Pillars of Character

Entrepreneur/School Foundation Leader

In the “top 40 under 40” of San Antonio Business Journal at age 32, managing principal of Cleary Zimmermann Engineers Wade Cleary is currently working on the new San Antonio Federal Courthouse.  Besides his father - an electrical engineer - and mother who was a mechanical engineer, Cleary cites his Clark High School physics teacher as an inspiration.  He moved to San Antonio from Pleasanton when he was a freshman joining the football team “where I learned a lot about teamwork” and graduated from Texas A&M University. As a mechanical engineer at Marmon Mok Architects, he quickly became the firm’s youngest partner.  Cleary Zimmermann Engineers, founded in 2006, is among the nation’s 100-largest MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) firms and has been named one of the “best places to work in S.A.” two years in a row.  Cleary is Chairman of the Small Business Council of the North S.A. Chamber, and President-elect of NEF, co-sponsor of the Pillar program.

 

 

 

Eric G. Burns, ’90, Pillar of Caring

Prosecutor/Mentor/Soccer Coach

One of twelve prosecutors in the Prosecution Division of the City Attorney’s office, Eric G. Burns represents Code Enforcement, specializes in public nuisances, and is a key member of DART Inspections (Dangerous Assessment Response Team).  Important to his career is negotiation, a skill he now teaches young African American men in the Brothers Helping Brothers program at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.  Eric attended Boone Elementary, Hobby Middle School, and Clark High School in NISD.   He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Edwards University and then was accepted to Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston.  Burns was an associate with Adami Goldman and Shuffield, then in-house counsel for the Texas Dental Board, before being hired by the City of San Antonio in 2006. A high school soccer player, he returned regularly to Clark to play in alumni games.  His daughters attend Wanke Elementary and he coaches his daughter’s soccer team.

 

Teen Parent Nonprofit Founder

Inspired to help others, Monica Velasquez McIlwain founded the Texas non-profit for single teen moms, TYME to Empower (Teaching Young Mothers to Excel) in 2006.  She leads the Board of Directors of the Texas organization which encourages pregnant or new teen parents to finish.  She attended Hobby and Rudder Middle Schools.  McIlwain also attended Clark High School, lettered in Cross Country, and belonged to several on-campus clubs.  She graduated on time in spite of her own pregnancy at age 17.  She credits her experience with giving her impetus to start TYME to Empower, explaining that women “can accomplish their lifelong goals even with unanticipated responsibilities.”  The organization provides donations of car seats, clothing, and much more.   She earned a BA in Psychology from University of Incarnate Word and a Masters in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix by age 33.  She has 3 children and 4 grandchildren, 2 of which she deems “honorary.”

Bank Founder/Youth Volunteer

Giancarlo Ortega came to San Antonio with his family at age four from Panama City, Panama, and by 2008 had founded Houston Business Bank, with $31 million in assets as its President and CEO, one of four new charters awarded by the Texas that year and one of the last nationally-approved by the FCID.  Ortega has over 12 years’ experience in banking including JP Morgan Chase.  Upon graduation from Taft High School where he played football four years, he attended Northern State University in South Dakota on a football scholarship until transferring to Baylor University to earn a finance degree.  Highlights included an exchange semester at Hong Kong Baptist University and internship with Gov. George W. Bush.   Time with family has replaced Ortega’s marathon running now that he and his wife have a child age 2 and twins age 3.  His Bank’s mission includes mentoring middle schools students in Houston where he is was featured among  the “top 40 under 40” by Houston Business Journal.

Biology Professor/Cancer Researcher

Fascination with math and science led Dr. Martha Pritchett Mims to pursue dual careers in medicine and research.  Mims, who began her schooling in NISD at Sul Ross Middle School when her family moved to San Antonio, is now Associate Professor and Hematology/Oncology Section Chief at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.  With a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Rice University and MD from Baylor, Dr. Mims helped start clinical trials at Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center.  She currently conducts research in lymphoma and prostate cancer, supervises residents and sees patients at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston as well other sites staffed by Baylor Medicine.  A consummate volunteer, she cared for hurricane refugees who fled to the Houston Astrodome from New Orleans during Katrina.  She is an Elder in St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church and active volunteer for Women of Vision, a Christian charity dedicated to raising money for women in children in underdeveloped countries (such as El Salvador).