Meet Your 2024-2025 PTO Board
MICHELE NICOL - President
president@deretchinpto.org
This is Michele's second year on the PTO board and previously she served as the VP Membership revamping the PTO website and helping with membership and social media. Michele has been married to her husband Michael for 12 years and they have two dragons - Jackson (3rd) and Ethan (1st grade). Michele had her first role with the PTO two years ago as the Rodeo Chair and completely fell in love with the event! She is excited to serve on the Rodeo team again this year and looks forward to serving in many other capacities alongside our wonderful parent volunteers. Michele also serves as the Cookbook Treasurer for the Junior League of the Woodlands and is a full time Realtor. She loves serving/working/living in this amazing community!
Susie Stern - VP Fundraising
vpfundraising@deretchinpto.org
This is Susie's second year on the PTO Board! She is a mom of four to Braden (8th), Greyson (6th), Charlotte (3rd) and Tucker (Kinder). Susie and her husband Mike moved here two years ago from New York where she was very active on the PTO, serving for over 6 years on their board. Susie loves helping out with all parts of the PTO, and this year will primarily focus on Teacher Appreciation and fundraising! Susie is also a member of the McC PTO board, Class Act board, NCR board as well as a brownie leader to Deretchin 3rd graders! When not volunteering, she enjoys crafting, baking and reading. Susie is so excited to be a part of the Deretchin dragon family, and can’t wait to meet new friendly faces this year!
Narcisa Rincon - VP Fundraising
vpfundraising@deretchinpto.org
Narcisa is married to Cesar Rincon and they are parents to one Deretchin Dragon - Lana in 3rd grade. This is her second year on the PTO board and she is really excited to work with this team of lovely ladies! She has volunteered at the library for the last three years and enjoys helping out at the different PTO events when possible. Winter Wonderland is one of her favorites since she gets to help the students shop for their family and friends. She feels very blessed to be a part of this great school with amazing and caring teachers, administrators and parents who support the school and dedicate their time to make it better.
LEONOR SANCHEZ - VP Membership
vpmembership@deretchinpto.org
This is Leonor's first year on the PTO board and she is excited to help with membership, social media, the PTO website and serve as the Room Parent Coordinator. Leonor has been married to her husband Berto for 21 years and they have a son Juan Pablo in 4th grade and a daughter Veronica in 3rd grade dual language program. Leonor has been an active volunteer, room parent and substitute teacher at Deretchin since 2020 and is excited to change gears and support the school and teachers in another capacity as a PTO board member. She feels so blessed to be a part of an amazing school and community and looks forward to another great school year!
Allison Van Houten - VP Programs
vpprograms@deretchinpto.org
This is Allison's second year on the PTO board! She is a mom of three, Ellie (2nd), Kurt (2nd), and Daisy (4 years old). Ellie and Kurt are on their third year at Deretchin, and we have all had a wonderful experience so far as Dragons! As a member of the PTO Allison has enjoyed volunteering in many capacities throughout the school year. The Rodeo is her favorite PTO event, and she looks forward to helping make it great again this year! She is so grateful to be a part of such a fantastic school and community with dedicated and supportive parents, administrators, and staff!
Audri Bakanasuskas - VP Programs
vpprograms@deretchinpto.org
Audri has a daughter in 1st grade (Karina) and a son in 5th grade (Boden). If you see her, please come talk to her because she loves making new friends! This is her 4rd year as a co-chair for Field Trips and her 2nd year as VP of Programs. All of our events are fantastic but she has a special place in her heart for the field trips. She really enjoys helping plan the field trips as it is like planning a huge party where the kids will have a total blast. She is so happy to be part of the board this year to help support our phenomenal teachers, staff and parents! Go Dragons!!
CHRISTIE CONLEY - PARLIAMENTARIAN
parliamentarian@deretchinpto.org
This is Christie's 7th year on the board. Previously she has served as President of the PTO. When asked what her favorite PTO event is, Christie has a hard time choosing. She loves Winter Wonderland because it is a great excuse to shop. Her other favorite is the Deretchin Rodeo, but she particularly enjoys running the raffle. Receiving all the Amazon boxes at her door is like having Christmas in February! Watching the kids look at the baskets and put in their tickets at lunch brings a smile to her face. They get so excited to see what all their wonderful parents have donated! Then the absolute best part is the drawing. You can hear the kids cheering for their friends in hopes that they win, and when someone they know wins a basket, the kids go wild! Seeing the joy on their faces make all the work worth it.
SUSAN CALDWELL - Secretary
This is Susan’s first year on the PTO Board and sixth year serving on the PTO. She has enjoyed working on many committees over the years, but Rodeo stands out as her favorite because the kids have such a blast! When she’s not working on Rodeo as Volunteer Coordinator, she also enjoys spending time helping out Mr. Mattern in the Library. Susan is wife to Justin, mom of two Dragons, Grant (5th grade) and Chloe (2nd grade), and mom to two French Bulldogs, Stewart and Stella. When she’s not doing mom things, she likes to travel and be active outdoors. Susan is honored to be a part of this hardworking committee of exceptional moms who are so dedicated to supporting their kids, teachers, administrators, and community.
Monica Patel - Treasurer
This is Monica's second year on the board but she has been the Room Mom Coordinator, Spirit Night Coordinator and Room Parent every year. She has been married to her husband Anuj for 16 years. She has a daughter Sophia in 8th grade at McCullough Junior High and son Aiden in 5th grade at Deretchin. She is planning to pull out her calculator to be treasurer this year. Time to crunch some numbers!
