About Us
OUR FOUNDATION
COMING TOGETHER FOR EDUCATION – that’s the motto of the Alba‐Golden ISD Education Foundation. The Foundation was established in 2023 through the passion and commitment of a small group of alumni and community leaders who believed in the potential of students when offered opportunities and encouragement outside of the basic curriculum during their K‐12 tenure. Alba‐Golden is a small community in East Texas, serving approximately 850 kids from kindergarten through 12th grade.
The AGISD Education Foundation believes that every child within the district deserves a higher quality of education and that can only be accomplished through generous donations.
With the support of our community and business leaders, The Education Foundation can give every student in our district a shot at the best education our schools can provide and truly make a difference in each student’s academic career and beyond. We are building the leaders of the future and the Foundation is eager to contribute to their endeavors. If you are interested in becoming a Board Member for the Education Foundation, please come to one of our meetings and let us know how you'd like to help. We meet every third Monday of the month in the Distance Learning Room (where school board meets - across from HS Art room). We would absolutely love to have you!!!
The success stories we will live to tell, the impact, and the smiles you see throughout our website keep us all motivated to continue this important work on behalf of the students of Alba‐Golden.
OUR BOARD
Board members of the Alba-Golden ISD Education Foundation donate their expertise and time to grow the mission of the Foundation through strategic planning and collaboration with our alumni, business community partners, and local supporters. As a result, teachers and staff will be able to provide a curriculum outside of the general scope of education to help students learn and grow in a richer educational environment.
NOTE: Our Board has 100% participation in monetarily funding the Foundation, along with donating much of their personal time to ensure the ongoing and future success of this endeavor.
Rustin Hass, President
As an alumnus of AGISD, I wanted to start an education foundation to improve what we could offer our students and teachers in the classroom and beyond. I noticed other area school districts using education foundations to bring positive changes to their schools, so I wanted to do the same for Alba-Golden. My vision is for the AGISDEF to be a catalyst to bring our community together in a meaningful way.
Contact Rustin via email at president@agisdef.org or phone 903.497.4623
VP of Finance
We are currently seeking a volunteer for this position. Please reach out to one of our Board Members
if you're interested in serving in this position.
Kelley Cole, VP of Programs
I'm a local business owner, lifetime resident of Wood County and involved parent. As an alumnus of AGISD, I too had a vision for a better education environment for my kids who are now attending Alba-Golden schools. With the help of our community, we can bring to pass positive changes in our school and bring the community together once again for a common cause.
Contact Kelley via email at vpprogramst@agisdef.org or phone 903.574.5737
Hope Gaskill, VP of Marketing
I’ve had 6 children graduate from Alba-Golden ISD and have three more still in school. I have one child who is now a teacher and am seeing how much of a struggle it is for them to get started in a classroom as a first-year teacher on a limited income. My hope is that our Foundation brings awareness to our classroom needs and helps support our teachers in educating our children to the best of their ability without having a personal financial burden.
Contact Hope via email at vpmarketing@agisdef.org or phone 903.497.8790
Deb Perry, VP of Development
I moved to the Alba-Golden ISD in 2005 and 3 of my children are graduates of AGISD. I am a staunch supporter of teachers in general, and I know how they struggle financially to create the learning environment they so desire for the kids. My goal as a parent and community member is to help raise as much money as I can to support and fund projects at AGISD that are not covered by our current budget constraints. In doing so, our kids, our teachers and our community will benefit greatly.
Contact Deb via email at vpdevelopment@agisdef.org or phone 903.216.2078
Tabitha Rutledge, Secretary
I have 2 children who currently attend AGISD. My husband and are local business owners, and I have a Business Administration degree from TJC. We moved back to this area in 2017 to raise our kids. I am actively involved in community and church and am so excited to be a part of the new AGISD Education Foundation. We are planning some great events to get to know everyone in the community and share our vision for the future of the Education Foundation and how it will benefit everyone at AGISD.
Contact Tabitha via email at secretary@agisdef.org or phone 903.638.8078
Dr. Shelby Davidson, Superintendent AGISD
Dr. Davidson is new to the AGISD this year and is a long-time resident of East Texas. His proven track record as an educator brings 25+ years of experience to the district, and we believe he will open doors of opportunity to our staff, students, and community. Dr. Davidson is excited to be a part of the Education Foundation and all it has to offer the students and teachers, as well as bringing together the community of Alba-Golden.
Contact Dr. Davidson via email at superintendent@agisdef.org or phone 903.768.2472
Lori Kindle, CPA - Finance Committee
I am a CPA officed in Quitman, TX. I grew up in Quitman, earned my CPA license in 2002, and started my own practice in 2013. My husband and two sons all attended Alba-Golden ISD. I am very thankful for the opportunities that AGISD gave my sons. I am serving on the Board of Directors to give back and help provide support to the teachers and students of AGISD. I want to see AGISD continue to grow and be successful!
Contact Lori via email at fundraising@agisdef.org or phone 903.763.8212
Karyn Margos, Committee Member
I am a local business owner; long time community member and parent of an AGISD graduate. My goal in being part of the new AGISD Education Foundation is to help facilitate positive change in our school district, implement new programs for increased learning opportunities, and retain the great teachers we've come to know and love at AGISD. With much needed help and financial support from our community, we can all come together for education.
Contact Karyn by phone 903.439.8013
Teresa Burns, Committee Member
I moved to the Alba community in 2020 and opened a local business in downtown Alba in 2022. As a board member, I want to help provide support to fund ever changing and growing needs of the school district and make a difference for the teachers, staff and students of AGISD.
Contact Teresa via email at committee@agisdef.org or phone 903.603.4221
Jeannette Peel, Committee Member
I am a retired teacher with 43 years teaching experience in the Texas public schools. 35 of those years have been here at Alba-Golden as both a teacher and a substitute. I love this school! I love the students, the parents, and the community! I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to be on the board of the Education Foundation. It is an honor to help and participate in any activity that will support the students, faculty and staff of AGISD!
Contact Jeanette via email at boardmember@agisdef.org or phone 903.312.1371
Leah Bales-Sherwood, Committee Member
My full-time job is raising 3 very active boys and being the President of the Alba-Golden Elementary PTA. I work to bring positive change to our teachers and our students every day. The Foundation gives me another opportunity to make a difference in the educational environment for my children and helps promote a happy work environment for the teachers of AGISD. We have many quality educators, and we need to do everything in our power to keep them here. I believe the Foundation can help bring that to pass.
Contact Leah via email at committee@agisdef.org or phone 903.569-4970
Cheryl Collins, Committee Member
My desire in being a member of the Foundation Education committee is to help our District move forward and expand. I am excited to work closely with the other members of the Board and the community. Together, we can build our funding and resources, in order to incorporate growth opportunities to AGISD.
Contact Cheryl via email at committee@agisdef.org or phone 903.262.7469
This corporation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to benefit Alba-Golden Independent School District. To this end, the corporation shall at all times be operated exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now enacted or hereafter amended, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now enacted or hereafter amended. All funds, whether income or principal, and whether acquired by gift or contribution or otherwise, shall be devoted to said purposes.