Welcoming Our Newest Leaders: Introducing Our New Governing Board Members
As we embark on another exciting chapter of growth and impact, we are excited to extend a warm welcome to our newest Governing Board members. Each addition to our board brings with them unique expertise, diverse perspectives, and a shared commitment to advancing our mission. In this article, learn more about the impactful individuals who have joined our team, sharing a glimpse into their backgrounds, passions, and the valuable contributions they bring to our organization. Join us in celebrating the fresh energy and leadership they bring as we continue to drive positive change with our donors and make a difference in our community.
Avani Narang is the Managing Director of Marketing and Digital Communications & HR for Indus Communities and serves as the Director for her family’s private foundation, Indus Cares. Indus Cares primarily supports the approximately 11,000 apartment homes managed by Indus Communities in Houston, Texas by partnering with local area organizations to bring essential medical, educational, and food assistance programs to residents.
Along with setting strategic priorities for the company alongside her family, Avani has always been passionate about community relations. She serves on the Governing Board for the Chicago Public Library Foundation and stays engaged with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, through chats with prospective students, planning her Class of 2019 reunion, speaking on panels, or engaging in nonprofit and leadership seminars. She also participated in the 2021 class of the Next Generation Institute through the Greater Houston Community Foundation. She was recently selected to serve on the CRA Market Council Advisory Board with First Horizon Bank.
Motivated by a family of lifelong learners, Avani completed her undergraduate degree from Emory University and her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She obtained her credentials as a Leadership Coach through the Doerr Institute at Rice University, bringing these concepts into the company to bolster executive leadership and refresh the organizational culture. Avani was an honoree of the 2021 Westchase District Community Impact Award. Recently, Indus Cares’ team was honored as a finalist for the 2023 National Impact Hero Award from Grace Hill. She can be found with her nose in a book, planning her next family vacation, or at the park with her son and husband.
Brandon is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and community leader. His life journey and civic leadership are rooted in the power of education and economic opportunity: he is the son of two public school teachers and serves as the 23rd Chairman of the Board of Regents of Texas Southern University (TSU), one of America’s largest and most comprehensive HBCUs. After graduating from Stanford Law School and clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Brandon advised companies ranging from startups to Apple as a corporate attorney. He then helped build both a startup where he ultimately became CEO and a venture capital firm where he served on eight portfolio company boards while helping scale the firm to over $1B AUM. Recently, Brandon co-founded a digital education startup using advanced AI production methods. In addition to TSU, Brandon serves on the boards of nonprofits focused on human flourishing, including the Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Institute for Responsible Citizenship. Brandon was listed in Houston Business Journal’s “2022 Top 40 Under 40” and honored as a “Legendary Scholar” at Community of Faith’s 2024 Black History Month Grand Worship Celebration.
Y. Ping Sun is Of Counsel at Yetter Coleman LLP, one of the nation’s premier boutique trial law firms that attracts some of the world’s biggest companies for their critical cases. Prior to joining Yetter Coleman, Ping practiced law in New York City with White & Case LLP and Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP. Ping has represented United States corporations, banks, and insurance companies; Japanese and Korean banks and corporations; Canadian companies; Chinese government entities, banks and corporations in a wide range of domestic and international financings. Ping is from Shanghai and fluent in Mandarin.
Ping’s community service in Houston is expansive, in addition to serving on the Governing Board of Greater Houston Community Foundation and the Disaster Recovery Council of Greater Houston Disaster Alliance, a joint initiative between Greater Houston Community Foundation and United Way of Greater Houston. Currently, she serves on the board of Asia Society Texas Center, Texas Children’s Hospital, Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, Center for Houston’s Future, Hermann Park Conservancy, and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Furthermore, Ping has been recognized by several organizations. More recently, she has been awarded “Guardian of the Human Spirit” by Holocaust Museum of Houston and honored as “Global Leader of Influence” by World Affairs Council of Greater Houston. She was honored with the proclamation of “Y. Ping Sun Day” by the City of Houston in 2015, 2018, and 2021, respectively, the 2014 Friendship Ambassador Award along with former President George H.W. Bush, Sr. from the U.S. China People’s Friendship Association, Houston Chapter, was named one of the 2015 Most Powerful and Influential Women of Texas by National Diversity Council, and has been recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential Woman by Houston Women Magazine.
Toni is a servant leader, philanthropist, and investor who is passionate about inspiring others and investing in innovative ideas that positively impact the trajectory of people’s lives in the communities she lives in and orbits around.
Toni is a multi-faceted leader and has multi-sector experience in the corporate, entrepreneurial, entertainment, educational, and nonprofit sectors as an attorney, director, thought-partner, and manager, both stateside and abroad. Her worldview has been shaped by working in some of the most resource-poor countries in the world building water wells, documenting the world’s water crisis, and providing tangible leadership support to local leaders. As a former collegiate and professional runner, Toni is also strongly committed to supporting philanthropic organizations whose missions include youth sports, youth outdoor education, youth arts, and youth experiential learning, in particular for young people of color.
Toni serves on various boards and numerous committees in diverse organizations. She is a board member of the National Black Marathoners Association and an inductee of its Hall of Fame, having run a marathon on every continent. Toni is on the board of the Houston Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and the Conrad O. Johnson Music & Fine Arts Foundation. She is a voting member of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and is President and Co-Founder of the Soulboarders, a nationwide snowboarding club.
Toni has previously served in several roles: as a board member and corporate secretary for Alpha Kappa Psi, the world’s largest international business fraternity; as the PTO president of her children’s former school; and as a board member of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association in Manhattan.
Toni is deeply committed to her local community and serves as a Girl Scout Troop Leader, a Block Captain for her neighborhood association, and a running coach for a girls empowerment running program.
Toni is a licensed attorney in three states and holds a Masters in Business Administration, but she is most proud of being a present parent for her two girls and a supportive spouse to her husband. Toni loves globe trotting with her family, running marathons around the world, and big mountain slalom snowboard racing.
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