Ellen and Dean Delery

Long time NFCC supporters and past crawfish boil chairs, The Delery family became even more involved at the counseling center this year when Dean joined our advisory board.

Frances and Jim Thomson

Former advisory board member and childhood friend of Nick, Frances, brought her husband Jim along as a major NFCC cheerleader!

Tina Melo

Tina Melo served on our advisory board from 2013-2018. However, she first became involved before it was officially established as she was dealing with her husband’s early onset dementia. Over the years, she and her children have benefitted from counseling and she is proud to help NFCC fulfill its mission!

John Shaeffer

John grew up with Nick Finnegan and when he opened Memorial Trail Ice House, it was a natural fit to host our Crawfish Boil there! We are so grateful to him and his team for helping us create a fun, family-friendly event each year!

Maddox Lamme Winters

Maddox is a native Houstonian who began supporting NFCC through her friendship with Nick’s younger brother, Scotty. Over the years, she has become a regular at our Crawfish Boils and loves that it is an easy way for young professionals to get involved with NFCC!

Todd Greenwalt

Todd Greenwalt has been involved with NFCC for almost as long as the counseling center has existed! He has served many different roles with NFCC but currently chairs the NFCC Foundation. He is an incredible asset to NFCC and we are excited to share his story!

Allison Schaffer

While Allison Schaffer is new to our advisory board, she is passionate about mental health, both in terms of taking care of her own mental health and advocating for mental health in minority communities. We are so excited to share her story!

Becky Helms

Becky has served on our advisory board for two years. She is a vocal supporter of mental health and often shares her own personal experiences with counseling on her social media. We are thrilled to have her on our board and to be able to share her story here!

Scooter Smith

Scooter Smith was an early member of our advisory board and served as the chair in 2010. He and his wife have watched and supported NFCC’s incredible growth over the past 15 years and we are thrilled to have them co-chair our Tree of Life Gala in 2023! Thank you to Scooter for sharing your story!

Michelle Shonbeck

Michelle is the President & CEO of a local non-profit that works to reduce the effects of poverty in Houston. Her experience in this position has exposed her to the importance of mental health and how it impacts every aspect of our lives. She has served on both our advisory board and our Foundation board, and we are thrilled to share her story.

Shannon Waiter

Growing up, Shannon’s dad was a licensed chemical dependency counselor, so she was introduced to the need for affordable counseling at an early age. Her career in the restaurant industry brought her into contact with NFCC and from there, she joined our advisory board and has been a valuable member since then.

Brett Baucum

Brett first became aware of NFCC when he attended one of our Crawfish Boils on a weekend visit from Austin. After moving back to Houston, he joined the NFCC advisory board and was able to see first-hand the positive impact NFCC was having on our community and the exceptional growth we have experienced. We are excited to share his story!

Stuart Ford

Stuart Ford and Randy Helms have served as auctioneers at NFCC’s annual Tree of Life Gala since 2014. Since then, their auctioneering skills have helped raise over $200,000 for the counseling center and they have helped us spread the word about mental health counseling. Stuart chooses to support affordable mental healthcare because he wasn’t able to access it when he was younger, and he wants to help break the stigma associated with seeking help. We are thrilled to share his story.

Julia Wood Harris

Julia Wood Harris was greatly impacted by her own counseling experience after losing her youngest brother. Since then, she has worked hard to break the stigma associated with seeking mental health help. As a native Houstonian and member of NFCC’s advisory board, she is proud to be able to give back to her community.

Randy Helms

Randy Helms and his friend, Stuart Ford, have served as NFCC’s auctioneers at our annual Tree of Life Gala since 2014. Since then, their auctioneering skills have helped raise over $200,000 for the counseling center and they have helped us spread the word about mental health counseling. Randy’s entire family is involved with NFCC and we are thrilled to share his story.

Mary Margaret Greer

Mary Margaret Greer has known members of Nick Finnegan’s family for years, but was able to really become involved with NFCC when she co-chaired the Tree of Life Gala in 2020. The pandemic changed the look and feel of that gala, but it provided Mary Margaret the opportunity to really talk to her friends and family about the importance of mental healthcare and the fact that it’s ok to not be ok. We are grateful Mary Margaret shared her NFCC story with us!

