Board of Directors and Founders
Hallet Oak Foundation Incorporated Supporters
Officers – All Volunteer
2016 -2018 Founders and Board of Directors
Mieko Mahi, Co-Founder/Executive Director/Community Development. Mieko has a BA in Visual Arts from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a freelance photographer for the past 27 years in the energy industry and she is owner of EnergyImages.Com, LLC., an oil and gas stock photo agency. Mieko’s passion is bringing the art education workshops in Downtown Hallettsville and is determined to bring in more variety for youths and senior citizens, as well as, work on revitalization projects through art and culture.
Linda Cejka, Co-Founder, Chairman and Director. Linda Cejka is a graduate of Our Lady of the Lake University with a Master of Business Administration degree focusing on Marketing. Linda’s BA is in English Literature and Psychology Minor from the University of Texas at Austin. Her skills also include advanced computer technology and is currently working as Tour Coordinator for schools. Linda with her zest to promote art advocacy is determined to make a difference to a large rural area by achieving grants and developing new programs that will touch the lives of children and senior citizens.
Claire Scoggin, Co-Founder/Treasurer/Curriculum. Claire Scoggin, retired in 2014 from the Houston Museum of Natural Science as Director of the Wiess Energy Hall. Claire taught 7th grade Texas history for 27 years. Claire’s passion is Ecology & Energy Science Education and continuing education in schools using art and tools to make learning about history, sciences, and art and she’ll use her skills to bring art curriculum to the community. Graduate of University of Texas at Austin, Secondary Education specializing in English and Social Studies. She is a curriculum specialist.
Betty J. Edwards, M. D., Co-Founder/Board Secretary/Philanthropist. Dr. Edwards graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and specializes in Obstetrics & Gynecology in Houston, TX. She speaks English and Spanish. Dr. Edwards is benefactor to the Hallet Oak Gallery and owner of the historic Kahn & Stanzel Building in addition to other buildings downtown. Her passion is to continue supporting cultural arts in downtown Hallettsville, sponsoring Christkindlmarkt Downtown Hallettsville, and preservation of historic buildings.
2015 - 2017 Past Board Member: Alice Vickers, Co-Founder/Past Chairman/Administration/Present Docent. Alice attended Sam Houston State College with an emphasis on Business and Art. Retired in 1999 from ExxonMobil as an Executive Administrative Assistant, Alice is an active member of many Texas art institutions. Alice is focused on making a difference to the community and doing what’s necessary to support art education. She continues to support the Gallery as a docent and patron.
Advisory Board
Harley Fisk, Event Advisor, Operations Manager. Harley Fisk. Harley is retired with experience in the hospitality industry where he was honored as the Texas Chef of the year and wrote for several regional and national publications. He has extensive experience in chemical management having rewritten most of the company’s quality assurance manuals. He holds a BS degree in Biology from the State University of New York at New Paltz and is a veteran of the US Army Special Forces. His goal is to focus on improving the lives of those living in or visiting the community.
Sue Pritchett, S.T.E.A.M Advisor. Sue Pritchett, works for Ikon Science Americas in Business Development. Pritchett received her BS, Petroleum Engineering degree from The University of Texas at Austin. She's dedicated to support arts in Hallettsville among her many science technology, engineer, art, and math interests (STEAM). Her passion is in supporting and promoting artists, songwriters, live music performers as well as young scientists. Her other charity is the regional Science and Engineering Fair of Houston for junior and senior high students. She adores the historical architectural community that supports neighborly and safe places.
Georgia Pohl, Education Outreach Advisor. Georgia Pohl graduated from Texas State College with a BS degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Art and is now a master art instructor for promising young artists in the After School Art Program and at Hallet Oak Gallery. She completed a writing course from the Institute of Children’s Literature, and has a secretarial degree. Pohl retired from Hallettsville Elementary School, has been employed at St.Rose of Lima Catholic School and Schulenburg ISD and served in AmeriCorps for three terms. Her art experiences and enthusiasm for working with children add quality and value to a growing appreciation for the arts in our rural community.
Darlene Immekus, Program Advisor. Darlene Immekus is an Agriculture Science Major from Southwest Texas State University. Immekus currently teaches shop at Yoakum Junior High School and owns an independent cattle ranch with her husband. As an active parent with three children that participate in sports and horseback-riding, she still finds time to give back to her community. She coordinates the Hallettsville Girl Scouts and is the Lavaca County Service Unit manager for Girl Scouts. Darlene’s goal is to increase advocacy for the arts by elevating the awareness of the benefits of the arts. She is keen to bring industrial arts to a new level by use of wood, leather, and new technology.
