Our Board
Katherine Tapley (Chair and President) is an associate attorney with the Energy & Real Estate practice groups of the San Antonio office of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. Her practice focuses on all aspects of commercial and multi-family residential real estate matters, including development, acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and operation of improved and unimproved real property. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Tapley worked in marketing for industries including optometry/ophthalmology, semiconductors and electronic design automation, Internet technologies, digital photography, and financial services.
Eric Abati (Vice President) has over ten years of experience in tax and accounting. He is a senior manager in the Construction & Real Estate and Not-for-Profit & Government groups where he provides tax and general business and strategic planning services to help his clients achieve their business objectives. Mr. Abati is a 1997 graduate of Florida State University, Tallahassee, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Victor Quiroga, Jr is a Senior Vice President for Public Finance at Southwest Securities, Inc. in which he serves as financial advisor and investment banker to numerous Texas municipalities ranging from cities, counties, school districts, colleges, municipal utility districts and special utility districts. Mr. Quiroga graduated from the University of Chicago where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He holds a Series 7 License (General Securities) and a Series 63 License (Uniform Securities State Law). Mr. Quiroga is married to Lisa and has three children, one of whom is diagnosed with autism.
Linda Davidson, PhD is the Autism Education Specialist for Region 20. She is a graduate of George Washington University. Linda Davidson has seventeen years teaching experience working with students with special needs at the elementary and secondary levels; her emphasis has been placed on working with children with autism. She has served as the Autism Specialist with Education Service Center, Region 20 for the past eight years. Linda received her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from The University of Memphis and her Master’s in Educational Administration from The George Washington University studying under Dr. Stanley Greenspan founder of the Floortime methodology. She received her Doctorate of Philosophy in Special Education Leadership from Capella University.
John Emley is Valero’s Vice President of Strategic Sourcing and Procurement for Refining Operations, having held the position since 2003. He has been with Valero and its predecessor companies including Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation (UDS) for over 30 years. Mr. Emley is a graduate of the University of Michigan, receiving a B.S. in electrical engineering. He also received an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University. Mr. Emley and his wife, Peg, have three children -- Meredith, Scott, and Sarah. His hobbies include golf, biking, sailing, hunting and computers.
Pedro Delgado, MD - is Dielmann Distinguished chair and professor and chairman in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Delgado is a respected scholar and academic leader with wide-ranging interests, including mood and anxiety disorder, cross-cultural mental illness, and the neurobiology of mental disorders and psychiatric drugs. He is also associate dean for faculty development and professionalism. A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Houston, Dr. Delgado received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, where he also completed a master’s degree in pharmacology. He completed his psychiatry residency at the Yale University School of Medicine.
Lorene Dillard is the mother of three children, two of whom have a diagnosis of autism.
Jessica H. Franco, PhD, is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (CCC-SLP) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). She is Regional Chair of the Texas Autism Council Advisory Task Force and has been working with children with autism since the 1990s. Before joining the Autism Community Network, she traveled as an autism consultant for schools and centers around the country. Jesse specializes in treating communication disorders and severe challenging behaviors, and acts as a mentor for clinical therapists seeking to improve their understanding of autism-related behavior and interventions.
Wilson Wayne Grant, MD is a pediatrician in private practice with a special interest in child development. Dr. Grant has a BA degree from Howard Payne University and MD degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. He completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in child development at University of Texas Medical Branch. He has been on the clinical teaching facility of Pediatrics at the Health Science Center. He is married to Veronica and has two children and four grandchildren. His hobbies are writing for parents, camping with grandchildren and gardening.
Chris Plauche (Johnson), M.Ed., MD, is a Board Certified Neurodevelopmental Pediatrician and retired as a Professor of Pediatrics at University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio in 2007. She was the Founder and Volunteer Medical Executive Director of Children’s Association for Maximum Potential (CAMP) Inc., a 30-year-old United Way agency that serves children with autism. She served on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Committee on Children with Disabilities from 1997-07 and as Co-Chair of the Autism Expert Panel from 2003-07. She serves on several editorial boards and has published chapters, review articles and commentaries addressing autism, mental retardation, developmental screening, normal development and family supports. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s program at Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio.
Halie Marie Washington - H. Marie Washington is Vice President of USAA Policy Service Regional Operations. She has been employed with USAA for 23 years. Ms. Washington is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her Masters from Trinity University. She has a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. Ms. Washington and her husband Bill, have an eight year old son, Drew.
Jeff Woodson is a father of 3 boys, 1 of whom has autism. He is a 10 year employee (Racker) of Rackspace Hosting in San Antonio, Texas. Jeff and his wife Rachel are both self-professed technology geeks.