Leadership of the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce
Chairman Kerry Goree
Born and reared in Grambling, Louisiana, where he attended Grambling College Nursery School, Kindergarten, Elementary, Junior High, High School, and Grambling College (Grambling State University), where he completed his BA degree in Social work. While at Grambling, he was a stand out catcher on the baseball team.
After college, he moved to Mississippi and worked as a social worker for the Catholic Charities, Inc. In 1972, he move to Florida and was employed by the State as an Employment counselor and later as a Correctional counselor for the state work release program. In 1974, he moved to Los Angeles and entered the Insurance business with The Ross-Loos Medical Group, named for the two men Ross & Loos credited for the HMO concept. Since then, he has worked for, or as he puts it, studied from Prudential and New York Life that specialized in different areas of insurance.
Then, in 1981, he started his own Insurance Agency specializing in group Health and Life. In 1984, he move to Dallas where started as an Independent Agent through a program with Aetna. In 1991, he moved to Denton and opened a State Farm Agency. Kerry is actively involved in the Denton community. His community and civic affiliation include, but are not limited to the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce, Denton County Chapter of the NAACP, Executive Committee, and Denton MLK Jr. Center Board. He is married to Beverly Goree. They have 2 children and 6 grandchildren..
President Reggie Hill
Mr. Hill has resided in Denton since 1975. He is a graduate of The University of North Texas, where he received his B.A. in Computer Science with a minor in Business Management.
He has operated Lone Star Car Wash since 1987 and prior to opening the car wash, in 1983 he owned a sanitation business. He is involved in the community as a member of the Dallas Urban League, United States Tennis Association, and the Directors' Investment Club.
Treasurer - John E. Baines, MBA, CPA
In 1974, John was chosen to work in the public law section for John Connally's law firm. "It opened my eyes to a much larger world than I had ever known before." It became a turning point in his life. John graduated from the University of Houston in 1977 with a degree in business. He moved his family to the Dallas/Fort Worth area where he graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1981 with a masters in accounting, business management and systems design. He obtained his CPA certification in 1983.
He currently resides in Denton, Texas with his wife Tracey and two children, Shauna and Shawn. He began his thriving practice in Denton in 1986. He is a community leader and donates most of his free time to charitable organizations. He is currently chairman of the Texas Association of African American Chambers of Commerce, treasurer of the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce, board member for KERA/Channel 13, past chairman of the Denton County United Way, past president of the Denton County Friends of the Family and the list goes on. He is a very active member of the Church in Denton and enjoys a vigorous basketball game with his friends three times a week.
Parliamentarian - Russell Morgan
Mr. Russell Morgan was born and raised in Stamp, Arkansas and has been a resident in Denton since 1962. He retired from The University of North Texas in 2000 where he was a Custodian Supervisor. Mr. Morgan has been married for 43 years. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were crowned King and Queen for the American League Hall in 1998 where they continue to hold their title. They are very active members of the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce as well as in the community. Mr. & Mrs. Morgan enjoy traveling with the senior citizens each year.