BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/COORDINATOR

I was born and raised in San Antonio, in a single parent household with my mom and two older brothers. Growing up in a Hispanic household and being the “little sister,” hunting and the outdoors was not something this inner-city girl was exposed to early on in life.

In 2000, I met my now husband Trey, an avid fisherman and hunter. He was blessed to be a city boy and a country kid throughout his childhood. When we began dating, I got a glimpse into fishing and hunting from the stories and then soon the reality of doing it myself. In, or around 2002, Trey took me to a close friend’s ranch in South Texas for him to hunt whitetail. Although I wasn’t there to pull a trigger, the experience opened doors I never knew existed. I still have porcupine quills from the salt block I watched being ravished by a porcupine the first morning we were there hunting. And yes, I had NO idea Texas had porcupine, this city girl had a lot to learn, but I was absolutely hooked on hunting!

My hunting “why” may have started with me achieving my very own personal goals, but now I get to share hunting adventures with my husband, sons Wesley (17) and Nathan (13) and I have had the pleasure and privilege to mentor, instruct and educate families, women and youth on the joys of hunting and outdoor sports. I have personally hunted dove, whitetail deer, Axis, black buck, turkey (Miriam/Rio), duck, pheasant, geese, sandhill crane, hog, Nilgai, Northern California black bear and have fished lakes, bays, gone offshore and my bucket lists continues to grow each year with new experiences both personally and as I share them with others.

I enjoy all the shooting sports and have competed in all as well as enjoy the recreational side the most. I have had the opportunity to attend multiple levels of education and training from some amazing instructors and or individuals. I am no all-star shooting athlete, but I’ll get out there with the best of them. I am after all a Texas girl with the attitude of “Go big or Go home!”

I am looking forward to getting to know this community of women and look forward to sharing and experiencing new adventures in the future!

CAMPING/HIKING COORDINATOR

Hello! I’m Barb Smith. I’ve been married to my best friend for almost 30 years. I have two adult daughters (30 & 27). Still waiting on grandbabies. I’ve lived around the Houston area for most of my life and cannot wait to retire and move somewhere in east Texas. There is nothing like the swaying of pine trees and red dirt!

While I dream of retiring, I work in IT for a software development company. My passion has always been teaching others. I currently teach people how to use software to make their jobs easier, whether they want to learn it or not. Ha! I love the outdoors! I camp, hike, hunt, fish, kayak, compete in shooting sports, search for letterboxes, and take my truck off road. If it’s outside, I’m there. I’ve always done this with the guys. None of my friends were interested. I decided I wanted to hunt with women. A friend introduced me to Texas Women’s Outdoors. My first event was a camping/kayaking/fly fishing weekend. I was so nervous because I thought everyone would know each other. It. Was. The. Best. Weekend. Since then, I’ve fished and hunted with some awesome ladies.

I’m so exciting to join TWO as a camping/hiking coordinator. I love to hike. I set out to hike all 88 state parks. I have only three left! It’ll be four in the fall because they’re adding a new one.

There is nothing better to clear your mind than dirt under your boots and sleeping under the stars. I can’t wait to share my passion with all of you. God created a beautiful world, it’s great to quietly walk through it and just listen. Let’s go! Maybe I’ll introduce y’all to letterboxing too. More fun than geocaching.

FIREARM COORDINATOR

I grew up as a rodeo farm kid that at the age of 30 sold all of my horses and bought a beach house…as I tell everyone I traded 💩 for sand…I have always been competitive by nature so naturally I became bored…well my husband was an avid shotgun competitor and I had just started teaching at a private Christian school (I taught HS Ag for 15 years in public and private education) and the kids wanted a shotgun team, so I started going to coaching classes. My actual shooting started by meeting Larry Feland at a local charity tournament and one thing led to another and I was in his Gunsmithing shop and he was building me a custom gun that I could lift. I was born with a brachial plexus injury to the right shoulder thanks to doctor malpractice which left me with no use of my right arm, I have had multiple surgeries and have about 30% mobility now. I am now many years and guns into my shooting experience. I was on the USA para-trap team from 2019-2022 where I competed all over the World and was very fortunate to win many World medals. My favorite thing to do is teach youth, women, and people with impairments how to shoot. I am an NSCA & NRA level II shotgun instructor, also have many youth shotgun/archery organization certifications. The students I have coached have also won $100,000’s in scholarships & prizes. I have had the pleasure to coach some of the top youth athletes in the US as well as opened the door to a life-long passion for many women. I also dabble in hunting as I live on our family high fence ranch where we raise axis, fallow, and whitetail but I absolutely love to hunt many species of birds. Most recently I became the owner of LadyShooter LifeStyles magazine; a girlfriends’ lifestyle guide to all things pew pew. I look forward to being your firearms coordinator and making sure your firearm becomes your bestfriend.

COORDINATOR/AMBASSADOR

I was born and raised in Baytown and grew up as the ultimate tomboy! As my dad’s shadow, he graciously hauled me hunting for whitetail, hogs, rabbits, and coons at our family’s farm in Sour Lake, and fishing for redfish and speckled trout in Trinity Bay! When I went to college, life took me away from the outdoors.

