Victoria Waters | Cyndi Drummond | Pamela Wyatt | Charis Prejean
David Grebe | Blanca N. Saldaña | Jennifer Trice | April Odell
Mehreen Siddiqui | Jamesia King | Sarah Pierce | Bojana Ninkovic Petkovic

Victoria Waters, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Dr. Victoria Waters joined Lone Star College in 2000 as the Assistant Director for School-to-Careers, a position in which she developed programs, coordinated conferences, produced monthly newsletters, and reported grant outcomes for career and technology education in the Gulf Coast region. When the grant ended in 2003, she found her niche in academic support and student services while directing the learning and assessment centers at LSC-Tomball until 2012.

Victoria believes what Yeats said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” In 2014, she became a grant developer in RDA and discovered that her previous K-12 background combined with her higher education experience formed the foundation for producing competitive grant proposals to provide empowering student success programs such as Upward Bound and Student Support Services.

Victoria strives to have a healthy mind-body-spirit connection. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming, watching Amazon Prime international shows, and spending time with her family and friends.

Bachelor of Science, Applied Learning and Development, University of Texas at Austin
Master of Education, Curriculum & Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Administration-Community College Leadership, UT-Austin

Favorite Quote: "I hope you never lose your sense of wonder…I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean, Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens…Never settle for the path of least resistance…I hope you dance." – Lee Ann Womack

Cyndi Drummond, M.A., LPC-S
Director, Grant Development

Since joining Lone Star College in 2012, Cyndi Drummond has served as the Director of Grant Development, bringing over three decades of experience as a mental health professional, grant developer, and program evaluator within nonprofit sectors. With a focus on enhancing program effectiveness and fostering positive change, Cyndi has successfully designed evaluation frameworks, conducted program assessments, and secured over $130 million in external funds through federal, state, local, and private grant proposals.

As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Supervisor (LPC-S), Cyndi holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from West Virginia University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology & Criminal Justice from Fairmont State College. Active in professional circles, she is a member of organizations like the Nonprofit Grants Management Association and Leadership North Houston Alumni Association, and she's a graduate of the Civitas Next Generation Leadership Academy.

In her personal interests, Cyndi is a lifelong 4-H All-Star member and a photography enthusiast.

Favorite Quote: "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore

Pamela Wyatt, MBA
Director, Grant Mgmt. & Compl.

Pamela received her undergraduate degree at the University of Mobile and her MBA at the University of Phoenix. She has over 30+ years of pre and post Grant Compliance and Contract Management experience to include Grant Accounting.

Pamela is responsible for the administration and management of grant processes to include oversight of grant compliance, process improvement, project management, problem resolutions, and the adherence to federal, local, and state guidelines.

Pamela has successfully submitted applications for federal funding of over 24 million dollars in homeless funding for the Houston community. She also served, 22 years in the United States Navy.

Charis Prejean, M.S.W.
Grant Developer

Charis Prejean joined Lone Star College in 2016 as a Grant Developer.  As a Grant Developer, she was instrumental in securing grant funding to implement programs supporting historically underrepresented students.  Working with internal and external stakeholders, she secured grants from public and private sources - including the Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions (Title III) and IREPO, the Johnson Controls Foundation, and the Steelcase Education Foundation.

Charis has over 20 years of grant writing experience. At Texas A&M University, she assisted nonprofit organizations throughout Texas to develop competitive proposals for a variety of programming support. In this position, she helped all types of nonprofit organizations with nonprofit development and funding strategies. Prior to joining Lone Star College, she was a grant developer for the City of New Braunfels and helped the city to acquire funding for a wide range of city services including police and fire services, FEMA, and economic development projects.

She earned her master's degree in Social Work Administration from Texas State University in 2002.

Favorite Quote: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

Blanca Nelly Saldaña, MNPM
Grant Developer

Blanca Nelly Saldaña joined LSC’s Resource Development & Administration (RDA) Department as Grant Developer in February 2024.

Through her previous positions, Blanca has successfully submitted numerous federal, state, local, and private grant proposals leading to significant organizational impact and an increase in student achievement. Blanca will leverage her expertise in creating bridges to collaborations, strategic partnerships, and sustainable initiatives between community, local nonprofits, schools, and industry partners.

Prior to joining Lone Star College System, Blanca served as a nonprofit administrator dedicating the past 30+ years empowering children, families, and communities in Houston’s underserved neighborhoods. She has worked for BakerRipley, Tejano Center for Community Concerns, Houston ISD, Catholic Charities, and other United Way agencies that focused on empowering individuals by providing education, housing, community engagement and development, health and wellness, economic and workforce development, civic engagement, early childhood education, immigration, and parent empowerment programs.

