PCA School Board
Bios
Louise LaVane
Louise LaVane is a native of Lufkin and a Registered Nurse, receiving her Master of Science in Nursing Education, Management and Leadership from The University of Texas at Tyler and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Stephen F. Austin State University. She has served as an Instructor with the School of Nursing at Angelina College since 2001 and is the CEO of LaVane Consultant Services. Prior to becoming a Nursing Educator she served as a Nurse Manager and Resource/Case Manager with Woodland Heights Medical Center and Emergency Department Director with Memorial Hospital. She is a past President of Top Ladies of Distinction, Lufkin Chapter and National Top Teens Director as well as past President and Dean of Membership for the Gamma Chi Chi Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Nursing Sorority and currently serves as Financial Secretary and Physical and Mental Health Committee Chairperson for the Lufkin area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Justin Hatton
Justin Hatton is a native of East Texas and a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Systems Engineering Technologies. He served in the US Navy as a Submarine Officer for several years before returning to East Texas to begin his engineering career with Lufkin Industries / General Electric and to obtain his Masters in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. He currently works as an Engineering Manager with Lockheed Martin. Justin’s family, including his wife and three children, have been active members of the PCA community since 2016, their church since 2013, and various other community organizations.
Deborah Brantley
Deborah Brantley – also known as Nurse Deb by many at PCA, was the first Registered Nurse at Pineywoods Academy. She was the School Nurse at PCA for ten years, then upon retirement from that position, became a PCA-ECHS Health Careers Mentor at Angelina College for 3 years. She graduated Valedictorian of her High School Class in Fort Worth and attended TCU and TCJC before moving to East Texas. She has proudly enjoyed many different aspects of nursing, working in Surgery, Outpatient Clinics and as a Diabetic Educator. The ten years before PCA, she worked as the Director of Nurses at Crockett State School and then a Statewide Operations Nurse Manager for UTMB Managed Care for the Texas Youth Commission; overseeing youth medical care in 13 TYC Infirmaries and well as writing Policy and Procedure Manuals for youth healthcare and ensuring Texas State Laws and Texas Education Association rules and regulations were met. She has participated in two published articles relating to youth health care. Ms. Brantley has always been active in her professional organizations such the American Nurses Association and the Texas School Nurse Association as well in community, church and her boy’s school activities, holding PTSO Offices and serving as a Boy Scout Cubmaster and in District Committees. She has served on the Houston County Welfare Board and was a founding member of the Pineywoods Fine Arts Association in Crockett. She has written and published a Children’s Book about a cat who overcame handicap obstacles. She and her husband Dr. Don Brantley (a Psychologist for the VA) have four married sons and eleven grandchildren, two who attend Pineywoods Academy.
Joe Douglas, III
Joe Douglas is the Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Angelina Logistic LLC in Lufkin, and a Texas Realtor. Retired from the ITEX Group Property Management, Inc. as Regional Manager in East Texas and Shreveport, Louisiana. He is a graduate and a life member of Leadership Lukin Class of 2002. He earned his Associate of Science in Business Degree from Angelina College and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Stephen F. Austin State University, a member of the University of Texas System. He is a member and Trustee of Long Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church, served as Chairman of General Solicitation for the Angelina County United Way. President of the Angelina County Citizens Chamber of Commerce, President of Lufkin Independent School District, President of the Affordable Housing Management Association of East Texas, Inc., and elected National Delegate to Texas Senate District 3 representing 17 East Texas Counties. He has served on the advisory boards of Deep East Texas Council of Government Family Self Sufficiency, Angelina College Child and Family Development, Angelina County Vision 2020, the Lufkin State Supported Living Center Advocacy Program, and various other boards. Joe is married to Yevette Douglas, who is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University. Joe and Yevette have two children, Matthew a graduate of Lufkin High School and Texas A&M University and Elizabeth a graduate of Angelina College, Pineywoods Community Academy Early College High School, and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Texas State University.
Dr. Melissa Stewart
Dr. Stewart was born in Bossier City, Louisiana, and raised around the world as the daughter of a U.S. Army veteran, an experience that shaped her adaptability and global perspective. She earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate in Nursing from Northwestern State University. Board certified in Family Medicine and Advanced Diabetic Management, Dr. Stewart currently serves patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Lufkin.Her clinical focus includes podiatry and vascular care, with a particular specialization in diabetic foot wounds and vascular limb preservation. She is passionate about improving outcomes for patients with complex chronic conditions through both prevention and advanced treatment strategies.Dr. Stewart is a proud mother of three children, two of whom are graduates of PCA. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys reading, traveling, attending concerts, and participating in RunDisney events. She has served as a member of the PCA School Board since 2025.
Krystal Riley
Krystal Garcia Riley is a native of the Rio Grande Valley who moved to East Texas in 2001 to attend Stephen F. Austin State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law in Houston and was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 2008. She has practiced law in Lufkin since that time and became a partner at Skelton Slusher Barnhill Watkins Wells, PLLC in 2015. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at Angelina College. Krystal and her husband, John, are the parents of three children and are active members of their church, where they serve together as College and Career Directors.
Hunter Throckmorton
Hunter Throckmorton is a native of Lufkin and a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration and his Master of Professional Accountancy. He is a Certified Public Accountant who began his career as an auditor in public accounting before serving as Controller, and later Executive Director, Business Services, for Tyler Junior College. While at TJC, he began taking on accounting clients, and as that practice grew, he returned home to Lufkin to start Throckmorton, Leal & Associates, where he serves as a partner. Hunter has lived in Houston and Tyler and traveled to many more places, but Lufkin has always pulled him back, and he is glad to call it home again as he raises his family here. He and his wife have two children who attend PCA.