“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord..."
Colossians 3:23
All 4 ONE
Panther Board of Directors
Ronnie Rouse
President & Athletic Director
Ronnie Rouse has a Bachelor′s Degree in Business Administration, Human Resource Management, and a certification from the Graduate School of Banking (in Human Resources) from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. His coaching philosophy is: "I firmly believe that hard work, self-discipline, and solid fundamentals provide an opportunity for every season to be a successful season by simply staying the course. The desire to win, to get better, and to learn to trust each other is something that I push all of my student athletes to believe in and pursue. I believe that our faith in Christ can be put on display each time we step on the court and work as a team to accomplish a common goal. A love for the game and a respect for teammates can make any group of young men reach goals that seemed once impossible and prepare them to be successful in life."
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Ronnie is a husband and father of six children who currently enjoy playing volleyball, basketball, and flag football. Ronnie loves coaching and investing his time and energy in youth sports and using sports to instill discipline, integrity, character and teamwork. He discovered this passion through coaching his kids in youth sports, and finding ways to educate kids on the fundamentals of basketball and football. Ronnie has been coaching Panthers basketball since 2017. He has also coached flag football. Ronnie still actively serves on the board for the El Paso Christian Homeschool Panthers as President and Athletic Director for Flag Football and Basketball.
Dave Speelman
Board Member
In my full time job, I am known as "Doppler" Dave, Chief Meteorologist at KVIA-TV (ABC-7) in El Paso, TX. I have 3 boys - all have been basketball players in the Panther program. My wife, Nelda, has educated our boys and also taught as part of the Co-op homeschool education program.
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I served as AD from 2015-2020. My goal has been to build the El Paso Homeschool Panthers into a competitive team that can challenge most public schools while also displaying our Christian faith and excellent sportsmanship.
Dr. Amber Zeek
Secretary
My name is Amber Zeek and I graduated in 2017 with my Doctorate of Business Administration and Information Technology. I love photography as a hobby. I am a college instructor, and a career counselor for the military. I am also excited to be a part of the EPCHS Panther Homeschoolers as a board member. I started the career counseling program for the high schoolers within the Panther organizations, and am in charge of the networking and marketing aspect for the Panthers. I was a homeschooler myself for 12 years and know how important it is to receive a good education and the power behind it. I love bringing fresh and new ideas to the table and thinking outside the box. I am always looking for volunteers to help and always supporting the Panthers.
Kelli Espinoza
Board Member
My husband Art and I have lived in El Paso our whole lives and we love the Sun City! I graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.
We have homeschooled all four of our kids from the beginning and have graduated two - two more to go!
All of our kids have been blessed to participate in the Panthers’ program. We have participated in every sport - flag football, volleyball, cheer, basketball and track. It’s been an honor to serve on the Panthers’ board for the past four years. Seeing the growth in our program and the
excitement and commitment from coaches, players and parents over the past couple of years has been incredible. I am really excited to see what the Lord has in store for our program as we dedicate all that we do to Him.
Blair Nunez
Volleyball Athletic Director
I was a middle school math teacher for 5 years. I also coached varsity volleyball and was the girl’s athletic director. We started homeschool 3 years ago and joined the Panthers. I am married to my wonderful husband, Jacob, and we have 3 children: Amorae, Alyzza and Dominic. We are blessed to be a part of such a wonderful program and we look forward to many more years with the Panthers.
Eric Gonzalez
Board Member
Eric Gonzalez is the founder and president of Northern Passage Leadership Development, LLC. As a facilitator with Academy Leadership, Eric advises, trains, and coaches leadership development and decision-making for commercial, non-profit, and government organizations.
As a 1997 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, he gained 20 years of leadership experience as a U.S. Air Force officer where he commanded an E-3 Sentry "AWACS" flying squadron in Anchorage, Alaska. In his last Air Force assignment before retiring, Eric was a Deputy Group Commander, where he supervised flying operations and training for F-22 Fighter squadrons and a C-17 Air Mobility squadron. Eric was a Command Pilot, logging 221 Combat Hours and 252 Combat Support Hours in various overseas operations.
Following his Air Force retirement in 2017, Eric joined Alaska Airlines as a First Officer and still flies the Boeing 737 throughout the Alaskan Arctic, Pacific Ocean, Mexico, Central America, and throughout the United States. He has a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University in Virginia and is fluent in Spanish.
Eric and his wife Liz have homeschooled their four children since 2004, when their oldest daughter (now a college graduate) declared she wanted to learn how to read at the age of four. There were some forays into government and public schools at various years, but the Gonzalez clan continually returned to the homeschool community. Eric has coached youth sports since 2011 in various athletic organizations to include i9 Sports, Upwards, Chugiak Youth Sports Association in Eagle River, AK, and as an assistant boys’ basketball coach for Gruening Middle School in Eagle River, Alaska. Eric currently serves on the board of the El Paso Christian Home School “Panthers,” and is an assistant coach for basketball and track. His passion for coaching and Panthers athletics is to energize young boy and girls to develop integrity, excellence, and a Christ-like competitive confidence as they grow into godly men and women.
