Meet the Honorees
Biographies courtesy of THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION; Photos by IGOR KRAGULJAC
Sue Lee
Denise Fries
Denise Fries lives a purposeful life — creating
businesses from the ground-up and breaking
barriers for women. Her personal devotion to
charitable giving and fresh ideas for community
impact are the reasons Denise Fries is a 2020
Community Foundation Tribute Luncheon honoree.
Fries graduated from Texas A&M University in
1984. By that time, she had already served two
years in the JAG Corps of the U.S. Army Reserves
where she was one of the first female members of
the 420th Engineer Brigade.
After graduation, Fries searched for her
first job in financial planning, but there wasn’t a
company who would hire a female — so Fries
started her own. She built a firm where people
of all income levels have access to top-notch
financial advice, strong customer service, and solid
investing. Fries Financial Services is celebrating
its 36th year, currently managing more than $285
million for its clients in 30 states. She has received
three Bryan Rotary/Newman 10 awards and the
Anco Lifetime Achievement Award.
Fries is known for celebrating milestones by
creating matching grant events where charities
are selected to carry out their own fundraisers
and then the gifts are matched. For her 20th
business anniversary, Fries offered $20,000 in
matching grants to 17 charities. For her 25th
business anniversary, Fries raised food, funds,
and awareness for the Brazos Valley Food Bank
and the Brazos Valley Gluten Intolerance Group.
For her 50th birthday she gave $50,000 to 21
local charities. These matching gift programs have
raised more than $1 million benefitting more than
60 local nonprofits.
Fries is the epitome of one who gives back to the
community through time, talent, and resources. This
spirit of community giving mirrors the mission of the
Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley.
Fries is married to Milam County cattle
rancher, Robert Jensen. Their daughter, Taylor, and
son-in-law, Zach Johnson, live in College Station,
with Fries’ first grandchild, Kyle Robert Johnson,
and they are expecting a girl in August.
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INSITE March 2020
Sue Lee is filled with passion for giving back
to her community. She describes her own
father as one who lived a life of giving — and
Lee has carried on the family tradition with a
commitment to thoughtful initiatives and a love
for intentional philanthropy.
Born in a small town in Taiwan, Lee received
a pharmacy degree from the prestigious National
Taiwan University. Lee and her future husband,
J.C. Lee, M.D., traveled to America for her
pursuit of a master’s degree in biochemistry and
his completion of an internship in pathology and
a Ph.D. in genetics. In 1976, the two moved to
Bryan College Station where Dr. J.C. Lee served
as the chief pathologist for the two local hospitals
for 23 years. Sue Lee worked as a registered
medical technologist and lab director for multiple
outpatient laboratories. The couple raised three
children in this community — Alfred, Belinda,
and Chris.
In 2002, Dr. J.C. Lee died from cancer, and
Sue Lee recognized the need for a state-of-the-art
cancer center for the Brazos Valley. Lee made the
cornerstone donation to the St. Joseph Regional
Cancer Center.
At the core of Sue Lee’s heart for giving are
the initiatives that enhance and change people’s
lives. Her philanthropy has brought life to the
medical community and supported Habitat for
Humanity. Lee has shared the valuable resource
of her time with the Fun for All Playground, the
Ronald McDonald House, Brazos Valley Bombers
Booster Club, the Arts Council, Special Olympics,
and the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History,
to name a few.
Lee’s passionate leadership earned her the
D.A. “Andy” Anderson award from the Arts Council
in 2013. Lee’s pursuit of community impact,
charitable giving, and leadership has benefited
numerous organizations and individuals across the
Brazos Valley. The impact of Sue Lee makes the
community a better place to live.
Timothy N. Bryan
Tim Bryan grew up in Bryan College Station and has
invested in this namesake community through a love
and passion for its rich history, the family business,
and a commitment to service. His community roots
are as deep as the Brazos River and his dedication
to improving the Brazos Valley is even deeper. This
dedication is what makes Tim Bryan a Community
Foundation Tribute Luncheon honoree.
Tim Bryan graduated with a bachelor’s degree
in finance from Texas A&M University in 1974. He
quickly entered the family business of banking,
beginning his career in Houston. William Joel Bryan
was Tim’s great-great-grandfather and Stephen F.
Austin was William Joel’s uncle. William Joel Bryan
was part of establishing the city’s first lending
institution. William Joel Bryan’s son, Guy M. Bryan,
Jr., co-founded Clarke, Bryan & Howell, a private
lending enterprise, which became the region’s first
chartered bank — The First National Bank of Bryan.
The bank continued in the family with Tim named
CEO in 2001. After First National sold in 2007,
Bryan jumped back into leading a community bank
with The Bank and Trust of Bryan/College Station.
Currently, he serves as chairman of the B/CS
Regional Board of First Financial Bank.
Over the years, Bryan has served on countless
boards, including the Bryan Development
Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, Brazos County
United Way, Salvation Army, Arts Council of the
Brazos Valley, the Chamber of Commerce, and the
Texas A&M Health Science Center Foundation,
and he was a member of the original board of the
Community Foundation.
Bryan’s commitment earned him the Man &
Youth Award of the Year from the Boys and Girls
Club and the Leadership Award from the Brazos
Valley Economic Development Corporation. Bryan’s
strategic leadership in community development
and nonprofit support exemplifies service to others
and makes the Brazos Valley a better place to live.
Tim Bryan and his wife, Lee Ann, enjoy golf
and traveling together. He has two daughters,
Emily Bullion and Beth Landgraf, of Magnolia and
The Woodlands, and six grandchildren.