After a long successful career as a nonprofit administrator, Blanca decided to change gears and begin a new chapter in post-secondary education where all her education, resources, and connections could be leveraged to help youth and adults of all ages the opportunity to remove barriers and fulfill their academic or career training dreams. Blanca believes that when together: parents, students, schools, and community unite, our young scholars and future leaders will be unstoppable in their pursuit of excellence to make impactful change to their families and community. Blanca earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & Management from Texas Southern University and Masters in Nonprofit Management from University of Houston-Downtown.

Favorite Quote: “Never, Never, Never Give Up!” -  Winston Churchill          

Bojana Ninkovic Petkovic
Compliance Analyst

Bojana Ninkovic Petkovic joined Lone Star College in 2023, as a Compliance Analyst for Resource Development & Administration (RDA).

Born and raised in Former Yugoslavia, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in STEM (Physics). Bojana worked in various fields of workforce, from entertainment to education, as she frequently relocated due to war conditions. After settling in Texas, she worked for an education-based non-profit organization, whose goal is to help people in need (refugees, asylees, victims of the trafficking, etc.). She then worked for University of Houston-Downtown assisting with the management of grant-funded programs related to diversity and inclusion.

Favorite quote: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.’’- Forrest Gump

David Grebe, M.A.
Grant Developer

David Grebe is a former journalist with experience writing for newspapers in Missouri, Texas, and Iowa. At LSC, he has successfully created winning proposals for Federal, state, Foundation and local grants – including innovative proposals such as the college’s first food scholarship program.

David came to Houston after spending ten years living in New York City where he worked for platinum manufacturer Johnson Matthey in the Diamond District. A St. Louis native, he earned a BA at Boston College and a master’s in journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In addition to working in RDA, David has taught two semesters of EDUC 1300 at LSC-North Harris. He’s been with Lone Star College since 2017.

Favorite Quote: “Happiness is a direction, not a place.” – unknown

April Odell, MBA
Compliance Analyst

April completed an A.A.S. degree in Paralegal Studies from Lone Star College in 2003 (then called NHMCCD) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of St. Thomas in 2008. After graduating, she worked as a Paralegal for a large international law firm in Houston, Texas, and in 2009 she joined LSC as a Paralegal in the Office of General Counsel.

After serving in that position for 5 years, April moved to Resource Development and Administration (“RDA”) as a Compliance Analyst. During her tenure at Lone Star College April continued to expand her education and earned an A.A.S. degree in Accounting from LSC as well as a Masters's in Business Administration from Sam Houston State University. April has an adult son who serves in the U.S. Army. Her hobbies include dogs, the Houston Texans, traveling, and spending time with her small group of girlfriends.

Favorite quote: “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” – Eeyore

Jennifer Trice, M.Ed.
Grant Developer

Jennifer Trice joined Lone Star College in 2019 as a Grant Developer. In that role, she has mainly focused on securing grant funds for Workforce programs at LSC.

Originally from Canada, Jennifer has a background in Education, working overseas in The Gambia, the UAE, and Japan. She has Education Administration and ESOL, Elementary, Secondary, and Adult teaching experience. She has also worked for non-profit organizations involving immigrant and refugee support. Jennifer has a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology, a Bachelor’s of Education, and a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction.

Favorite Quote: “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

Mehreen Siddiqui
Compliance Analyst

Mehreen Siddiqui is a Compliance Analyst for Resource Development & Administration (RDA) at Lone Star College. Mehreen has been with Lone Star since January 2012, she has worked with different departments including Financial Aid, Workforce, and Academic Affairs.

She graduated from the University of Houston with a BBA in HR Management and Marketing. She started her career in the Oil and Gas industry and transferred to the Education Industry to pursue her passion for helping students fulfilling their educational dreams.

Jamesia King, M.A.
Grant Developer

Jamesia King joined LSC- Resource Development & Administration (RDA) as Grant Developer in July 2022. Prior to her role as Grant Developer, Jamesia served as Program Coordinator for the Student Success Institute (SSI) at Lone Star College- University Park.

As a native Houstonian, she has also served as Program Coordinator with the Center for Student Empowerment at University of Houston where she worked to support diversity in education by collaborating with campus partners and coordinating program activities to promote student success. In addition, Jamesia has managed grant programs such as the Dr. John H. Hopps Jr. Research Scholars Program at Morehouse College – a STEM research scholars program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. With over seven years of experience in higher education, Jamesia is committed to serve as a change agent and advocate for educational equity.

Jamesia received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Spelman College. She also holds a Master of Arts in African American Studies from Georgia State University.

Sarah Pierce
Specialist III 

Sarah Pierce joined Lone Star College in 2020 as RDA’s Specialist. She serves as the liaison with the Chancellor’s Office and the Office of the General Counsel while providing administrative support to the department. She coordinates proposals, amendments, partnership agreements, and budgets in support of $256 million in managed grants.

Sarah previously worked for the University of Houston and specialized in contract processing and compliance. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas State University in 2013.

Favorite Quote: “When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.” – unknown