Board of Directors

Joseph LaChapelle is a native of Houston, Texas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management. Joseph is an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Eta Rho Sigma Alumni Chapter; having been initiated through the Zeta Zeta Chapter at the University of Houston.

Joseph worked for Shell Royal Dutch corporation for the past 22 years. His career has spanned several roles in the manufacturing, project, supply chain and logistics arenas. Currently, Joseph serves as the Terminals Contract Manager for North America. Joseph enjoys exercise, music, and fine cigars in his spare time.

Prior to being elected Chairman, Joseph served on the CAUSE Foundation’s board as a general board member and the Program Director. ...Read more-->

Ramsey Cooper earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Wiley College and MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a Registered Parliamentarian (RP) through the National Association of Parliamentarians where he regularly presents educational workshops for local units and state conventions. Ramsey currently serves as the International Parliamentarian for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., with duties that include planning for and providing advice to presiding officers during business sessions of national conventions. Previously for Phi Beta Sigma, he was elected as the 17th State Director of Texas with four years’ experience as presiding officer and lead organizer of state conferences. He was selected as an honoree in the 10th edition of Who’s Who in Black Houston.

Ramsey works as a Business Analyst for a global financial institution where he is responsible for data analysis and training & development. He lives with his wife in League City, TX and is a board member at their local church. ...Read more-->

Michael Matthews is native of Houston, TX. Michael served in the US Army from 1999 to 2014.

After his time in the military Michael moved back to the Houston area with his family and entered school where he earned a Bachelor of Science focusing in Project Management, followed by a master’s degree focusing on International Marketing, both which he jokingly says he never uses.

Michael has been a member of Phi Beta Sigma, Eta Rho Sigma chapter since 2013, he currently serves as the chapter secretary.

Michael serves as the State of Texas, Commander for the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He works for the Wounded Warrior Project as a National Campaign Team member, touring the country sharing his military service, injury and resources to different organizations and companies. He also volunteers with the organization by being a PEER Mentor and host PEER groups monthly.

For the past three years he has also served as Chief Operating Officer with his family’s nonprofit, Good Faith Community, which focusing on enabling transitioning military families with family fun, educational classes and community volunteering/engagement. ...Read more-->

Tonnie Buggs, MBA, CPA is a retired seasoned professional with extensive experience in tax compliance and education. With a career spanning over three decades, Tonnie has held significant roles, including Territory Manager at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Accounting Professor at Texas Southern University.

As a Territory Manager at the IRS, Tonnie led a team of over 160 employees across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Tonnie was instrumental in the development of the IRS Virtual Currency and Marijuana programs, as well as leading local compliance initiatives in healthcare and agriculture.

Tonnie also established the first and one of the most successful Abusive Transactions and Abusive Schemes (ATAT) groups in the Gulf States area, which received national recognition for its success. They provided technical assistance with various compliance initiatives and developed procedures for processing promoter investigations.

In addition to his work at the IRS, Tonnie served as an Accounting Professor at Texas Southern University, where he taught a variety of accounting courses to over 600 students. His PowerPoint presentations were published as a student resource manual by Thompson Publishing Company.

Tonnie is a native of Flora, MS holds an MBA and a BS in Accounting from Jackson State University. He is currently an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) consulting in leadership development, critical thinking, implementation, business acumen, education, real estate and tax consultation.

He is also the president of Benison Energy Services, a whole-house generator sales and service provider. ...Read more-->

Steven R. Edwards was born in Lafayette, Louisiana and reared in Baytown, Texas. He graduated from Ross S. Sterling HS and Sam Houston State University with a BBA in Business Management. While at Sam Houston he joined Phi Beta Sigma, the spring 1978 .

He worked for ExxonMobil in the maintenance division for 33 years. He had various assignments in Training, Project Management, Turnaround and Construction. Before he retired as a supervisor, he created Training Modules that are still being used today.

He currently owns a small HVAC company that he started in 2006. He is a member of The Church of Bethel Family and volunteers in the food pantry area. His hobbies include fishing, restoring old cars and biking. He is married to Deniese, his wife of 37 years. They have 3 children, Brittney, Steven Jr., and Simone and one granddaughter McKenzie. ...Read more-->

Derrick Lacy was born in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in finance.

Derrick began his post-graduate career as a mortgage underwriter and has spent the last 24 years with LyondellBasell, where he is currently the Lead Sourcing Manager, Parcel Tankers. His responsibilities include short and long-term strategy, contract negotiation, leading a team of Demurrage Analysts, and managing ad hoc initiatives. Derrick also serves as co-chair of LyondellBasell's BELIEVE employee network, where he oversees a global team of volunteer employees, manages budgets, and develops annual initiatives aligned with LYB's DEI goals. Derrick formerly worked as the lead recruiter for LYB's Supply Chain and has mentored numerous workers throughout the years.

Derrick has been a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc since August 6, 1992, currently an active member of the Eta Rho Sigma Alumni Chapter in Houston, TX.

