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We are pleased to welcome Jeanette Auerbach, Marc Chavez, Julie Fisher, Taylor Sisson, and Neil Webber to Breakthrough’s Board of Trustees! These community members bring a wealth of knowledge to our organization. Read more about our newest board trustees below.

Jeanette Auerbach, Development Chair

Jeanette Auerbach moved back to Austin 9 years ago after a diverse international career in industry and volunteerism. Holding a B.S. in Science and Education from The University of Texas and M.S. in Organizational Behavior from London School of Economics, she has lived in various overseas and domestic locations. Jeanette started her career in food chemistry with Pillsbury, and moved onto a technical and recruiting career with Exxon in the Northeast. She moved to England to help found an organizational change company and later helped begin the Organizational Change practice at Accenture in Mexico City. She also taught at Universidad of the Americas in Mexico City and set up their corporate internship program. Ms. Auerbach worked for the National Audubon Society in Greenwich Connecticut, and later served as chair of the board of an Audubon sanctuary.  Once back in New York City she volunteered in the Asia Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and with CARE International’s Women’s Initiative, a fund raising consortium of donors. Jeanette’s recent associations are the Advisory Council of the Harry Ransom Center, the UT Chancellor’s Council Executive Committee and as a docent of the Governor’s Mansion. Auerbach lives with her husband, Ernest, in downtown Austin where they are active volunteers in arts and culture organizations.

Marc Chavez

Marc Chavez was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas. After graduating from Lubbock Christian University, he attended law school and graduate school at Texas Tech University where he got a joint degree in Law and Business, JD/MBA. He started his career in San Antonio as a defense attorney and had the opportunity to serve as personal assistant to then State Senator Frank Madla. He later went on to be the Assistance District Attorney in Lubbock and then in Travis County. After much preparation, he started his own law firm, Marc Chavez Law Firm, in January 2018, covering a wide range of issues including but not limited to criminal, family, personal injury and real estate law. He’s married to his loving wife, Allison and in January of 2018 they welcomed their first child Mia on the same day that he opened his law firm. Marc’s passion for supporting first-generation college students is a product of his whole family and what they believe in. From an early age he was lucky enough to have a family who pushed education. Having a mother who has been in education for nearly 50 years and a father’s whose message to leave the next generation better off is what drives his passion to invest in first-generation students who seek college. He believes if we can have more students who can graduate and challenge the norm and impact the community, state, and nation, then the better off we can leave this world.

Julie Fisher

Julie Fisher is the Senior Community Affairs and Public Relations Specialist at Samsung Austin Semiconductor. She manages Samsung Austin’s nonprofit relationships and employee engagement initiatives. Through her leadership at Samsung, they have become an outstanding corporate leader of philanthropy in  the Central Texas community. As an Austin native, she is passionate about giving back to the community that raised her by championing causes including civic engagement, environmental initiatives, and education. Julie is proud to serve on the board of Keep Austin Beautiful and Leadership Austin. Julie is a respected leader in the corporate giving and volunteer community. She is also a Breakthrough fanatic, frequently attending fundraising events and program events. Julie has built strong relationships with our school district partners in Manor ISD and with Breakthrough students, most notably college graduate, Gloria Perez, who interned as part of the Future Focus program at Samsung. Outside of her role at Samsung, she enjoys trail running on the greenbelt, taking too many pictures and embarking on new and exciting adventures.

Taylor Sisson, Finance Chair

Taylor Sisson is an assurance partner serving SEC registrants, private-equity investees, and VC funded private companies in the technology, retail, real estate, and utilities industries. He has extensive experience serving high growth companies, and work closely with those companies to advise them on executing their growth and financing strategies, and related accounting issues they face. He’s assisted clients with the successful completion of numerous initial public offerings (IPOs), secondary offerings, equity and debt private placements, acquisitions, and carve-outs. In addition to serving clients, Taylor also is the leader for the Central Texas EY Entrepreneur of the Year program, which annually recognizes high-impact entrepreneurs whose successes help make Austin the best city in the world!

Neil Webber

Neil Webber is Chair of the Webber Family Foundation, which was formed in 1999 and has distributed over $11 million in grants to organizations targeting the educational needs of low-income youth. Neil holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT and has worked at a number of technology startup companies throughout his career, culminating with Vignette Corporation, where he was the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. Neil lives in Austin, Texas. In addition to chairing the Webber Family Foundation, Neil serves as Chair-Elect of the national Breakthrough Collaborative Board of Trustees. Neil has previously served a 6 year term and is the immediate past chair for the Breakthrough Central Texas Board of Trustees. After taking a year-long break, we are fortunate to welcome Neil back as a Trustee!