Notley Fellows
About the Fellowship
The Notley Fellowship convenes impact-driven young professionals across industries in programming and projects dedicated to social impact. Throughout the two-year program, Fellows learn from and work directly with the community’s foremost experts and leaders, contributing their talents and building upon their passions. We equip rising changemakers with the resources and network to elevate their impact.
Programming
Since 2018, the Notley Fellowship has provided a mix of programming, professional development and immersive projects to empower Fellows as they innovate and build a strong network of social leaders, mentors and collaborators. Year One focuses on education and skills development through engaging conversations with some of their city’s biggest trailblazers of social innovation on a monthly cadence. Year Two allows Fellows to deploy their skills, passions and network to collaboratively address a community issue, working directly with initiatives across the ecosystem or a project of their choosing.
18%
of Fellows are C-Suite, Founders and Executive Directors
33
Social Impact Projects Launched in 2022
160
Companies Represented
151
Total Fellows in the Notley Ecosystem Across 7 Classes
40
Networking and Educational Events Hosted in 2022
110+
Total Hosted Events with Prominent Austin and San Antonio Leaders
Leadership & Professional Development Sessions
Fellows have intimate, candid conversations and workshops that dive deeper into how changemakers create, scale and grow initiatives. These conversations shine a light on the intersecting social issues facing our communities and provide opportunities for Fellows to directly engage with leaders.
Network Expansion
The Notley Fellowship is not just a program, it’s a community. Our conversations cover the gamut of the latest technologies we’re sampling, what we’re watching and reading, and how we’re all grappling with demands in work, family and social lives amidst changing times.
Each cohort helps shape and direct the Fellowship experience. Fellows immediately have access to our growing ecosystem of social impact leaders. We are here along the way to help facilitate connections and make all the introductions …one of the many lifetime perks of being Notley Fellow.
Monthly class socials
Ongoing networking across classes
Annual Homecoming Weekend for Alumni
Immersive Project-based Experiences
Fellows commit to exploring and executing a social impact project during the second year of the Fellowship. Fellows will work alongside experts and social innovators who are in the early stages of launching initiatives, expanding their work or investigating new concepts.
These projects allow Fellows to apply learnings from the speaker events and professional development sessions to address pressing community issues they care most about. Fellows also have the opportunity to share their progress and workshop roadblocks during project share sessions.
EXAMPLES OF PAST PROJECTS INCLUDE:
Launching a membership-based collaborative community for natural consumer packaged goods in Austin (now Naturally Austin)
Developing a formal set of equitable criteria and application/review process to receive a pool of potential racial justice nonprofits that participate as part of Notley Tide
Establishing a professional online presence and fundraising strategy for Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation, addressing affordable housing for low and middle-income households
Enriching the Beam Founders Network Member Collective with a curated networking and speaker series for women founders and the influencers that support them
Notley Fellows
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Founder & COO
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Aimy is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Office for BeatBox Beverages. She is a double-Longhorn, earning both her B.S. in Advertising and M.B.A. at the University of Texas at Austin. Aimy co-founded BeatBox while pursuing her MBA in entrepreneurship. Her past experience includes working in online marketing at agencies and in-house at the Central TX Food Bank, running her own online marketing agency, and helping run the UT-based start-up incubator Texas Venture Labs.
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VP of Engineering
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Albert has been an entrepreneur since birth and now is lucky enough to do it as an adult. He has a master’s in Mechanical Engineering, is using deep neural networks to reduce background noise in audio signals, has a consulting business where he works with companies like Tiff’s Treats on their technology, and has created a consumer product that is in over 300 stores in Texas. He has been big brother of the year in Central Texas and has served on the board of Latinitas and junior board for Big Brothers Big Sisters. He lives in Austin with his beautiful wife Sarah and two sons Elliott and Everett.
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Product Implementation Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Amanda Horvath runs a boutique video production house that operates in the space between video creation and marketing.
Having lived through the video marketing evolution from website content to the emergence of social media, her trained eye is consistently aware of the future of video and how businesses should harness its power. Rather than focusing on pure visual aesthetics, Horvath and her team leverage marketing techniques to ensure their videos inspire results.
She’s worked with entrepreneurs like Tim Ferriss and Ryan Holiday, as well as other locally known household names.
