Meet the Board

Cheryl Crandall Tangen is the President of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Cheryl is the sole shareholder of Cheryl Crandall Tangen, P.C., a law firm that focuses on the transactional representation of large and small businesses, including financial institutions, multi-national corporations, and start-up organizations. Cheryl is also a mediator and has mediated a number of disputes within Harris and Montgomery Counties.

She has practiced law for thirty-two (32) years and is a licensed attorney in the states of Texas and Colorado. She has served as President of the Texas Association of Bank Counsel (TABC), a non-profit organization comprised of over 700 banking lawyers in the state of Texas, and on the legal seminar planning committees for TABC and Texas Bankers Assn. She is a fellow of the College of the State Bar of Texas, is a member of the Houston Bar Association, the Texas Bar Association, and the latter's Real Estate, Probate and Trust Section, and its Business Law Section, for which she chairs the Consumer Financial Services Committee. She has lectured frequently at legal seminars within the state of Texas. While practicing in Colorado, Ms. Tangen served three terms on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Women's Bar Assn., and was a founding member and two-term director of the Alliance of Professional Women (Denver, Colorado).

In addition to her service with the League, Cheryl's other community service has included the following: The Woodlands Community Association Board of Directors, including service as President and Vice President; the Board of Directors of Woodlands Community Service Corporation, including service as President, and the Board of Directors for The Woodlands Fire Department, including service as Chair. She has also served on the Board and as President of the Executive Women's Alliance, a 501(c)(3) organization that mentors and provides scholarship opportunities for "at-risk" high school girls in Conroe, Texas.

Cheryl received a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (1975) and a J.D. from the University of Denver, College of Law, Denver, Colorado (1979).

Cheryl and her husband, Terry, have resided in The Woodlands, Texas since 1990. They have two grown children.

Mara Saltz is the Past-President of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, Texas.

In community stewardship roles, Mara serves as an active advisor on various boards and committees, including the Gulf Coast Regional Center for Innovation and Commercialization and Houston Symphony Marketing Committee. She is an author, guest lecturer and has taught marketing and business management courses at Houston area colleges and universities, including Lone Star College + Montgomery.

Professionally, Mara has 20 years of management and consulting experience developing and implementing initiatives for organizations ranging from start-ups to multi-nationals. She is currently President of Saltz & Associates, LLC, a management consultancy focused primarily on advancing the strategic planning, business development, marketing, and performance improvement efforts of energy, healthcare and technology organizations. She helps clients achieve significant value by working collaboratively across multiple client disciplines, enabling new insights and integrated solutions. Prior to Saltz & Associates she held senior roles at Accenture and GE. She also worked for a multi-national advertising agency where she created award-winning campaigns.

Mara received an M.B.A. in Finance, Marketing, Policy & Environment from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from the California College of the Arts.

She has two cats from the SPCA and plants native trees or shrubs every year, so she's a little green behind the ears.

Deborah Sargeant is the President-Elect of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Deborah Sargeant is the current Chairperson on the Development Standards Committee, and has served on the Development Standards Committee for the past nine years. She served in several leadership positions on the Joint Budget Committee, The Woodlands Community Association Finance Committee, Appraisal Review Board, Joint Audit Committee, Joint Law Enforcement Committee, Joint Ad Hoc Cost Recovery Committee and the Board Operations Committee on the Woodlands Community Association. Deborah also served as First Vice President, Second Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary on the WCA Board of Directors. Ms. Sargeant is past President and current board member of the Grogan's Mill Village Association. Deborah has served as the Treasurer on the Executive Board of Directors for the South Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Sargeant is a past president of The Woodlands Toastmasters, past Board Member of The American Business Women's Association and past Treasurer for Business Women's Forum. She is a 1998 graduate of Leadership Montgomery County. Ms. Sargeant is the recipient of the 1999 Sam Walton Business Leader Award and the NHMCCD 2002 Small Business of The Year award.

Mary Bootz is the Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County

Mary E. Bootz was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She has lived in Middletown, Ohio, and Gosmore, England. She moved to the Woodlands with her husband in 1981. Mary graduated from Northeastern High School in Detroit and attended the Detroit Business School. She also took Cordon Bleu classes in Hitchen College, England.

Mary has been an entrepreneur, having starting a catering business in Ohio which had success catering numerous large parties and weddings. Since 2000, she has served as a election judge and election clerk for Montgomery County and other governmental entities.

Mary has been an active member and a leader of numerous cultural and civic organizations. In Ohio she served as President of Middletown Garden Club. In Texas, she has been a member of the Woodlands Hiking Club, served as its President, and organized hiking trips to Copper Canyon (Mexico), Banff (Canada), and Glacier National Park. Mary has been a long-time area representative on the Panther Creek Village Association and has served several terms as its Treasurer.

