Minds Matter Houston is 100% volunteer-led and run. Our leadership is comprised of individuals from various backgrounds, all of whom dedicate extensive effort into ensuring Minds Matter fulfills its mission in Houston to create transformative experiences for our students.

Our Team

Executive Leadership Team

  • Cynthia Suttle is the Executive Director for Minds Matter Houston. Growing up in Detroit, MI, as the daughter of a medical school professor, higher education wasn't just encouraged, it was a non-negotiable cornerstone of her upbringing. This early foundation instilled in her a deep appreciation for its transformative power, a value that clearly aligns with Minds Matter's core mission.

    Cynthia's commitment to supporting young people extends back many years. Most recently, while in Los Angeles, she launched a nanny and babysitting business primarily serving working mothers. The distinctive model of her business was to hire college students or recent college graduates, who served not just as caregivers, but as role models for the children they supported. This experience underscored her belief in the importance of mentorship, as these role models provided invaluable guidance and inspiration. Through this venture, she frequently hired first-generation college students, gaining firsthand insight into the unique challenges they navigate—a perspective that is invaluable to our work.

    She holds a Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College and an MBA from Columbia Graduate School of Business. Her professional background also includes over a decade at Warner Bros., where she contributed to the success of high-profile brands. Cynthia is currently raising two young boys, a personal endeavor that further grounds her understanding of the importance of educational pathways for the next generation.

  • Steve has worked in the energy sector for more than 35 years, as an engineer, manager, technical expert and consultant, designing and building large floating platforms and subsea developments. Along the way, he developed a passion for mentoring and career coaching. In the latter years of his career at Shell, he built and nurtured a mentoring circle for young engineers, led a diversity book club, and continues to mentor and coach young engineers since retiring from Shell in 2019.

    Steve joined the Minds Matter Programming Team in early 2020 and has thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the students and mentors, and building content. He is a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner and a lifelong student of human behavior with a passion for career coaching and mentoring.

    Away from work, Steve enjoys woodworking, garden railroading, reading voraciously, and following his two grown children’s journey through college and beyond. Steve has a BS in Civil Engineering from Northwestern University, and a MS and PhD in Naval Architecture & Offshore Engineering from UC Berkeley.

  • As Director of Volunteers for Minds Matter Houston, Esther D. is dedicated to empowering low-income, first-generation students to pursue higher education. A first-generation college graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.A. in Global Studies, Esther brings a unique perspective to education access and opportunity.

    Since beginning as a volunteer with Minds Matter Southern California in 2018, Esther has been committed to supporting high-achieving students who would otherwise lack access to mentorship and academic guidance. Driven by a deep belief in the transformative power of education, Esther is passionate about building pathways to opportunity for students facing systemic barriers to success.

  • Growing up in Mumbai, India, Apoorva discovered an early love of STEM. Backed by a strong support system that valued education, he obtained a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, followed by a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While living in Madison, he discovered a love of education-related volunteering while teaching science experiments at local schools. 

    Apoorva is currently a Data Science Manager at Dow, where his role is to drive the development and adoption of digital tools to improve productivity and enable business impact. He has a passion for the practical utilization of data science, which guides his work and resulted in the receipt of a team project award for impactful work that is given to <1% of Dow employees. In his free time, Apoorva loves to hang out with his wife and their 3 cats in Sugarland, and to travel internationally to experience new cultures. 

    In 2022, he began volunteering with MMH as a mentor to two amazing students (who are now heading to the University of Texas, Austin and Texas A&M University) before joining the Summer Programs team. Apoorva strongly believes that exposure to a variety of educational and career opportunities, coupled with a secure, education-focused support system, can make a huge impact in our students’ lives (as it did in his).

  • Max Raev grew up in Moscow, Russia, and went on to graduate from American University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Finance and Accounting. He has built a successful career in finance, currently working as a Director at Kroll.

    Deeply committed to educational and youth service, Max joined Minds Matter in 2018, where he is now recognized as one of the chapter's longest-serving volunteers. Over his tenure, Max has played an active role in shaping the chapter, starting out as a mentor and serving as on the Programming team, where he delivered academic and life skills sessions to scholars. Today, he serves as the Strategy Finance Lead and wears many hats on our Extended Leadership Team.

    Outside of his professional commitments and volunteer work with Minds Matter Houston, Max lives in Katy. He prioritizes family and loves spending his free time with his daughters—enjoying movies, laughing together, and sharing silly dad jokes.

Leadership Team

Development

Donna Anderson
April Dunlevie

Student and Mentor Recruitment

Shayla Patterson
Kamry Samuel
Miguel Velasquez

Summer Programs

Tanner Blackard
Al Foglesong
Jonathan Lu
Neil Wingkun

Saturday Programs

Hebba Hussein
Damaris Bravo
Tanner Blackard
Jason Ching

Operations

Ishita Chakraborty