2015 - 2018 Past Operations: Aaron Riske, Present Volunteer. Born with Spinabifida, Aaron Riske never let the difficulties of his paraplegic lifestyle get in the way of driving and volunteering. His daily affirmation is to not look at his disability as "dramatic", but to go on with his life having a positive attitude. "In my youth, I was fascinated with art because it emphasized the importance to be different. Art has given me an outlet for my imagination to both create art and to become the man I wanted to be". He attended Blinn College in Schulenburg to study teaching and attended Victoria College annex in Gonzales, receiving his medical assistant degree. He finds time to volunteer at the Gaslight Theatre in Shiner and the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts in Victoria. Aaron Riske has been with the Gallery since it opened in July 2015. In 2017, Governor Greg Abbot anointed Aaron Riske as an honorary Admiral in the Texas Navy for assisting in the preservation of the history, boundaries, water resources, and defense of State for his volunteer work.
Principal Attorney
Shakeatha Davis, Business Attorney. The S. Davis Law Group, PLLC. Shakeatha Davis’s practice areas include business law, intellectual property and entertainment law. She currently partners with Houston Galveston Women’s Business Center and Women Business Enterprise Alliance as a legal advisor and is a volunteer attorney for the Texas Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts. Davis earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and her Bachelor of Art degrees in Music and English from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Jim Blackburn, Environmental Attorney. Jim Blackburn is a professor in the practice of environmental law in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University, teaching courses in sustainable development and environmental law. He is also a practicing environmental lawyer with the Blackburn & Carter law firm in Houston and a Rice faculty scholar at the Baker Institute. At Rice, he serves as the co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center and as director of the undergraduate minor in energy and water sustainability. At the SSPEED Center, Blackburn has been responsible for the development of landscape-scale green space solutions for surge damage mitigation, including the Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area, a web-based ecological services exchange and structural alternatives. He is the author of “The Book of Texas Bays” (Texas A&M University Press, 2004), which focuses on the environmental health of bays in Texas and efforts undertaken to protect them. He has received various public service awards, including the Barbara C. Jordan Community Advocate Award from Texas Southern University in 2007, the National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation in 2001 and the Bob Eckhardt Lifetime Achievement Award for coastal preservation efforts from the Texas General Land Office in 1998. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary membership by the American Institute of Architects for legal work associated with urban quality of life issues in Houston. Blackburn received a B.A. in history and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in environmental science from Rice University.
Officers – All Volunteer
2016 -2018 Founders and Board of Directors
Mieko Mahi, Co-Founder/Executive Director/Community Development. Mieko has a BA in Visual Arts from the University of Texas at Dallas and is a freelance photographer for the past 27 years in the energy industry and she is owner of EnergyImages.Com, LLC., an oil and gas stock photo agency. Mieko’s passion is bringing the art education workshops in Downtown Hallettsville and is determined to bring in more variety for youths and senior citizens, as well as, work on revitalization projects through art and culture.
Linda Cejka, Co-Founder, Chairman and Director. Linda Cejka is a graduate of Our Lady of the Lake University with a Master of Business Administration degree focusing on Marketing. Linda’s BA is in English Literature and Psychology Minor from the University of Texas at Austin. Her skills also include advanced computer technology and is currently working as Tour Coordinator for schools. Linda with her zest to promote art advocacy is determined to make a difference to a large rural area by achieving grants and developing new programs that will touch the lives of children and senior citizens.
Claire Scoggin, Co-Founder/Treasurer/Curriculum. Claire Scoggin, retired in 2014 from the Houston Museum of Natural Science as Director of the Wiess Energy Hall. Claire taught 7th grade Texas history for 27 years. Claire’s passion is Ecology & Energy Science Education and continuing education in schools using art and tools to make learning about history, sciences, and art and she’ll use her skills to bring art curriculum to the community. Graduate of University of Texas at Austin, Secondary Education specializing in English and Social Studies. She is a curriculum specialist.
Betty J. Edwards, M. D., Co-Founder/Board Secretary/Philanthropist. Dr. Edwards graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and specializes in Obstetrics & Gynecology in Houston, TX. She speaks English and Spanish. Dr. Edwards is benefactor to the Hallet Oak Gallery and owner of the historic Kahn & Stanzel Building in addition to other buildings downtown. Her passion is to continue supporting cultural arts in downtown Hallettsville, sponsoring Christkindlmarkt Downtown Hallettsville, and preservation of historic buildings.
2015 - 2017 Past Board Member: Alice Vickers, Co-Founder/Past Chairman/Administration/Present Docent. Alice attended Sam Houston State College with an emphasis on Business and Art. Retired in 1999 from ExxonMobil as an Executive Administrative Assistant, Alice is an active member of many Texas art institutions. Alice is focused on making a difference to the community and doing what’s necessary to support art education. She continues to support the Gallery as a docent and patron.
