Place 1

Board Trustee

Term: 2024-2027

Board Committee(s): Finance, Facilities, Security

Mr. Carlin Friar holds the position of Boerne Independent School District Board Member for Place 1.

Mr. Friar is serving his third, three-year term as a BISD Board Trustee.

After graduating from Boerne High School in 1989, Mr. Friar received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from The University of Texas at San Antonio.  He has been in the banking and financial services industry for 37 years.

He and his wife Susan have triplets, Blake, Grant and Chloe, who are all Champion High School graduates.

When asked why he joined the BISD School Board he said, “I was provided a fantastic public education, and graduated from Boerne High School.  As a lifelong area resident, my hope is that I can provide perspective and leadership to the District so that current and future students have those same great opportunities, while the District continues to evolve through rapid growth.”  Mr. Friar added, “Boerne ISD has the best students, teachers, support staff, administration, and Superintendent in the State of Texas, and we get to live in the best community in the State.   Having been recently recognized as HEB’s Excellence in Education Small School District of the Year, the Region 20 School Board of the Year, and Region 20 Superintendent of the Year is a reflection of the support we receive from the community, and an acknowledgment that every decision we make is analyzed in a way to ensure that we are on a trajectory that strives to improve the educational opportunities for every one of our students.”

In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his family; hunting; and, fishing whenever possible.

  Place 2

  Board Trustee

  Term: 2024-2027

   Board Committee(s): TBD

   Bio coming soon!

Place 3

Secretary

Term: 2024-2027

Board Committee(s): TBD

Mrs. Courtney Darter-Bruce holds the Boerne Independent School District Board Trustee position for Place 3.

As a proud graduate of Boerne High School in 1998, Darter-Bruce has come full circle. She considers herself blessed to have grown up in this remarkable community and graduated under the leadership of the late legendary Principal Samuel V. Champion, who left a lasting impact. Her four children, who attend or recently graduated from Boerne schools, further strengthen her connection to the community and school district.

Mrs. Darter-Bruce is a bridge-builder who enjoys making meaningful connections with BISD students, teachers, staff, and community members. She desires to foster a sense of unity among all the schools in the district to ensure that each school is pursuing a common goal of providing high-quality education for all students. She believes every child deserves a good education, and teachers deserve our utmost respect and should be supported appropriately. Darter-Bruce is a servant leader with strong morals and conservative values and will listen to the concerns and needs of the community and work to address them in a way that benefits all. 

Darter-Bruce is a devoted campus volunteer and an avid supporter of many organizations across the district. She served as a PTO Co-President and a Member of the District Education Improvement Committee, Long-Range Steering Committee, Safety and Security Committee, Strike Force Parent Engagement Committee, Bond Oversight Committee, and Site-Based Committees. She is also a BISD Hall of Honor Board Member and Class of 2016 Hall of Honor Inductee, BISD Boerne's Best Alumni Association Board Member, was a Boerne Education Foundation Board Member, and the Boerne Insider Talk Show Co-Host, along with additional opportunities of service as well. 

Darter-Bruce is grateful for the opportunity to further her dedication to supporting our schools as a Trustee. As a parent, she sees how policies affect our students, teachers, and families first-hand and feels we should always ask ourselves: 'Does this decision benefit our students and teachers?' If the answer is no, working until we find a solution is essential. Darter-Bruce is committed to creating a positive impact and leaving a lasting legacy, feels honored to serve in this capacity, and hopes to make a positive difference in Boerne ISD. 

Courtney Darter-Bruce has been married to Chris Bruce for 22 years. Together, her family loves to attend sporting events, participating and watching others. They also enjoy time at the lake and the ranch and attending church together.

Place 4

Board Trustee
Term: 2022-2025

Board Committee(s): Security, Legislative Advocacy, Boerne Education Foundation

Mrs. Gonzalez-Cooper's children graduated from or currently attend Boerne ISD schools. She was a Biology major at The University of Texas-San Antonio. Currently, she is the owner/director of Artworks Art Studio.

