David Chancellor is the very definition of a hometown kid.

He was born and raised in San Antonio.  In fact, his childhood never strayed off the main drag along Jackson Keller. He is a product of NEISD and went to Jackson Keller Elementary, Nimitz Middle School and Lee High School. He graduated from Trinity University in 1994, and then went to work soon after for KMOL, which later became News 4 San Antonio.

Chancellor is proud of the work he has done during his near 30-year television career. He and his team have been honored with several local and state awards.  The most recent are two Lone Star Emmys for Best TV station and Best Morning Newscast.

Storytelling is his passion, but his love is his family. David has been married to Aubrey for 14 years, and they are proud to raise their two children--Luke and Emery-- in Alamo Heights.

David spent over 20 years as a local sportscaster who covered several of the Spurs' championship runs, but these days you'll find him on most weekends at Luke's basketball tournaments or Emery's swim meets.  He's the guy yelling (and loudly) for his kids.

Rick Cavender, City Year Board Member and Former Board Chair
President, Cavender Audi

Rick Cavender is Dealer Principal for Cavender Audi and Vice President of the Cavender Auto Family which is comprised of Cavender Toyota, the all new Toyota of Cedar Park and Cavender Audi. Rick is a third generation family member in a San Antonio auto business that began with Cavender Oldsmobile Company in 1939. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980, Rick began his career at Cavender Oldsmobile working alongside his grandfather and father.   

Rick’s community involvement is extensive. He has served on the Boards of City Year San Antonio, The Rotary Club of San Antonio, Lone Star Chapter for Cystic Fibrosis, The United Way of San Antonio, and the San Antonio 100 Club in addition to many others. He is the 2017 Chairman of the San Antonio Automobile Dealers Association and serves on the Executive and Legislative Committee for the Texas Automobile Dealers Association, an organization that he chaired in 2015. In 2017, Rick was nominated by his fellow Texas Dealers to be one of 49 candidates nationwide for Time Magazine’s Dealer of the Year. Measuring candidates for business success and community involvement, this annual award is one of the automobile industry's most prestigious honors. 

He is the Founder of “Kingdom for Kids” a volunteer-based playground building cause. Under his leadership, the Downtown Rotary Club has partnered with City Year San Antonio to complete eighteen playgrounds and campus improvements in San Antonio schools, libraries, and community centers. The San Antonio Independent School District honored him with its “Friend of Education” award in tribute to his efforts. 

In 2007, the United Way of San Antonio recognized Rick with the “Volunteer of the Year” Award in the Individual Service category. Rick was Chairman for the 2016 United Way Community Campaign and helped raise a record setting $56 million for the many agencies and programs supported by the local United Way. He was selected by City Year as Honoree at their 2013 Ripples of Hope gala. He also was honored by United Communities of San Antonio as a 2013 Humanitarian Award Recipient. In 2014, Rotary International recognized Rick as one of only 150 Rotarians worldwide with its “Rotary Service above Self Award.” 

In addition to all of his business and community efforts, Rick also finds time to lead his popular 6 piece band. The Rick Cavender Band takes the stage over 30 nights a year and has opened and performed with artists such as George Strait, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, and Tanya Tucker to name a few. He has recorded 5 original studio albums. 

Rick has been happily married for 40 years to Suzanne, his beautiful wife and high school sweetheart. His oldest daughter Courtney and son-in-law Tobin Smith recently blessed Rick and Suzanne with two grandsons. Rick’s younger daughter Claire was recently married to Easton McNab. 

Lisa Marie Gomez is the Vice President of Youth Development and Restorative Justice at UP Partnership,her impact portfolio includes guiding the alignment associated with UP Partnership's Excel Beyond the Bell, My Brother's Keeper San Antonio, and Our Tomorrow - Youth Voice systems change networks to ensure every young person in Bexar County is future ready.

She previously served as the Vice President of Education and Workforce Development at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, where she was responsible for serving as a leading policy expert, strategist, and resource for important issues in the education and workforce development space, including school finance, accountability, funding for institutions of higher education, and skills gaps. 

Before joining the Chamber, Gomez served as the Executive Director for the International Office at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) where she had the privilege of raising the university's global profile through international recruitment, relations and agreements, establishing opportunities for students and faculty to study abroad, supporting international students and scholars, and leading institutional response to critical incidents abroad. Additionally, Gomez served in several roles at the UTSA Carlos Alvarez College of Business.
 
Gomez developed her love for policy through her work in both the United States and Texas House of Representatives and with the United Nations Development Program in Cambodia.

Lisa Marie is a San Antonio native and a first-generation college graduate. She believes in the power of young people, traveling outside her comfort zone and that every human being deserves dignity and respect. She holds a master’s in international peace and strategic studies from the International University of Japan and a bachelor’s in social justice, sustainable development and peace studies from the University of Redlands. A proud alumna of the City Year network, Lisa Marie joined the board in 2015.

Mike Morath, Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency

Appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Mike Morath took office as Commissioner of Education in January 2016 and was unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate (85th Legislature) in March 2017. 

As Commissioner, he heads the Texas Education Agency, which oversees pre-kindergarten through high school education for more than 5.5 million students enrolled in both traditional independent school districts and public charter schools. 

