Sunil (Sunny) Sharma – Chairman of the Board  

Sunny Sharma received an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering in India, a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. Sunny has been very active with Helping a Hero’s Wounded Hero Home Program since its inception and integrated Helping a Hero into his Rotary District 5890 Conference while he served as District Governor in 2011. 

Sunny serves as the Chairman of the Board for Helping a Hero and is grateful to the veterans who have volunteered to protect the freedom we enjoy. Learning about these wounded heroes who face a lifetime of physical challenges due to the injuries sustained in combat motivated Sunny to get involved and make a difference. In 1974, Sunny started his career as Management Engineer at St. Joseph Hospital and became Director of Department of Management Engineering for St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children’s Hospital and Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Texas. In 1989, Sunny developed the concept for Sunbelt Medical Corporation (SMC) and founded the company as President and Chief Executive Officer. SMC offers equipment
consultation, acquisition, installation and maintenance for healthcare facilities worldwide. SMC sells new and refurbished equipment to physician’s offices, imaging centers and hospitals. In a highly competitive medical field, SMC has been successful in providing cost effective solutions to its customers without any sales and marketing personnel. SMC has been the only company to furnish a 50 bed General Hospital in West Africa with all Refurbished equipment and a 40 bed Specialty Hospital in USA with all New Equipment on a “Turn Key” basis.

Sunny has served on the Supervisory Board of the World Trade Division of Greater Houston Partnership and has been Chairman of the Asia Business Forum, Middle East Committee, and India Business Forum. He has been on the Board of U. S. China People’s Friendship Association, Fort Bend American Heart Association, Indo AmericanForum of Fort Bend, and Sister Cities of Houston. He served as the President of the Fort Bend American Heart Association and was named the most outstanding Board Member. He served on Sugar Land’s Mayor’s Multicultural Committee, and leadership committee. Sunny is the recipient of the “Fort Bend Humanitarian of the Year” award. He received “Honorary Citizen of Yazoo City, Mississippi” and was in Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, and was a member of Alpha Pi Mu. He is currently serving his second term as President of Houston Abu Dhabi Sister City and is also serving City of Sugar Land as President of the Sugar Land’s Legacy Foundation. Sunny serves on the Board of Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association and also on the Sister Cities of Houston. Sunny serves on the Advisory Board of World Chamber of Commerce –Texas and was honored with the “2015 International Innovator of the year” award. Sunny was appointed by the Mayor of Houston to serve on the Board of Mayor’s International Trade and Development Council for Middle East and North Africa for 2012 -2016. Sunny also served as Chairman for the Houston’s Annual Ramadan Dinner for 2015. Sunny was honored as “international Innovator of the Year” in 2015 by the World Chamber of Commerce-Texas.

Sunny joined Rotary International in 1985 as a charter member of Sugar Creek Rotary, now known as Fort Bend Rotary. He has held various positions within the club and served as President twice and both times received an award for largest growth in membership for the district in the small club’s category. Sunny has served on various district committees including GSE, Million Dollar Dinner, Conference, Leadership Assembly, All Star, DG Nomination, All Club and Health and Hunger. He has also served on the faculty for Assistant Governor’s training and as a Facilitator for President Elects at PETS. He has been a Facilitator for Lone Star PETS since 2011. Sunny is the charter facilitator on the Gulf Coast leadership institute for D5890. He has been Assistant Governor three times and Lieutenant Governor once. He has served as Chief of Staff to the District Governor for 2008-09. Sunny was elected as District Governor and served during 2010-11.

He served as Zone Chair of the “Cowboy Breakfast” at the 2011 Rotary International Convention in New Orleans and served again in 2012 for Zones 21b-27 Cowboys Dinner Cruise at Bangkok. He served as Zone Coordinator for zone 21b for DG class of 2010-11, known as Burgundy Brigade. Sunny is a Charter Member of the Rotary Fellowship of PDGs. Sunny has served as Chair of D 5890 All Club Meeting and also served as the aide to RI President 2011-12, Kalyan Banerjee and Binota. Sunny also served as aide to RI President Ray Klinginsmith and Judie in 2010-11 and to RI President Ravi and Vanathy Ravindran in 2016. Sunny served as an Aid to RI President’s Rep for the D5890 conference in 2014. Sunny and Rashmi were selected to be the RI President’s Representative at the District Conference of D 5130 in California in 2012. Sunny was a guest speaker at D 5840 District Conference in 2011. In 2012, Sunny was invited to speak at various District Conferences and was a guest speaker at D 5910, D 7020, and D 5890 District Conferences. Sunny served as the Facilitator for the DG Class of 2013-14 at the 21b-27 Zone Institute held in Bastrop, Texas, and then again for the Zone Institute held in September 2014 in Denver, CO. Sunny served as 2015 Zone Institute’s Program Chair for Zones 21b-27 in San Antonio, TX. Sunny was invited to speak at the Rotary’s “Volunteerism in Healthcare” in Salvador, Brazil, which was organized by D 4550 and D 4390.

