What is TQBA? 

The Texas Quiz Bowl Alliance was formed in the summer of 2003 for the purpose of promoting high school quiz bowl in the state of Texas. Its specific goals are as follows: 

  • To provide a website which serves as a central conduit for information about Texas high school quiz bowl.
  • To facilitate the expansion of quiz bowl into new schools and into new areas of the state. 
  • To promote quiz bowl and heighten its stature among the general public. 
  • To encourage in its participants a lifetime love of learning. 
  • To establish a coaches fraternity through which all schools may benefit from the experience of others.  

Who are TQBA? 

 

Trustees

Henry Gorman is currently a mathematics major at Rice University. Henry is a 2009 graduate the Charter School of Wilmington, Delaware. As a high school senior, Henry's quiz bowl team won both NAQT's HSNCT and PACE's NSC. 

Eric Kwartler is a 2003 graduate of Bellaire High School and a 2008 graduate of the University of Texas. In 2008, Eric served as the director of the staff of the ACF Nationals tournament.  Eric is currently attending law school at the University of Texas

Trey Morris is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and director of undergraduate education at the Scott & White clinic in Temple. Trey is a 1994 graduate of Midland Lee High School and attended Harvard University and UT-Permian Basin. Trey was a member of Texas A&M's 2006 ACF National Championship winning team.

Chris Romero, in addition to serving as the executive director of TQBA,  is currently a high school math teacher and is still working on a math education dissertation. Chris is a 1996 graduate of Catholic High School (New Iberia, LA), and a 2000/2002 graduate of Texas A&M (Computer Engineering/ Mathematics). While an undergraduate, Chris founded the Texas A&M Aggie Bowl. In 2002 & 2004, Chris served as hosting director of NAQT's High School National tournaments at the University of Texas and Houston. Chris was the captain of Texas A&M's 2006 ACF National Championship winning team.

Members

Candace Benefiel is currently an Associate Professor at the Texas A&M Evans Library. She is a graduate of Brazoswood High School, of Rice University, and of the University of Texas. She is also currently an English PhD student and was a member of Texas A&M's 2006 ACF National Championship winning team. She is currently the faculty advisor of the Texas A&M quiz bowl team. 

Steve Fontenot is a 1996 graduate of Strake Jesuit High School (Houston) and earned a Bachelor's Degree in English from Southwestern University (Georgetown) in 2000. He currently works in the sports editorial department at the  San Antonio Express News.

Matthew Nance is a 2003 graduate of Coronado High School (El Paso) and a 2006 graduate of the University of Texas and the University of Texas Law School.  

Zach Yeung is currently a biochemistry and political science major at Rice University. He is a 2008 graduate of St. Johns school.

Former Members

Albert Bayer is graduate of the University of Texas and of  the Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy where he was the student founder of the LASA Quiz Bowl Team.

Susan Mitchell is a 1999 graduate of Memorial High School (Houston) and earned her Ph.D. in Chemical engineering at Texas A&M University in 2007. Susan currently works as an engineer for Exxon-Mobil. She was a member of Texas A&M's 2006 ACF National Championship winning team and the following year was a Jeopardy Champion.

Chris Sewell is a 1998 graduate of Franklin High School (El Paso), a 2002 graduated of Texas A&M, and earned his Ph.D. from Stanford in 2007. While at A&M, Chris began to develop Sewell Quiz Bowl Statistics, the nation's preeminent quiz bowl statistics program. Due to his work on SQBS Chris was awarded ACF's Carper Award and PACE's Benjamin Cooper Award in 2008.