In my late 20’s, a coworker introduced me to handguns, and in my early 30’s I bought my first handgun and obtained my Concealed Handgun License. Even though I was somewhat confident in my abilities, I knew there was more so I took marksmanship classes at Alvin Community College through their law enforcement academy. I was hooked!

In my 40’s, my cousins welcomed me back to the farm for the first deer hunt in years. Getting back up in the stand that I’d spent so many hours in as a kid was a wonderful feeling. Why did I ever stop? I must have been insane! I was able to hunt the farm for the next few years until it was sold, then I started hunting public land in the Sam Houston National Forest by myself.

But I digress. In the summer of 2019, my church started small groups, both bible study type groups and activity based groups. I really wanted more women to shoot with so I approached my Pastor with the idea of a women’s group for handgun education and learning to shoot. He asked me what qualified me to lead such a group. Through this prompting, I became a certified instructor with the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), and had 6 ladies in my first small group. I’ve led this group for several years and I’ve had the privilege to be able to educate many women in the safe use of handguns.

When I found Texas Women’s Outdoors two years ago, I found my tribe! I’ve had so many new experiences and met so many outstanding ladies. I look forward to meeting each of you at a future event!

HOMESTEADING COORDINATOR

I was born & raised in a rural area of the California Central Coast and spent most of my time outside exploring, shooting, riding dirtbikes, and playing in the dirt. I'm grateful to have been raised in a rural area with a father that instilled a sense of comfort and familiarity among a variety of firearms and a family that spent holidays camping in the desert riding dirtbikes and spending time outdoors.

Grad school brought me to Texas where I met my husband and dove deeper into his love of hunting, camping, and archery. Once we started bringing more coolers of meat home to process, I found myself researching ways to use up as much of the animal as I could and finding new ways to store and preserve the harvest. The initial purchase of a vacuum sealer has progressed to experimenting with canning, fermentation, dehydration, curing, tanning, grinding, freezing, and composting to be consumed by my household, my pets, livestock, or the garden.

I love teaching through practice and recently started a local chapter of a nonprofit women's group aimed at sharing knowledge through hands-on application. I can't wait to come together as women to teach and learn new skills side by side.

COORDINATOR

Growing up in the suburbs of Houston's east side, I embodied the typical 80’s latchkey kid, spending my days exploring, drinking from the water hose, and sprinting home right as the streetlights flickered on. I was a huge tomboy dawning a bowl cut and playing on the boys’ sports teams until my endeavors hit a snag in the 7th grade when my dad stomped out my football dreams due to, ahem, having boobies. Guess I’ll have to settle for not being the next Tom Brady.

At 16, destiny intervened with the arrival of my high school sweetheart, who opened up a world of outdoor adventures I could only dreamed of. Together, we were a helluva team, whether trekking through the woods or casting lines on the water. His lessons went far beyond hunting and fishing; he showed me the true meaning of unconditional love. We were blessed with two beautiful children before his untimely passing.

I now honor his memory by sharing my passion for the outdoors. I feel (sometimes) like I was placed here on earth to mentor women and children and pass on this love through programs just like TWO. I am also an active member of the Texas Youth Hunting Program (Huntmaster), Delta Waterfowl (Trinity Valley Chapter), A Girl & A Gun, Houston Safari Club, NRA and the Texas Wildlife Association.

I look forward to seeing you ladies out in the woods, field, water or wherever the next adventure might be!

FISHING COORDINATOR

My name is Leslie ward. I'm a native Texan and proud to say it. I grew up in a tight nit family in the suburbs of Houston. My childhood took me to Comanche TX. When not in Central Texas with my Granny and Pa I spent time at the Galveston yacht basin with my nanny and Bink aboard the Saint II. So many childhood memories in the outdoors and I cherish them all.

You could say I'm a little tomboy with a lot of flare. I enjoy fishing and deer hunting with a bow and the occasional rifle. Hogs don't stand a chance. I enjoy bird hunting, and I’m just getting into duck hunting. I am an advocate for women in the Outdoors and a good steward of the land.

My love for preparing what the land has provided is so satisfying. Grilled, baked or smoked I do it all. I love to try new things and just throw a meal together with our harvests and seeing the reactions on my families faces.

COLLEGE COORDINATOR/AMBASSADOR

Howdy y’all! Born and raised in Tomball, Tx - I am now a student at Texas A&M pursuing a major in Agriculture Economics.

My passion for the outdoors starts with my parents. From the moment I could walk, they had me in a deer blind or on a boat. As I grew older I began to appreciate all that time spent outdoors and all the little advice my dad gave me. However, going into high school I became a heavily involved student. You could always find me in the arena showing live stock (in FFA) or outside running cross country and track. Somehow some way, you could find me outside. After graduating high school, I quickly found myself wanting to go back to relearning the ins and outs of hunting and fishing since it had been so long. Throughout college I have had so many opportunities to get outdoors and learn new things - from bow fishing to wrangling in a shark off the coast.

I want to continue to learn more of what the outdoors has to offer to us all, and Texas Women’s outdoors was a great way for me to jump back in!

My main contribution to TWO would be to bring more younger generations of women. At Texas A&M I am a part of the Texas Trophy Hunters, which yields lots of women coming in and out college who already love the outdoors. Not only would I help engage new members, I want to dedicate my time to the outdoors and help in anyway I can. Always feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments!

Thank you and Gig’ em