Claud Riddles

Claud Riddles has served on NFCC’s advisory board since 2016. His background in operations helped him guide NFCC in its strategic planning and is one of the reasons the counseling center has experienced so much growth in the past few years. Claud quickly became a beloved member of the NFCC family and we are excited to share his story.

Hallie Thompson

Hallie Thompson is Nick’s cousin. After he passed away and her aunt and uncle worked with St. Luke’s United Methodist Church to start NFCC, she decided to become involved in order to turn her grief into something positive. For Hallie, the counseling center is a great way to keep Nick’s spirit alive while also providing the community with affordable therapy and mental health resources. We are honored to share Hallie’s story.

Stephanie and Brad Tucker

Stephanie and Brad Tucker originally sought out counseling for their family after learning their middle son had special needs. Although they did not receive help from Nick Finnegan Counseling Center, they truly believe in the power of counseling and choose to support NFCC because of the services they provide to the community and their friendship with the Finnegan family. We are so grateful for their support and are honored to share their story!

Jennifer Welch

Jennifer Welch first became connected with Nick Finnegan Counseling Center when she worked for St. John’s School. As a clinical psychologist, she often referred families and students to NFCC and was amazed at the positive responses she received from those referrals. In 2017, she joined our Advisory Board and has been honored to work with NFCC the past five years.

Jenny Elkins

Jenny Elkins originally became involved with NFCC because of her friendship with the Finnegan family. Over the years, she has watched the counseling center grow and as a supporter, she is most proud to see the way the counseling center has grown from an idea to an important and impactful organization that is working to destigmatize mental health care and involve Nick’s generation in advocating for seeking help. During the pandemic, she saw how much the need for affordable counseling increased and truly believes supporting mental health is just as important as supporting a cure for cancer.

Kelly and David Leonard

Kelly and David Leonard originally decided to support NFCC because they felt the counseling center’s mission embodied the Nick Finnegan they had both known, with his friendly, welcoming attitude. They chaired our Crawfish Boil in 2020 and their leadership was crucial to ensuring NFCC was able to thrive and continue to serve our clients during the pandemic. We are thrilled to share their story!

Julie Payne

Julie Payne joined the Nick Finnegan Counseling Center’s Advisory Board in 2020, meaning her first year was marked by the many changes and issues the COVID-19 pandemic brought. She remains passionate about mental health counseling and NFCC because of her background as a social worker and therapist, her own personal journey with therapy and her experiences working with the mission-driven staff and advisory board members.

Gena Blanchard

Gena Blanchard began volunteering for NFCC in 2009, when St. Luke’s United Methodist Church began the Center for Counseling and Life Enrichment. When it transitioned to a center offering on-site counseling and was renamed the Nick Finnegan Counseling Center, Gena became a member of our Advisory Board and served for six years. She has remained a passionate supporter of NFCC and we are excited to share her story.

Carla Dawson

Carla channeled her desire to help the Finnegan family after the loss of Nick into serving as chair of the advisory board for the Counseling Center. A cocktail party she hosted at her home evolved into the 500 person gala we host today. She also served as a board member for 10 years, serving her last term in 2020. She remains a valued member of the NFCC community and we are delighted to share her story!

Rachel and John Luke McConn

Rachel and John Luke McConn have been involved with NFCC in a variety of ways over the past 13 years. John Luke served on our advisory board for five years and he and Rachel hosted our Crawfish Boil in 2015. They continue to support NFCC because they have both benefited from counseling and want to ensure everyone who needs mental healthcare is able to access it.

Sheridan and Robert Plumb

Sheridan and Robert Plumb chaired our Annual Crack ‘Em For A Cause Crawfish Boil in 2014. They first became involved with NFCC through their own personal loss as well as their friendship with the Finnegan family. Their love for the Finnegan’s and the important work that NFCC offers to the community, keeps them involved.