He was selected as “Rotarian of the Year” by his club. Sunny was also honored as “Rotarian of the Year” for District 5890. He is also recipient of the “Citation for Meritorious Service” award from the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation. In 2015, Sunny was selected to receive Rotary’s “Service Above Self” award from the RI President Gary Huang.

Governor Rick Perry of Texas recognized Sunny in April 2011 by commending his Leadership and Charitable efforts. Harris County Judge, Mayor of Houston, Fort Bend County Judge, Mayor of Sugar Land, and Mayor of City of Bellaire honored Sunny for his humanitarian efforts and provided proclamations declaring June 11, 2010 as “Sunny Sharma Day”.

Sunny and Rashmi have three sons, Sanjay, Rajan and Rohan. Sanjay and Rajan are medical doctors and Roshan just graduated from Masters in Health Care Administration and pursuing Cancer Research at the Yale Medical School.

Honorable Chris Daniel – Vice Chairman 

Chris Daniel was elected Harris County District Clerk in 2011 where he oversees the court records of over ninety judges and seventy eight courts, including specialty and probable-cause courts. His office provides constituent services such as Passport Application services and summons all eligible citizens to jury services for all non- municipal/ non-federal courts of Houston and Harris County, Texas. He also manages a staff of five hundred employees at the District Clerks office and oversees a budget of thirty-one million dollars annually.

Prior to his elected to the Clerk’s office, Chris utilized his engineering background to serve as a Patent Law clerk where he prepared technical reports and evaluations on potential patents and litigation; performed technical and legal research regarding patents, trademarks, and patent litigation. Having worked at KBR and National Oilwell VARCO enabled him to put his engineering degree into practice. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and received his law degree from South Texas College of Law, where he specialized in Intellectual Property and Patent Law.

Chris is very active in the community. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Sam Houston Area Council, Board of Directors of the Harris County Criminal Justice Council. He is a Member of The Rotary Club of Houston and is an ex officio member of the Board of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He formerly served on the Board of Trustees of The Lone Star College System from 2006 – 2010.

Chris has been a supporter of Helping a Hero since our first event in 2006. Chris has always supported our veterans and appreciates their service and sacrifice. Chris joined the Board of Directors of Helping a Hero to help lead the organization to the next level. Chris is married and has 2 children.

Karen Roan McClure – Secretary  

Currently Director of Investment Relations at Clarity Financial LLC, responsible for communications with clients and prospective clients, operational support of the financial planning and portfolio management process. Karen has held positions in the financial and investment business for more than 25 years. Prior to joining Clarity, she served as Senior Vice President, Investor Relations at Dennard Lascar Associates, an investor relations consulting firm based in Houston. Previously, she worked in Institutional Equity Sales for 15 years and prior to that served as an Investment Trust Officer and Financial Analyst.

In the area of community service, she has been a volunteer for ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve), a Department of Defense office dedicated to promoting cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component Service members and their civilian employers. She also served on the board of directors and as Secretary of the Board of Helping a Hero, a volunteer organization that builds specially adapted homes for disabled veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Karen graduated from Southern Methodist University School of Business in Dallas with a B.B.A. in Finance. Married to Jack McClure, they have five adult children and five grandchildren.

Michael Sloan – CPA, Treasurer 

Mr. Sloan has over 30 years of experience in the practice of public accounting and his experience includes: Audits, reviews, and compilations for profit and non-profit entities in a variety of businesses. The entities include non-profit, service companies, and construction companies. General and specialized consulting on the organization, management, and operations of profit and non-profit entities. Accounting systems’ review and design with emphasis in management reporting and creation. Proficient in Quick Books accounting software and a variety of other accounting software applications. Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word.

Research, planning, and preparation of federal and state income and franchise tax returns for corporations, partnerships, sole-proprietorships, and individuals. Mr. Sloan graduated from Union College with a Bachelor of Science with a major in accounting. He became a certified public account in 1985 and is licensed to practice in the state of Texas. He is active in his community and enjoys playing golf.

