW/title, aerial drone surveying, environmental, etc. Errin’s client base ranges from utilities, real estate, renewables, etc., but is largely Oil and Gas focused. Errin holds an associate’s degree from San Diego State University for Graphic Design and has had her own Graphic Design firm, Herringbone for 14 years. She’s also a painter, runs a Farmer’s Market in Gadsden, AL and is an impressive collector of Hot Wheels with her husband Phillip. Errin has worked in the Oil and Gas Industry for over 11 years but the most important and valuable thing in her life is the time and effort she contributes to Sky High for Kids. Errin has been a volunteer and donor for Sky High for over 7 years in multiple locations.

Jose Linardi

YP Board Member

Vice President
Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, L.P.

Jose Linardi

YP Board Member

Jose was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, but has lived in Houston for over 20 years. He graduated from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in 2011 and the University of Notre Dame in 2015 with a BBA in Finance. Jose started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Tudor, Pickering & Holt, and has worked for Kayne Anderson since 2017. As a Vice President in Kayne Anderson’s energy private equity strategies, Jose performs financial diligence on investment opportunities while managing Kayne’s existing portfolio of energy investments.

Jose has been involved with Sky High for several years, and joined the YP board in 2023. He serves as the Co-Head of the Annual YP Golf Tournament. He hopes to continue growing the membership and fundraising of Sky High’s young professional group.

In his spare time, Jose enjoys playing tennis and chasing after his two sons (and two dogs) alongside his wife, Laura.

Kevin Layne

YP Board Member

Vice President
Layne Property Partners

Kevin Layne

YP Board Member

Lindsey Mehne

YP Board Member

Director Of Business Development
BE&K Building Group

Lindsey Mehne

YP Board Member

A native Texan, Lindsey grew up in Corpus Christi with her mom, dad, and older sister. She graduated from Sam Houston State University where she was an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha. While attending SHSU, she fell in love with the city of Houston and decided to call it her home after graduating. Working in the oil and gas industry for 12 years, Lindsey became very familiar with Sky High for Kids and their mission.

When she decided to change industries, she found herself looking to be more active with Sky High. Lindsey is co-chair of the 2024 Better in Boots Gala and co-chair of the auction committee. She also spends time with patient warriors creating art projects that help raise money for the mission. Lindsey and her husband, Thomas, live in Houston with their dog, Tug. In her spare time, she spends time with her family and friends, painting, and cooking. Lindsey recently opened an online store, onyxandlinen.com, where she sells unique, vintage home goods and greeting cards to support Sky High for Kids.

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