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Founder & Principal Marketing Strategist
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Annabel Landaverde leads communications for Whole Foods Market’s philanthropic arm, Whole Cities Foundation. She also runs her own copywriting business. Her goals are to inspire people to vote with their dollar, influence industries to lead ethically, and impact public policy. Ultimately, she aims to merge her interests in Latin America, health, and economic empowerment to create lasting social impact.
Before joining Whole Foods Market, Annabel worked with the World Affairs Council to broadcast online events to a global audience. She also advised city governments in Minnesota and Mexico on leveraging social media to foster global engagement. Annabel holds a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Latin American Studies. In her spare time, you can find her cooking, dancing and traveling!
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Founder & CEO
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Clark Nowlin is from Fort Worth, Texas. He moved to Austin three years ago after graduating from Baylor University with degrees in finance and entrepreneurship. Clark has primarily worked in sales since. He loves to rally people around exciting/important ideas and started two organizations while at Baylor – an entrepreneurship book club and an enneagram study group (personality tool). Today he helps run a music nonprofit called “ALL ATX” with the mission to keep Austin a music town through supporting affordability solutions for musicians. Clark was a full-time touring musician for four years prior to moving to Austin and now makes music for fun with friends in his home studio. Clark love tacos and meeting new people.
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Account Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Courtney Groos is a digital marketing professional who is passionate about creating positive social change in the world. Her mission is to support nonprofit and social impact organizations as they equip the poor, empower the disenfranchised, and restore basic human rights to those in need. Through digital marketing, brand development, content creation, and strategic planning efforts, Courtney equips social impact organizations to drive audience awareness and engagement across their digital platforms. She has consulted global humanitarian organizations including World Vision International and Esperanza International and continues her work in digital strategy through the private sector. Her goal and commitment is to create positive change through strategic marketing efforts and see an end to the world’s most pressing issues.
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Senior Product Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
With deep experience in design and strategy, creative problem solving is a common denominator in much of Dante’s work. Her experience includes work in product management, digital optimization and production, strategic design and architectural planning.
Dante is an Optimization Director at Clearhead, an Accenture Company, and is a Visiting Lecturer in the Design Management graduate program at Pratt Institute. She has served on the board of Architecture for Humanity New York and the communications committee of the New York Urban League Young Professionals. Born and raised in New Orleans, Dante earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Louisiana Tech University and a MPS in Design Management from Pratt Institute in New York. She joyfully resides in Austin, Texas.
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Membership Director
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Animal rights
Domestic violence
Elisa has spent her career galvanizing communities in the technology industry, particularly for entrepreneurs and technologists. Elisa attended Cornell for her MBA and a Masters in Organizational Psychology before moving to Texas, where she worked for IBM. She participated in their acclaimed management rotational program, holding positions in HR, marketing, and finance, before building Watson’s initial R&D and sales and marketing teams. Austin’s entrepreneurial scene took hold and she moved on to help build two artificial intelligence companies before joining Galvanize as the evangelist for Austin. At Galvanize, she unites the technology community through events, partnerships, and marketing. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her Miniature Schnauzer, Lola, riding and showing her horse Hudson, traveling, and cooking international food.
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North America CPG Lead
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
economic vulnerability as a means of addressing human trafficking
health
education
Elizabeth Pishny works at Facebook, leading the sales team focused on clients in the Consumer Product Goods space. Her team advises advertisers on campaign strategy and business growth, managing a portfolio in excess of $130M.
Prior to her current role, Elizabeth provided change management consulting to Fortune 500 clients at Accenture working in Mexico, Spain, and Russia. She later led digital marketing and client services efforts with Bazaarvoice, starting their Asia Pacific operations in Singapore. Most recently she served Esperanza International in the Dominican Republic, focused on poverty alleviation through economic empowerment for women.
Outside of work Elizabeth plays tennis and enjoys traveling, having visited over 50 countries. She received her B.B.A. with Honors in Finance and Marketing from Texas Christian University.
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VP of Product
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Elizabeth has devoted her career to building SaaS products which leverage Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning to extract meaning out of massive amounts of data. She is currently the Director of Product Management at Anaconda, the most popular Python data science platform in the world. Previously, she built products at Atlassian, Salesforce, Spredfast, and a medley of startups. Elizabeth has a passion for social entrepreneurship and business models that favor social responsibility. She has served on the Board of Directors of Urban Roots and was a 2017 Mission Capital Social Venture Fellow. She is an avid world traveler and a polyglot, fluent in English, French, Spanish, and quasi-fluent in Italian.
