Our Leadership.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Petra Preschool is led by a Board of Directors which includes its founders. Each board member has some unique connection to the mission of Petra and is committed to seeing Petra flourish and bless families in Austin. Learn more about them here!

Christal Murray, Co-Founder; Board Secretary 
Phil Murray, Co-Founder; President & Treasurer

​Christal and Phil have been married since 2006, and have two biological sons in elementary school and a preschool-aged daughter who was adopted through the foster care system. Christal's joy for caring for the marginalized flows from Jesus’ love and was born out of her experience as a foster mom. Christal also works full-time as an Oncology and Hematology Physician for Baylor Scott & White in the Austin area. 

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Phil was initially reluctant to begin fostering, but through the urging of his wife Christal to seriously consider it, and after (unexpectedly!) sensing God clearly calling his family to become involved in foster care, they began a multiple year journey in fostering culminating in an adoption of their daughter in January of 2017.  The surprises continued as Phil and his wife Christal became involved in birthing the initial vision of PETRA, as a result of a difficult experience they had when attempting to secure preschool care for their foster daughter. This has led to an incredible journey in seeking God’s will as Phil and Christal have shared their vision with many about this unique community engagement opportunity. In his day job, Phil serves as CFO for Austin-based Camp Gladiator, an outdoor health fitness business.

Mindy Jones, Co-Founder; Board Member & Preschool Director

​Mindy Jones grew up in New Orleans, LA and relocated to Austin in 2005 due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. After graduation, Mindy started working for a private preschool in north Austin as a Preschool teacher, ultimately ascending to the role as Curriculum Coordinator, where she  supported and developed teachers with curriculum implementation, behavior management, and classroom management. In 2017 Mindy left this rewarding role to pursue an even more exciting opportunity -- the privilege to serve as Petra Preschool's first Director where she strives daily to meet the need of a quality preschool with a gospel-informed approach for Austin families. She also serves on the Petra board as one of the original board members in her role as a co-founder.

Michael French, Board Member

Michael lives in Austin with his wife and family, and has been a part of the Petra board since inception in addition to multiple years spent on the advisory board that existing prior to Petra's forming. Michael serves as an elder at the Austin Stone Community Church. In his day job, he works as a financial services professional with over 20 years of combining technology and business knowledge to bring transformation and improve profitability for multinational clients. His professional passion is using his skills and knowledge to bring transformation and change to emerging markets and underserved financial markets.

Jennifer Jones, Board Member

Jennifer is from Houston and went to college at Rice University.  She then attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.  She has been a pediatrician now for over 18 years, 14 of those years in Austin.  She is married to a pastor and has two children, a 16-year old girl and 13-year-old boy.  She loves the mission of Petra and hopes to help the preschool share God’s love to foster and economically disadvantaged children in our community.

Shelby Wanstrath, Board Member

​Shelby Wanstrath co-leads the Private Equity Funds Team at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS).  Through her role at TRS, Shelby has oversight responsibilities for the group’s approximately $27 billion private equity fund investment portfolio.  In addition, she is also a member of the Private Equity Investment Committee and Management Committee, though which she assists in the strategy and development of the overall private equity team and portfolio. Shelby currently serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Council for the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA). She also sits on the Boards of the Dell Children’s Medical Center Foundation and Petra Preschool.

​Shelby joined TRS in 2014 from the London office of Partner’s Group, where she led European private equity investments and served on the Investment Committee. Previously, she also worked on the investment teams at WhiteHorse Capital and Prudential Capital Group. She holds an MBA from London Business School and an MS in Accounting and a BBA from Southern Methodist University. She is also a CFA charterholder.    

Maria Sikkema, Board Member

Maria is a Texas transplant from the northern suburbs of Chicago who attended Baylor University for her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and graduate degree in Museum Studies. She spent a few years in the classroom and then found her true passion in camp ministry through CG Victory, a youth adventure camp based in Austin, TX, where she serves as the Executive Director and has been growing that non-profit since its inception in 2009. She is married to Dave, a principal of a local private school, and they have an adorable toddler! Her background and experience in education and programming along with her passion for the gospel led her to the opportunity to serve Petra Preschool.