Catholic Charities Dallas welcomes new board members

Since 1993, Melissa Brooks serves as Vice President and Marketing Director at Dallas based Grand Homes Inc., builders of over 500 homes annually. Melissa is deeply committed to philanthropy, particularly causes that support children in need. Her charitable work began with a private circus event for pediatric oncology patients through Children’s Medical, inspiring a lasting dedication to organizations such as Sky Ranch, Christ the King School, and local Vacation Bible Schools. She is also an active supporter of HOPE International, which provides microloans in underserved communities around the world. Her mission work has taken her abroad, where she has helped build schools, churches, a farm, and a water well in Kenya, homes in Tijuana, and most recently an orphanage in Ghana. Melissa graduated from Texas A&M University and began her career in real estate while still in college. A native of Marshall, Texas, she has lived in Dallas for 32 years. She and her husband, Stephen, are active members of Christ the King Catholic Church and enjoy traveling. Melissa has one son, two stepsons, and four grandchildren.

Aaron Garcia is a Digital Assurance & Transparency Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Dallas, TX. He has spent his entire career with PwC, previously working in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and New Jersey before relocating to Dallas in 2016. Aaron leads teams focused on evaluating IT and business process controls for financial audits, primarily in the telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) sectors. He was a principal contributor to the 2013 update of the COSO Internal Control—Integrated Framework, used by the majority of U.S. public companies. He has served on boards for the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and now volunteers with youth sports, the Prince of Peace Athletic Advisory Council, and the JPII Booster Club. Aaron graduated Magna Cum Laude from USC with a degree in Accounting Information Systems and is a licensed CPA in California and Texas. He lives in Carrollton, TX with his wife Anika and their four children.

E. Murphy Markham IV retired in 2021 as a Managing Partner at EnCap Investments L.P., one of the largest private equity firms in the oil & gas sector. At EnCap, he led fundraising, business development, and portfolio management, and served on the firm’s Management and Investment Committees. Before EnCap, Murphy spent 25 years in oil & gas banking, including leadership roles at Bank of America, Bank One where he headed the national oil & gas banking group, and JPMorgan Chase, where he headed national oil & gas banking groups. Murphy has served on the boards of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, Western Energy Alliance, Dallas Petroleum Club, Dallas and Fort Worth Wildcatters. He holds a BBA from Texas Tech and an MBA from the University of Houston. He and his wife, Theresa, founded The Markham Family Foundation in 2015 to serve the poor and provide disaster relief. He has served with Catholic Charities in Fort Worth and Dallas and currently serves on the Red Cross DFW Metro West Advisory Board and the National Philanthropy Board. They have been married for 44 years and have three married children and ten grandchildren.

Jim Moroney is the Proprietor of Sixmilebridge Vineyards in Paso Robles, California. Prior to his current work and projects, Jim had a long and distinguished career with the Belo Corporation serving in various key leadership positions including Chairman, President and CEO of A.H. Belo Corporation, the Publisher and CEO of The Dallas Morning News, the President of Belo’s Television Group, and he also served as the founding President of Belo Interactive, Inc. He served as Chair of the Newspaper Association of America, Chair of The Dallas Foundation and has served on the boards of the Associated Press, American Press Institute, Television Bureau of Advertising, Goodwill of Dallas, Andrew Harper, LLC, Cistercian Prep, and the Bishop’s Finance Council of the Diocese of Dallas. Jim has been honored as the Publisher of the Year and he received the Frank W. Mayborn Award. Jim has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and an MBA from The University of Texas. He currently serves as the Chair of the Homiletics Institute and serves on the Advisory Board of the College of Communications at the Univ of Texas and The St Vincent DePaul Society of Dallas. Jim and his wife Barbara have five children: Sean, Meagan, Kyle, and twins Callie and Jenny and four grandchildren.

Aileen Pratt is President of the Aileen and Jack Pratt Foundation, which supports charities focused on providing healthcare, education, and safe environments for women and children in need. Originally from New York, Aileen earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College and her J.D. from Columbia University Law School. Her legal career includes roles with Jenkens & Gilchrist, the Federal Asset Disposition Association, and Amresco Management Inc., where she served as Deputy General Counsel. A dedicated community volunteer, Aileen currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Ursuline Academy of Dallas. She previously served eight years on the Catholic Foundation of Dallas Board, including two as Chair, and has held leadership or advisory roles with Jesuit Dallas, the Crystal Charity Ball (Chair, 2012), TCU Chancellor’s Advisory Council, Baylor Hospital Foundation, and Barnard College’s President’s Advisory Council. She and her husband Jack are proud parents of Michael, a Jesuit and TCU graduate, and Caroline, a graduate of Ursuline, the University of Oklahoma, and Johns Hopkins University.

The way in which these incredible individuals are using their talents to drive transformative change within our community is truly admirable. We are honored and excited to benefit from their leadership!