board of directors

Founder & CEO

Rebecca Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor. She is also trained as a Parent Facilitator/Parent Coordinator and Mediator. Rebecca facilitates workshops and training programs on various topics related to high conflict divorce and custody modification across the nation. Rebecca graduated with Honors from Southwest Texas State University. After her Bachelor's, Rebecca moved to Huntsville and graduated with Honors from Sam Houston State University with a Masters of Arts in Counseling. Immediately following her Master's program, Rebecca attended the PhD program in Counseling for 5 semesters. Rebecca has been working with children since 1998 and has been in the mental health field since 2003. 

Rebecca recognized the profound need to expand her philanthropy work and founded the nonprofit, Love Heals You. Serving foster youth at no cost is an endeavor she started in 2008, but when she became aware of the child welfare crisis, she knew she had to do more. Understanding how love is incredibly transformative, it was inevitable that Love Heals must be the focus for the nonprofit. 

Jerry Smith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Midwestern University and a Master’s degree in Entomology from Texas A&M University in College Station. After a successful career, he retired as Vice President of Headwaters Inc., where he played a key role in guiding the company’s growth and operations.

In retirement, Jerry has devoted his time and expertise to serving on various boards and committees. He is an active member of the Leadership Team at The Church at Montgomery, a campus of The Woodlands Methodist Church and the Pastor-Parish Relations Team for all campuses. Additionally, Jerry serves on the board at Lifts West in Red River, New Mexico, where he and his wife own a vacation home.

Jerry enjoys spending time in the mountains of Red River, pursuing his love of hiking, skiing, and the great outdoors. His passion for community involvement and the natural world continues to shape his life and contributions.

Deborah Guinn is a proud native Texan, born and raised in Houston, where she has spent her entire life. She and her husband currently reside in The Woodlands, enjoying the joys of retirement. Together, they have a large and loving family that includes five children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

After a successful 20-year career with Allstate Insurance, Deborah retired and embraced her desire to live a purpose-filled life. This passion led her to a variety of volunteer opportunities, including serving in a hospital in the Cypress area, working as a Teacher’s Aide, and contributing to her church in numerous roles. Through all of these experiences, Deborah’s heart remained deeply connected to helping the marginalized in society.

In 2022, Deborah met Rebecca and was introduced to the work of Love Heals Youth. Over the following two years, she witnessed the organization’s growing impact and felt an undeniable calling to be a part of its mission. Inspired by Rebecca’s vision and the dedication of the community, Deborah joined the Love Heals Youth team. She feels incredibly blessed to work alongside such passionate individuals, all committed to making a difference in the lives of foster children in Montgomery County.

Deborah’s journey is defined by her faith, compassion, and unwavering commitment to serving others, and she is honored to be a part of this transformative work.

Vice President, Private Banking

Pamela Milstead is a vice president in Frost’s private banking group. She joined Frost in 2016 and has

been in the financial industry for 25 plus years. She has lived and worked in the Spring/Woodlands area

since 1997. Pamela is responsible for helping clients navigate their sophisticated and diverse financial

needs by developing a tailored plan and unique combination of services designed to protect and grow

wealth to reach future goals.

Pamela earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Sam Houston State University

and holds her Texas General Lines for Life, Accident, Health and HMO Insurance license. She is a

Certified Wealth Strategist®, a General Securities Representative and an Investment Adviser

Representative.

Pamela is a Montgomery County Leadership graduate, Class of 2022. She was a previous Montgomery

County Cancer Society board member and is currently on the board for Love Heals Youth and the

Executive Women’s Alliance.

Patricia Brown is Executive Vice President, Director of Public Relations (corporate-wide), and President (Conroe, Texas) of Woodforest National Bank (Woodforest) located in The Woodlands, Texas.

Brown began her career with Woodforest in 2001. Throughout her 24 years with the Bank, she has held several positions including Director for all traditional Retail Banking, Treasury Management and Merchant Sales functions.

She is an active member in her community, and she volunteers for numerous community organizations. Currently, Brown is a Board Member of the Crighton Theatre and Love Heals Youth. She is also on the Memorial Hermann Hospital of The Woodlands CEO Advisory Council and an Advisory Board Member of the Conroe Main Street Advisory Board, a member of Montgomery County Fair Association, and Sam Houston State University Alumni Association.

Brown's past philanthropic endeavors include serving as Board Chairperson of the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce (2020), and past Board President of the Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity (2016-2017), (including past Advisory Member for Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity)Brown was also Past Chair of the Athena Leadership Award (2020-2021) and Co-Chair of the Women of Woodforest (WOW) Committee (2019 and 2020).

She received her bachelor's degree in business management from Sam Houston State University where she met her husband who is also an SHSU alumni.

Patricia is also an active member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe where she volunteers in its feeding the homeless program and orphan ministry.