President and CEO
David’s leadership at the H. E. Butt Foundation spans three decades—he has led the organization through its transformation from a primarily faith-based, camping-focused culture into a culture-shaping organization known internationally for its commitment to hospitality and excellence.
For more than two decades, David led the H. E. Butt Foundation Camp and Laity Lodge programs. During that period, he also launched two new camping programs: Laity Lodge Family Camp and H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School. In 2015, he was named President and CEO and has led several new community engagement initiatives in San Antonio and South Texas since, including efforts to support mental health awareness, build capacity for non-profits, develop rural communities, and address the challenge of socio-economic inequity.
David is skilled at relational team building, cultural change management, and leadership development. Under his leadership, the foundation has grown to one of the largest foundations in Texas and one of the largest operating foundations in the United States.
David earned a BA from the University of Mississippi and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in San Antonio with his wife, Deborah Butt Rogers. David and Deborah have three adult children and four grandchildren.
Chief Financial Officer
With an extensive career in financial analysis, forecasting, and operational management, Janice has played a significant role in shepherding the financial and operational health of the Foundation during a season of tremendous growth. Named as Chief Financial Officer in 2018, Janice’s highly relational leadership style finds her travelling daily among our San Antonio, Kerrville, and Frio River Canyon locations.
Prior to a call to enter into the nonprofit world, Janice served as the Global Corporate Controller for Rackspace, the world’s largest managed cloud provider. Before that she worked in the oil and gas industry, both as the Vice President of Finance for NuStar Energy and as the Director of Accounting and External Reporting for Valero Energy, the world’s largest independent petroleum refiner.
A graduate of Texas State University, Janice serves on the board of Goodwill Industries of San Antonio. She and her husband James live in San Antonio with their family.
Vice President of Community Engagement
Perri joined the H. E. Butt Foundation in 2004 as Director of Development to increase public support of capital projects and program scholarships. Since then, she has also been instrumental in revamping our guest care services, spearheading a major rebranding effort, and most recently, integrating several initiatives and strategies into the Foundation’s new Community Engagement program.
In that role, Perri runs a multi-year capacity-building incubator for leaders of like-minded youth and family serving nonprofits in San Antonio. Her program also conducts research and pilots initiatives supporting mental health and invests in media and storytelling that lets us better understand the lives of our neighbors.
Before working for the Foundation, Perri served as Vice President of Development for San Antonio’s SAMMinistries. She also served as Associate Director of Development for the Medical College of Wisconsin. Perri graduated from Texas Tech University Human Development and Family Studies, and received her performance measurement certificate from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Executive Education in 2016. Perri lives in Boerne with her family.
Executive Director of Storytelling and Communications
As Executive Director of Storytelling and Communications, Patton is charged with leading the Foundation’s strategic messaging and cultivating the Foundation’s narrative voice and brand expression across its six programs and myriad channels. He leads our engagement to drive narrative change around the plight of vulnerable families and children, using storytelling to help us better understand the lives of our neighbors.
Patton brings 20 years of experience in media, publishing, and communications to the Foundation. He has served as editor of multiple national publications and has been widely published in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Newsweek, TheAtlantic.com, CNN.com, and Christianity Today among others. Previously an instructor at the United States Air Force Academy, Patton has taught courses in composition, literature, and film studies. He holds a doctorate in religion and literature from Boston University. His most recent book is The Prayer Wheel: A Daily Guide to Renewing Your Faith with a Rediscovered Spiritual Practice (Convergent). Patton lives in San Antonio with his family.
Executive Director of Laity Lodge Camping Programs
Cary is the Executive Director of Laity Lodge Camping Programs, serving campers and families in the same Canyon where his own family began.
Beginning in 1985, Cary spent the 13 summers in the Canyon as a camper, then a program crew member, and finally a counselor at Echo Valley where he met his wife, Jenny (Allenbaugh) Hendricks. They even worked some of the early Family Camp camp sessions at Echo Valley in the 1990s.
Due in large part to these experiences, Cary pursued a career in relational ministry, spending eight years on Young Life staff as an associate area director and area director in both Texas and Illinois. During his time in Illinois, Cary also served more than four years at a Presbyterian church as the youth and college ministry director. In 2017, he completed a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary and is currently working toward a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership Development at the same institution.