"As a parent, I believe every child deserves the opportunity to receive an excellent education in a safe learning environment. I wish to support Boerne ISD and the community by continuing the positive relationship which has been built."

Place 5

President
Term: 2022-2025

 Board Committee(s): Finance, Legislative Advocacy

After attending Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Garrett graduated from Texas A&M University and holds a Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering from New Mexico Tech. Garrett is a banker in the Boerne community. Garrett and his wife have two children that attend elementary school in BISD. Garrett enjoys running, hiking, spending time with his family and being involved at church.

“World class education is a team sport that requires the involvement of everyone in the community. We’re extraordinarily blessed to live in a district where our parents, teachers, administrative staff, churches, and businesses are enthusiastically going to bat for our children every day. This teamwork is what makes Boerne such a special place to live.”

Place 6

Vice-President

Term: 2023-2026

Board Committee(s): Program Evaluation, Whole Child, Communication, PTO

Born and raised in West Texas, Mrs. Schmidt was the first person in her family to attend college thanks to her incredible teachers and administrators in public education. She was the last graduating class of Southwest Texas, now Texas State, and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education, specializing in middle school ELA/Reading/SS and minoring in child psychology.

Mrs. Schmidt was hired at Boerne Middle School North where she taught 7th and 8th grade English and coached volleyball, basketball, and tennis. She served as the StuCo Sponsor, Talent Show Coordinator, mentor teacher for emergency certification teacher, and was even a bus driver for field trips and sporting events.

She left teaching to raise Greyhounds of her own, but kept involved by substituting, volunteering as PTO President, serving on site-based decision committees, district education improvement committees, and the district communications committee. 

Outside of school, her 3 teenagers keep her and her husband busy with all of their extracurriculars. They have two at Boerne High School and one at Boerne Middle School North; all three attended Curington Elementary. They are all athletes, so they spend a lot of time on fields, in gyms, and at the courts. 

Her family has attended First Baptist Church Boerne for twenty years where they currently help to lead the new member luncheons. Mrs. Schmidt enjoyed spending several years in the children’s ministry department, teaching and leading family activities to children and their families. The Schmidt family also enjoys hunting, fishing, cooking, and spending time with their family and friends. 

Her passion for serving, combined with her genuine care for the students and staff in BISD is what led her to run for the BISD Board of Trustees, Place 6. Boerne is the best place to live, work, and raise a family and she wants to do her part to help maintain this, especially during growth. She strives for communities to thrive and understand that a great village takes obligation, respect, love, conviction, patience, and example. 

“People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” - John C Maxwell

“This is life. Learning to deal with struggle and to develop responsibility is crucial.  A good parent prepares the child for the path, not the path for the child. We can still demonstrate gentle and attached parenting without raising children who melt away on a rainy day.”  - Jen Hatmaker

Place 7

Board Trustee

Term: 2023-2026

Board Committee(s): Finance, Facilities, Legislative Advocacy

Mr. Rich Sena holds the position of board member for Place 7 for Boerne Independent School District.

 Mr. Sena is in his 10^th year as a BISD Board Trustee.

 After graduating from Pelham Memorial High School in New York, Mr. Sena received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Colgate University.

Mr. Sena owns his own insurance agency and has two children. His daughter is a 4th-grade teacher at Comal ISD's Bill Brown Elementary, and his son is a sales associate at David Weekly Homes. Both of his children were educated in Boerne ISD for all 13 years of elementary and secondary education. 

When asked why he joined the BISD School Board he said, “Providing a strong education for our children is the most important thing a community can do. I want future generations of Boerne ISD students to have the same excellent experience that my children had.” Mr. Sena added, “I want to use my God-given skills to help plan for a prosperous and beneficial future for our students. 

In his spare time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and studying public policy. 

Mr. Sena’s favorite quote on education is, “Climb High, Climb Far, Your Goal the Sky, Your Aim the Star”.