Derrick enjoys spending time with his wife of 28 years, Cassandra, and their two kids, Kendall and Kamille, as well as traveling and drinking wine and bourbon. ...Read more-->

Ron Stewart was born 24 January 1974 in New Orleans, LA. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on 5 October 1992 and retired on 1 June 2014 after 22 years of Service. His awards include Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good conduct medal, Kosovo liberation medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Drill Instructor ribbon, overseas deployment ribbon, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal.

Ron Stewart Graduated in 2009 from the University of Maryland, with a BS in Business Studies and a minor in Entrepreneurship. Certifications include: Black Belt Trained in Lean Six Sigma; Tactical Logistics Operations Course, Personnel Leadership Course, Operations Management Course.

Ron Stewart became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. through the Eta Rho Sigma Alumni chapter in the Fall of 2020. ...Read more-->

Dr. James Alexander, DNP, RN, is a Registered Nurse licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing. He possesses advanced skills in organizational, systems, and community assessment techniques, along with an expert-level understanding of nursing and related biological and behavioral sciences. His areas of expertise include Advanced Health and Physical Assessment, Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology, and Advanced Pharmacology.

Dr. Alexander holds several degrees: a Doctor of Nursing Practice, a Master of Science in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Management, and an Associate of Arts. He currently serves as the Chief Nursing Officer for First Surgical Hospital and is an Adjunct Professor at Prairie View A&M University.

As a devoted member of his beloved fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Dr. Alexander is a member of the Iota Tau Collegiate Chapter (Fall 1991) and the Eta Rho Sigma Alumni Chapter.

"I insist that the object of all true education is not to make men carpenters; it is to make carpenters men." – W. E. B. Du Bois ...Read more-->

Eric Hill earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University. He has over 15 years of Law Enforcement experience and currently serves as a Patrol Deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Houston, Texas. He also currently serves as President  of the Eta Rho Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. ...Read more-->

A native of Meridian, Mississippi, Donald graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and minor in Business Administration. After Xavier, Donald graduated from the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and for almost twenty years he has been practicing commercial litigation and transactional law with previous positions as Counsel for ExxonMobil Corporation and Reliant Energy. Currently, Donald works as Senior Counsel, Corporate Transactions and Trademarks, Americas hub for the Intellectual Property Department of Air Liquide USA LLC, the U.S. affiliate of the French global industrial gases company Air Liquide, S.A. In this role, Donald provides legal counsel to Air Liquide’s family of companies in the United States, Canada, the CCAM (the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico) and parts of South America. Donald is licensed with the State Bar of Texas and the Louisiana State Bar Association. He is currently a member of the Houston Bar Association, a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation, and holds membership within the Houston Minority Intellectual Property Lawyers Association, the Houston Lawyers Association, an affiliate of the National Bar Association, and is a Texas Bar College Member with the Texas Entertainment Law Institute.

Donald is a member of the Board Directors for Xavier University of Louisiana National Alumni Association and has volunteered as a corporate Consultant with Xavier’s Youth Motivation Task Force (YMTF)/Black Executive Exchange Program. Donald is an active Life Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. where he serves as Social Action Program Director in the Eta Rho Sigma Metropolitan Houston Alumni Chapter. Donald currently serves as a Director of the Board of the Greater Houston Black Chamber and also as Education Pillar Committee Chair for the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, Inc.

Donald and his family attend Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston where he is active as a Den Leader for the church’s Cub Scouts Pack 242. Donald also serves as a Troop Leader for Boy Scout Troop 500 at Brentwood Baptist Church. He enjoys spending time with his family, community involvement, playing musical instruments, and physical fitness.

Donald is the husband of Dr. Denise Burton Naylor and they are blessed with two sons. ...Read more-->

Paris Taylor is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Materials and Logistics Management. He has over 25 years of experience in Supply Chain Management roles of increased responsibilities in the consumer foods, beverage/soft drink, mobile electronics, personal computing, and oil and gas industries. He holds both the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential from the Project Management Institute and the Certified Contingent Workforce Professional (CCWP) credential from Staffing Industry Analysts.

Paris serves as 1 st Vice President for the Eta Rho Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He enjoys reading, gym workouts, and spending time with his amazing daughters. ...Read more-->

Earl Wooten, III retired from his Plant Manager position at Occidental Chemical Corporation in 2016, after thirty-five years. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Prairie View AM university in 1973 and is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc .

Earl is very proud to serve on the Board of Directors of the CAUSE Foundation because of their dedication to youth, working to improve their lives through education. Not only did he have a successful business career, Earl was involved in the communities where he worked. He was on the Board of Directors of the Cedar Hill, Texas, Economic Development Corporation; LaPorte and Deer Park Chamber of Commerce; and the Great Baton Rouge Louisiana Industrial Alliance. 

Earl and his wife Ruth also have an endowed scholarship at Prairie View for engineering students. He is a conservationist and has fished and hunted on four continents. ...Read more-->