HOUSTON, TX, August 18, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Joan T. Neuhaus has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Ms. Neuhaus currently serves as the president and executive director of the Marie Bel Fay Fund, a role she has held since 2025. She manages the foundation's operations, leading it through a significant period of expansion following the passing of its founder. Under her guidance, the fund has grown substantially in both resources and reach, allowing it to more fully realize its mission of nurturing young children's curiosity and transforming it into a lifelong love of learning. Notably, the foundation awards grants to teachers nominated by their students for inspiring classroom environments and supports experiential learning opportunities for children from ages three through fifth grade. Ms. Neuhaus and her team are actively developing strategies to connect with the broader community and extend the foundation's impact, ensuring that more children benefit from meaningful educational experiences.

From 2018 to 2025, Ms. Neuhaus was the vice president of the Marie Bel Fay Fund. During this time, she helped transition the foundation toward the vision set forth by its founder, establishing key programs, such as the Teacher Awards, and laying the groundwork for experiential learning grants. Ms. Neuhaus's leadership during this period was instrumental in positioning the organization for its current growth and increased grantmaking capacity before being named president and executive director.

Earlier, Ms. Neuhaus served as the president and executive director of the Kick Drugs Out of America Foundation, also known as Kickstart Kids, from 2021 to 2025. In this capacity, she collaborated closely with Chuck Norris, who founded the organization, to instill values such as loyalty, perseverance, courage, kindness, discipline and truthfulness in public middle school students through the martial arts. The program reached more than 8,000 students annually and extended character-building opportunities to communities unfamiliar with or unable to participate in other character programs, such as scouting.

Between 2014 and 2020, Ms. Neuhaus garnered experience as the executive director of the William Stamps Farish Fund, a private foundation based in Houston. There, she played a pivotal role in building a veteran ecosystem that shifted public perception from focusing on homelessness and suicide toward recognizing veterans' adaptability and problem-solving skills. Ms. Neuhaus's efforts on behalf of the Fund included supporting organizations, translating military resumes for civilian employers and expanding these initiatives into New Orleans and Chicago. Under her leadership, the Fund also facilitated funding for research at the Texas Trauma Center that led to life-saving advances in trauma care and supported studies that extended the functional life of transplanted organs.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Neuhaus worked in finance throughout the 1980s before founding her own private investigations business about a decade later. Her firm specialized in financial due diligence for transactions and provided litigation support related to business fraud.

Ms. Neuhaus's military experience included over a decade of service achieving the rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve before resigning her commission due to family commitments. While many details of her most significant achievements remain classified due to their connection with her military service, she considers this period among her proudest professional contributions.

In preparation for her future, Ms. Neuhaus received a Bachelor of Arts from Williams College in 1980, and a Master of Business Administration from the Jesse Jones School of Business at Rice University. Her academic background provided a strong foundation for her multifaceted career spanning finance, non-profit leadership and national security.

Ms. Neuhaus's expertise extends into national security and public policy. She served as the Edwards Fellow for Homeland Security and Terrorism at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and directed the Texas Security Forum. As the executive director of the Houston-Harris County Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council, she contributed foundational elements to her community's security infrastructure, testified before U.S. Congress on multiple occasions and helped pass significant legislation during the formative years of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Civically engaged throughout her life, Ms. Neuhaus is affiliated with organizations such as the Jones School of Business at Rice University, Kiwanis Club of Houston and serves on boards including Glenwood Cemetery and the Joseph H. Thompson Fund. She dedicated more than a decade to volunteering as an assistant scoutmaster and den leader for Pack 55 and Troop 55 of the Boy Scouts of America (now Scouting America), reflecting her commitment to youth development, and has served on the board of many other non-profit organizations.

Throughout her career, Ms. Neuhaus has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in private foundation operations, earning recognition as an expert in this field. Among her honors, she was named one of Houston's Most Influential Women for 2026, receiving the Department of War Defense Meritorious Service Award, which she regards as her highest military honor, and being appointed by the governor to what is now known as the Texas Private Security Commission within the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Looking ahead, Ms. Neuhaus hopes to help transform early childhood education by fostering genuine connections with children and encouraging curiosity-driven learning rather than rote memorization or passive consumption of information from books or screens. She remains dedicated to preserving each child's spark of curiosity so they may develop a lifelong desire to explore, discover and continue learning without concern for personal recognition or credit.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who's Who in America® and Who's Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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