Leadership Team Bios

Chris Barbic, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Founder and Chief Executive Officer Chris Barbic oversees all of the senior management and school directors. Prior to founding YES Prep, Chris taught for six years in Houston ISD and was a member of Teach for America. In 1995, he earned Houston ISD’s Outstanding Young Educator. Chris has earned a number of awards for his contribution to the educational reform movement, including The Do Something Foundation’s Do Something Brick Award in 2000. In 2001, he was selected by President Bush to serve on the President’s Commission on Excellence in Hispanic Education and in 2006 was awarded Vanderbilt University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Chris graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in English and Human Development.  

Jason Bernal, Chief Operations Officer

Jason oversees YES Prep’s facilities, construction, technology, human resources, state compliance and student data management. He also serves as co-school director at the Southeast campus and is responsible for the management of nearly 70 staff members and 800 students.  Jason is one of the original teachers at Project YES in 1997 and one of the founders of YES Prep in 1998. During his tenure, Jason has served in multiple roles. This includes teaching middle school Reading, Spanish, History and Geography. He has served as dean of students at the Southeast campus, a founder and co-school director at the North Central campus, and school director at the Southwest campus. Jason holds a degree in Spanish from Montana State University and a Masters in Education Leadership from Sam Houston State University.

Ryan Dolibois, Chief Development Officer

Ryan joined the staff of YES Prep in 2001, and in addition to his development responsibilities, has taught 11th grade English and 12th grade government. Over his time at YES, the annual fund goal has grown from $500,000 to an annual need of over $2.5 million. In the past four years, working with the YES Board and Head of Schools, Ryan has helped YES raise more than $60 million for its operations, facilities, and expansion. Ryan came to Houston in 1998 as a member of the Teach for America corps and taught 5th grade reading for three years in an inner-city elementary school. In 1999, Ryan was recognized as the first-year Teacher of the Year for the state of Texas He is a member of the National Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and is active in the local chapter. Ryan is a graduate of William and Mary College. 

Bill Durbin, Head of New Schools

Bill is the head of new schools and is the former school director of YES Prep Lee Campus. He also serves as a leadership coach for the Texas High School Project, CFT. Previously, he co-founded and directed YES Northeast and YES Prep East End. Before starting two YES schools, he served as a founding teacher at YES Southeast, the first YES Prep school.  Bill created and ran the athletic program, taught 6th and 7th grade English, served as grade-level and English department chair, and sat on the school’s campus-based leadership team. Bill holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Illinois and a Masters in Education (Supervision and Administration) from the University of Houston.  

Jennifer Hines, Chief People and Program Officer

As Chief Program Officer, Jennifer oversees attracting and developing YES Prep’s human capital and is responsible for the quality of YES Prep’s educational program.  She has worked at YES since it first opened as a 6th-12th grade school in 1998. Along with her previous position as school director, Jennifer has also taught Advanced Placement English and Psychology and worked as a consultant on curriculum development. She was also a member of Teach For America and completed four years as an English teacher in Houston. Jennifer has been a fellow of the Houston Annenberg Challenge Leadership Academy for principals in Houston as well as Common Ground, a program for English teachers sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jennifer graduated from the University of Virginia in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology and holds a Master’s degree in Urban Education from Harvard University.  

Robert McBurnett, Chief Financial Officer

Robert oversees all aspects of YES Prep’s Finance Team.  Robert joined YES Prep in December 2008 after six years as the chief financial officer for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.  Robert’s career in professional sports began in 1986, when he joined the Houston Astros as an assistant controller and held a variety of positions over fourteen years, including vice president of finance. He also served as the business administrator for First United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. Robert began his financial career with the international accounting firm Deloitte Haskins & Sells as a staff accountant, and held various corporate accounting positions before joining the Astros. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University. 

Anne McClellan, Chief Growth Officer

Anne’s primary responsibility is to provide leadership in YES Prep’s strategic planning and growth. Anne joined YES Prep in 2008 after serving as a program officer at the Communities Foundations of Texas (CFT), where she helped design and launch 35 Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics academies and established a statewide coaching program and network focused on the STEM initiative as part of The Texas High School Project. She was the founding principal of Challenge Early College High, the first early college high school in Texas. Anne was also a co-founder of the Center for Reform of School Systems which focused on the improvement of district and school board governance. She was recognized by the University of Houston with the 1996 Outstanding Doctoral Student Award and received the Houston ISD and George and Josephine Hamman Foundation Outstanding Educator Award in 1992. Anne holds degrees from Syracuse University, Buffalo State University and University of Houston.