THAMARA MILLAN
CEO & Founder
Est. 1996

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Ms. Millan began studies at The University of Venezuela seeking an International Studies Degree. She came to Texas in 1980 and attended The University of Texas at Dallas obtaining a Degree in Finance and Economics and continued graduate courses at Texas A&M for her Teaching Certification. In 2002, she completed Advanced Graduate Studies in Dispute Resolution at S.M.U. More recently, Ms. Millan obtained a Masters in Technology Education and Administration at Lamar University. With her strong desire to help needy children and while working as a first year teacher for Frisco ISD in 1996, she founded Small World and later with the help of Dick & Jacqueline Bowman and James White, the organization grew to thrive and become an important part of the Frisco City community.

RUDY ANDREA
President of the Board
Board Member Since 2000

Rudy G. Andrea has an undergraduate degree in Pre-Law from CCNY '79 and a masters degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Iona College '84. Rudy has held a number of upper management positions with Johnson & Johnson, The Mennen Company and Panasonic. He is Co-Founder and current President of the The Andrea-Mennen Family Foundation, working very closely with numerous charitable organizations such as The Children's Health Center of Dallas, The Children's Health Center of Plano Texas, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Texas Pediatric Society Foundation, Collin College Foundation, Plano ISD Educational Foundation, Boys and Girls Club of Collin County, Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, City House, Chamberlain Performing Arts, Plano Symphony Orchestra, Young American League of Denver, Breckenridge Backstage Theater to name a few. Mr. Andrea also sits on the Board of Directors for the Collin College Foundation. His extensive knowledge of private foundation operations has become the benchmark for helping other organizations to become more efficient. He is part of the founding fathers of the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys and President of the Dragon Fly LLC Family Investment Group.

JOY VEGHELYI
CFO
Board Member Since 2014

Joy came to Small World bringing her accounting skills. She stepped in the job of CFO in 2018.  Joy graduate from San Diego State University with a degree in Finance. She resides in Frisco with her family since 1999. 

DICK BOWMAN
Co-Founder of the Scholarship Program & Former President. Member Since 1999

Dick Bowman is retired from Sun Microsystems where he served as Vice President of the combined Federal and Southern Areas for 9 years. He moved to Plano in 1995 as the Vice President for the U.S.-wide Reseller operation for Sun. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a major in math. He subsequently attended Duke University's Advanced Management program at the Fuqua School of Business. Mr. Bowman is also a founding member of the Small World Scholarship Program.

Kristen Summers
Board Member-Director - Back To School Program

Kristen Summers has been an art teacher for 21 years with 15 of those years being in Frisco ISD.  She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a K-12 teaching certification from Texas State University.  She has been a leader on her campus as a Department Chair over all the Fine Arts for the last 13 years and in Frisco ISD as the Secondary Art Lead over the Secondary Visual Art Teachers for the last 7 years.  She enjoys working with children and strives to provide a rigorous viable curriculum for her students.  In her free time she enjoys taking her students on educational trips around the world,  boating on Lake Lewisville with her husband & friends and spending time with her 5 dogs.

RYAN REID
Scholarship Program / Board Member

Ryan attended Colorado Tech University graduating magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Marketing. For this reason, he was selected to join the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society-an invite only group. Ryan was born and raised in Dallas/Ft Worth, currently residing in Little Elm with his wife and daughter. He has held management positions in the Healthcare industry for the last 10 years most recently working as the Regional Director of Operations for Preferred Imaging, and holding the same position now for Akumin one of the largest outpatient imaging companies in the country. Ryan has been involved with Small World since its inception.  

Cindy Slavin and Kristen Dewey
Directors - Angel Program

Cindy Slavin has been a dedicated volunteer with Small World for over 15 years, contributing significantly to both the Back to School initiative and the Angel Program. A Frisco resident since 1997, Cindy is married to Paul and is the proud mother of two, Paul David and Ashley. Passionate about giving back to her community, Cindy brings her wealth of experience and strong work ethic to continually enhance the Angel Program’s impact. She is excited to further its mission and make a meaningful difference.

Kristen Dewey has been a proud resident of Frisco for 20 years, where she lives with her husband, Michael, and their two children, Morgan and Mason. While her kids attended Frisco schools, Kristen was introduced to It’s a Small World with Love, a program that immediately resonated with her. After years of dedicated service on PTA boards and various committees, she felt compelled to deepen her involvement with this remarkable initiative. In 2022, Kristen embraced the role of Co-Director alongside Cindy Slavin. “It’s a true honor to be part of an organization so committed to giving back to the community in meaningful ways,” she reflects.

Rich Beck
Chair-Scholarship Program

Rich Beck resides in Frisco Texas and, along with his wife Allison, enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing golf, biking and skiing and traveling around the US and abroad. Rich is the Owner of Biltmoore Consulting LLC and holds Board seats for The Small World, The Briar Club and the Stonebriar Country Club. Also, Rich serves on the Executive Advisory Council for American Securities LLC. in 2018, Rich and Allison founded the Alto Foundation, a private non profit focused on education and development for at risk children and young adults. Prior to retiring from full time corporate work in 2016, Rich spent 23 years with PepsiCo in various positions in Operations and Supply Chain. Prior to PepsiCo, Rich was with GE for 12 years. Rich is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a BSIE and holds on MBA from Rollins College.

ALFRED (AL) M. LI SI JR. Board Member-Scholarship & Angel Program

A New Englander with strong Texas ties. A 1970 graduate of the United States Military Academy with a BS degree in Engineering, to include an area of concentration in National Security and Public Affairs.  Served nine years active duty with overseas assignments to include Germany and Korea. Majority of assignments was command and operations. Married 46 years with two children.  A resident of Frisco since 1999. Earned MBA in Management at Amber University. Employed for 34 years in defense industry between TI and Raytheon. Retired from Raytheon in 2013. Enjoys golf, poker, cruising, travel, trains, coin collecting, and genealogy research and spoiling two grand-daughters. 

DON BOLEN

Board Member 2003-2017

Don dedicated most of his time to charitable work, playing golf, and working out at the Frisco and Plano YMCA. He was a proud member of the Briars Club at Stonebriar. Don specially loved contributing his time to the Small World Christmas Angel and Scholarship Programs. He lived by a phrase that inspires us all to this day:

“We are responsible for building bridges for our future, the most important component of which is our youth” – Don Bolen

JACQUELINE BOWMAN

Board Member 1999-2017

 Our beloved Jacqueline became the champion to our Scholarship Program as a strong supporter and founder. She has left a legacy that continues today through her surviving husband, Dick Bowman, and through the many students who benefited from her love and devotion to education.

LINDA TIEDE

Cherished volunteer who dedicated much of her life to making a difference in the lives of children in need. Lin brought her love and passion to Small World through the Angel Program.