Meet the SPARK Award Judges
Robert Ambrose
About Robert Ambrose
Dr. Ambrose previously served in NASA’s Senior Executive Service as Chief of the Software, Robotics and Simulation Division (SR&S) where he received three NASA medals for Leadership and Technical Achievement.
The SR&S division is responsible for flight spacecraft software, space robotics and systems simulations for human spaceflight missions. SR&S includes a branch responsible for managing on-orbit robotic systems for the International Space Station.
Adela Uchida
About Adela Uchida
Adela is an Emmy nominated weekend anchor and weekday general assignment reporter at CBS Austin, where she has covered a wide range of stories from natural disasters to deadly shootings. Before coming to Austin, Adela was an anchor and a reporter in Houston, TX and Onondaga, MI.
On her free time, Adela enjoys running marathons and spending time with her daughter and family in Austin.
Chris Ramirez
About Chris Ramirez
Chris is a meteorologist at NBC 23 Valley Central in the Rio Grande Valley region, in south Texas. Prior to joining the NBC 23 team, Chris was part of the weather team in San Angelo, TX.
He is a native Houstonian and Texas A&M University– Corpus Christi and a Mississippi State University graduate.
Jacquie Baly
About Jacquie Baly
Jacquie is the president of BalyProjects, has been a leader in the Houston region’s business and policy communities for more than two decades. Jacquie founded BalyProjects with the objective of providing public affairs and media relations services to clients.
She is native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Policy. She has also been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston for over a decade and served as a Faculty-In-Residence at the University of Texas in Austin.
Caroline Collins
About Caroline Collins
Caroline is an evening news anchor at FOX 26 Houston. Prior to coming to Houston, Caroline was an anchor in Fresno, CA and Youngstown, OH and a reporter in Erie, PA.
She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Broadcasting and a Master of Arts Degree in Communication Technology, with a concentration in social media from Point Park University. Caroline’s masters in social media paid off as it has helped her gain over 2 million followers across all of her social media sites, with over 1 million followers on TikTok alone!