Randy Peterson – Advisory Board Member and Building Committee 

Randy Peterson is the President of Peterson Homes where he specializes in building custom-designed multi-million dollar homes and has a roofing business that focuses on disaster recovery like Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters.

SSG. (Ret.) Shilo Harris, USA – Advisory Board Hero Co-Chair, 2012 Helping a Hero Home Recipient 

Advisory Board Co-Chair 2012 Helping a Hero Home Recipient Shilo Harris came from a family with deep roots in military service. As a son of a Vietnam veteran, Shilo always knew he wanted to be a soldier. On September 11th his life changed forever and shortly afterward he enlisted as a Cavalry Scout in the US Army. His first deployment was to Schweinfurt, Germany with the 1st Infantry Division. From Germany Shilo headed to war-torn Iraq.

On his second deployment with the 10th Mountain Division he was assigned and worked near southern Baghdad. On February 19, 2007, Harris’ armored vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). The explosion injured the driver and ended the lives of three of his fellow soldiers. Shilo survived but with severe third degree burns on 35% of his body. The severity of the burns meant the loss of Shilo’s ears, the tip of his nose
and three fingers. The crushing explosion fractured his left collarbone and C-7 vertebrae.

The devastating injuries required that Shilo remain in a medically induced coma for 48 days; after, he spent nearly three years recovering and undergoing intensive physical therapy at the burn unit of Brooklyn Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, TX. While at BAMC, he was the first soldier to participate in cutting-edge regenerative stem-cell research to regrow his fingers, and later received prosthetic ears. Shilo’s recovery has
involved more than 75 surgeries, which required his family to spend up to six hours a day on wound care. Shilo also struggled from PTSD. In 2010 he was medically retired from the Army. Shilo reflects on his time in the service and his injuries: “Everything in life is a gift. Sometimes it may not be the gift you want but you realize that your challenges are a new beginning.”

Shilo is a family man who is committed to his five children, and is also a devout Christian. In 2012, Helping a Hero nominated the Harris family to be a recipient of ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and was instrumental in working with EMHE to insure the new home was equipped to serve the needs of Shilo’s unique medical and physical circumstances. Today, Shilo is a motivational speaker, sharing his story with groups around the country, raising awareness for PTSD and serving as an inspiration to fellow soldiers.

Captain (Ret.) Dan Moran, USMC – Advisory Board Hero Co-Chair,  

Advisory Board Co-Chair 2009 Helping a Hero Home Recipient Captain Dan Moran is the founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer of Moran Enterprises, Inc.   After five and a half years of service as an infantry officer, Moran medically retired from the United States Marine Corps as a Captain.

A proud “Aggie,” Moran earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Texas A&M University and a Graduate Certificate in Advanced International Affairs at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service. Moran completed a Graduate Certificate in Finance from Tulane University and participated in the Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School.  Captain Moran also holds an Executive
MBA from the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Moran is a decorated combat veteran who served in the Global War on Terror. He is a recipient of the Purple Heart, Navy Commendation Medal with Valor, Navy Achievement Medal with Valor, and the Combat Action Ribbon. He served his initial tour of duty in Fallujah, Iraq. After the initial deployment, Dan was assigned to lead a Mobile Assault Platoon in the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Weapons Company. Dan deployed for a second tour of duty to Ramadi, Iraq in September, 2006.

Dan was wounded during a patrol on October 9, 2006 north of the city of Ramadi. Twelve days later during a night patrol on October 21, 2006 in downtown Ramadi, Dan’s vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device, killing three of his Marines and severely injuring him and his vehicle commander. Dan sustained 3rd degree burns to 50% of his body, incurred multiple fractures in his back, suffered an inhalation injury, a concussion and loss of his spleen. He was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas where he recovered for almost 3 years. He moved to Houston in August 2009, where he lives with his wife, Teal, and their two children, Trey and Macy.

Dan was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor, which was presented to him by former President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates during half time of the Texas A&M vs. University of Kansas football game in College Station on October 27, 2007. Dan also is a recipient of the Navy Achievement Medal with Valor, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Action Ribbon. In December 2010, he was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve on the 2011 Texas Inaugural Committee and was then appointed to serve as a state commissioner on the Texas Veterans Commission and continues to serve in that capacity.

Hector Villarreal – Advisory Board Co-Chair  

Hector Villarreal serves as CEO of LUCHO Holdings Inc., a privately-owned holding company with interests in Brazil, Italy, and Nicaragua.

