JANE WEINER (FOUNDER & PRESIDENT)

"You matter. We all matter. The magical power of the arts reinforces these words inside of us.”

Jane established Hope Stone, Inc. in 1997 with a dream to unlock the innate creativity of children and adults through the arts. After graduating from Bowling Green State University with a degree in deaf/elementary education and a minor in dance, Jane worked with the Doug Elkins Dance Company in New York City for a decade-plus of dancing and touring before her move to Houston in 1996. A year later, Jane founded Hope Stone, Inc. which consisted of two main projects – the modern dance company Hope Stone Dance and the creative arts outreach program The Hope Project. After 27 years, Hope Stone Dance performed its final show, and Jane now leads the organization into its next phase of being solely an arts education organization. The Hope Project was developed in 2002 serving 40 students and continues to grow and expand to over 900 students across the city, especially where access to the fine arts is limited for students. With research  showing how arts integration creates well-rounded, well-prepared learners and leaders, Jane’s driving focus for The Hope Project is to embed the arts into students’ educations.

In her free time, Jane enjoys gardening, meditating, fostering dogs, taking care of her dog Beatrix Grace, and two cats Houston and Riley, and spending time with her awesome husband Eric.

AMY PEARL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Amy joined Hope Stone in 2009 and has over twenty years of nonprofit management and event fundraising experience. After graduating from the University of the Arts (Philadelphia, PA) with a degree in Modern Dance Performance and a certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Pennsylvania, she worked for the prestigious nonprofit performing arts center New York City Center in both their education and development departments, managing the Young People’s Dance Series program (40 public schools and over 5,000 students across NYC) and transitioning to the Director of Events where she managed the major donor program and achieved the first million-dollar Annual Gala in the organization’s history. Amy then worked for City Parks Foundation as their Special Events Director, managing six diverse annual fundraising benefits throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Away from Hope Stone, Amy is a writer whose work has been published in print and online.

GAYLA MILLER (EDUCATION SPECIALIST–THEATER/SEL) 

Gayla Miller, M.Ed., (Education Consultant) joined Hope Stone in 1997 as a theater teacher and stage manager. 

After receiving her Master’s degree in counseling education, she developed a curriculum based in foundations of neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness that builds emotional intelligence skills. She is a key note speaker and educator working with colleges, arts organizations, schools, businesses and private students.

Her creative approach is informed by her 20+ year history working in professional theater, producing, performing and educating.

ASHLEY HORN (EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST–DANCE)

Ashley is a passionate dance educator, teaching since 2000 and specializing in early education. She has served as the Children's Dance Coordinator at the Jewish Community Center and taught since 2013 with Hope Stone. Ashley is dedicated to addressing early childhood developmental needs through the study of the arts.

She is also a dancer, choreographer, filmmaker and costume designer. Her choreography and films have been shown at ACDF, The University of Houston, Big Range Dance Festival, The Texas Weekend of Contemporary Dance, Third Coast Dance on Film Festival, The Houston Fringe Festival, and Dance Month at the ERJCC among other venues and events. She has created costumes for FrenetiCore, Frame Dance Productions, Open Dance Project, Sara Draper, Teresa Chapman, The Pilot Dance Project, Hope Stone Dance, and her own works. Ashley is a two-time recipient of an individual artist grant from the Houston Arts Alliance for choreography. She has been an artist in residence at Hope Stone and Rice University and has been a guest choreographer for Rice University, Houston Community College, and The Pilot Dance Project.

BETHANY LOGAN (PROGRAM COORDINATOR)

Bethany Logan is a dancer, choreographer, teaching artist, adjudicator, 200-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher, and Certified Personal Trainer. She graduated from Ohio University (OU) with a BFA in Dance & Choreography and a Minor in Psychology in May 2015. After graduating, Logan spent a year in Mumbai, India, where she danced with Navdhara India Dance Theatre and provided holistic dance classes for women and children living in the Red Light Area. Logan then moved to Brooklyn, NY where she performed professionally and founded contemporary dance company, Wild She Dances.

Logan is the former Studio & Company Director of The Brooklyn Dance Centers, and former Company Manager & Teaching Artist with Dancewave, with whom Logan taught in public schools throughout NYC. During the pandemic, Logan taught at multiple schools in Ohio, where she had the honor of serving as Associate Artistic Director for the Gary Geis Dance Company, her alma mater.

Logan relocated from Brooklyn, NY to Houston, TX in 2021, where she continued to perform and choreograph professionally and began working as a Teaching Artist with Hope Stone Inc., teaching creative arts dance education to underserved, intergenerational communities. In the summer of 2024, Logan moved to Austin, TX and transitioned into Teacher Mentorship and Program Coordinator positions with Hope Stone.