Gene Zhu
Founder
Gene is a well-seasoned accounting and finance professional. He has been serving in various capacities in financial operation for non-profit organizations and public charter schools for the past 20 years. He has served senior roles in accounting and finance operations with public charter schools for 18 years and most recently served as Senior Director of Accounting and Finance for Uplift Education, a charter school network serving over 23,000 students on 21 campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Gene started his school business office consulting firm in 2010 and in 2011 Dynamic Support Solutions was officially formed - currently serving more than 30 charter schools primarily in Texas and across six other states. As the Chief Development Officer for DSS, Gene continues to share his years of insight, make vital connections, and build client relations. Gene graduated from Dallas Baptist University with Master Degrees in Finance and Management Information System. He lives in Las Colinas in Irving, TX with his wife and four children.
James Dworkin, CPA
Chief Executive Officer
James leads the premier team of financial professionals serving over 30 Charter Schools and other Nonprofit entities across seven states. In 2015, he began his career in education and has since served as CFO of three large charter networks in Texas. James is a licensed CPA , a graduate of DePaul University (BS) and a graduate of The University of Chicago (MBA). He also holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Governance (2017) and is currently a DBA candidate at University of Texas at Dallas. Mr. Dworkin’s prior experience is in private and public corporations where he served in varying roles including CFO, Controller and VP Finance. He is a United States Navy veteran and credits his skills to his training onboard the USS Belleau Wood and at Bank of America, IBM and Occidental Petroleum.
Michael Hooten
Chief Operating Officer
Michael was Founder & Superintendent/CEO of an innovative environmental charter school, Trinity Environmental Academy, as well as the Executive Director of Destination Wilderness Youth, an outdoor adventure club that runs in several charter districts in Dallas County. As the COO & Chief Consultant at DSS, he is responsible for due diligence analysis and articulating the needs of each client, managing our team of consultants to best support client success. Michael has experience working in DFW charter schools since 2003. His experience in education has brought him through years as a certified science teacher, instructional coach, leadership roles of Dean of Instruction and Secondary Director, and Director of Project Management at one of the largest charter networks in North Texas before opening his own charter and his wilderness adventure non-profit. During his instructional tenure, he led up to 60 teachers and staff in a TEA Exemplary Rated District, developed the programming for and was awarded an IB World School designation from the International Baccalaureate Organization, received the highest “model school” rating as a T-STEM school Director, was identified as having 2012’s #8 and 2013’s #5 Most Transformational Schools in America as determined by Newsweek, and facilitated a 19% average increase in AP scores in just one year – a district and network best. This was a result of his transformational leadership style, instructional knowledge, meticulous team development, and self-motivating scholar achievement strategies. As a professional educator, he has been a servant leader in DFW urban communities developing and advocating for the at-risk, gifted, special populations and socioeconomically challenged scholars his entire career. It is here he finds his greatest joy and drive for systemic educational reform and learning equality for all people, collaborating with effective and passionate educators who want to share in this worthy mission. Michael is a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, has two adopted sons, two adorable grandsons, and enjoys camping, hiking, and rock climbing. His passion for educational and environmental justice is what drives him to challenge the visible and invisible inequities to ensure a level playing field for all children.
About DSS
At DSS, we pride ourselves on being more than just a financial services provider; we are strategic partners dedicated to your success. Since 2011, we have served over 200 organizations, leveraging our team of experienced professionals—comprised of former CEOs, CFOs, superintendents, and CPAs—to address the unique challenges you face. While many firms focus solely on processing and general findings, we commit to analyzing trends, implementing best practices, and delivering tangible solutions that foster growth and new opportunities. Our client-centered approach emphasizes strong, collaborative relationships, ensuring that we understand your goals and provide long-term support that adapts to your evolving needs. With a relentless focus on excellence and a deep investment in our services, we empower you to concentrate on serving your clients and communities effectively.
Dr. Alan Seay
Special Advisor, School Leadership
Alan Seay is a thirty two year veteran of Texas public education. He spent the first twenty-five as a teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in traditional school districts before being hired in 2011 as CEO of A+ Charter Schools, Inc. and Superintendent of its two inner city charter schools, A+ Academy and Inspired Vision Academy. Dr. Seay has quickly become a leader in the Dallas area charter school arena. He was instrumental in forming the North Texas Charter School Superintendent’s Study Group and is the sole charter school representative on the Region 10 Education Service Center’s Administrative Services Advisory Committee.
DaiAnn Mooney, CPA
Chief Financial Accounting Consultant
For over 26 years, DaiAnn served in several different roles for the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD gaining extensive experience in the school finance field. She served as the staff accountant, Director of Finance and eventually Chief Financial Officer for over 10 years. As the CFO, she was responsible for all aspects of finance including purchasing, payroll, accounts payable, accounting, budget, debt management and PEIMS. She joined Dynamic Support Solutions in 2023 and serves as Chief Financial Consultant for various schools. DaiAnn earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business and is a certified public accountant. DaiAnn comes from a family of educators and her passion is to support administrators and educators in the classroom serving students every day. She and her husband, Darien, a teacher and coach, live in Grapevine and have two children.
Michelle Kennedy, CPA
Chief Financial Accounting Consultant
Michelle spent nine years as an auditor at a public accounting firm. As Senior Audit Manager she specialized in Texas charter schools and other not-for-profit organizations, overseeing 60+ annual client engagements from financial statement audits, reviews, and federal compliance single audits. Upon her departure from public accounting, Michelle became the Senior Executive Director of Finance for a large charter school organization. There her responsibilities included overseeing all aspects of the finance department including accounting, treasury, payroll, accounts payable, and budget. She joined Dynamic Support Solutions in 2023 and serves as Chief Financial Accounting Consultant for various schools. Michelle earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas A&M University in 2009. She taught 7th grade math for two years before pursuing postgraduate education. She earned her Masters in Professional Accounting and MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2014 and received her CPA license in 2015.
Dillon Laney
Chief of Staff
Dillon Laney is a dynamic organizational leader with a wealth of experience in technology support services. In his current role as the Chief of Staff at Dynamic Support Solutions, he is streamlining internal processes for greater efficiency and collaboration and also leads the Data Analytics team. Previously, Dillon served as the Senior Director of Managed Services at Unified Connexions, where he led the technology services business unit. His career also includes pivotal roles in public K-12 education, notably as Executive Director of Technology, where he enhanced organizational structure and infrastructure management. Currently pursuing an Executive Master of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Dallas, Dillon also holds a Bachelor of Science in Network Operations & Security from Western Governors University. His professional development includes eleven technology certifications from industry leaders such as Cisco and CompTIA.