Mary has been a regular volunteer at the Interfaith Community Clinic in the Woodlands since 2002.

She has been a member of League of Women Voters of Montgomery County for three years. This is Mary's second term as its Treasurer.

Martha Macris is Secretary of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Martha Giddings Macris joined the League of Women Voters because she cannot think of a single more important act of citizenship than casting an informed vote. Impressed by the League's commitment to nonpartisan voter education and somewhat confused by the myriad of election days in this county, the League seemed the right place for her to contribute to the electoral process.

Martha has thirty plus years of experience in nonprofit management currently serving as the Executive Director of Memorial Assistance Ministries, a faith-based social services organization that provides temporary financial relief to families who need help with rent, utilities, medical, clothing or other basic needs. Lovingly known as MAM, the ministry has expanded its programming to offer resources to families who want to improve their financial circumstances. GED, English as a Second Language, Citizenship preparation, Employment Services and Certification and Case Management help families gain and keep improved employment and allow them to function as fully contributing members of society.

A loved but not always beautiful garden keeps Martha happy in her spare time. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston, Harris and Fort Bend Counties and is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in The Woodlands with her husband, Aris.

Martha has degrees from Smith College, Northampton MA where she studied Philosophy of Religion and the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA where she obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing.

Mary Jarvis is the Communications Chair of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Mary is the owner of a jewelry design business she started in 1999, after a career in communications and graphic design. She held positions in graphic design at The University of Mississippi, and WKNO-TV in Memphis, TN. Currently her designs and creations are represented in several galleries in the Houston area. She studies advanced jewelry at The Glassell School of Art in Houston. Mary is President of the Houston Metal Arts Guild and a member of Society of North American Goldsmiths.

Mary feels lucky to have grown up in a family where the importance of being an informed voter was emphasized. In her family, voting was not only a privilege but also a duty as an American Citizen. Her great grandfather, Felix Grundy Bransford served on the 20th Texas State Legislature. She enjoys learning about American history by reading, and by researching her family history.

Mary and her husband lived in Spring, Texas from 2007 to 2012 and have recently moved to The Heights area in Houston. Both are native Texans, but also lived in several states and cities across the South. Mary and Lamar have two grown sons and four grandchildren.

In addition to her role as President-Elect, Deborah Sargeant also serves as the Community Relations Chair for the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County. Please see Deborah's biography under "President-Elect" above.

Teresa DeFord is the Education and Advocacy Chair of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County.

Teresa DeFord has practiced law in the Houston area for 17 years and in The Woodlands for the past 13 years. For some time, Teresa's law practice focused primarily on business and employment law and the defense of personal injury cases in the courtroom. In the last few years, however, Teresa has found a passion in helping people learn how to best protect their families and businesses and she has expanded her practice to focus on that need. The DeFord Law Firm is dedicated to helping you protect your two most important assets + your family and your business, and to accomplish that goal, the DeFord Law Firm offers legal guidance in all matters of business law and litigation as well as family law matters and estate planning.

Teresa is a co-author of the book "More Than Money: Creating a Legacy That Really Matters," which features strategies for family and wealth planning beyond the typical advice of passing money along to one's family and heirs and is a regular speaker on issues concerning women and children's legal issues.

Andi Rosene is the Membership Chair of the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, Texas.

Andi is the Co-Founder and President of Madison River Associates, a small and mighty, transformational international consulting firm. Andi has been in the business improvement field for over 16 years, and believes that "through understanding people's behaviors, business strategies can be applied and strengths can be capitalized upon." In the past, Andi has owned a retail store and a training marketing company, all of which experience has culminated into what she claims as her "people sense."

Andi's professional work requires flexibility and adaptability as she works with small business owners, executives from Fortune 500 Companies, and international transformational teams, all of which represent diverse cultures and belief systems. These experiences have allowed her to see that every person's contribution is unique and if, aligned with their interests and abilities, everyone is integral to the goals of the organization.

Andi served on the Board of Directors for "Grandkids," the first Intergenerational Infant and toddler care center that was part of the Steamboat Springs Hospital and Assisted Care Living Center. Andi is the past president of the Skywire Way Homeowner's Association. An Insights Licensed Practitioner, a Rapport Leadership International Master Graduate, and a Discover U + Master Graduate, has given her a multitude of tools to apply to her leadership roles.

Andi and her husband Steve have lived in Montgomery County for the past 13 years, which is a record + working within the mining industry they have had the pleasure of many addresses in many beautiful states across the country. They have four children, and two four legged "kids."