Susan Holloway
Susan Holloway is the Director of Outreach & Attendance for Pearland Independent School District. She provides district leadership to the dropout prevention and recovery program, works with the district homeless liaison to provide resources and services, supports the RISE Mentoring specialist and the district attendance staff to provide truancy prevention and enforcement programs. She collaborates with parents, community partners, the district PEIMS data office, Special Programs, Guidance Services, as well as the campus registrars, attendance clerks, teachers, counselors, and administrators.
She previously served the district as the facilitator to the counselors and safe and drug free schools, liaison for children in foster care as well as homeless and unaccompanied youth. She is a member of the Gulf Coast Homeless Coalition, Texas Homeless Network, Texas Association for Truancy & Dropout Prevention (TATDP) serving as President from 2017-2024 and the current 1st Vice-President of the International Association for Truancy and Dropout Prevention.
Holloway holds a bachelor’s degree in teaching from Arkansas State University, a master’s degree in counseling and guidance from Louisiana Tech University, and a Texas Principal Certification. She has served as a teacher, coach, counselor, and administrator for over 30 years and is committed to her belief that educators are servant-leaders.
Robert Galan
Robert Galan has more than 20 years' of experience working with youth and parents. He began his career as a region coordinator for Houston Parks and Recreation, ensuring that families were provided a healthier lifestyle of physical activity through soccer. Galan also managed youth programs as a program coordinator for the Neighborhood Centers Inc. (Kirkland-Ripley Neighborhood Center) and Community Family Centers. During this time, he designed programs that gave youth alternative activities outside school. In addition, he worked with Communities In Schools of Houston as a project manager at Gallegos Elementary.
Galan has worked for Pearland ISD since 2010. His role includes student conferences, home visits and district representation on truancy cases. He also works with area social services and law enforcement to provide additional support for students and families. Galan believes fostering relationship building with families, along with mentoring youth, are essential to our strong district dropout prevention and recovery efforts.
Lavenda Malbrough
Lavenda Malbrough joined the Outreach Team as the Pearland ISD Homeless Liaison in 2013. Her primary focus is to ensure Pearland ISD is providing services to some of the district’s most vulnerable students, those identified as educationally homeless under the Federal McKinney-Vento Act. Mrs. Malbrough is responsible for communicating with parents, students, staff and community partners to increase awareness of the homeless and recognize the factors that contribute to their at-risk status. She helps students and families identify and receive services, as well as coordinates with other district programs to create a systematic support program for at-risk students. Mrs. Malbrough graduated from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA with a BA in Psychology and has been involved with youth counseling and many volunteer organizations for more than 15 years. She also spent five years working as a Lead Program Advisor for Texas’s largest alternative certification program for new teachers. Mrs. Malbrough believes the best way to reach children and make an impact in their lives is to first be empathetic to what they are dealing with and never minimize their feelings.
Nicole Evans
Nicole Evans joined the Outreach Team in January 2018 and serves in her role as a Student Outreach Case Manager. Her primary focus is to provide campus support by assisting in the implementation of the district’s truancy prevention plan. She collaborates with campus staff to identify at-risk students, determines factors contributing to truancy and provides intervention to students with continuous attendance issues. Evans’ dropout prevention efforts include providing direct services and case management to address and remove barriers that may impede high school completion. Conducting home visits and offering support services are often implemented to increase school attendance.
Evans has over 17 years of experience in social services. She began her career as a CPS Investigator for the Department of Family and Protective Services, investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect and taking necessary steps to protect children. Evans also worked as a CPS Specialist, providing transitional living services to youth aging out of foster care. After completing state service, Evans worked three years for the City of Houston Municipal Courts as a campus-based Juvenile Case Manager, in which she conducted assessments, developed case plans, and provided intervention to students with chronic absences.
Evans has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree in Juvenile Justice from Prairie View A&M University. She is passionate about being an advocate to empower at-risk youth to enhance their own well-being by breaking barriers and building bridges.
Mandy Benedix
After 15 years of teaching, Mandy Benedix joined the Communications Department in summer 2015 to create the district's RISE Mentoring program.
In addition to connecting students with caring adult mentors, Mandy coordinates the district’s Grit Initiative -- a program that encourages students to work hard and persevere rather than relying on natural talent alone.
Before joining Communications, she spent 11 years in the classroom at Rogers Middle School, where she won the Pearland ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year Award twice.
Mandy sees the best in every situation and every person she meets, and in her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her son and husband, shopping and encouraging people not just to follow their dreams but to chase them down.
Jonathan Tapia
Jonathan Tapia is the newest member of the department joining in July 2025. Mr. Tapia brings a wealth of experience and deep commitment to students with over 14 years of experience in juvenile justice/social services. He began his career working in Brazoria County Juvenile Justice Department in 2012 as a Juvenile Supervision Officer at the Juvenile Detention Center. Throughout his tenure in Brazoria County, Mr. Tapia was promoted to Juvenile Probation Officer, Field Juvenile Probation Officer, and Intensive Supervision Probation Officer. Most recently, Mr. Tapia was the juvenile court liaison in Ft. Bend County.
Mr. Tapia obtained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree and a Minor in Spanish from the University of Houston Downtown in 2013. His role in Pearland ISD includes but is not limited to, improving school attendance through evidence-based practices, providing outreach support to families, engaging in student/parent conferences, conducting home visits, conducting residency verifications, representing the district at Truancy Court, and working as the district’s Juvenile/Jail Liaison.
Robin Russell
Robin Russell joined the Outreach Team in 2011, bringing more than 20 years' experience to the table. She previously worked in Santa Fe ISD as a substitute teacher, P.E. aide, inclusion classroom aide, receptionist, attendance clerk and registrar. In 2007, she received the Paraprofessional of the Year Award for Barnett Intermediate School. Russell is responsible for managing day-to-day office operations, as well as providing valuable support to families and students in need.