Ms. Mayes graduated from Booker T. Washington HS in New Orleans, LA. She has an associates degree from Houston Community College and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree from Texas Southern University. Prior to joining the PHS staff, she worked for Honeywell in technology. She is the proud mother of two grown daughters and three wonderful grandsons.
Lee
Walker graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School in Houston. He received an associate in arts degree and
an associate in applied science degree from the Houston Community College
System. Mr. Walker earned his Bachelor
of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston
Downtown. He
worked for the Houston Independent School District before coming to Fort Bend
ISD. An avid
fan of technology, his hobbies are computers and Information Technology.
Mr. Lipsey was born and raised in Longview, Texas. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from West Texas State University. He has been with Fort Bend ISD since 2002—that’s almost ten years. Although Mr. Lipsey has been working for the district for a total of eight years, he has only been at Progressive for six of those years. Before having this job, he worked for Denis Energy Services for over 30 years as both a District Manager and a Regional Sales Manager, among other job titles. Mr. Lipsey shared with me that working as a custodian was not the job he had planned for himself. The opportunity came about one day when a member from his church made an announcement that FBISD was hiring; so, he applied. Mr. Lipsey does a very good job around the school. When asked what he liked most about the job, he simply replied, “I like to make sure things are kept in order and clean.” After a long day of work, Mr. Lipsey enjoys playing golf.
Ms. Jurek has been working with FBISD for twenty years and here at PHS for eighteen of those years. She graduated from Dulles High School before working in the public while she cared for her sick mother. Born in Mississippi, she moved to Houston at the age of four. She also lived in San Diego, California for eighteen years but moved back to Texas because of the cost of the high cost of living in that state, and because she was a single parent raising two teenagers. In all, Ms. Peggy (as she’s known by all at PHS) has three grown children (one daughter and two sons). Because her youngest son has Downs Syndrome she has been very involved in the Special Olympics for sixteen. In her spare time, Ms. Peggy likes to read books of all kinds, watch movies, sew, crochet, and work in the yard.
Hello! My name is Cephus Gunn. I am originally from Livingston, Alabama— just seventy miles from the home of the 2009, 2011, and 2012 NCAA National Champions in football, The Alabama Crimson Tide (Roll Tide). I started working at Progressive High School in 2005 after many years in the cooperate environment. I can truly say that working with high school students everyday has been a life-learning experience. I appreciate the opportunity to work with students from all over the district and to assist them in developing real-life skills.
Mr. Pafford was born in Sand Springs, Oklahoma where he graduated from Charles Page High School. He attended Northeastern A & M College at Miami, Oklahoma, earning an associate of arts degree in computer science. After serving four years in the Air Force as a medical supply clerk, he began working for Shell Oil Company as a computer operator. Due to the oil recession, Mr. Pafford left shell Oil Company to work for Exxon Oil Company. When Exxon closed down the credit card center, he became a tape librarian for Western Geophysical. He then worked for Fort Bend ISD after Western Geophysical was bought by another company. His first job with Fort Bend ISD was as a bus monitor at the Lake Olympia bus terminal. He has worked at Progressive as an instructional aide for 6years and has been with Fort Bend ISD for a total of eight years. Mr. Pafford is married to a teacher who works in the Alief school district and has lived in Alief since 1973. They have two children: a married son who lives in Houston with their child and a married daughter who lives in Eagle Lake with their three children.
Ms. Tanner began her career in the field of Mental Health at the Mental Health Mental Retardation Administration where she was employed as a Caseworker I in the Adolescent Day School. She began her work in FBISD in 1992 as a substitute teacher. in 1994, she was hired as a para-educator here at Progressive where she worked until her retirement in May 2007. She continues to help students as a volunteer for us here at PHS.