SSG. (Ret.) Phillips Casey, USA – Advisory Board Hero Co-Chair, 2014 Helping A Hero Home Recipient 

Advisory Board Co-Chair 2014 Helping A Hero Home Recipient Casey graduated 12 th in his high school class as a BETA and Honor Graduate.  He played football and baseball, and was active in his church before going to Georgia State University for two years.  In 2006, he joined the Army and was promoted to Sergeant within two years.

While guiding his team across a shallow river crossing at night, Casey took a knee to not silhouette himself against a backdrop.  His knee triggered a pressure plate improvised explosive device (IED) that blasted him into the air.  The medic could not give him morphine due to his excessive blood loss, so Casey laid back and said the Lord’s Prayer out loud thinking these could be the last moments of his life.  SSG Casey lost his right leg and suffered additional injuries. He completed his rehabilitation at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, TX. Philips is excited to be planning his OI surgery in Australia this summer and dreams of walking on a prosthetic. He and his best friend, Matt Deatherage, plan on walking 1,000 miles once the doctors clear him to do so and use the challenge to raise funds for Helping a Hero and other veteran charities who have helped him in his journey of recovery. Casey and his wife, Natasha, have two daughters and reside in their Helping A Hero home in New Braunfels, TX.

Honorable Adrian Garcia – Advisory Board Co-Chair 

Commissioner Adrian Garcia was recently elected to the Harris County Commissioner Court. 

The Honorable Robert Eckles – Advisory Board Co-Chair 

Judge Eckels is recognized as a national leader in issues of transportation, public finance/public-private partnerships (P3), crisis management, disaster preparation, response and recovery, homeland security, education and health care.

Rex King – Chairman Emeritus 

Rex and his wife Marillyn borrowed $5,000 against an insurance policy and got a small loan from a friend to purchase their first truck to form Palletized Trucking. The Kings grew Palletized from that one truck into a multi-million dollar company. Palletized evolved into a multi-service company providing a spectrum of services to clients ranging from transportation to storage. They became the leaders in the trucking industry through their passion to provide superior transportation services a commitment to safety, the loyalty of their customers, and a love for their most important assets, our employees. Rex officially retired in 2014 and is so proud that their legacy continues through their son, Mike King, who now serves as President of Palletized Trucking. Rex is a World War II veteran and has always looked for ways to support our military. In 2008, Rex and his wife donated $100,000 to fund a home through Helping a Hero an the now serves as Chairman of the Board. The King family owns Lil Toledo Lodge in Chanute Kansas and has sponsored an annual turkey hunting trip for the Helping a Hero home recipients. Rex loves playing cards and interacting with the veterans. It is the highlight of his year to see his guides use wheelchair friendly blinds and creating solutions for disability challenges. Seeing the veterans flourish during the 4 days they are there and the passion of the community to thank our warriors, really shows that patriotism is alive and well in America. He is a proud husband, father grandfather and great-grandfather.

Meredith Iler – Chairman Emeritus and Founder of Helping a Hero’s Wounded Hero Home Program 

Meredith Iler is President of The Strategic Alliance whose mission is to bring people together in business, government, politics, and charity. She founded The Helping a Hero Home Program in 2005 and has spearheaded the $30 million dollar fundraising campaign for Helping a Hero that has succeeded in funding over 100 homes for wounded heroes in 24 states. She successfully put together a partnership with Mayor Bill White, area Congressional members, and Rotary District 5890 to launch the initial 15 homes. Meredith brought Extreme Makeover:Home Edition into the Helping a Hero family. In 2021, Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and noted conservationist, launched the 100 Homes Challenge where he will donate 25% of the next 100 Helping a Hero homes.

Meredith is an active community leader and volunteer, and has served on the Boards of Helping a Hero, Rotary Club of Houston Skyline, The Texas Lyceum, The Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club of Houston, and Alternatives in Motion Adoption Agency. She also served on the Board of Directors of Weaver’s Potato Chips. She is a former Congressional spouse and has supported the military throughout
her adult life. She chaired the National USO Gala in 1995 at a time when the USO was in financial distress and raised $1.8 million in 4 months. She also co-chaired the Send Off Ceremony for the 1/23 Marines when they deployed to Iraq in 2003. She participated in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC 75) sponsored by the Department of Defense where she received an inside look with our military hosted by SOUTHCOM,
including a trip to GITMO. Meredith was recognized by Houston Woman Magazine as one of the Fifty Most Influential Women in Houston, was awarded the “Community Leader of Hope Award” by Aspiring Youth, received the Rotary District 5890 “Distinguished Service Award," The Pacesetter Award from The Cancer League and was named a “Point of Light” by the National Points of Light Foundation. She also holds an Honorary Doctorate from Nebraska Weslayan University. She was appointed to the 2010 Texas Inaugural Committee by then Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, was appointed to the 2018

