Board Chair
Gail Hathaway is the 2022 Board Chair for Guide Dogs of Texas. Prior to joining the Board, Gail served on the Boards of Preservation Fort Sam Houston, Military-Civilian Charitable Foundation, and as President of the Military-Civilian Club. She is a San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo life member and volunteers at the Valero Texas Open Golf Tournament annually. Gail was commissioned in the Navy in 1986 and retired at the rank of Captain in 2014. She is a board-certified Aerospace Physiologist and completed the Aviation Safety certification program at the Naval Postgraduate School. As an Aviation Safety Officer, Gail has logged more than 650 flying hours, primarily in the F/A-18D and C-130J aircraft. A Hutchinson, Minnesota native and graduate of the University of Minnesota, Gail has earned a bachelor’s degree in education and masters in industrial safety. She is a 2018 graduate of the San Antonio Masters Leadership Program with Class XIV. Life is better with her two golden retrievers, whom she shows in hunt tests, and hunts with for upland birds and waterfowl. She and her husband Dennis enjoy hunting, golfing, and traveling the world. They have 4 adult children and 5 grandkids. She is pictured here with her dog, Crash.
Karen Vázquez joined the GDTX Board in 2021 with more than 30 years of financial experience, most of it in the oil and gas industry. She recently served as CFO for GTI Statia, one of the largest independent crude and refined product storage terminals serving the US Gulf Coast and Caribbean markets. Prior to her service with GTI Statia, Vázquez retired from her position as Vice President of Finance and Controller, Latin America for Andeavor Corporation (formerly Tesoro Corporation), a premier, logistics and refining company. In that capacity, she was a member of the senior leadership team that initiated Tesoro’s entry into the Mexican market. Previously, Vázquez had been VP, Strategic Risk Management, where she led the Audit and Enterprise risk functions for more than 6 years. She held a variety of roles within the company, including Assistant Controller and Director positions in Operational Accounting, Procurement Systems, and Investor Relations. She served as the inaugural executive co-sponsor for Andeavor’s Women’s Inclusion Team and was an adviser to the Multi-Cultural inclusion team, served on the Board of Governors for the San Antonio Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and currently serves on the Board for Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union, where she previously served as the Chair of the Supervisory Committee. Karen is pictured with her dog, Patches.
JC Clapsaddle is a retired Air Force Colonel. Among his assignments was a tour in Iraq as a liaison between Air Force and Army combat medical activities, and a liaison between the U.S. State Department and the Iraqi National Health Ministry.
He served on Capitol Hill at the U.S. Senate as a National Defense Fellow. In this position he acted as an advisor to a U.S. Senator for International, Nuclear, and Defense Affairs. After leaving Capitol Hill he transferred to the Pentagon. He continued to work with the U.S. Congress, this time a Liaison between the Air Force and the U.S. House and Senate with a legislative portfolio that included crafting policies regarding Veterans Affairs, human rights, gender equality, racial diversity in officer recruiting, combatting religious intolerance, prevention of military sexual harassment & assault, and ending veteran suicide.
In 2010 the Secretary of Defense appointed him to be Deputy Director of the Pentagon’s special Legal and Legislative Team that crafted the President’s successful repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Later, he commanded military hospitals at Ramstein Air Base (Germany) and Al Udeid (Qatar) which cared for ill & wounded from combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. He retired in 2013 to live and travel in Europe until settling in San Antonio, Texas, in 2015.
JC is graduate of the Masters Leadership Program San Antonio; a Rotarian; and serves on four nonprofit Boards for which he either a member or the Chair of their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committees. He is co-founder of the Corrymeela Centre’s (Northern Ireland) International Peace Scholar program.
He is married to Colonel (retired) Andra Clapsaddle. They have one son, two grandkids, and three dogs. One dog, Freddie, is a Guide Dogs of Texas K9 they are raising/training as a future Guide Dog for a visually impaired Texan.
Jane Fritz has lived in San Antonio for over 40 years and has been involved in the community from the start. She got a jump start by serving on the Board of the Greater Chamber of Commerce. Her career began managing the business side of the law practice for multiple San Antonio firms and has presented to law students at both St. Mary’s School of Law and Baylor University on building a successful business practice. As the Executive Director of the Community Justice Program from its inception, Jane recruited volunteer lawyers to represent indigent clients on a variety of legal issues at monthly offsite locations throughout the San Antonio Community. Jane’s husband, Howard was transferred to Dallas with AT&T where Jane joined Legal Aid of Northwest Texas based in Fort Worth initially on a Capital Campaign while introducing the Tarrant County Bar members to the meaningful work of legal aid. She worked closely with the Bar to develop a Pro Bono program following some of the basic framework of the San Antonio Community Justice Program. Jane gently eased into retirement by doing consulting work for lawyers and law firms focused on business development and relationship building both in Ft. Worth as well as when they returned to San Antonio.
Jennifer Mendez is the Director of Digital Marketing Communications at Argo Group, a global specialty insurer in the P&C market. In this role, she oversees the strategy and execution of the company’s web, email marketing and social media programs and digital campaigns. Prior to this role, Jennifer held other positions at Argo, which included leading their global brand strategy, corporate giving program, partnerships, and the communications plans for recruiting and corporate responsibility/ESG. In 2020, she received the Rising Star Award from the Insurance Marketing & Communications Association (IMCA).
Jennifer joined the GDTX Board of Directors in 2020. In addition to her work with GDTX, she is an active member in the community. Jennifer has served on Argo’s San Antonio Community Relations Committee since 2017 and is also the Committee Secretary.
Jennifer has a Bachelor of Science, double major in Business Administration (Concentration: Marketing) and Communications and Media Studies, from Trinity University. Originally from Houston, TX, Jennifer has called San Antonio home for the past ten years.