Hudson Independent School District

Katie Baker has been a member of the board since 2018. She is a 2001 graduate of Lufkin High School and holds degrees in Accounting and Finance from Texas A&M University, as well as being a Certified Public Accountant. Her role as a mom and love for children, led her away from accounting and into children's ministry during this season of life, and she is currently serving as Minister to Preschool and Children at First Baptist Church Lufkin. Katie and her husband have three school aged daughters that attend Hudson ISD, so she is also actively involved as a parent in our district.

Mr. Penn has served on the Hudson ISD Board of Trustees since 2018. He is a Hudson native and a 1989 graduate of Hudson High School. Shawn earned Bachelor of Science degrees from Texas A&M in Agricultural Economics and Veterinary Science in 1993 and 1997 respectively. He also earned a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. Prior to vet school, Shawn served as an intern for Congressman Charlie Wilson.
After leaving Texas A&M, he worked a short time in Missouri and Illinois before he moved his family back to Lufkin to work at Southwood Drive Animal Clinic. He is now the owner of Southwood Drive Animal Clinic in Lufkin. He and his wife Stephanie have two sons who attended Hudson from kindergarten until graduation. He and his family work and worship with the Timberland Drive church of Christ.

Mr. Pitts was born and raised in Hudson. Mr. Pitts and his wife Ashley have been married for 18 years and have two daughters and one son that currently attend Hudson ISD. Mr. Pitts has been in law enforcement for over 18 years and is currently employed as a Texas Highway Patrol Trooper stationed in Angelina County. Mr. Pitts and his family attend Shawnee Prairie Missionary Baptist Church where he serves as a Deacon.

Aimee Slusher has served on the HISD Board of Trustees since 2020. Mrs. Slusher is an attorney and founding member of the law firm of Skelton Slusher Barnhill Watkins Wells PLLC.

She practices in the areas of estate planning, probate, real estate and business law and is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Mrs. Slusher graduated from Lufkin High School in 1988 and continued her education at the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and in 1994 with a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree. She practiced at a law firm in Round Rock, Texas for several years before moving back home to Lufkin in 2001 and joining the Zeleskey Law Firm.

Mrs. Slusher is married to Scott, also a Lufkin native, and they have two amazing daughters, Lauren and Hannah, who both attended Hudson schools beginning in kindergarten until their graduation from Hudson High School.

Chris Smith has been a member of the Hudson Independent School District School Board since 2022. He is a 1995 graduate of Lufkin High School and received an Associates Degree in Respiratory Therapy from Angelina College in 1997 where he worked at various hospitals in East Texas. In 2004, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Stephen F. Austin State University and has since held numerous jobs in Technology and worked with large companies across the US in various roles. He is currently a business owner who resides in Hudson with his kids attending Hudson ISD. Mr. Smith and his wife, Chrissy, have two sons and one daughter, Shepard, Noah and Selah. The Smith Family loves to travel, being with friends, and serving the community through their Church.

Reagan McClenny was born in Lufkin and raised primarily in Afton, Texas (a small community near Lubbock) where his parents were both educators in the local school system. Reagan has lived in Hudson and preached at the Timberland Drive church of Christ for the last 13 years. He earned his B.A. in Biblical Studies from Florida College, followed by an M.Ed in Educational Leadership from UTTyler. Though ministry has been his calling and "first love," Reagan also has experience in the public school classroom where he has taught High School Public Speaking and Jr. High History. This love for education (and educators) is what motivated him to serve on the Hudson ISD school board. Reagan and his wife Stephanie have two daughters who have been Hudson ISD students since kindergarten.

Ashlyn Cole was appointed to the Hudson ISD Board of Trustees in 2025. She is a Hudson native and 2005 graduate of Hudson ISD. A 2008 graduate of the University of Texas at Tyler, Ashlyn holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. Ashlyn is a Regional President for VeraBank and a member of the bank’s senior management team.

Beyond her professional achievements, she is deeply invested in the Angelina County community. She currently serves on the board of Volunteer Services Council at the Lufkin State Supported Living Center, leads buyer registration at the Angelina County Fair, a member of the United Way budget committee and serves on the personnel committee of Denman Avenue Baptist Church. She also volunteers with Junior Achievement of Angelina County, where she teaches financial literacy to local youth, and a graduate of Leadership Lufkin. 

Ashlyn and her husband have two children, who attend Hudson ISD, which also attributes to Ashlyn’s involvement and support of the district.