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Owner’s Liaison
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Affordable housing
food access
workforce development
Ellen Ray is an urban planner, committed to creating a more equitable built environment. Her work at Cambridge Systematics provides municipal, state, and federal transportation planning and policy solutions. She recently completed a master’s in City and Regional Planning at the Georgia Institute of Technology. While pursuing graduate studies, she worked at the Urban Land Institute, Federal Reserve Bank, and Jamestown L.P. and also served as president of her planning program’s student organization.
Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ellen received a BA in American Studies from Yale in 2012. Following graduation, she fled the Northeast to work as an Americorps VISTA in Mayor Leffingwell’s office in Austin, then coordinated community involvement initiatives for Capital Metro.
She bikes everywhere and is currently learning to play country-western bass.
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Glynn was born in Houston and graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Business. She moved to Austin to work at Mass Relevance (acquired by Spredfast) and immediately fell in love with young startups because of the ability to “wear many hats” and have a large impact on the business. Glynn has spent her career focused on scaling and building Customer Success teams. She was previously at YouEarnedIt and recently had the opportunity to fulfill her dream of traveling around Asia with her sister. Glynn is now the Senior Customer Success Manager at Shopgate, a mobile commerce startup.
Glynn enjoys volunteering for the Anti-Defamation League and Urban Roots. She also enjoys the stereotypical Austin things like yoga, farmer’s markets, and dog kisses.
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Director of Sales
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Hailey O’Neill is the Director of Sales at Verb. Verb is a for profit company that focuses on connecting corporations with non-profits to help in solving the world’s most wicked problems.
She grew up in Austin, went to college at the University of California, Santa Barbara, then moved to Sydney, Australia for one year. Hailey has volunteered at the Austin Animal Shelter, Goodwill, and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
She loves traveling, anything health / fitness related, reading, movies, happy hours (good wine and margaritas), and spending time with friends and family.
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VP of Engineering
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Howard has spent a decade building products at multiple Austin based internet startups. Along the way he was part of a team that was awarded a Technical Emmy for work on the Obama Town Hall. He was on the committee that organized the first Startup Games and lit the ceremonial opening flame for the same games. He also gives technology talks on web architecture at meetups around town.
Around Austin you can see Howard, wife Audrey, and son James eating at new restaurants, inelegantly on walks with their loving but untrained dogs around their neighborhood, and if they can find a babysitter, watching a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse.
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Director of Expansion
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Childhood hunger in the greater Austin area
Jeffrey runs operations for Mastodon Ventures, OzRey-a national investment and operating firm focused on a range of innovative restaurant, hospitality and commercial real estate developments. Prior to OzRey, Jeffrey was a Lead Expansion Manager for UberEATS. He was a member of the inaugural product launch team and was then responsible for launching UberEATS across North American markets. Jeffrey also co-founded a gifting startup in Austin, LoopandTie.com. He has spent time in LA focused on business development for Sony Pictures and started his career in Finance at Jefferies Investment Bank in NYC.
Jeffrey attended UT Austin, graduating from the Business Honors Program. He is a past rider and board member of Texas 4000 for Cancer and currently lives in Austin with his wife Haylie, their son and 2 dogs.
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Risk Operations Analyst
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Jonathan is a business analyst who helps scaling organizations establish and optimize fundamental business processes on the Salesforce platform. He recently joined Ascendant Capital, an Austin-based investment firm, to lead Salesforce integrations and projects. Before this, Jonathan was an early employee at Tenfold, where he helped the startup grow to $10 million ARR in less than three years. A firm believer in the maxim “if you can see it, you can achieve it,” Jonathan is also a co-founder of BLNDED Media – a platform dedicated to highlighting the voices and stories of diverse and underrepresented entrepreneurs and hopes to continue showcasing people doing exceptional work in their communities.
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Principal UX Designer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Katie is a user experience designer, artist, and friend committed to building thoughtful products that place human values at the center of the experience and bring people together. She is currently a Senior Product Designer at WP Engine and has previously designed products at Mass Relevance, Spredfast, and Civitas Learning. She co-founded the digital agency Bohemian Innovation in 2010 and has served as an advisor to local grown brands Sway Water and Mockingbird Domestics. She was a 2017 Mission Capital Social Venture Fellow and looks forward to discovering more ways the Austin communities can work together and drive positive change. Katie earned a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of Texas at Austin.
