Leadership Team Bios

Christopher Barbic
Chris is the founder and Head of YES Prep Public Schools. Chris graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1992, with a bachelor’s degree in English and Human Development. Upon graduation, he joined Teach For America and taught for six years in Houston ISD. In 1995, Chris earned Houston ISD’s Outstanding Young Educator, an award given to the district’s best teacher under the age of 29. In 1995, he and a small group of dedicated parents and teachers began Project YES, a middle school charter program in Rusk Elementary. In 1998, Chris and his leadership team wrote the charter for YES to become YES College Preparatory Schools and he served as School Director for the next four years. In 2003, with the opening of the second YES campus, Chris became Head of Schools to oversee the development of the YES school district in Houston.

Chris has earned a number of awards for his contribution to the educational reform movement. The Do Something Foundation honored Chris with the Do Something Brick Award in 2000. The following year, he was selected by President Bush to serve on the President’s Commission on Excellence in Hispanic Education. Most recently, Chris was selected as one of twenty individuals nationwide to receive the 2004 Gleitsman Citizens Activist Award.  Past Gleitsman award winners include Vice-President Al Gore and Ralph Nader.

Jennifer Hines
Jennifer is the Chief Program Officer for YES Prep Public Schools. She has worked at YES since it first opened as a 6th-12 grade school in 1998. Along with her previous position as School Director, Jennifer has also taught Advanced Placement English and Psychology and worked with individual schools and principal training programs as a consultant on curriculum development. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1992, with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology, Jennifer joined Teach For America and completed four years as an English teacher in Houston.  She then left Houston for a year to earn a Master’s degree in urban education from Harvard University. Jennifer has been a fellow of the Houston Annenberg Challenge Leadership Academy for principals in Houston as well as Common Ground, a program for English teachers sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. As Chief Program Officer, she oversees curriculum development and teacher training for the YES district. She will also implement the teacher-mentoring program that she developed at YES Southeast. Her primary responsibility is to ensure each YES campus executes the academic program with a high degree of quality.

Sheilah Kavaney
Sheilah rejoined the YES Prep team in July 2004 as the Chief Operating Officer. She graduated from Earlham College with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a focus in Peace and Global Studies. Sheilah moved to Houston, Texas in 1993 to begin a career teaching middle school science as a Teach for America corps member. In 1995, she joined Christopher Barbic to establish Project YES. After leaving YES, she attended Boston University School of Management where she earned a master’s degree in business administration and a certificate in public and non-profit management. Most recently, Sheilah managed Summerbridge Cambridge as the Executive Director where she developed and implemented measurable strategic goals including tripling the individual donor base and creating a portfolio and evaluation system for teachers.

Ryan Dolibois
Ryan Dolibois is the Chief Development Officer for YES Prep Public Schools. Ryan is a graduate of William and Mary and came to Houston in 1998 as a member of the Teach for America corps. He taught 5th grade reading for three years in an inner-city elementary school, and in 1999 was recognized as the first-year Teacher of the Year for the state of Texas. Ryan joined the staff of YES Prep in 2001 and, in addition to his development responsibilities, has taught 11th grade English and 12th grade government. Over his time at YES, the annual fund goal has grown from $500,000 to an annual need of over $2.5 million. In the past four years, working with the YES Board and Head of Schools, Ryan has helped YES raise more than $27 million for its operations, facilities, and expansion. The fundraising effort has included local and national foundations, corporations, and generous individuals from across the United States.  He is a member of the National Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and is active in the local chapter. He has participated as a speaker for a number of AFP events and also been a part of the “Fundraising 101” series at Rice University and the University of Houston.