The Role of the Covenant Board of Trustees
Authority and responsibility for the successful operation of the school begins with the Board of Trustees. The Board sets policy and a budget, and gives authority to the Head of School to administer these policies and to employ the necessary staff to implement them. The Head of School, in turn, delegates authority and assigns responsibility to the Staff and Faculty. This network of authority and responsibility is Covenant Academy’s chain of accountability for both job performance and communication.
Board of Trustees Directory
Michael Gaines
Chairman
Currently residing in Cypress, Texas, Michael Gaines is a professional communicator and speaker, with a majority of his experience coming from leading broad domestic and international communications strategies for Fortune 500 energy sector companies.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from LeTourneau University, a Master of Business Administration from Amberton University, and is a graduate of NOV Ventures – a joint Technology Commercialization program between NOV Inc. and the University of Texas McCombs School of Business.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Michael came to understand his need for a Savior and accepted Christ at the age of 11. He was later baptized at his then-home church Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Michael and his wife, Rachel, were married in 2008 at Second Baptist Church in Houston, where they currently attend the Cypress campus. Michael is an ordained deacon in the church and has directed and taught in bible study classes since joining Second Baptist. They have two daughters, Emily (Class of 2032), and Madison (Class of 2034), who both attend Covenant. Michael is fully aligned with the Covenant Academy mission of serving Christ and His Kingdom by sharing the Gospel and partnering with parents to train students by way of Scripture and the classical liberal arts.
Rob Grooms
Treasurer
Rob grew up in Sherman, Texas and during his freshman year in college, came to know Christ through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin University with a B.B.A. in Accounting in 1994 and has worked in public accounting, performing audits of hospitals and other not-for-profit organizations. Since 2006, Rob has worked for Houston Methodist Hospital in the supply chain management department.
Cathy and Rob have been married since 2003 and have three sons, Witt (Class of 2022), Charlie (Class of 2026), and Sam (Class of 2034). They are members of Houston’s First Baptist Church, where Rob serves as a Deacon, and where Rob and Cathy both teach third grade life Bible study. They have attended Covenant since 2016 and are beyond grateful to be part of the Covenant community.
Chris Noell
Secretary
Chris grew up in Dallas and received a classical Christian education from St. Mark's School of Texas. He attended Dartmouth College and the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a History Honors degree and a Master’s in Business Administration. Chris has spent his career in cybersecurity and software development and is currently serving as the Chief Product Officer at Raptor Technologies. Raptor provides school safety software for K-12 schools around the U.S.
Chris believes that our nation desperately needs revival, and that Christian classical education will play a prominent role in bringing this about. He celebrates the transformative effect it has had on his children's hearts and minds.
Chris and his wife Jamie, married for 24 years, have three children, Mackenzie (attending University of Texas), Reilly (Covenant Class of 2021) and Regan (attending Regents School of Austin). He and his family now live in Austin but remain committed to Covenant Academy and the special community it has fostered. Chris previously served on the Covenant Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2016.
Dave Brookes
Member At-Large
Dave was born in California and moved to Texas with his family at age eight. Raised in a Christian home, he came to know Christ at an early age and was blessed to attend Christian schools. Dave graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois with a B.S. in Physics in 1992 and from Texas A&M University with a Ph.D. in High Energy Physics in 2000. Since graduation, he’s worked in the field of geophysics for seismic mapping companies in Houston.
Having experienced first-hand the value of Christian education, Dave is eager to extend this precious gift to our children and is grateful for the opportunity to be involved with Covenant Academy.
Dave and his wife Janice have been married 28 years. Their son, Philip (Class of 2022), has attended Covenant since Kindergarten. Dave previously served on the Covenant Board of Trustees from 2013 to 2019.
Jackie Marquez
Member At-Large
Jackie is a native of Mexico City and has lived in the Cypress area since 2004. Jackie received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology at University of Houston and a Master’s in Human Resources and International Business Management at Colorado State University and is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox Latino Leadership program. Since 1999, Jackie has been working in different areas of Human Resources from Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Operations, Talent Strategy, HR Business Partner and most recently as Global HR Director. Her diverse cultural background and focus on growing and supporting organizations’ strategy has led her to several global projects and community leadership roles.
Jackie came to know Christ through CyLife Ministry in Cypress and was later baptized. She is excited about the potential opportunity to serve and partner with Covenant Board of Trustees to support the school’s Mission, Vision, and strategic goals.
Jackie and her husband, Nelson, were married in 2004 and have two daughters, Kate (Class of 2026) and Jiselle (Class of 2028), who have both attended Covenant Academy since Kindergarten.
Dr. Steve Jones
Ex Officio
Dr. Steven L. Jones is a long-time friend and advisory board member of Covenant Academy. He currently serves as the Teaching and Training Pastor of Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, Texas. In addition to serving at Kingsland, Steve is a professor of Medical Terminology at Rice University, and has held previous faculty appointments at Houston Baptist University, Trinity University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Baylor University.
Steve holds a BA in Greek and Latin from Baylor University, an MA in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies from Bryn Mawr College, and a PhD in Classics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Steve and his wife Tamber have six children: Bethany, Rachel, Hannah, Madelyn, Asa and Ezra. When not reading, studying, or teaching, he enjoys taking road-trips with his family, watching baseball or football (whichever is in season), drinking ice-cold Dr. Pepper, eating hamburgers, and showing off his parallel-parking skills.