Cary has been with the Foundation for since 2013, first as a Director of Echo Valley, and since 2015 as the Senior Director of Laity Lodge Family Camp. His history with the Foundation stretches back much further—to 1985, when he attended Singing Hills as a young camper. Cary and Jenny have been married since July 1999, and their three kids—Seth, Stella, and Sloane—have been fixtures in the Canyon and in Kerrville for many years.
Senior Director of Human Resources
Gwenda joined the H. E. Butt Foundation in 2013 as a new human resources department was being formed to update policies, build processes, and ensure compliance during a time of unprecedented growth. In addition to these essential functions, Gwenda and her team now provide foundation staff with development opportunities, unique and exciting benefits, an employee rewards and recognition program, and numerous other ways for employees to be engaged throughout their employment cycle, from recruitment to retirement.
Before working for the foundation, Gwenda’s career included time with Texas Instruments, Dell Computers, and Ethan Allen before transitioning to nonprofit work with churches, church schools, and eventually, the H. E. Butt Foundation.
Gwenda graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas A&M University with a major in Human Resources Development and a minor in Business. Since joining the foundation, she also received her professional HR certification. Gwenda lives in Kerrville with her husband Steve and feels richly blessed to be a part of the foundation family and its ministry.
Executive Director of Laity Lodge
Steven has been the face of Laity Lodge for a generation of retreat-goers, leading programming, recruiting, and facilitation of the Foundation’s venerable retreat center. A writer, painter, book-lover, and champion of the arts, Steven has connected the Lodge’s guests to countless speakers, artists, and musicians from around the world, growing the Lodge’s reputation as a culture-shaping institution marked by hospitality and friendship.
Before coming to Laity Lodge in 2006, Steven served as one of the managing directors of Schloss Mittersill, an internationally renowned Christian retreat and conference center in Austria, where he founded an arts conference in 1998. Steven also serves on the Board of Directors for Image Journal.
Steven earned his Masters of Christian Studies from Regent College where he studied Spiritual Theology with an emphasis on its integration with the arts. He is the author of Even Among These Rocks, a title that synthesizes narrative, poetic, and visual artistic impressions. A native of Texas, Steven lives with his family in Boerne, Texas.
The H. E. Butt Foundation is an operating foundation that runs charitable programs focused on spiritual formation and health in families and children.
Director of Storytelling
Elizabeth Le’anani Coffee has lived in San Antonio her whole life and loves it like a sibling. She often says: “my story is wrapped up in its story.” While her formal training is in advertising and public relations, her work experience reflects a decade working alongside religious non-profits and leaders through community engagement predominately in San Antonio and South Texas. She is a master’s student studying philanthropic studies at Indiana University in the Lilly School of Philanthropy and is a research associate for the Lake Institute of Faith and Giving engaging with American patterns of giving and gathering for religious causes. She also serves on the Advisory Council of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, as a board member for the One Another Project, and as the Vice Chair of the board of The Impact Guild.
Capacity Building Program Director
Meg Loomis has spent her 25-year career in the philanthropic and social impact field, most recently serving as Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Holdsworth Center, an Austin-based education leadership development center focused on improving public schools. The Holdsworth Center was founded by Charles Butt and is named for his mother, Mary Holdsworth Butt.
Previously, Meg served as Capacity Building Officer on a special multi-funder initiative at Methodist Healthcare Ministries, working closely with healthcare organizations across the Rio Grande Valley to advance their impact and sustainability. Before returning home to Texas, Meg lived ten years in Anchorage, Alaska, and worked as the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers. She was also a Senior Consultant for Agnew::Beck, a public health and community development consulting firm serving rural Alaska Native communities.
Meg holds a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alaska (where she was also an adjunct faculty member), and a master’s in business administration from St. Mary’s University. She lives in the Dignowity Hill neighborhood of San Antonio with her two young children and currently serves as Board President of MindShiftEd, a start-up nonprofit helping amplify parent voice in San Antonio public school districts.
Director of Community Camping Programs
Kim grew up in the piney woods of East Texas, calling Crockett and surrounding areas home. She graduated from East Texas Baptist University with a degree in Speech Communication, married her husband Andrew, and moved to Anderson, Texas, in 2009.
