Young Professionals Board

Colby Thomas

YP Board President

Colby Thomas grew up in Calallen, Texas outside of Corpus Christi. He graduated from Texas State University in 2009 with a BS in Engineering. He moved to Houston after graduating to embark on his career in oil and gas. Colby worked for Strike, LLC and GE Oil & Gas before joining Plains All American LP in 2012. He is an engineering manager in the Capital Projects Group at Plains All American, leading a team of Project Managers in expansion efforts across the company.

Colby has been involved with Sky High for many years, particularly beside his father who is currently on Sky High’s San Antonio Events Committee. In addition to his commitment with Sky High, he actively serves at his church, Second Baptist.

Colby and his wife Catherine live in Pearland with their daughter Bennett. He enjoys spending time with family, cooking, traveling, sports and doing triathlons.

Sydney Mafrige Kerns

YP Board Vice President

Sydney is a fourth generation Houstonian, graduating with a bachelor’s in Corporate Communications from the University of Texas at Austin. She started her career in event planning with Keely Thorne Events, shifting her focus to Commercial Real Estate with Wulfe & Co. She is now employed at her family company, David Z. Mafrige Interests, as Vice President where she oversees leasing, sales and marketing, and design for over one million square feet around Texas.

Sydney started her involvement with Sky High on the Ladies Who Brunch committee. Her involvement has grown over time as she currently sits on the Young Professionals Board as Vice President, and is the upcoming Co-Chair for the Ladies Who Brunch.

Sydney and her husband John, along with their puppy Shady, currently live in Houston. Together they enjoy golfing, tennis, traveling, cooking, and hunting.

Tim Ashe

YP Board Member

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

Beau Grenier

YP Board Member

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 YPO Board in 2019 and focuses primarily on event planning and the annual golf tournament.

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

Miranda Knippers

YP Board Member

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.

Cameron Miles

YP Board Member

Cameron is a Winterville, North Carolina native living in Houston, Texas.  She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is currently working for Buckeye Partners.  In addition to volunteering for Sky High, Cameron enjoys traveling, cooking and most outdoor activities.

Jessica Morrison

YP Board Member

Jessica Morrison is a native Houstonian, and currently is a Vice President at Commerce Bank, where she is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, and managing new loan opportunities, as well as managing her loan portfolio.  Jessica has been in the banking industry for over 7 years, and has significant lending experience in the maritime, industrial, and oilfield services sectors.

She currently lives in Houston with her husband, Matt, and two pups, Jack and Milo.  They are both actively involved in their church, Bayou City Fellowship, as well as numerous organizations in the Greater Houston area.

Jessica received a B.B.A. in Finance from the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

David Murphy

YP Board Member

David Murphy grew up in Beaumont, Tx. He was a four-year member of the University of Houston baseball team, and graduated from UH in 2011. After college, he began his career in the oil and gas industry with National Oilwell Varco as a part of their “Next Generation” Leadership Program. He is now the National Sales Manager at Beaumont Manufacturing & Distribution, a manufacturer of process control solutions for the upstream and midstream markets.

David is new to the Sky High organization, but no stranger to pediatric cancer, as he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at the age of 18 in 2007, and will be 12 years cancer free in January of 2020. He received treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital for three and half years under the care of Dr. ZoAnn Dreyer. In addition to his commitment to Sky High, he is an active volunteer with several other organizations that directly impact Texas Children’s Hospital.

David and his wife Robyn live in Houston with their French Bulldog, Nala. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and playing golf.

Nicholas Tallant

YP Board Member

Nicholas Tallant grew up in Fort Worth, Texas. He moved to Midland in 2013 to expand on his career in oil and gas. His love for finding oil grew through his expertise in geographic information systems. Nicholas is a managing member of Traverse Exploration and specializes in data driven acquisition models.

Nicholas has been involved with Sky High for two years and is currently on the Sky High Midland Events Committee as silent auction co-chair. His passion for Sky High was founded after attending our annual February Houston event.

Nicholas currently resides in Midland with his two dogs, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He enjoys cartography, cooking, traveling, golf, and soccer.