Jessica L. Hamlin   | 214-363-9000  |   Email

As the foundation’s President and Texas History Program Director, Jessica L. Hamlin leads the Texas History grantmaking program and provides overall strategic leadership for the organization. She brings 25 years of experience spanning archaeology, museum administration, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, and corporate consulting.

Prior to joining the foundation, Jessica served for over a decade as Executive Director of Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center, a nonprofit internationally recognized for preserving and studying the ancient rock art of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of Texas. During her tenure, she led the organization through a period of significant growth, securing major funding, and overseeing landmark initiatives such as the Alexandria Project and the Hearthstone Project.

Early in her career, Jessica worked in museum administration at the Freer and Sackler Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution and in archaeological tourism at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado. She later spent eight years as a Consultant in the Communications and Change Management Practice at Willis Towers Watson, an international professional services firm.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology/Archaeology from Texas A&M University and a Master of Arts degree in Human Geography from The University of Texas at Austin.

Mitchell Fox | 206-829-9760 |  Email

Mitchell Fox has spent the last 40+ years advocating for animals, evenly split between grant-seeking and grant-making organizations. For a couple decades he led advocacy campaigns and legal and legislative endeavors at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society. (He secured that organization’s first-ever grant award — from the Summerlee Foundation — in the early 1990’s.) At the Glaser Progress Foundation for another couple decades, Mitchell’s grantmaking portfolio included independent media, global health, and animal protection. In between stints Mitchell was a Seattle Times columnist. He consults for other animal philanthropies and serves as Trustee of the Susan Michaels Compassion Trust. Mitchell has two grown kids and lives in Seattle with his wife and a dog resigned to being outnumbered by cats.

Director of Administration

Amy J. Askari    | 214-363-9000  |   Email

Amy J. Askari joined the Summerlee Foundation in 2020 as Director of Administration, where she oversees all day-to-day operations at the foundation’s Dallas headquarters. She brings more than 20 years of expertise in operations, management, and client relations across both the nonprofit and corporate sectors.

Prior to joining the foundation, Amy spent over a decade at Philanthropy Southwest, where she worked closely with the board of directors and members to advance the organization’s mission. In this role, she supported the philanthropic community through the successful execution of special projects, strategic initiatives, membership development, and communications. Earlier in her career, she held various leadership and operations positions in the financial services industry including The First American Corporation, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and GMAC.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from The University of Texas at Arlington.