Dr. Tonyel Edwards

Dr. Tonyel Edwards is a partner in The Bridgespan Group’s San Francisco office where she focuses on family-centered economic mobility and justice.

Prior to Bridgespan, Tonyel served in several roles at Houston Endowment, a private place-based funder serving the greater Houston community. At the foundation, she primarily led cross-systems investments impacting children, youth connected to public systems, and families—specifically related to early childhood, out-of-school time intermediaries, school district-based wraparound services, comprehensive community development, and disaster response. Most recently, Tonyel was the Director of Civic Assets and Impact Opportunities and was responsible for designing and leading the foundation’s strategy to deploy nearly $40 million of unrestricted capital to BIPOC-led organizations in the Houston area.

During her tenure at the foundation, Tonyel was appointed by the Mayor of Houston to advise on the $114 million philanthropic response to Hurricane Harvey and led the regional response to ensure affordable childcare for essential workers at the onset of COVID-19. Tonyel was also appointed by the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency to advise on the state’s approach to improving access to and quality of out-of-school time programming through the Expanded Learning Opportunities Council. Nationally, she serves as the co-chair of the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), a national network of funders that work together to support the well-being and economic success of young people.

Previously, Tonyel served as the executive director of DiscoverU, a non-profit organization that connects middle and high school youth to experiential learning opportunities, worked on Teach For America’s national team, taught fourth graders in Houston’s historic Third Ward, and worked as an investment banker with Merrill Lynch-Bank of America.

As a sixth-generation Houstonian, Tonyel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Howard University, and a Master’s and Doctorate degree in Education from the University of Houston. Tonyel is an active member of the Missouri City (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and the Junior League of Houston. She lives in Houston with her husband, Bruce, and son, Mansa.

Terry C. Bruner

Terry C. Bruner is the managing attorney at TBLO Counsel + Consulting, a boutique law firm in Houston, Texas that focuses on government-insured multifamily real estate loan transactions and business law matters. He closes high value, complex deals for developers and investors. Terry also manages Azul Commercial, a real estate investment syndicate. Formerly he was Executive Director, Teach For America Houston; Attorney-Advisor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and worked in the Executive Secretariat of the United States Department of State with a top-secret security clearance.

Terry is a director of The Powell Foundation. Terry has served as Chair of the Board of The Woods Project, Inc., a Houston non-profit organization whose mission is to create wilderness education and exploration experiences that develop critical behaviors needed for under-resourced students to achieve success in school and life. Terry’s other board activities has included service in various capacities to Uhambo USA, Harris County Precinct One Street Olympics, and the Texas Lyceum, among many others. As legal counsel for multiple education non-profit organizations, Terry has represented several organizations as outside general counsel, and he counsels board chairs and non-profit executives on a range of issues affecting governance, performance, and engagement. He is a professor on the adjunct faculty in the College of Business of the University of Houston Downtown.

He earned his Juris Doctorate degree with honors from Southern Methodist University Law School, received the M.Phil. degree in international relations at Cambridge University (Cambridge, England), and graduated with his B.A. degree summa cum laude Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University. He also holds a certificate in entrepreneurship from the Mays School at Texas A&M University. He is a Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and was previously chair of its Texas regional selection committee. A veteran who served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, Terry received the Army Achievement Medal and Humanitarian Service Medal for his honorable military service, along with several other commendations. The Houston Jaycees/Junior Chamber of Commerce selected him as one of five outstanding young Houstonians. The 100 Black Men of Houston honored him with its Public Service Education Award. EBONY Magazine has previously profiled him among national leaders to watch and is the recipient of multiple proclamations from members of Congress.

Dr. Gina Hudnall

Dr. Gina Hudnall is a licensed psychologist who specializes in helping children and adults identify their problems and the solutions. She earned her master’s and doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Ball State University. She is a researcher and educator for Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and the Michael E. Debakey Veteran Affairs Medical Center. She is the only African American Associate Professor in the Health Services Research and Development Section of BCM and is only 1 of 3 African Americans to earn this rank within this section. As a researcher, she has a passion for helping African Americans and other underserved ethnic minority groups overcome barriers to accessing mental and physical health care. Thus, her area of research focuses on exploring treatment inequalities and social determinants of health.

As an educator for BCM, she has trained over 40 young psychology and psychiatric students to be emerging leaders in a clinical and research setting. As an advocate, she uses her professional expertise to fight for increased access to mental health and STEM services for underserved children and adults. She also the CEO of Total Wellness Assessment & Counseling Center, a psychological services company that provides a holistic treatment approach for predominately underserved individuals and families. As a change expert, she specializes in helping clients identify problems and practical and culturally appropriate solutions. She manages a staff of mental health clinicians that provide over 6,000 clinical service hours per year, 150 of which are donated to the community. Her clinic helps over 400 people each year live happy and fulfilled lives.

Total Wellness Assessment & Counseling Center was awarded the Rising Star award in 2020. She was named clinician of the year in 2018 and outstanding woman of the year in 2019. She is frequently interviewed and asked to be the featured speaker for women’s, mental health and leadership organizations. She has authored and co-authored over 30 articles that are published in peer reviewed journals and psychological treatment books.

Dr. Hudnall lives in Houston, Texas where she is mom to two wonderful and loving children.

She is an avid reader, traveler, and food connoisseur. She loves the outdoors and escapes it all by retreating to her outdoor backyard oasis.

Ed Jointer

Ed Jointer brings real-world experience and understanding for his clients at Quinones and Associates, PLLC. He uses his unique perspective and background in the handling of complex criminal and corporate cases. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Mr. Jointer is a gun violence survivor who was shot while standing outside his Chicago area high school. Even after losing his mother at a young age, Mr. Jointer managed to put himself through California State University San Bernardino, all while raising a younger sibling.

Mr. Jointer went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law which is where he met Quinones & Associates founder Letitia Quinones. He began his legal career as an intern with the firm and has since become an Associate Attorney. 

Ed Jointer has a passion for trial work, and it shows. His filings have been praised for their quality and thoroughness, so much so that one federal judge used one of Mr. Jointer’s sentencing memorandums as a bench brief example in his courtroom. 

Mr. Jointer currently serves as the board president for the Collective Action for Youth, formerly known as the Harris County Youth Collective, an organization dedicated to helping juveniles who are in both foster care and the juvenile justice system.