Kim worked in outdoor education for Houston ISD until she and her husband welcomed their daughters, Audra (10) and Austen (8). During her time in Houston, Kim started the childcare center at her church while Andrew was the youth pastor and worked construction. Both Kim and her husband are passionate and dedicated to the discipleship of the next generations. They have enjoyed mentoring some of the most amazing teenagers over the years.
Kim and her family are an adventurous group, and they regularly explore the Texas Hill Country.
Director of Laity Lodge Family Camp
Meet Kelsie Wessels, LLFC Director!
Kelsie has worked for H.E. Butt Foundation since 2016. She previously served as the Assistant Director of Programming for Laity Lodge Family Camp and moved into her current role fall of 2021. Kelsie’s history with the H. E. Butt Foundation began in Summer 2009 when she began serving as seasonal staff on Work Crew at Singing Hills. She continued working summers for LLYC as a Counselor, Work Crew Boss, Girls’ Director, and intern through 2015 and frequently worked weekend retreats at Family Camp over those same years.
Kelsie was born in Pasadena, TX, but claims the Texas Hill Country as home. Her family moved to Kerrville when she was in elementary school and after graduating from Texas A&M University, she returned to Kerrville. Kelsie and her husband, Kevin, have known each other since high school and have a long history of friendship as well as wonderful memories working together at camp in the summers. They love hiking, kayaking, and traveling together. When Kelsie isn’t at Family Camp, you can often find her spending time with friends and family.
“My time at camp has been extremely formational and transformative to me as a person, and I love getting to be a small part of joining in the work the Lord is doing in this incredible Canyon. Camp is an absolutely beautiful setting that is made more beautiful for me by being a sacred place that is filled with great depth and rich connection to the Lord and to others. I also love the amazing team of people I get to work with and our awesome staff – I feel like we all bring out the best in each other!”
Director of LLYC-Echo Valley
Tom grew up spending his summers at Deerfoot Lodge, a Christian boys camp in upstate New York. For him, it was always worth the 19-hour drive from his home in Clemson, South Carolina. His experiences there led him to get his degree in Recreation and Youth Ministry at Southern Wesleyan University in South Carolina.
After a few years living in Munich, Germany, teaching ESL and doing youth ministry, Tom chased a woman to Texas, married her, and went into full-time Christian camping. He was a director at Camp Cho-Yeh in east Texas for four years and then spent two years in residential construction before the opportunity to work at LLYC surfaced, which he couldn’t refuse.
He loves fly-fishing, playing basketball (he’s a six foot six), reading to his kids, watching Clemson football, and building things with his hands. He and his wife, Brynn, have three children: a daughter, Piper, and two sons, Finley and Rowan. During the year they live in Fredericksburg, where Brynn works full-time in the home and part-time as a teacher. Tom loves camp ministry because of how formative and rewarding it can be for campers and for his college age staff.
Director of LLYC-Singing Hills
Dayton’s history with LLYC goes way back. In fact, his history began here. His parents met at camp and were on staff in the 1980’s. Dayton grew up hearing stories about camp and was eventually a camper for three years at Echo Valley. He went on to spend many summers on staff. He was on Program Crew. He was a Singing Hills Counselor for two summers. He was on leadership staff as a PC Boss, and he was a Guy’s Director for two summers. After he graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Biomedical Sciences, he became an LLYC intern for a year in 2013. The next summer he followed in his parent’s footsteps by marrying his camp sweetheart, Rachel, and they both took jobs in San Antonio. It didn’t take long, though, for them to find their way back to Kerrville to work for the organization that has meant so much to them and has been such a part of their story.
From 2016 to 2019, Dayton worked at Laity Lodge Family Camp managing operations and program staff. Since 2020, Dayton also worked in the Foundation’s Risk Management Department creating trainings and working with programs. He’s excited to pour what he’s learned from those experiences back into Singing Hills. Dayton’s deep knowledge of camp serves him well as he works to lead and serve those call Singing Hills their second home.
Dayton enjoys all things outdoors, loves to play games of any kind, works constantly on his 1907 fixer-upper home, and kills time with his friends, his dog, Mack, or by enjoying a good story. He and Rachel are also over-the-moon excited to welcome their first child, a boy, in January of 2022!
