2026 Board of Trustees
Jaclyn Wilson is originally from Austin, TX finding her way to Waxahachie via Waco and Dallas. As a nursing major at Baylor University, Jaclyn moved to Dallas to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing Administration. During her time in Dallas, she lived in Old East Dallas and owned a 1920 Craftsman within the King’s Highway Conservation District of Oak Cliff. This sparked her interest in historic homes and properties, which has now turned into a passion for preserving the past for our future.
Jaclyn has been married to her husband Jason for 9 years, they have 3 children and 2 granddaughters. When they met, Jason had just built a brand-new custom home…little did he know he would meet and marry the one person who did not want to live in it! The Wilsons moved to Waxahachie in 2018 and purchased a 1900 home that is on the National Registry of Historic Places. It was also featured during the HWI Christmas Tour of Homes in 2022. When they aren’t completing passion projects around their home, you can find Jaclyn decorating it and Jason smoking BBQ in the backyard. Jaclyn has been a member of HWI since 2018, has had the pleasure of serving on the HWI Board since 2023, and is currently serving as the Board President.
Susan Ruebman grew up in DeSoto, Texas, spending her weekends on her family’s cattle ranch in East Texas. Her childhood homestead was a Folk Victorian, a home she cherished until it was lost to a fire. Three decades later, she and her husband, Andy, discovered another Folk Victorian—this time on Brown Street in Waxahachie—bringing her story full circle.
Susan and Andy Ruebman have been married for 34 years. They raised their son, Wesley, in Midlothian, where they lived for 25 years on a three‑acre property northeast of town. She attended the University of Texas at Arlington and holds her Series 7, Series 66, and CRPC designations in the financial industry.
Susan enjoyed a 35‑year career with Merrill Lynch, working closely with high‑net‑worth clients, including $10M+ households, attorneys, 501(c)(3) organizations, and individuals navigating divorce. Her work deepened her expertise in financial planning, estate strategies, and the business‑owner perspective. She helped foundations craft and refine investment policy statements, develop contribution systems, and strengthen mission statements to attract donors and new members.
Beyond her financial career, Susan is active in the Ellis County Master Gardeners and is leading the 2026 ECMG Expo. She is also pursuing a Landscape Design designation through Texas A&M University. Her love of heritage and community continues to grow through her involvement in local organizations—she is a member of the Waxahachie Heirloom Club and serves on the board of Waxahachie Partners, Inc.
Mike Kinney has 48 years of electrical construction experience. Early in his career Mike worked on many historical home remodels in Highland Park, Texas. Mike was fortunate to work with skilled craftsmen of all trades on these jobs. He was very interested in all aspects of learning each trade and seeing the results of accurate and quality historical restoration. Mike has vast knowledge of historical architecture. Mike is passionate about finding ways to help homeowners of historic homes to restore these homes to keep the historical integrity of these homes.
In 1994 Mike, Denise and family moved to Waxahachie and purchased a 1922
Bungalow in dire need of being restored. Mike and his wife Denise work many hours and years to bring the bungalow to its previous glory. Keeping the original floor plan along with doors and windows. In 2014 Mike and Denise purchased another fixer upper 2 houses down from the bungalow. After endless hours and stress Mike and Denise completed this restoration in 2023. Again, keeping the original floor plan and exterior integrity. In 2023 Mike and Denise were asked to have their homes on the HWI Christmas tour. Along with that, the Waxahachie Historical Society presented Mike and Denis with the Historical Restoration of the Year award. That was a tremendous honor for Mike and Denise. Mike is a Master Mason and member of Masonic Lodge #705 with his son-in-law Taylor, also a resident of Waxahachie.
Sarah Kennedy is a Waxahachie native who grew up in a historic home with parents dedicated to restoration, giving her a deep love for historic preservation at a young age. Her parents, Mike and Denise Kinney lovingly restored and moved into another historic home built in 1912 just two houses down from the 1922 Craftsman Bungalow she grew up in. Sarah and her husband Taylor Kennedy had the honor of taking over her childhood home that she nicknamed “The Bungalow That Built Me”. Her mom, Denise, realized when Sarah was a child that she had an interest in historic architecture, as Sarah would name the style and era of homes at different estate sales. Denise says it’s because of the historic home tours in town that they would attend —which goes to show that those traditions held here help shape future generations in preservation. Both her and her parents’ homes were featured on the 2023 Christmas Tour of Homes, bringing Sarah’s cherished memories of attending the tours full circle.
Sarah joined the HWI board in 2025 after several years of volunteering and has been part of social event planning, Public Relations, Newsletter and both HWI and ECM tour of homes planning committees. Sarah also received the “40 Under Forty” award from Waxahachie Young Professionals in 2021 for her passion and volunteer work within the community.
Corey Rogan says that Waxahachie should be the kind of town where neighbors know the name of everybody on their street. Taking inspiration from 1 Corinthians 12, which describes how the members of the body of Christ all have unique functions, Corey wants to help build a sense of community in Waxahachie by fulfilling a unique role in journalism and historic preservation.
Corey was raised in Plano and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Southern Methodist University. He first arrived in Waxahachie in 2021 when he was hired to serve as the Public Information Strategist for the Ellis County Judge. In that role, Corey re-introduced tours of the Historic Courthouse and became immersed in the historical community in Ellis County, eventually moving into the Rogers Hotel and learning about Waxahachie’s origins.
