UTHealth welcomes new members to its Development Board

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) welcomed seven new members to its Development Board during a meeting and reception on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Briar Club. The new board members are Robert Christopher “Chris” Bell, Mary M. Dyer, Ronald C. Green, Anne L. Hamman, Julia P. Samson, Lisa A. Sarvadi, and Jay S. Zeidman. 

The UTHealth Development Board comprises more than 160 community leaders, business executives, health care leaders, and innovators nominated by their peers to service. Each is committed to advancing the mission and vision of the university by increasing public awareness and philanthropic support. 

“Each of our new board members brings valuable skills and experience, and a commitment to service in our community,” said UTHealth President Giuseppe N. Colasurdo, MD, Alkek-Williams Distinguished Chair. “We are fortunate for their support and guidance as we work together to educate the health care professionals of the future, advance innovative research, and provide the very best in clinical care for our patients.” 

UTHealth Development Board Chair Diana Mayor Hawkins added, “We are pleased to welcome our new members to the UTHealth Development Board and are excited about what we will accomplish together in the new year.” 

Robert Christopher “Chris” Bell, principal of Chris Bell P.C. law firm in Houston, served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and as a member of the Houston City Council. 

Bell is an honorary member of the Playworks Texas Advisory Board after serving as president of the organization. He has also served in other community organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters Houston, Children at Risk, and Houston Harris County Commission on Children. 

Bell received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston. 

Mary M. Dyer is a native Texan who grew up in Arlington. She is a member of The University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee. Dyer worked in public finance at NationsBank, First City Bank, and Rauscher Pierce Refsnes, Inc. before becoming a stay-at-home mother of three. 

Her community service includes work with The Kinkaid School, River Oaks Garden Club, National Charity League, Alpha Charity League, Junior League of Houston, and Kappa Alpha Theta Houston Alumnae Chapter. 

Dyer received a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Texas at Austin. 

Ronald C. Green is a shareholder in the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, where he focuses on public finance, public private partnerships, government law and policy, corporate governance and compliance, white-collar criminal defense, financial crimes, health care fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud, and special investigations. 

Prior to joining the firm, Green served for six years as controller for the City of Houston. He also served for six years on Houston City Council, where he led the issuance and refinancing of more than $15.5 billion in tax-exempt and $2.3 billion in taxable municipal bonds, including more than $3.2 billion in conduit financing. 

He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, a law degree from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and a master of business administration from the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. 

Anne L. Hamman is an associate attorney in the Flowers Law Firm in Houston. She specializes in divorce litigation, custody issues, post-divorce matters, and marital property agreements. Her experience in employment law issues exposed her to a wide range of employee-related issues that are pertinent in family law, especially mediation and dispute resolution. 

Hamman is trustee of the George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, which supports the arts and education, as well as hospitals, medical colleges, and research institutions in the study, treatment, and cure of diseases. She also is a former member of St. John’s School and the Texas Children’s Hospital Ambassadors. 

She received a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Virginia and a law degree from The University of Texas at Austin. 

Julia P. Samson is market president for Frost Bank in Houston. She was co-chair of the Campaign Steering Committee at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church and School. She also served on the board of Young Catholic Professionals in Houston. 

Samson graduated from St. Agnes Academy, where she is a trustee of the St. Agnes Foundation and served on the school’s capital campaign. She also is a member of the Nick Finnegan Counseling Center and a supporter of the Westside Homeless Partnership and the Dominican Sisters of Houston. Her husband, Tim, is a former member of the UTHealth Development Board. 

She received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University. 

Lisa A. Sarvadi is a native Texan who grew up in McAllen. She moved to Houston with her husband and built a career in the oil and gas industry, holding positions at Koch Industries and Tenneco Gas Marketing. 

Sarvadi is a member of the board of the Rutledge Cancer Foundation. She previously served on the board of the Bayou Villages chapter of the National Charity League. She is a member of the National Charity League and the Covenant House Texas Guild, and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Houston. She also volunteers at The Kincaid School. 

Sarvardi received a business degree from The University of Texas at Austin. 

Jay S. Zeidman is a managing partner at the health care venture capital firm Altitude Ventures. Before joining Altitude Ventures, he was director of business development for U.S. Capital Advisors and served as an aide to President George W. Bush at the White House. 

In April 2019, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Zeidman to the Texas Southern University Board of Regents. He also is a board member of Emancipation Park and Houston First Corporation. 

He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Texas Christian University, where he also served as student body president, and a master of business administration from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.