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VC
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Krishna is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin. She currently works at Keller Williams Realty International as a technology research analyst where she gets to determine the impact of real estate technology startups in the real estate industry. Krishna loves learning about investing in real estate with a purpose for profit. She is passionate about empowering people to better impact and serve others. She’s an unreasonable innovator and loves brainstorming solutions to create a more sustainable future. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, kayaking, or traveling.
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VP of Customer Experience, GM of Austin office
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Lyndsay is the director of product operations at Juniper Square, a real estate technology company. She is committed to social impact and is particularly interested in sustainability, affordable housing, creating fluid indoor-outdoor space, adding art to communities and creating interactive and resilient community centers. As someone who spends a significant amount of time outside, she is also focused on conservation of our natural resources. Lyndsay currently sits on the board of Art in Action, a nonprofit based in California whose mission is to give every student access to arts education by providing the training, materials and curriculum for complete K-8 visual arts experiences. Prior to joining Juniper Square, Lyndsay spent nearly a decade working in investment banking in New York and in real estate private equity in San Francisco. She graduated from Stanford with a BS in math and MS in management, science and engineering.
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Sales Leader
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Pervez loves technology, personal finance, career development, and anything that physically and mentally challenges him.
His passion lies somewhere between helping startups grow through sales and helping (hopefully inspiring) people to meet their personal and professional potential.
When he’s not working with his awesome team at Andela, coaching someone through an interview for a job they want, talking to a company about revamping their sales strategy, reading through a resume, or speaking to a younger audience about personal finance or career growth, you can find him strolling the streets of NYC & Austin with his dog daughter Bella.
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Site Lead
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
intersection between entreprenuership and philanthropy
Rachel is a passionate leader in both the business and non-profit sectors of Austin. She is the Site Lead at Facebook and previously served as the Director of Global Brand Marketing at Spredfast. She serves on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League, Texas Enactus, and the University of Texas Psychology Department. She is also a member of UT’s 1883 Council. Rachel earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and a Master’s from Harvard.
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VP of Sales and Business Development
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
LGBTQ rights
feminism
allyship
homelessness
Since 2008, Seth List has been a part of Austin’s thriving start-up scene. He currently runs Market Development and Strategic Sourcing for YouEarnedIt, who recently joined the Vista Equity portfolio.
Outside of the office, Seth is heavily involved with the Hill Country Ride for AIDS and Equality Texas. Leveraging his network of personal and professional relationships, Seth has excelled at recruiting, fundraising, and local business development efforts for both organizations.
When not at the office or holed up working on EQTX business, Seth can be found training and coaching at Atomic Athlete, running one of Austin’s many trails, or checking out one of our latest and greatest new restaurants. He also loves to travel, run trail races, backpack, hike, and camp.
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Product Operations Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
closing the education gap for women
Ale is on the Growth team at The Guild, a hospitality start-up in Austin. In her role, she has been able to combine her love of travel with the complex but rewarding challenge of scaling a company. Prior to that, she worked in banking in NYC.
Ale has been involved in various non-profit initiatives in Austin including Food In Tummies, a program that provides meals to underprivileged students. She’s also passionate about diversity in the workplace and co-founded Guilders for Diversity, an organization at The Guild. She graduated from Penn with a BS in Engineering and a minor in Entrepreneurship.
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Founder
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Pencils of Promise
global childhood education
Alex Ecenia hails from Florida but after 8 years in Texas calls herself a true Austinite. She worked in philanthropy for six years in Los Angeles, New York and Austin and has always kept charity work at her core. Last year Alex found herself loving the work she did but didn’t feel fulfilled and she knew she needed to make a change. She took the leap and started her own events and marketing LLC, Rainey Productions. Now, she’s helping clients build their brand by cultivating community-based experiences and igniting unique projects. Alex’s passions are traveling the world and experiencing new cultures (she’s been to 30 countries), staying active with Wanderlust Yoga and Soul Cycle, and soaking up fresh air by spending time outdoors with friends and a glass of wine.
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Asia E. Haney is an upcoming professional in the Austin community who seeks to leave her indelible mark on society through culture, collaborative and social change. As a business graduate of Huston-Tillotson University, through service; Asia utilizes her passion with a purpose mentality and higher education profession to serve as the Interim Director of Recruitment and Admission at her alma mater. Youth development represents a huge part of her present endeavors as she strives to learn from the past and embrace the future. Originally from Dallas, Texas, Asia enjoys traveling all around the world, and continues to gain a deeper appreciation for global cultural diversity.
