Directors

W. A. 'Bill' Blackwell

President

Bill is a resident of Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas and is a rancher and retired banker.  He and his wife, Nancy, have three daughters and eight grandchildren.

In addition to the Cuero Community Foundation, Bill currently serves on many other organization boards and committees including:  Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum, Cuero ISD Education Foundation, Cuero Rotary Club, Grace Episcopal Church Endowment Committee, Guadalupe-Blanco River Trust and the Victoria College Foundation.  

Bill was longtime member of the Cuero Industrial Foundation Board of Directors and served as President for many years until the organization was dissolved and remaining funds donated to create the new Cuero Community Foundation.

 

Rebecca Reese Dawson

Secretary

Born in Cuero, Rebecca Reese Dawson is a fourth-generation resident of Dewitt County. Upon graduation from Cuero High School in 1976, Mrs. Dawson attended Baylor University and matriculated as a “summa cum laude” graduate with two bachelor degrees. After completing her masters degree at West Texas State University and post-graduate studies at The University of Illinois, she began her music teaching career which spanned 31 years in 5 different states with prestigious performances across the US and Europe.

In 2007, she joined her husband, James Dawson, in their family’s realty business and continues today to work full-time as a realtor specializing in residential and ranch sales. Mrs. Dawson is a member of the Cuero Medical Foundation Board and volunteers extensively at the First Baptist Church of Cuero. She, her husband and their beloved dog Charlie enjoy working on their country property, hunting, fly fishing and traveling to Mexico.

 

 

Gayle Batts

A 31-year resident of DeWitt County, Green DeWitt Community, Gayle Batts graduated in 1969 from Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, in 1972 from Texas State University, San Marcos, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, with secondary studies in English. 

In 2015, she retired from a 41+ year sales career with the IBM Corporation, specializing in corporate leasing of computer hardware, software and services, holding related sales management positions.  

After her retirement and until February of this year, she served on the Cuero ISD Education Foundation board and is now serving the organization as a community committee member, dedicated to growing their Corporate grant funding base.

Since moving to Cuero, she has been an active member and officer in the Cuero Pilot Club and is currently serving the Green DeWitt Community Center as First Vice President. She is a member of the First Baptist Church of Cuero where she is an active team member of the Kids First and Vacation Bible School programs.  

She enjoys life at the Double O Bar Ranch with her husband, Tom, hosting frequent family gatherings, cooking for the cowboys and engaging with and supporting their 10 grandchildren both at home and in their schools and extracurricular activities.  

 

 

Wes Kubesch

Vice President

Wes is a resident of Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas. He and his wife Courtney are graduates of Cuero High School. They moved back to Cuero in 2019, along with their four children.

Wes is a graduate of Rice University, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation, and is a member of the CFA Institute. He has worked in the financial services industry for over 20 years. He currently is a Partner with Corient Wealth Management. Prior to its acquisition by Corient, Wes was the President of Galapagos Partners, a leading multi-family office in Houston, TX.

Wes has served on various boards, committees, and community organizations over the years.

 

Paul Celauro

 

F. Paul Celauro came to Texas in 1971. He settled in Houston and met Hochheim native Catherine Bitterly (Braden) in 1982 which led him to Cuero. They married in 1985 and bought a ranch in DeWitt County in 1987 where they are retired and live today.

Paul is a 1965 graduate of Vanderbilt University and a retired officer from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he served in the late 60’s. In the early 70’s he became a partner in the legendary Texas consulting firm Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation where he spent the last fifty years.

He is credited with originating many notable civil engineering projects around the state. His strengths have been in organizing, financing and implementing large regional projects.

 

 

 

Martin Leske

Martin is a resident of Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas. He represents the 4th generation of Cuero entrepreneurs and is the great-great-grandson of German immigrants. Martin graduated from Cuero High School in 2000 and moved back in 2011. He married his wife, Kailey, in 2012 and they have two children.

Martin graduated from Texas Tech University (BBA Finance & Economics 2004, MBA 2016), and currently works as Regional Operations Manager for Sun Coast Resources, a RelaDyne Company. RelaDyne acquired Martin’s business in 2019, and he remains involved in their operations along with managing other businesses he founded in commercial real estate and equipment rental.

In addition to Cuero Community Foundation, Martin actively serves on DeWitt Medical Foundation and is a member of Lifeway Church.

 

 

David S. Kleinecke

Treasurer

David is a resident of Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas, and has been in Banking for over 28 years. Currently he serves as Senior Vice President and Branch Manager of Cuero National Bank. He and his wife, Stephanie, have nine children and three grandchildren.

Cuero Community Foundation is one of several boards and committees that David serves on. These positions include: Board of Directors of the First National Bank of Shiner, DeWitt County Go-Texan Committee, Past President and current member of the Cuero Lions Club, Hillside Cemetery Endowment Association, and Committee Member for the Cuero ISD Education Foundation.

Prior to serving on the Cuero Community Foundation board, David was a member of the Cuero Industrial Foundation.

Paul W. Holcomb, Sr.

 

Paul is a resident of Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas. He and his son Paul, Jr. and his daughter Mary Alice own and operate Partners Chevrolet, Buick, GMC in Cuero. He and his wife, Cindy, have five children and two grandchildren.

Prior to moving to Cuero in 2005, he had a thirty-five year career in the automotive business, owning and operating dealerships in Austin, Texas. He and his wife were active in the Austin area. After moving to Cuero, Paul became involved in several organizations in the local community.

Paul was a member of the Cuero Industrial Foundation Board of Directors and served as Vice President until the organization was dissolved and the remaining funds donated to create the new Cuero Community Foundation.