We pursue a more secure financial future for all of our neighbors
Founded in Houston for young adults
Legacy Institute for Financial Education was founded in 2014 by the Ceasars alongside their friends LeRonda and Kenton Lockhart in response to young adults' desire to understand more about the biblical principles of finance.
Moved to Lufkin and included adults
Upon our arrival in Lufkin, we recognized the need for our services to be taillored to adults looking improve their financial situation through personal financial and investment coaching.
SFA campus program launched
Driven to establish an avenue for profession seeking college students to learn key stewardship practices, we partnered with SFA student organizations to provide opportunities for internships, student body workshops, and investment coaching.
Pilot class of Gen A enrolled
Fueled by feedback from our college and adult students, we launched our mentorship program to address the need for youth to get engaged in their educational, financial, and professional circumstances.
Expansion of youth department
Encouraged by the students in the program, we partnered with Lufkin ISD's Gear UP team to help increase access to academic and financial enrichment activities.
Launch Financial Opportunity Center
In order to better track the progress of our clients, LIFE transitioned into a one-on-one coaching model rather than the workshops. We joined the Local Initiatives Support Corporation's (LISC) network of Financial Opportunity Centers and adopted their bundled services model .
First plant in the community garden
The Lufkin Urban Garden & Market will address the needs of the current food desert in the North Lufkin community. The garden will provide the community with locally grown organic produce at little to no cost.
Rubinger Fellowship Recipient
Undistracted by the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, LIFE sets its eyes on empowering entrepreneurs and the community that supports them by designing a Financial Wellness Cooperative (FWC). The Rubinger's Fellowship was awarded to our CEO as he spearheads this effort.
Launch Next Chapter
Established Next Chapter to better employ the community through LISC’s network of Bridges to Career Opportunity Centers (BCO). Next Chapter is our career pathway program that connects to Angelina College, LIFE Tech, Lufkin Urban Garden and Market and employer trainers to upskill Deep East Texas’s labor market.
Reagan was born in Lufkin and moved back to the area in 2010 to work with the Timberland Drive church of Christ. Reagan and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters.
He has a background in spiritually-centered education, with a B.A. in Biblical Studies and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, and is passionate about using timeless Biblical principles to improve the lives of people in the Lufkin community.
Tim has served as a Game Warden for over 19 years. He is very involved with the community and his church by participating in youth hunts, kids fishing programs, Career Days at the local schools, and serves as a Song Leader and Bible Study Teacher at the Lubbock Street Church of Christ.
Tim received a B.S. in Range & Ranch Management from Tarleton State University in 1998 and graduated from the Game Warden Academy in 2001.
Dr. Peters-Clark was born and raised in Lufkin, TX. She is heavily involved in the Lufkin community through her service as President of the Angeline County Progressive Democratic Voter's League, DETCOG's Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinating Committee, LISD's Tri-Ethnic Committee, Junior League of Lufkin, and more. She serves as a Board Member of the Museum of East Texas, United Way of Angeline County, Angelina County and Cities Health District Endowment Trust. She is also a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.'s Lufkin Area Alumnae Chapter. Monica is married to Kenneth Clark, Jr. and is the mother of three. She enjoys decorating and graphic design.
Martha was born and raised in Lufkin, TX. She has worked for her parents' restaurant business for 12 years before branching out and starting La Unica Express in 2012. Growing the business her parents started while continuing with the family traditions that are the foundation of La Unica, are a passion of hers. Martha is Chair of Neighborhood STRONG and an active board member of the Lufkin Adult Learning Center (LALC). Both are organizations geared towards helping the community which is a value instilled in her since childhood.
Maxine has served as the owner of Maxine’s Compro-Tax & Insurance Agency for the past 27 years. She possesses invaluable business acumen and is well known within the community.
Krystal Garcia Riley was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. She moved to East Texas in 2001 to attend Stephen F. Austin State University. While a student at SFA, and through her first year in law school, Riley worked as a legal assistant at a Nacogdoches law firm. In 2007, she joined the Zeleskey Law Firm while finishing up her studies at South Texas College of Law. She became an associate with Zeleskey upon her graduation from law school in 2008. In 2014, Riley joined Skelton Slusher Barnhill Watkins Wells, PLLC, and in 2015, Riley became a partner with the firm.
Riley's practice is wide-ranging. She is experienced in business transactions and real estate transactions as well as matters pertaining to water law and oil, gas, and minerals and other areas of energy law. Riley has drafted numerous title opinions for oil and gas companies. She has helped clients negotiate pipeline easements as well as solar and wind energy agreements. She also assists clients with estate planning, estate administration, and guardianship matters. Additionally, Riley has been active in appellate matters before the 6th, 9th, 12th, and 14th Court of Appeals in Texas.
Riley resides in Lufkin with her husband, John, and their three children, Eli, Caleb, and Lillie. They are members of Eastview United Pentecostal Church. Riley also serves on the boards of Habitat for Humanity of Angelina County and East Texas Cancer Alliance of Hope and is an active member of Leadership Lufkin.