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Global Head of Expansion, Jump Scooters
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Youth education and empowerment
Avram is midwest born and raised, attending Indiana University for undergrad and grad school. He has a strong passion for start ups and is the founder of PocketCab LLC before joining Uber in 2013. He’s spent the last 6 years between Chicago, Singapore and Austin, working across Uber rides, UberEats and currently lead global expansion for JUMP Scooters for Uber. He loves building businesses and teams from scratch and excited to call Austin home!
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Brittany is a Vice President of Marketing and BD at JDI, a boutique consultancy that brings frontier technologies and science to market.
In her marketing role, she helps startups spark change in large and slow-moving systems like food, agriculture, and health care. Today she is particularly focused synthetic biology and cellular agriculture, digital therapeutics, genomics and precision agriculture.
In he BD role, she is responsible for developing new practice areas like energy distribution, cannabis, space, and nanotechnology. She spends as much time cultivating relationships in Memphis, Raleigh, Blacksburg, and Baltimore as she does in Austin or Silicon Valley.
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Caitlyn is the Startup Champion for the Entrepreneurs Foundation at Capital Factory, devoted to supporting the philanthropic efforts of Austin’s tech and startup community. After graduating The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Political Science, she has worked with entrepreneurs to build sustainable organizations through operational management. Being involved at the startup level of multiple companies fostered a deep sense of appreciation for those who build cultures that create positive change and maintain their altruism through growth. In her free time, she’s a caffeine champion exploring Austin’s coffee shop gems or movie marathoning at the Alamo Drafthouse.
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Design Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
Chelsea is a UX designer in Austin, TX fueled by green tea, avocados & sunny days. She’s a strategic thinker in a creative space currently solving design problems at Clearhead, a studio acquired by Accenture Interactive in 2017. She has loved creating things ever since she was little; back then it was building with legos, doodling in class or playing guitar. Nowadays it’s baking bread, taking pictures and UX design. When she’s not creating, you might find her looking for adventure on two wheels or hanging out with my dog.
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Senior Manager – Product Insights & Strategy
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
healthcare access/civic
women’s empowerment
Christina is a Director of Product Marketing at Khoros (formerly Spredfast), a customer experience management platform for enterprise marketing teams. Her previous experience includes work in management consulting serving government clients including program management for the DoD, technology implementation for the FBI, and Affordable Care Act rollout for the State of Texas. In addition to building and launching great products, she is passionate about advancing women in leadership positions.
Originally from Houston, Texas, Christina holds a B.A. in History from Rhodes College and her M.B.A. from UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business. She has served as a non-voting board member of AIDS Services of Austin (through the McCombs Board Fellows program) and as Student Admissions Chair for the McCombs School of Business at UT Austin with a focus on recruiting and retaining more women into the MBA program. In her spare time you will probably find her with her family, running on the Towne Lake trail, or eating a breakfast taco (or three).”
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Claire is passionate about making a difference, and seeks to use the knowledge and resources she’s accumulated thus far to amplify others. A Northern California native, she moved south to attend UCLA and earn her degree in Economics. Claire lived in LA for several years following graduation, starting her career in various Accounting roles until moving to Austin in 2013, where she’s been missing the Southern California winters (but not much else) ever since. Shortly thereafter, Claire joined BuildASign, where her passion for data and an “always be learning” approach to her career led her to her current role as Director of Digital Marketing. Claire started and continues to run the BuildASign Women’s Group, which promotes personal and professional development among its members. In her spare time, she coaches girls’ soccer, participates in several Girls Empowerment Network programs, travels, and enjoys the outdoors.
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VP of Financial Operations
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Jewish Federation
leadership development
David Rapoport is currently the Business Operations Manager at Clearhead, a studio acquired by Accenture Interactive in 2017. He is currently responsible for: resource management, invoicing & collections, financial forecasting, and budget & contract management. David has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas.
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Founder of the Human Process Continuum
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
animal rights
health epidemics within low-income families
family services for single-parent homes
Hilary Corna is a Bestselling Author and Founder of the Human Processes Continuum with a mission of humanizing business. She provides counsel and executive briefings to senior management on organizational development challenges facing private sector entities worldwide.
Hilary’s work draws on 10+ years of industry experience in operations, culture and people development. Early in her career, she served as Senior Executive Officer and Kaizen Leader for Toyota Motor Asia Pacific in Singapore leading dealer operations development activities.
