The Judge Don and Debra Higginbotham Educational Foundation
Judge Don Higginbotham
The Judge Don and Debra Higginbotham Educational Foundation was established by Judge Higginbotham shortly before his death in 2018. Judge Higginbotham was a retired Williamson County Judge, as well as a retired United States Marine Corps Colonel and decorated Vietnam combat veteran. Judge Higginbotham received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas.
Kerry Russell, Lee Ogburn-Russell, Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield, Judge Dan A. Gattis, Dan M. Gattis
Not pictured: Dr. Stephen Benold, Shana Gattis
Board Members
Lee Ogburn-Russell, President
Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield, Vice President
Kerry Russell, Secretary
Dr. Stephen Benold, Treasurer
Judge Dan A. Gattis
Dan M. Gattis
Shana Gattis
Dr. Lee Ogburn-Russell obtained her BSN from Virginia Commonwealth University and her MSN and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. She started her nursing career as an ICU nurse at St. David’s in Austin. Dr. Ogburn-Russell maintained her clinical practice as she took on administrative and faculty roles. She has held administrative positions at St. David’s Hospital in Austin, Scott and White in Temple, and Temple College. Her last full time position was as the administrator for health professions at Temple College. Her career includes faculty positions at UT Austin, the University of Wyoming, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Temple College, and Texas A&M Central Texas.
Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield served as the 26th Judicial District Judge of Williamson County and also as Presiding Judge of the 3rd Administrative Judicial Region.
Kerry Russell is a Liberty Hill native who is a retired mechanical engineer (University of Texas) and attorney (University of Wyoming). As an engineer, Mr. Russell was involved in various DOD projects. As an attorney, Mr. Russell represented Texas governmental entities on environmental issues.
Mr. Russell and Don Higginbotham were friends for over forty years. Throughout those years he and Judge (USMC Colonel) Higginbotham actively supported USMC combat veterans. Those activities, along with the encouragement of Dr. Lee Ogburn-Russell, resulted in the formation of the Don and Deborah Higginbotham Educational Foundation.
Dr. Stephen Benold has been a health care provider in Georgetown with specialties in Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine for many years. In 2005, he founded Benold Financial Planning in Georgetown as his second career, and now provides financial advice to young and old alike. He attended Rice University where he double-majored in economics and biology. He graduated from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, and did his medical residency at John Peter Smith Hospital, Forth Worth.
Judge Dan A. Gattis has been a rancher, teacher, education administrator, and director of a large nonprofit organization. He also served as the Williamson County, Texas, Judge of the Commissioners Court. He has served in several executive roles with the Houston Livestock Show, where he was awarded the highest honor bestowed by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions for his distinguished contribution to the industry. He is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University, now Texas State University.
Dan M. Gattis has been a Texas Trial Lawyer since 1993. He has also served as a Criminal Prosecutor and as a State Representative in the Texas House of Representatives. He attended Texas A&M University and received his law degree from the South Texas College of Law.
Shana Lee Gattis graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Parks & Tourism Science, and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She has worked in the travel industry as an educator and holds a Texas Real Estate License. She and her husband, Dan M Gattis, own and operate Gattis Ranches, raising beef cattle and quarter horses. They are active locally with the Ride on Center for Kids, on a state level with the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, where she serves on the Leadership Development Committee, and on a national level with the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. The family shows horses with the National Reined Cow Horse Association and Stock Horse of Texas.
Shana and Dan have been married for 23 years and have three children. Sterling is a sophomore at Texas A&M University. Carson is a senior in high school, and Kenedy is a freshman in high school.