The idea for the Personal Excellence Foundation came from a conversation between friends early one morning, under a cypress tree in the Texas Hill Country when one of them asked:
“What would the world be like if all people were able to learn the significance of mind-body-spirit connection at a much younger age?”
That question propelled us into action and the 501(C)3 foundation was formed in March 2020. Working through the pandemic, we developed a set of materials for adolescents based on Mind-Body-Spirit principles, which we piloted with schools and after-school programs through 2021. These materials, called “QUEST Kits,” helped young people deepen resilience and self-awareness.
Following the success of our pilots, we recognized that young people needed our materials in a more scalable solution. In late 2021, we committed to expanding our reach by going digital and meeting kids and families through technology. Our next stage as a foundation is to further the impact of Lucero, a gamified wellness app, through research, content creation, the Impact Fund, and supplemental resources.
Since early 2022, the Lucero team, guided by Personal Excellence Foundation principles, has engaged more than 50 youth, therapists, game designers and developers to bring the Lucero app to life with the goal of creating a radically supportive space for self-discovery and self-care for tweens, teens and their families.
Board Leadership
Jim Hoover
co-founder and Board Chair
Since 1987 Jim has provided seed-stage capital to entrepreneurs in diverse industries, and has led companies from ideation to profitability as business partner or Board advisor. Jim was a co-founder of Alchemy Systems, a leading-edge, global training platform for employees in multiple industries. In the companies Jim has been involved with, he has been influential in creating a culture of giving back to the community and caring about people first.
Jim has served on numerous charitable boards including Heart Gift, First Tee, and Accion Texas, and currently serves as an advisor to the Board of the Samaritan Center.
Jim served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1967-1972 including service aboard a Westpac destroyer and as a member of Underwater Demolition Teams. He is a Vietnam veteran. Jim holds a BA from the School of International Service, American University and an MBA from the University of Texas. He resides in Austin with his wife Jan, and his son Colin lives in Boston with his wife and new baby girl.
Sarah Covey
Board Member and Founding CEO
With over fifteen years of experience building and scaling early-stage, technology-based companies in both domestic and international markets, Sarah brings her entrepreneurial expertise, executive leadership, and passion for making a difference to the Personal Excellence Foundation (PEF).
As a founding member of Verb, a learning and development SaaS platform focused on teaching corporate employees leadership skills, Sarah led customer success for over fifty Fortune 5, 100, and 500 companies including Apple, IBM, Whole Foods, Dell, Nike, and MetLife. Her work with Verb took her all around the globe, providing people with the tools they need to succeed, unlocking and cultivating their potential. It was at Verb where Sarah learned the power of whole-person development and mind-body-spirit awareness in creating leaders who were out to change the world.
In her role as the founding CEO at the Personal Excellence Foundation, Sarah brought that same philosophy and training to young people, helping to activate the next generation of purpose-driven leaders. Now as a Board member, together with its founders, Sarah seeks to continue the mission of PEF and further build relationships to support its goals.
A native and proud Texan, Sarah holds a BA from Texas State University and lives in Austin where she volunteers for a number of community-focused organizations. She is committed to making the world a better place for everyone, but most especially for her husband Michael (who is also an entrepreneur) and two young daughters, Ella and Piper.
Robert Dicks
Board Member
Combining an entrepreneurial background with a strong track record in negotiation, mediation and deal-making, Robert offers insight and experience into bringing stakeholders together and reaching mutually beneficial outcomes. Robert was a founder of uRide, a rideshare company that provided an alternative to car ownership to university students and their parents, and a co-founder of Bliss Transit, which provided commuter shuttle service for corporate employees who wanted alternatives to driving alone to work.
Robert also spent five years in Mergers and Acquisitions, helping Central Texas owners sell their companies. Most recently, he purchased Unicorn Moving and Storage, which has thrived for 30 years and has been voted Best Movers in Austin six times.
Robert holds an MBA from Auburn University, a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution from Southern Methodist University, and a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He also served as an officer and aviator in the U.S. Air Force, operating from 2002 through 2005 in Iraq and Afghanistan.