Advisory Board
Harley Fisk, Event Advisor, Operations Manager. Harley Fisk. Harley is retired with experience in the hospitality industry where he was honored as the Texas Chef of the year and wrote for several regional and national publications. He has extensive experience in chemical management having rewritten most of the company’s quality assurance manuals. He holds a BS degree in Biology from the State University of New York at New Paltz and is a veteran of the US Army Special Forces. His goal is to focus on improving the lives of those living in or visiting the community.
Sue Pritchett, S.T.E.A.M Advisor. Sue Pritchett, works for Ikon Science Americas in Business Development. Pritchett received her BS, Petroleum Engineering degree from The University of Texas at Austin. She's dedicated to support arts in Hallettsville among her many science technology, engineer, art, and math interests (STEAM). Her passion is in supporting and promoting artists, songwriters, live music performers as well as young scientists. Her other charity is the regional Science and Engineering Fair of Houston for junior and senior high students. She adores the historical architectural community that supports neighborly and safe places.
Georgia Pohl, Education Outreach Advisor. Georgia Pohl graduated from Texas State College with a BS degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Art and is now a master art instructor for promising young artists in the After School Art Program and at Hallet Oak Gallery. She completed a writing course from the Institute of Children’s Literature, and has a secretarial degree. Pohl retired from Hallettsville Elementary School, has been employed at St.Rose of Lima Catholic School and Schulenburg ISD and served in AmeriCorps for three terms. Her art experiences and enthusiasm for working with children add quality and value to a growing appreciation for the arts in our rural community.
Darlene Immekus, Program Advisor. Darlene Immekus is an Agriculture Science Major from Southwest Texas State University. Immekus currently teaches shop at Yoakum Junior High School and owns an independent cattle ranch with her husband. As an active parent with three children that participate in sports and horseback-riding, she still finds time to give back to her community. She coordinates the Hallettsville Girl Scouts and is the Lavaca County Service Unit manager for Girl Scouts. Darlene’s goal is to increase advocacy for the arts by elevating the awareness of the benefits of the arts. She is keen to bring industrial arts to a new level by use of wood, leather, and new technology.
2015 - 2018 Past Operations: Aaron Riske, Present Volunteer. Born with Spinabifida, Aaron Riske never let the difficulties of his paraplegic lifestyle get in the way of driving and volunteering. His daily affirmation is to not look at his disability as "dramatic", but to go on with his life having a positive attitude. "In my youth, I was fascinated with art because it emphasized the importance to be different. Art has given me an outlet for my imagination to both create art and to become the man I wanted to be". He attended Blinn College in Schulenburg to study teaching and attended Victoria College annex in Gonzales, receiving his medical assistant degree. He finds time to volunteer at the Gaslight Theatre in Shiner and the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts in Victoria. Aaron Riske has been with the Gallery since it opened in July 2015. In 2017, Governor Greg Abbot anointed Aaron Riske as an honorary Admiral in the Texas Navy for assisting in the preservation of the history, boundaries, water resources, and defense of State for his volunteer work.
Principal Attorney
Shakeatha Davis, Business Attorney. The S. Davis Law Group, PLLC. Shakeatha Davis’s practice areas include business law, intellectual property and entertainment law. She currently partners with Houston Galveston Women’s Business Center and Women Business Enterprise Alliance as a legal advisor and is a volunteer attorney for the Texas Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts. Davis earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude from Thurgood Marshall School of Law and her Bachelor of Art degrees in Music and English from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Jim Blackburn, Environmental Attorney. Jim Blackburn is a professor in the practice of environmental law in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Rice University, teaching courses in sustainable development and environmental law. He is also a practicing environmental lawyer with the Blackburn & Carter law firm in Houston and a Rice faculty scholar at the Baker Institute. At Rice, he serves as the co-director of the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SSPEED) Center and as director of the undergraduate minor in energy and water sustainability. At the SSPEED Center, Blackburn has been responsible for the development of landscape-scale green space solutions for surge damage mitigation, including the Lone Star Coastal National Recreation Area, a web-based ecological services exchange and structural alternatives. He is the author of “The Book of Texas Bays” (Texas A&M University Press, 2004), which focuses on the environmental health of bays in Texas and efforts undertaken to protect them. He has received various public service awards, including the Barbara C. Jordan Community Advocate Award from Texas Southern University in 2007, the National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation in 2001 and the Bob Eckhardt Lifetime Achievement Award for coastal preservation efforts from the Texas General Land Office in 1998. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary membership by the American Institute of Architects for legal work associated with urban quality of life issues in Houston. Blackburn received a B.A. in history and a J.D. from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.S. in environmental science from Rice University.