Texas Inaugural Committee by Governor Greg Abbott and was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the NRCC. Meredith graduated with a BBA from Southern Methodist University and received her law degree from Creighton Law School. She also attended South Texas College of Law her first year of law school where she won the F Lee Bailey National Moot Court Competition and was named Top Oralist and was on the Barristers National Moot Court Team. After transferring to Creighton Law School, she captained their ABA Moot Court team winning Regionals and placing 2 nd at Nationals. She and her husband Marshall have two children.

Theresa Harris – Finance Committee Chair 

Teresa Harris has been a professional in the Finance industry for over 30 years. Her extensive experience has primarily been focused on providing financial solutions for high net worth clients and their companies. Teresa was responsible for managing a $100M portfolio as Vice President of Private Banking at Citibank; was key in the role of Senior Vice President, Private Banking at Regions / Morgan Keegan; and more recently, was a Financial Advisor and Branch Manager Partner at Morgan Stanley. Teresa was awarded her undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Texas. She achieved her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, with Honors, from the University of Houston Central Campus.

Teresa gives back to her community and has served on a number of non-profit boards over her career with past service including being elected to the Executive Board of the Star of Hope Mission and served as Chair, Planned Giving Committee; elected to the Supervisory Board of the World Trade Division of the Greater Houston Partnership; and was elected to the Executive Board of the Education Foundation for the Spring Independent School District where she currently serves as Chair of the Finance committee. Previously, Teresa served as President of the Texas Institute for Arts in Education; which incorporated the Arts into the teaching curriculum of inner city schools in the Houston Independent School District. Teresa is a proud graduate of the American Leadership Forum Class of XXXIV, having served on the Executive Board, and as Chairman of the Investment Committee. Teresa is a founding member, and currently Advisory Board member, of Misiones de Esperanza; which helps women and children in need. Over the past four years, Teresa has also served in a variety of roles for Helping a Hero.org; which builds specially adapted homes for our wounded warriors returning from war.

As a Private Banking Specialist for Private Wealth/Merrill, Teresa works closely with ultra high net worth clients within her Merrill teams. Teresa holds her Series 7 and Series 66 registrations from FINRA, her General Lines and Health licenses with the Texas Department of Insurance, and has her NMLS. 

Rhonda Walls Kerby – Executive Director and General Counsel

Rhonda Walls grew up in Pasadena, Texas where she graduated from Sam Rayburn High School. Rhonda graduated from Texas A&M University in May, 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Rhonda graduated from South Texas College of Law in 1994.

Upon graduation from law school, Rhonda went to work for the Texas Department of Public Safety as an attorney. After her time with DPS, Rhonda worked for the Houston City Attorney’s Office. Rhonda then went to work in the private sector and worked for several law firms in Houston until the formation of Sowell, Alvares, & Walls, PLLC in 2008 where she is a named partner.

Rhonda has a long history of service to the community. She has served as President of the Katy Bar Association and President of the Southwest Area Professional Express Network Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association. She is also a proud member of the Katy Rotary Club, serving that Club in numerous capacities, including President in 2006-2007. Rhonda won President of the Year for Medium Sized Clubs for District 5890. She has served Rotary District 5890 in many capacities including an Area Membership Chair, Assistant District Governor and as its District Governor for 2011-2012. She is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow. In 2022, she served on the Rotary International Convention Committee for the June 2022 international convention in Houston, TX where over 15,000 Rotarians will gather and exchange ideas to impact their communities and the world.

Rhonda has been a donor to Helping a Hero since its inception and was the Secretary the Board of Directors of Helping A Hero. She is very committed to serving our wounded heroes and has been instrumental in securing donated legal services for many veterans dealing with divorce, child custody, and medical injuries. She helped start the Rotary District Conference Golf Tournament benefiting Helping a Hero and has served on the inaugural Advisory Board before joining the Board of Directors in 2014. She has returned to Helping a Hero as our Executive Director and General Counsel as of February 1, 2022.

Rhonda is a proud resident of Sugar Land, Texas where she lives with her husband Brad. In her free time she enjoys playing golf, snow skiing and tailgating at the Texas A&M football games.