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 Master's 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.

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 and is the current Board Secretary. 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 almost ten years with her husband, Alex, and dog, Sweet Pea. She is pictured here with Guide Dog in Training, Nugget. Nugget was sponsored and named by the Argo Group.

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 where he served as a liaison between Air Force and Army combat medical activities. He served as a National Defense Fellow and advisor for International, Nuclear, and Defense Affairs to U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee member. In 2010, while at the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense appointed him Deputy Director of the Legal and Legislative Team that crafted the President’s successful repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” He commanded the Ramstein Air Base (Germany) and Al Udeid (Qatar) military hospitals that cared for ill and wounded from combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Horn of Africa.  JC retired to San Antonio in 2015. He is graduate of the Masters Leadership Program San Antonio, a member of its board and of four other nonprofit boards, and a Rotarian. He is married to Colonel (retired) Andra Clapsaddle. They have one son, two grandkids, and three dogs.  Freddie (pictured here) is a Guide Dogs of Texas Guide Dog in Training they raised and trainedas a puppy to prepare him to a guide dog for a blind Texan.