Leads the Austin-area AARP Foundation Headquarters team in administering the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which matches eligible job seekers aged 55 and older with local nonprofits and public agencies in paid training assignments. The organization's approach emphasizes equitable outcomes for populations that have faced systemic discrimination by building supportive community connections, fostering resilience, and advancing equity.
Led a team of program staff and community volunteers in developing and implementing statewide intellectual and developmental disability prevention efforts aimed at infants and children. Organized and facilitated multifaceted statewide education and community engagement initiatives, including three successful HHSC Office of Disability Prevention for Children Statewide Conferences and monthly community webinars, which 12,000 families, providers, and other stakeholders attended annually. Managed the facilitation of the Governor-appointed Texas Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) Advisory Council.
Collaborated with executive staff and the board of directors to develop and implement agency policies and procedures. Recruited, trained, and managed agency staff and volunteers dedicated to providing domestic and sexual violence prevention and intervention services. Coordinated and facilitated regular staff development training certified by the Texas Office of the Attorney General. Led a team of prevention specialists who presented a sexual violence prevention curriculum to 1,200 school students in Central Texas each year.
Managed the regional Operations Support Unit Team staff who performed support functions for approximately 800 Child Protective Services employees in 31 Central Texas Counties. The unit included the following departments: Client Eligibility, CPS Caseworker On-the-Job Training, Accounting, Records Management, and Regional Daycare Services. Provided project or program analysis, support, and assistance to the Regional CPS Leadership Team. Staffed employee personnel actions with Legal, HR, and Civil Rights and recommended appropriate personnel actions in compliance with HHS HR policies.
Currently, Texas Youth Helpline. Led a team of agency staff and 100 community volunteers who provided crisis intervention and prevention services to children, youth, and families. Managed staff and volunteer recruitment, training, and program development, as well as 15 bi-annual statewide public awareness campaigns, each generating one million dollars of in-kind advertising from corporate sponsors each year. Staff and volunteers received 50,000 calls annually through effective community collaboration and successful multi-media campaigns. From the program's inception, call volume increased by 300 percent due to successful public awareness initiatives.
Led a team of agency staff and community volunteers who provided callers with crisis intervention and prevention services throughout the United States. The call center was housed at the Office of the Texas Governor and received 100,000 calls annually. Services also included conference calls to families, shelters, and other critical services accessed from a program database containing 8,000 resources. A confidential message relay service assisted in connecting homeless children and teens with their families. The hotline partnered with Greyhound Lines, Inc. to provide free transportation safely home when requested.
Served as a consultant on the agency's public awareness campaign team, which collaborated on a 3-year statewide child abuse and neglect primary prevention media campaign that included TV, radio, and online public service announcements, billboards, and mass transit and movie theater advertisements. The team also created the annual child abuse prevention kit sent to thousands of Texas schools, law enforcement agencies, and social services organizations.
Coalition member since 2019. Currently serving as Board Vice President. Safe Kids Austin, led by Dell Children’s Medical Center, is a coalition of more than 40 active members representing community, civic, and state organizations. The Coalition aims to reduce child injury by promoting safety in vehicles, in and around water, and while walking and biking. Safe Kids Austin is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, the nation’s first non-profit organization solely dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injury.
Duties include interacting with the Austin State Supported Living Center (SSLC) residents and providing recreational and educational activities. The SSLC provides 24-hour residential treatment and training services to residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Panel member for the Grants for Technology Opportunities (GTOP) initiative, which works with grassroots organizations that form community partnerships and work towards digital equity through creating innovative projects to increase: use of digital and communication devices, knowledge and skills of digital and communications technology, and access to and usage of the Internet.
