Board Leadership
Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees

Back row (left to right): Bryce Benson (Secretary, Place 3), Dr. Tom Trigg (Superintendent of Schools), Jae Ellis (Trustee, Place 4), Tom H. Sharpe (President, Place 7), Stacy A. Kelly, (Trustee, Place 6). Front row: Maryjane Bonfield (Vice President, Place 2), Doug Woodward (Finance Officer, Place 1), Ellen Lee (TASB Delegate, Place 5).
The Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees consists of seven members, each of whom has been elected to serve a three-year term. School board members are entrusted with the responsibility of setting policy and promoting educational excellence for Highland Park ISD, and receive no compensation.

Tom H. Sharpe
President, Place 7
Term expiration: 2023
[email protected]
Tom Sharpe joined the Highland Park Independent School District Board of Trustees in May 2017 and was elected to serve as the President in 2021. He previously served as Chair of the HPISD Fall Reopening Committee. Prior to being elected to the Board, he served as a member of the District’s Finance Committee since 2011 and served on the Demographic Advisory Committee in 2010.
Sharpe is Vice President of Compatriot Capital, Inc., a real estate investment and operating company, and a subsidiary of Sammons Enterprises, one of the largest private companies in the United States. Prior to Compatriot Capital, Tom was in senior management at Savoya (a travel logistics firm) and Watermark Community Church. Before his time at Watermark, Sharpe was a partner at E2M Partners, a private equity firm focused on commercial real estate investment, which followed several years working for JPMorgan in its mid-corporate investment banking division. Raised in the Park Cities, he attended Armstrong Elementary, McCulloch Middle School and Highland Park High School, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1992. Sharpe received a BS in Computer Systems Engineering from Stanford University in 1996 and earned an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 2003. Prior to business school, he was a Lieutenant in the US Navy where he served as a junior officer aboard the USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine.
Sharpe has volunteered with several organizations around the community, including the UP Elementary Dads Club (President, 2010-2011), Boy Scout Troop 82 and the Park Cities YMCA, through which he has coached numerous teams for his three children. He and his wife, Catherine, have three children who have all attended HPISD schools beginning in Kindergarten at UP Elementary. Jack (HPHS Class of 2020) attends Wake Forest University, Tyler (HPHS Class of 2021) attends Vanderbilt University, and Campbell is a junior at HPHS. The Sharpes are active members of Watermark Community Church.
Maryjane Bonfield
Vice President, Place 2
Term expiration: 2024
[email protected]
Maryjane Bonfield was elected to the Highland Park Independent School District Board of Trustees in May 2021.
Bonfield attended University Park Elementary School, McCulloch Middle School and Highland Park High School, where she graduated “Top Ten” and received the Blanket Award in 1996. She received a double major in mathematics and fine arts from Vanderbilt University in 2000 and earned her law degree from the SMU Dedman School of Law in 2004. Between college and law school, Bonfield worked as a business consultant for Arthur Andersen. Following law school, she worked as a judicial clerk for the Texas Supreme Court and then as a corporate attorney for Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP.
Prior to being elected to the Board, Bonfield served in many different volunteer capacities across the district. She has served as a member of the HPISD Facilities Advisory Committee, the HPISD Technology Committee, the Highland Park Education Foundation Board, as well as the Foundation’s Bylaws Committee. Bonfield co-chaired the Hyer Legacy Committee and chaired the 5th Elementary PTO Establishment Committee. She has held several different positions within the Hyer PTA including the e-News Chair, Cafeteria Finance Chair, and most recently, Hyer PTA President.
Bonfield is married to Chris Bonfield. They have three children, all of whom attend HPISD schools: Boone (Class of 2026), Mary Hays (Class of 2028), and Duke (Class of 2030). The Bonfields are active members of Park Cities Presbyterian Church.
Bryce Benson
Secretary, Place 3
Term expiration: 2025
[email protected]
Doug Woodward
Finance Officer, Place 1
Term expiration: 2024
[email protected]
Doug Woodward was elected to the Highland Park Independent School District Board of Trustees in May 2021 and serves as the school board's Finance Officer.
Prior to his election to the Board, he served as a member of the 2019 HPISD Boundary Rezoning Committee as well as numerous volunteer leadership roles across HPISD campuses.
Born and raised in Allenhurst, NJ, Woodward graduated from Christian Brothers Academy and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Kentucky in 1984 and his MBA from Rollins College in 1996. He began his professional career with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH and has built a successful career in Consumer Goods with executive roles at Walt Disney Attractions, 7-Eleven Inc., MillerCoors and Dean Foods. Currently, he serves as Vice President, Sales Strategy & Operations at CROSSMARK, a leading national sales and marketing services agency based in Plano.
In addition to his HPISD service, Woodward is a graduate of Leadership University Park and has served the city on numerous committees including Public Safety, Retail Advisory and the Centennial Master Plan Focus Committee. He has also served the Finance and Scholarship committees for the Highland Park Education Foundation, as Stewardship Chair for United Way Metropolitan Dallas and on the Board of Directors for United Cerebral Palsy (now Ability Connection).
Woodward is married to Genevieve and has two children, Dylan (HPHS Class of 2022) attends the University of Alabama) and Maggie (Class of 2024) is a junior at HPHS. They are active members of Highland Park United Methodist Church where he has led Sunday School and Confirmation classes, served on the executive committee for Carpenters for Christ and volunteered multiple times as a member of HPUMC’s international mission team in Costa Rica.
Jae Ellis
Trustee, Place 4
Term expiration: 2025
[email protected]
Ellis is married to former HPISD classroom teacher and HPHS 1990 graduate, Liza (Graham) Ellis. Liza and Jae are the proud parents of two children: Caroline (HPHS Class of 2019) attends the University of Texas and Judge (Class of 2023) is a senior at HPHS.
Ellen Lee
TASB Delegate, Place 5
Term expiration: 2025
[email protected]
Ellen Lee was elected to the Highland Park Independent School District Board of Trustees in May 2022 and serves as the district's Delegate to the Texas Association of School Boards.
Lee attended University Park Elementary School, McCulloch Middle School and Highland Park High School, where she graduated “Top Ten” in 1992. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Virginia in 1996 and a Teacher Certification from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1997. Following her time in education, Lee was a copywriter for nonprofit organizations including World Vision, World Concern, Open Doors and others.
Prior to being elected to the Board, Lee served in various volunteer roles throughout the district. She was a member of the HPISD Boundary Redistricting Committee, the Highland Park Education Foundation and the Parent Education Committee. She also volunteered in the community including initiatives related to the Golden Pennies for Teachers Campaign. She has given 15 years of service in classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, outdoor gardens and on field trips.
In addition to her volunteer roles for HPISD, Lee is a graduate of the City of University Park’s Leadership UP Program and has subsequently served on the City’s Zoning and Development Advisory Committee and the City’s 100 Year Master Plan HPISD/SMU/UP Focus Group.
Lee is married to Paul Lee (Class of 1994). They have three children, all of whom have attended HPISD schools: Trip (HPHS Class of 2020) attends Texas A&M University, Davis (HPHS Class of 2022) attends Texas A&M University, and Marshall (Class of 2025) is a sophmore at HPHS. The Lees are active members of Watermark Community Church.
Stacy A. Kelly
Trustee, Place 6
Term expiration: 2023
[email protected]
Stacy Kelly was elected to the Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees in May of 2017 serving as Vice President during 2021-22 school year. She presently serves as a Co-Board Liaison for Educational Services and the Liaison for the PTA/Os. Prior to joining the board, Kelly led or served in 20+ positions across HPISD schools and in the district focused on leadership and fundraising.