The Dan Burck Visionary Award was established in 2017 to honor long-standing supporters who have made a remarkable commitment to the success of UT Elementary School. The award is named after R. D. (Dan) Burck (1933-2015).
Dan Burck was born in 1933 in Austin, Texas. A 1956 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Dan was a leader at the University of Texas System for decades. He first joined the UT System in 1988 as vice chancellor for business affairs. He rose to the positions of executive vice chancellor in 1992 and chancellor in 2000.
During his tenure as UT System chancellor, Dan was instrumental in conceptualizing and establishing the University of Texas Elementary School. Often referring to UT Elementary as “my school,” Dan was a guiding force in the lives of students and their families. He and his wife Penny served in various leadership roles at UT Elementary, including as part of the school’s Management Board and Development Council.
UT Elementary is grateful to Chancellor Burck for his unwavering support of our school. His legacy lives on through the thousands of lives that he continues to touch through the students, teachers, families, alumni and friends of UT Elementary.
2024 – 20th Anniversary Honorees
Kathy Armenta, LCSW, ACSW, is a retired clinical professor from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. For the past 20 years, Kathy has been an invaluable member of the UT Elementary School Board. Her dedication has facilitated the placement and training of hundreds of UT Austin student interns at our school and around the world. Thanks to Kathy’s efforts, addressing the social and emotional needs of our students and their families remains a cornerstone of our school’s mission and vision.
Courtney Byrd, Ph.D., is the Founder and Executive Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research at the Moody College of Communication. She also serves as the Associate Chair and Graduate Advisor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. Through her collaboration with UT Elementary, Dr. Byrd has introduced her groundbreaking CARE Model of treatment for students who stutter, while also providing advanced clinical training opportunities for UT Austin speech-language pathology students.
Laurie Scott, Ph.D., is not only one of the designers of the Musical Lives program but also an ever-vibrant presence on the UT Elementary campus. Dr. Scott is an Associate Professor of Music and Human Learning at the Butler School of Music in the College of Fine Arts and the director of the University of Texas String Project. Her work ensures that every Little Longhorn benefits from access to high-quality music education and that Music Education students from UT Austin have a place to learn and refine their skills.
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D., holds the Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Education and serves as the executive director of the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk at the College of Education. From the very beginning, Dr. Vaughn consulted on the design of UT Elementary and was instrumental in implementing the Response to Intervention Reading Program for students—a practice that has since been adopted by school districts across Texas and the U.S. Dr. Vaughn’s ongoing research at UT Elementary continues to shape best practices for our students and beyond.
2023 Honoree
William F. Lasher
Dr. William F. Lasher (Bill) has been involved with the University of Texas Elementary School since before it became a school. Dr. Lasher was serving as the Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Budgeting in 1996 when he was part of the advising team that created the foundation for UT Elementary and how it could benefit the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Lasher’s work on the UT Elementary Management Board, especially his leadership with the Finance Committee, has provided valuable oversight and ensured the financial stability of our school for two decades.
Pictured: Dr. William F. Lasher
2022 Honoree
Ramona Trevino
(Ph.D. Education Administration 2006)
Dr. Ramona Trevino was the founding principal of UT Elementary. It was not only her belief that The University of Texas’ flagship institution could lead a school for an underserved neighborhood in East Austin but that UT Elementary could be a national demonstration school as well. Dr. Trevino implemented the inclusion of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) for every student and now SEL is in hundreds of thousands of school across the globe.
Her work and dedication created the foundation on which UT Elementary stands and continues to grow.
Pictured: Dr. Ramona Trevino
2021 Honoree
Brian Bryant
(Ph.D. Special Education ’84)
Dr. Brian Bryant was on the UT Elementary School Board for almost 6 years and sat as the chair of the research committee. Dr. Bryant ensured that quality research was being conducted at UT Elementary. After his board tenure, he continued to bring his doctoral students to UT Elementary to see how the programs and equipment were being used in the classroom setting.
Pictured: Dr. Brian Bryant
2020 Honoree
Gregory Fenves
(29th President of the University of Texas at Austin)
Former UT Austin President, Gregory Fenves was a champion for UT Elementary who supported the school and considered it one of his priorities. With his support, the school was able to complete its capital campaign and open the remodeled classroom facilities in 2018 and the new playground in 2019.
Pictured: Mickey Klein and Gregory Fenves
2019 Honoree
Pat Oles
(BBA Finance ’89)
Pat Oles was the chair of the UT Elementary Development Council for 17 years. Pat spearheaded the capital campaign which successfully raised the funds to build UT Elementary in East Austin. UT Elementary is grateful for his faith in the school and for his leadership.
Pictured: Dr. Melissa Chavez, Penny Burck, Pat Oles and Mickey Klein
2018 Honorees
Michael L. “Mickey” Klein and Jeanne Klein
(B.S. Petroleum Engineering ’58; L.L.B. ’63) and (B.S. Education ’67), respectively
Mickey and Jeanne Klein have been part a vital of the UT Elementary Community for more than a decade. In addition to being founding members of the UT Elementary Development Council, Mickey regularly volunteers as a mentor in the classroom, and Jeanne played a pivotal role in the development of the Social Emotional Learning Program and its implementation at UT Elementary.
Pictured: Mickey Klein, UT Elementary Alumna Makailynn Garcia, Jeanne Klein, Penny Burck and Dr. Melissa Chavez
2017 Honoree
Dr. Edwin Sharpe
(B.A. Economics ’69; MBA Business Administration ’70 and Ph.D. Higher Education Administration ’80)
Dr. Edwin Sharpe was the founding chair for the Management Board for UT Elementary and had continued to serve on the Management Board. He has assumed numerous roles in the University of Texas System, including Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. He played a major role in building the university’s relationship with neighborhoods in East Austin in the 1980s and has served on many local and national boards—most with an educational focus.
Pictured: Dr. Melissa Chavez, Dr. Ed Sharpe and Penny Burck
