Amanda Whiteside, President

Senior Director of Prospect Research and Management, Baylor College of Medicine

Amanda Whiteside currently serves as the Senior Director of Prospect Research and Management at Baylor College of Medicine where she leads the team that oversees all prospect development efforts. At Baylor College of Medicine, she previously supported the foundation, corporation and grateful patient teams before taking on her current role. Prior to joining Baylor College of Medicine in 2022, she spent 6 years at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston where she designed and implemented the first prospect management system at the Museum, successfully managed the prospect management system through a database transition, and managed prospect tracking for a $450 million capital campaign that raised more than $20 million over its initial goal. Amanda started her fundraising career as a summer intern at Holocaust Museum Houston, going on to work full-time after college as the Museum’s first Prospect Researcher. There she developed the first prospect management system for the Museum. She graduated Cum Laude from Texas A&M University with a double major in Anthropology and History.

Sr. Development Research Analyst, Houston Methodist Hospital

Preston Jones, Secretary

Associate Director of Prospect Development, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Preston Jones is currently an Associate Director of Prospect Development at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he is focused on Prospect Management to advance prospect development operations and support major fundraising efforts. In this role, Preston focuses on enhancing data-driven strategies, portfolio optimization, and pipeline sustainability for all philanthropic programs.

Previously, Preston most recently served as a Senior Prospect Analyst at Texas Children's Hospital, partnering with all philanthropic fundraising teams to strengthen pipeline building, portfolio segmentation, and moves management. He worked closely with the principal giving team on program development and sustainable pipeline creation, and collaborated with the database team to design dashboards, CRM customizations, and analytic scoring models tailored to Prospect Development operations.

Before joining Texas Children’s Hospital, Preston served as an Associate Director of Prospect Research & Management at Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to that, he spent four years at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as a Development Specialist of Prospect Research and later as an Assistant Director of Prospect Research. Preston began his career as a Student Database Research Intern in the Office of Advancement & Alumni Affairs at the University of Montevallo. His efforts led to the creation of the first prospect research role within the university, and he played a significant part in the “It’s Just About Family” campaign, which raised approximately $36 million over seven years and secured the largest gift in Montevallo history. He holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing and a minor in Management Information Systems from the University of Montevallo.

Prospect Development Officer, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Javi Mares currently serves as the Prospect Development Officer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He joined the MFAH in the fall of 2018, he served as the Annual Fund Coordinator and was promoted to this current role in 2022. In his current role, he is responsible for identifying prospects, conducting research on prospects, prospect management, and integrating data analytics. Prior to his tenure at the MFAH, he served as the Auction Manager at FotoFest during the 2018 Biennial season. He has an ardent appreciation for the visual arts with a special focus in photography and loves the written word. He also volunteers with Trans Lifeline, a non-profit organization that provides trans peer support throughout the U.S., where he facilitates name change microgrants. Javi earned his bachelor degrees in visual arts and psychology from the University of Houston. He lives in the second ward of Houston where he enjoys writing poetry.

Associate Director, Prospect Research and Management, Baylor College of Medicine

Marva Lawrence is a prospect development leader who blends data‑driven research with relationship‑focused fundraising to deliver record‑setting results. In her dual role at Baylor College of Medicine, she supports the Foundation and Corporate Fundraising team with strategic insights, portfolio optimization, and engagement systems that have helped make it BCM’s top‑performing unit.

An active leader in Apra Greater Houston, Marva has revitalized membership engagement through outreach, mentorship, and programming. Her career spans leadership and development roles at Houston Community College Foundation, BakerRipley, and GRACE Community Services, all rooted in advancing philanthropic missions.

Passionate about community service, Marva has dedicated over 20 years to volunteering with local ministries, crisis response efforts, and outreach programs that support children, youth, seniors, and those in need.

Ashley Estes, Immediate Past President

Client Advisor, Greater Houston Community Foundation

Ashley Estes currently serves as a Client Advisor at the Greater Houston Community Foundation. She has 15 years of fundraising experience in the Houston non-profit community. She began her development career at the Houston Food Bank where she built from the ground up their Corporate Partnerships program. In 2013, she moved to Lone Star Legal Aid to serve as the Assistant Director of Resource Development, soliciting and managing private foundation and government grants. In 2015, Ashley was recruited to South Texas College of Law Houston (STCLH) as the Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations. In her four years at STCLH, she grew the grant program more than 350% and implemented a formalized corporate partnership program. In February 2019, Ashley returned to the Houston Food Bank to work with the major gifts team as the Prospect Development Manager and then moved to GHCF in 2023 where she manages a portfolio of private foundation and supporting organization clients. Ashley was elected to the Apra Greater Houston board as the Secretary in 2020, and moved into the VP role in 2022. Ashley is a native Houstonian, has a degree in Anthropology from Baylor University and a law degree from the University of Houston. She currently lives in the city with her husband and their pup.

Project Manager, Donor & Prospect Engagement, University of Houston

Joshua Marroquin is a marketer, fundraiser, analyst and strategist with a main focus on advancing the digital efforts of Houston Public Media. As a part of the digital team, he helps drive revenue during fundraising campaigns, market and promote content on social media, and helps guide strategy by analyzing the stations digital trends on multiple platforms. Since joining the University of Houston in 2018, Joshua has been instrumental in the execution of highly successful fundraising campaigns and university-wide initiatives and has a robust background in using data and analytics to help guide decision making.

Joshua currently leads the prospecting and research team for the University of Houston's Advancement Division. His team is a key link between the University of Houston System’s front-end fundraisers and the offices responsible for providing prospect management, analysis, data, and research. Our primary responsibility is to set our gift officers up for success by building optimized portfolios, providing moves management support, and collaborating with leadership on strategy as we strive to reach our organizational goals. Joshua graduated from University of Houston – Clear Lake with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.