Board Members

Johnita Jones is the Texas Conference for Women board president and the Pipeline Risk and Integrity Manager for ExxonMobil Pipeline Company. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1983. She began work as a facilities engineer with Exxon Company, U.S.A, in Harvey, Louisiana. Since that time, she worked in oil and gas engineering assignments including corrosion applications, project engineering and reservoir analysis. Jones began her supervisory responsibilities in 1989 and has managed teams in production facility surveillance, project engineering and operations management. In her current position, she is responsible for execution and stewardship of programs to ensure pipeline fitness for service for over 6,000 miles of pipe in the United States. Prior community activities include participation on the Houston Children’s Museum advisory board and as a member of the board of directors of the Lighthouse of Houston.

Norine Yukon is the former CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas and currently serves as a board member and strategic advisor for several health care corporations. Her comprehensive experience in the health care industry includes P&L responsibility for commercial and public sector health plans with revenues in excess of one billion. She has led de novo start-ups and acquisition transitions in multiple states.

Norine grew up in Texas, Bermuda and Tokyo. She graduated from the University of Texas School of Nursing, and practiced in an inpatient setting for nearly 10 years.

Norine has served on the boards of several non-profit organizations, and she has been a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and a neonatal intensive care unit.  She has lectured at universities in Texas, Arizona, and New Jersey, and been appointed by several Governors to various task forces, advisory committees, and transition teams for health and human services.  Norine currently serves on the Austin Meals on Wheels Board of Directors, the Texas Conference for Women Board of Directors, the Core Health Foundation Fishing Pier Committee, the Advisory Council for the University of Texas School of Nursing, and the Texas Exes Council.

With over twenty years worth of hands-on experience in Texas government and politics, Sabrina Brown offers valuable strategic counsel, as well as access to a vast network of key associates and decision-makers, to a broad spectrum of clients.

Brown’s extensive expertise in the state’s legislative, regulatory, public affairs and appropriations arenas — combined with her strong bipartisan relationships — provides businesses and organizations with vital political and governmental guidance. Utilizing her many contacts within the Texas House and Senate, Governor’s office and state agencies, Brown has effectively achieved the public-policy goals of a wide variety of clients, from aeronautics giants to groundwater districts to Fortune 50 companies.

Prior to opening her own practice, Brown was a highly successful lobbyist for an Austin-based law firm, and previously spent a half-dozen years at the Capitol, working for the Texas House of Representatives. Her first-hand experience has given her a detailed familiarity with the legislative process and an in-depth understanding of state lawmakers’ perspective. As a result, Brown possesses masterful insight into how to create effective

As a government relations specialist for the firm of Bickerstaff, Heath, Smiley, Pollan, Kever & McDaniel, Brown successfully represented over 20 clients before the Texas Legislature, state agencies and local governments. Her responsibilities included crafting key legislative proposals, preparing vital legislative presentations and packages.

As a research analyst for the Texas House Select Committee on Revenue and Public Education Funding, Brown oversaw the interim study of taxes, formulating key recommendations and helping create the report for presentation to the legislature.

Brown also served as a research analyst for the Texas House Committee on Appropriations, directing the budget analysis of all public and higher education institutions, and education-related agencies. In addition to helping lawmakers develop the state budget, she made recommendations on budget matters, and drafted bill analyses and interim study reports.

Brown earned her Masters in Public Affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, and her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University.

Bobbi Dangerfield leads Dell Business Operations (DBO) in the Dell Operations & Client Services organization, supporting a 20,000-member sales organization across more than 70 countries. In her role, Bobbi is responsible for enabling sales productivity, business growth and customer experience while driving operational excellence and flawless execution.

Bobbi also serves as North America co-chair of the Dell Women in Search of Excellence (Wise) employee resource group, which focuses on enabling women to grow and thrive through networking, leadership and expertise. She previously initiated Wise chapters in Malaysia and El Salvador. Additionally, Bobbi is a member of the Dell Global Diversity Council, helping drive diversity initiatives throughout the company in partnership with Council Chair Michael Dell.

Bobbi also leads the IT Integration office as part of the Dell and EMC Integration team, responsible for ensuring the IT backbone of the two organizations comes together seamlessly as they combine to become the biggest end-to-end technology solutions provider. As Managing Director of the Dell Global Business Center from May 2008 to June 2011, she was responsible for building capabilities in Malaysia as an IT and Services strategic delivery center.

Prior to leading the Global Business Center in Malaysia, Bobbi was General Manager for Dell El Salvador, responsible for leading Dell’s Consumer business for both U.S. and Latin America markets. Her leadership in both countries created lasting bonds between Dell and the Salvadoran and Malaysian governments because of concerted efforts geared at leaving a Dell legacy in these countries by helping improve health, environment and education for the population.

Bobbi joined Dell in August 1999 as an IT Director with responsibilities encompassing network, desktop and server support, as well as help desk, systems operations, asset management and call center technology services for all internal Dell functions. Bobbi also led the U.S. Consumer Customer Care organization, U.S. Consumer Call Center Operations, Customer Experience, Customer Centricity and Global Technology Product Management organizations at Dell.

She has more than 20 years of experience in Information Systems, Customer Service and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Prior to joining Dell, Bobbi held positions at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway and IBM. She received her BBA in Business Computer Information Systems from Dallas Baptist University and her MBA from Southern Methodist University. She is a member of the board of directors for Dress for Success Austin, Texas Conference for Women and serves on the Susan G. Komen Austin Affiliate Advisory Board. Bobbi lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Elmer and has 2 grown children, Paige and Tyler.

Carol McGarah, Blackridge CEO, has worked in and around the Texas Legislature since 1991.  Since 2001 she has represented several Fortune 500 companies before the state legislature and regulatory bodies and is well-known and regarded for her experience and knowledge of various topics including: economic development, education, energy, environmental issues, financial institutions, IT, and transportation.

Previously, McGarah served as the Committee Director of the powerful Senate Natural Resources Committee.  During her 10 years with this committee she established solid relationships with key members of the legislature and various environmental agencies, and developed a thorough knowledge of Texas’ air, energy, water, and waste issues.

McGarah dedicated countless hours to the preparation and passage of groundbreaking pieces of state water management legislation, including Senate Bill 1 in the 75th Legislative Session and Senate Bill 2 in the 77th Legislative Session.

McGarah was also instrumental in the conception, development and passage of SB 5 in the 75th Legislature, which created the Texas Emissions Reduction Program.  This program has served as a model for numerous other states across the country, and has been a vital component in assisting Texas meet the Federal Air Quality Standards.

Carla Piñeyro Sublett is senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Rackspace. She leads all Rackspace marketing functions, from branding to demand generation, and works with the company’s international leadership to execute customized programming in each market.

Carla brings more than 15 years of technology sales and marketing experience to Rackspace. In her previous role as CMO of the Americas region at Rackspace, she was responsible for driving demand generation through events, field and channel marketing, ecommerce, telesales and digital marketing.

Before joining Rackspace, Carla distinguished herself in several leadership roles in sales and marketing at Dell. Most recently, she served as executive director of marketing for Dell Latin America, where she managed all facets of marketing through all channels: digital, offline, retail, and value-added resellers. In this role, Carla helped drive record pipeline and conversion metrics in the region, while doubling marketing’s contribution to the business.

While at Dell, Carla was named one of the Top 50 Influential Hispanics by HispanicBusiness.com, and was given the Young Hispanic Corporate Achiever award by the Hispanic Association of Corporate Responsibility.

Carla was a Dean’s List student at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied architecture and Latin American studies. She lives in Austin with her husband and their two children.