Board of Directors
Stephen Ray (President)
Jason Mellard
Jason Mellard is the Director of the Center for Texas Music History and Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Texas State University in San Marcos. He is the co-editor of The Journal of Texas Music History, general editor of the John and Robin Dickson Series in Texas Music History with Texas A & M University Press, and author of Progressive Country: How the 1970s Transformed the Texan in Popular Culture.
Sehila Mota Casper
Sehila Mota Casper is a historic preservationist with a decade of experience working in heritage conservation, community building, and preservation equity. She is the executive director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation. Previously, Sehila worked at the City of Austin to assist in preserving marginalized histories and was a senior field officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, working nationwide to protect America’s one-of-a-kind historic treasures. Sehila is the recipient of the 2014 National Trust for Historic Preservation Mildred Colodny Diversity scholarship and a 2013 Texas Historical Commission Preservation Scholar. She was served on the Board of Latinos in Heritage Conservation and is an active Board of Director for the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites, Preservation Texas, the Texas Historical Commission’s State Board of Review, and the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission. Sehila is a graduate of Texas Woman’s University Department of Visual Arts and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Historic Preservation from Savannah College of Art and Design. She lives in Bastrop, Texas, with her husband David and two dogs, Osito and Paul.
Alexis McKinney
Alexis McKinney is an architect with a diverse background of project types ranging from the restorations of historic Texas Courthouses, a partial restoration of the San Jacinto Monument, numerous projects from planning through rehabilitation within Camp Mary’s historic district or within historic downtowns rehabilitations of historically designated buildings, or commercial and educational Her focus on historic buildings started with HABS level documentation projects of Pointe du Hoc, France and Sharrock-Niblo farm, Dallas. She is actively engaged in statewide activities to share the importance of historic structures in the built environment through committee participation with Texas Society of Architects, the Dallas AIA, and on the board of Texas Dance Hall Preservation. She enjoys architectural photography and has contributed to the Buildings of Texas book series. Alexis teaches preschool Sunday school and is slowly renovating her home with husband Chris, sons August and Edwin, and two corgi dogs.
Megan Ortiz
Megan E. Ortiz is a 6th generation Houstonian currently serving as the Head of Marketing at Axiom Space, Inc. She graduated from the University of Texas with a B.S. in Political Communication Studies, Advertising, and Business Foundations.
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Ray Benson
At a towering 6’7”, Philadelphia-born Ray Benson is considered a giant in the industry, but his contributions to music history, not his height, have made him a dominant figure on the music scene since 1970. As the frontman and founder of the world-renowned Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, Ray has overseen the release of more than 25 albums, toured more than 150 dates each year, and won 10 GRAMMY™ Awards. He has been honored as the official Texas State Musician (2004) and Texan of the Year (2011) and has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association; the NAMM Foundation’s Les Paul Award for Technical Excellence & Creativity (2008); and the Texas Medal of the Arts Award for Multimedia (2011). As a producer, Ray has worked with such artists as Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Aaron Neville, Aaron Watson, and Suzy Bogguss, to name a few. Benson is an active advocate and founding board member for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) and also serves on the St. David’s Foundation Board. He is the author of the 2015 memoir, Comin’ Right at Ya: How a Jewish Yankee Hippie Went Country, or, the Often Outrageous History of Asleep at the Wheel. Currently, Ray hosts “Austin Outer Limits,” a bi-weekly segment on Sirius XM’s “Willie’s Roadhouse,” featuring hand-picked songs from all kinds of genres from his personal collection.
Sam Seifert is a musician, engineer and producer in Austin, Texas. He is the manager for musician Ray Benson and the American country band Asleep At The Wheel. He is currently serving as the proxy on the Board for Ray Benson.
John Faulk
John Faulk retired from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. John and his wife, Mary Lynn, are Lifetime Members of Texas Dance Hall Preservation.
Valerie Welch
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