Having served as Secretary on the HWI board since 2024, Corey is excited to network and work with local historic preservationists to safeguard, promote, and educate the community about Waxahachie’s unique architectural and cultural heritage.
Fawn Rumfield is a local historic homeowner who has called Waxahachie home her entire adult life. With a background in elementary education and a mother of three young children, she is passionate about engaging the next generation in history and preservation. She serves as the current Chair of the Christmas Tour of Homes, processes historic signage applications, and manages the HWI social media pages. She is passionate about the intersection of design, sustainability, and preservation, and hopes to promote those spheres in her work on the HWI board and in her own home.
Grayson Haye is the newly elected Treasurer for Historic Waxahachie. Since 2015 Grayson and his wife Michelle, past President of Historic Waxahachie, have been active members and leaders in the community. Though typically serving quietly behind the scenes, Grayson has been a key volunteer on the Christmas Tour of Homes since 2021. Beyond Historic Waxahachie, Grayson currently serves as a deacon at Remedy Church in Waxahachie. Professionally Grayson brings over a decade of experience as a manager of operations for the City of Dallas Park and Recreation Department. During his tenure with the City Grayson worked closely on the implementation of a master plan for updating aging swimming facilities, specifically the sympathetic renovation of the historic Tietze Park swimming pool bath house and concession stand and the Samuell Grand swimming pool bathhouse and sundeck. These efforts included the preservation of the entirety of the original building facades and the incorporation of matching materials and design for additional buildings that were added in 2016. In 2022 Grayson and his team received special recognition by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson for exceptional leadership and service by special proclamation. Currently Grayson leads a team of up to 400 seasonal and full-time employees managing eighteen facilities across the City of Dallas that serve over 180,000 visitors annually and generate over $1.28 million in revenue.
As a child in Ellis County, Jess Connell grew up admiring the historic homes of Waxahachie. After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University with a B.A. in Political Science, she went on to work for both the Arkansas and Texas state governments. Jess has spent two decades raising her family through many moves around the world as a homeschooling mom of nine children. Over the years, she has taught Bible studies, participated in community writers groups, published a book for new moms, and tutored students in writing, government/economics, debate, and public speaking.
In 2014, their family moved into their first historic home – a 1924 Craftsman stucco in Washington State, and their current National Folk style home was built in 1900. She counts it a privilege to steward the historic details of charming, architecturally-significant houses—while enjoying their practical design and the beauty they add to day-to-day family life. Currently, she hosts two YouTube channels focused on reviving books and history. She’s delighted to use those skills to join with HWI’s goal of bringing the lessons and stories of these lovely homes to life for our community.
Angela Glass is a fourth-generation Waxahachie resident who is deeply rooted in the history and heart of her hometown. She has been married for 37 years and is a proud mom of three and grandmother to four grandsons. She has served as a nurse since 2012, working in multiple departments at Baylor Hospital before becoming the Nurse Coordinator for Highland Park ISD. In addition to her medical career, she is a Pilates instructor and small business owner, passionate about wellness and building strong community connections. Angela serves on the Historic Waxahachie board because she believes preserving the character, stories, and architecture of this special town honors those who came before us and protects its legacy for future generations.
Nancy Post is a Waxahachie native but has lived in New York, Vermont, Africa and Europe. She has a degree in population studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and has worked in population policy, public health research, nonprofit family support organizations and in teaching ESOL. She loves to travel.
She is deeply interested in history and has been on the board of HWI for several years. She recognizes that history can be a unique asset in nurturing a sense of place. Her interest in historic preservation is motivated in part by her desire to see us build a healthy community worth protecting and preserving.
Kelly Savell has had a lifelong fascination for Architecture, History & Waxahachie. She was actively involved at Old City Park in Dallas and served on the Heritage Commission board from 1988-1993. During her time living in East Tennessee, from 1993-2020, she obtained a degree in Interior Design after her youngest child graduated high school and opened her own firm, Griffin Design Group and a home décor shop, The Weathervane. Returning to Texas in 2020, a long-held dream of making Waxahachie home & restoring a historic residential property became a reality. On the day of closing for the home, Harold Barnard gifted the family with the initial membership into HWI. In January 2026 she was honored to become a member of the Board of Historic Waxahachie and in 2023 she was appointed by the City Council to the Heritage Preservation Commission, currently serving her second two-year term. She and her husband are high school sweethearts and have been married 46 years. They have two grown children and one granddaughter.
Responsibilities:
Develops, maintains, and prioritizes a list of endangered historic properties. Researches solutions and opportunities for preservation and restoration.
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Coordinates guided tours of the Ellis County Courthouse for festivals, public events, and special group requests.
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Reviews and processes applications for HWI historic markers and secures Board approval for placement.
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Recruits new members and maintains an up-to-date membership database for communication and engagement.
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Interviews longtime residents and transcribes their stories to preserve Waxahachie’s history for future research and education.
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Organizes events, tours, and presentations to educate the public and HWI members about historic preservation and local history.
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Promotes HWI activities and advocacy efforts through the website, videos, press releases, emails, and local media.
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Plans and hosts social gatherings, including the annual holiday party and summer social, to build community among members
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Plans, coordinates, and executes the annual Christmas Tour of Homes, showcasing Waxahachie’s historic residences.
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Develops strategic goals and initiatives to support HWI’s mission and ensure efficient use of resources.
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Manages the scholarship program, including eligibility criteria, application review, and selection process.