Senior Director of Canyon Operations
Carlos Navarro started working in the Canyon as a summer employee when he was 16 years old. He started as a temporary grounds helper. In 2014, Navarro was hired as a full-time groundskeeper. He moved on from groundskeeping to maintenance and then the tech department, fixing appliances, diagnosing problems and making sure the things behind-the-scenes stayed behind-the-scenes.
Today, he serves as the senior director of Canyon operations, heading teams totaling about 30 people who together manage the property—from installing handwashing stations in the cabins to ensuring the water system runs properly. Navarro enjoys helping all of his employees do their part to ensure those guests have a great, fun experience and find space to grow closer to God.
He and his wife live in Leakey.
Controller
Paul joined the foundation in 2019 with a diverse professional background including stints in public accounting, industry, and small business. Recently named as Controller, Paul oversees the accounting, payroll, tax compliance, and budgeting functions of the foundation.
Prior to joining the foundation, Paul, a Certified Public Accountant, owned and operated his own practice in Kerrville assisting nonprofits and small businesses across the Texas Hill Country. He has also held various managerial roles in accounting, financial reporting, and planning and analysis capacities in the midstream energy sector. Paul started his career with Deloitte, a global public accounting firm, where he was recognized on multiple occasions for his exceptional client service.
Paul earned his BBA in Accounting and MS in Finance from Texas A&M University.
He currently serves on the boards of several local nonprofits in the area and lives in Harper with his wife Courtney and their four children.
Senior Director of Risk Management
Erik joined the H. E. Butt Foundation in 2011 to start the foundation’s outdoor school program. During his tenure as senior director of the H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School, the program provided impactful outdoor experiences for approximately 2500 young Texans each year.
In April 2020, Erik officially changed gears by stepping into the role of Senior Director of Risk Management, where he plays a key role in the safe delivery of our amazing Canyon programming.
Prior to joining the foundation, Erik spent 13 years in public education and 2 years as university faculty. He has been honored as Recreation Professional of the Year by the Texas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and his work has received the Outstanding Program Award from the Texas Outdoor Education Association. Erik completed his Master of Science degree from Texas State University.
Erik and his wife, Liz, live in Kerrville with their two boys.
Senior Director of Communications
Marcus directs all expressions of the Foundation brands across web, social, email, print, video, and audio. He also serves as director of the Foundation Archives and managing editor of Echoes magazine, a quarterly publication reaching 24,000 subscribers with encouraging stories about our friends and neighbors across Texas.
Marcus has served the H. E. Butt Foundation since 2005 in a variety of positions, including as editor of The High Calling and Christianity Today’s Faith in the Workplace. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including 32 Poems and Books and Culture (and oddly Zombies! the Magazine). His poetry collection Barbies at Communion was a finalist for Englewood Review’s Book of the Year.
Marcus taught English and Latin for ten years prior to joining the foundation, and he especially enjoyed his time as a publications teacher and as a reader for College Board’s English and Lit AP test. Marcus lives in Kerrville with his family where they are active in their church and their local community theater. He is also president and founder of the Kerrville Robotics Alliance, which has led local teams to the world championship three times.
Senior Director of Kerrville Operations
Christy joined the Communications Department at the H. E. Butt Foundation as the Website Coordinator in 2008. Through that role, she worked with various foundation programs and became invested in their online processes and needs. She eventually helped the organization move to an enterprise management system for foundation data and online operations.
Throughout her time at the foundation, Christy has continued to work with teams across the organization and currently leads both the IT and Kerrville Facilities Departments. In this role, she is able to coordinate streamlined processes for each department and ensure necessary collaboration between the two.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Christy worked as an elementary school teacher and website developer after graduating from Texas A&M in 1993.
Christy and her husband live in Kerrville.
Howard Butt, III
CEO, H-E-B
Stephen Butt
President of Central Market, H-E-B
Sarah Butt Oldeschulte
Director, Site Reliability Engineering at SentinelOne
Alexandra Crawford
Trustee
David Rogers
President of the H. E. Butt Foundation
Deborah Rogers
Trustee
