Leonard Schooler, Position 1

Personal History

Councilmember Schooler and his wife, Debbie, were married for 53 years. They have one son, Nelson, a daughter-in-law, Jessica, and grand-daughter Penelope. They moved to Lake Jackson in 1985.

Mr. Schooler graduated from UT Austin in 1976 with a BS in Chemical Engineering. In 1979, he graduated from Corpus Christi State with an MBA (focus on finance). Mr. Schooler worked for Reynolds Metals Company for 9 years, both domestically and abroad. In 1985, he joined BASF in Freeport. He worked for BASF for 32 years, holding various positions, including plant manager of multiple plants, manufacturing representative for new plants, and Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety for all BASF Plants in Texas. In 1990, he led the effort to establish one of the nation’s first Responsible Care Community Advisory Panels. In 2002, following the railcar explosion at BASF, Leonard served as Incident Commander for 21 days, leading the teams to deal with the emergency with no injuries and minimal impact on the community.

Later, Mr. Schooler received BASF’s Innovation Award for Safety Concepts he developed, which not only improved safety at BASF, but also improved safety for the rest of the chemical and refining industry. He has been a frequent speaker on safety and leadership concepts at professional organizations and universities for many years. After retiring from BASF in 2017, he joined Pilko & Associates on a part-time basis, assisting companies in enhancing safety, leadership, and incident investigations.

On a personal note, Mr. Schooler has been a student of Martial Arts since he was 17 years old. He holds a 7th-degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, is a nationally certified instructor, and continues to train.

Community Involvement

Councilmember Schooler was elected to the City Council in May of 2025. His community involvement, past and present, includes serving on the Board of Directors and as a Life Member of the 100 Club, being a Director of SIDs, an advisor at River of Hope, and Providing Advisory Services to the Process Technology Department at Brazosport College, among other roles.

Mr. Schooler has been a resident of Lake Jackson for 40 years and truly believes it is the City of Enchantment.  He wants to do what he can to help the city continue to thrive and prosper.