Prior to becoming the state’s Education Commissioner, Morath served on the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees for more than four years. During that time, he focused on academic improvements. And by his final year on the board, DISD had seen improvement in various areas including rise in kindergarten readiness, math proficiency and graduation rates. 

A strong advocate of public education, Commissioner Morath graduated from Garland High School in the Garland Independent School District. And thanks to the great public school education he received in Texas, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, summa cum laude, from George Washington University in two-and-a-half years. 

While starting his first company, Commissioner Morath was asked to teach an advanced computer science class at his high school alma mater after the previous teacher resigned suddenly. He taught through the school year until a permanent teacher was hired and remains amazed at how difficult it is to teach. 

With a belief system that continually calls him to serve others, Commissioner Morath has participated in numerous volunteer activities, including church Missions Team, schools and juvenile justice facilities and serving as a mentor Big Brother. While in Dallas, he helped organize a trip to orphanages in southern India to set up clean running water systems, and volunteered at an eye clinic in rural Mexico, where he met another volunteer, Dr. Laura Vondra, who is now his wife. They are the proud parents of two daughters and two sons. 

Ann Parker, Board Chair and Community Leader 

Ann Parker presently serves as Chair of the Board of Champions of City Year San Antonio. She serves on the the Advisory Council of San Antonio Metropolitan Ministries (SAMM). She is past chair of the Power of Women Luncheon benefiting City Year San Antonio, and previously mentored a PhD Candidate in the University of Incarnate Word’s Educational Entrepreneurship Program. She is a member of SA100. 

She is Past President of the Board of Impact San Antonio and is a former member of the Board of Directors of SAMM. She was a member of the Master’s Leadership Program Board, chairing the Development Committee. During her service on the Masters Leadership Program Alumni Association Board (Class V) she chaired Communications, Membership, and Programs, and served on the Nominations/Governance Committee, the Scholarship Selection Committee, and the Diversity Committee. 

After graduating from The University of Kansas, B.A. Psychology, Ann worked as the sole campaign staffer through the primary for a successful U.S. Congressional candidate; founded a children’s clothing manufacturing and sales company, and worked in sales in Kansas City, Missouri. Her civic involvement is lengthy and spans nearly 40 years and numerous cities in the Midwest. In Kansas City, Missouri, she served on the Boards of Marillac Center for Children, the Kansas City Symphony League, and the Kansas City Academy, chairing major fundraising events for each. She also served on the steering committee for The Children’s Mercy Hospital Annual Golf Tournament. In Omaha, Nebraska, she served on the Board of Fontenelle Forest, one of Nebraska’s oldest conservation organizations, and chaired their major fundraiser. She served on the Admissions, Nominating, and Public Affairs Committees of the Junior League of Omaha, and was a docent at the Joslyn Art Museum. In Fort Worth, Texas, she served on the Mayor’s Clean City Commission and chaired fundraising projects for the Edna Gladney Center and the Tri Delta Alumnae. The Edna Gladney Center awarded her the first “Friendship Award” ever given to an individual. Since arriving in San Antonio in 2000, Ann has coordinated fundraising efforts for San Antonio Symphony’s Maestro Society, Monte Vista Historical Association, and launched the Cowgirls Live Forever event for the San Antonio Rodeo Scholarship Fund. 

In past years Ann water-skied, downhill and cross-country skied, snow-shoed, ice-skated, backpacked and camped in the Colorado mountains, and was an avid tennis player. Ann is married to her best friend, Dr. Robert W. Parker, MLP Class XI. Together they share four children and seven grandchildren. In her spare time she enjoys hugging grandchildren, quilting, traveling, reading, visits to the gym, and all of the arts. 

Deborah and Rex Amini, 2022 Idealist of the Year Awardees

The presentation of the Idealist of the Year Award will be followed by remarks from Deborah Amini.

This is the highest award that City Year gives, and we are thrilled to award it to Deborah & Rex Amini for their commitment to San Antonio students. Idealists of the Year are indviduals or couples who impact the lives of others and exemplify the motto, "men-and-women-for-others". They live with conviction and have a profound impact on the people and community that surround them.

Abigale James Van Haselen | Senior Vice President & Executive Director for City Year San Antonio

Abigale James Van Haselen is passionate about making a more equitable world for future generations. Most recently she served as the Director of Development for City Year San Antonio. Under her leadership, City Year San Antonio was awarded the High Impact Education Grant by Impact San Antonio and she has worked hard to ensure City Year San Antonio has meaningful relationships with all City Year champions, partners, and stakeholders.

Prior to joining City Year San Antonio, Abigale worked overseas in Thailand as the Business Operations Director for an international anti-trafficking NGO. During her time there, she worked closely with Thai law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and nonprofits to create an intelligence network that shares data that helps government officials understand the trends of human trafficking in the region.

Before entering the nonprofit world, she worked in the business sector where she served as the Director of Southern California for Bisnow, the largest commercial real estate media firm, for Groupon in the travel sector, and she worked internationally in Istanbul, Turkey as an investment banker that helped international companies, such as Pfizer, acquire or merge with Turkish firms. Her diverse background gives her the ability to understand the for-profit and non-profit sectors and how they can work together to create a better world. Abigale believes change occurs when great people with common values work together.