In 2011, she launched a speaking agency with the mission of increasing female voices in the industry and has since spoken to over 50,000 people in six countries and is a sought-after conference keynote.
Hilary been featured in the New York Times, ForbesWoman, NBC, Upworthy and dozens of other publications. She has spoken on stages including the United Nations, General Motors, FFA and NCCSWL. She has made an appearance in Pearson’s Global Business Communication textbook, has trained at Second City Chicago and still speaks conversational Japanese. Hilary is a Vipassana meditator, a weightlifter, and proud vegan.
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Kaelin likes tinkering with new ideas and figuring out how to build them.
An avid learner of all things technology, you may find him geeking out over better ways to develop products, designing, or learning new math & science topics. Obsessed with space since childhood, he learned how to code to build rocket video games. In an attempt to expand this interest into real life, he started a lawn business and hired his high school friends as employees to fund purchasing model rockets and remote controlled helicopters to learn how they worked. He continued this pursuit in college by working on a research team with SpaceX and The University of Texas to develop the hyperloop concept.
Today, he’s tackling new ways to buy and sell homes online as a Product Manager on the consumer technology team at Keller Williams Realty International. He’s also exploring other problems to solve by using his experience in consumer tech.
In his free time, Kaelin enjoys gymnastics, reading, playing piano, and meeting other people. He’s easily wooed by chocolate milk and will never say no to a Master Pancake at the local Alamo Drafthouse theater.
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VP of Development
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
causes with both the social capital and operational acumen to execute
Leigh is not from Austin but got here as fast as she could – by way of Dallas to attend UT where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting. She is a CPA and really likes Microsoft Excel. A lot. She lives in South Austin with her husband and dachshund. She is a voracious reader and vocal user of the Austin Public Library system. She hopes to be eulogized one day as ‘she was a book with legs’. Her love of reading has brought her to many of her passions, including healthy living, minimalism, and personal finance. Leigh is happiest outside, with beer and queso nearby.
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Senior Data Scientist
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
affordable housing
scholarsips
youth empowerment
Maggie is a data scientist at Duo Security, where she works on behavioral analytics to detect fraudulent login attempts. She also consults with private and nonprofit organizations to design and build machine learning systems. Her interests include ethics in artificial intelligence, open data, and empowerment through technology education. Maggie volunteers with Women in Security and Privacy and the RSA Conference Security Scholar Program Committee. She studied electrical engineering and applied mathematics at Stanford University.
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Innovation Program Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
college ministry/faith
orphan care
Matt serves as an Innovation Program Manager for the University of Texas System, helping students, faculty, and researchers get their life changing ideas and technologies to the people who need them. He previously served UT System and UT Austin as an Investment Analyst and Venture Partner, respectively. Matt earned a bachelor’s degree from North Central College and a PhD from UT Austin.
Matt is a runner, Runified Podcast host, and author of My Mommy Runs, a children’s book. He lives in Austin with his wife Hayley, two sons (one adopted via foster care and one biological), and two dogs.
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Associate Product Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
quality, personalized education to young people
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Director of People, Culture & Opportunity
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
women’s reproductive freedom and economic equality
women in politics
Savannah recently joined Notley Ventures as their Director of Strategic Programs. Previously, she led Diversity & Inclusion efforts at Capital Factory, the center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas. Before moving to Austin, Savannah spent years working in the nonprofit space in Los Angeles and helped launch the first-ever Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Taskforce at Center Theatre Group, one of the largest nonprofit arts organizations in the nation. She is also a freelance writer and journalist who is passionate about politics, education and identity. She’s been published in Quartz, PopSugar and Rantt Media, and has been interviewed by NowThis News for her work on gender in politics. Savannah received her B.A. from the University of Southern California.
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B2B Strategy & Expansion
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Helping develop future leaders
Creating access and opportunities to the underserved
Shaquille is a Principal at Quake Capital, a venture fund and accelerator based in Austin, TX. Originally from St. John, Antigua, he received a degree in Supply Chain Management from Texas A&M University.
Shaquille has worked for PepsiCo, several startups, and Google. As a Principal at Quake, Shaquille manages cohort operations, sources deal flow and leads the expansion of Quake’s presence in Texas.
In his spare time, Shaquille mentors at-risk students in the Austin area, enjoys reading, traveling and staying active.
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Founder + Fundraiser
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
children
previously incarcerated individuals
Suhailah Waheed has served in the nonprofit industry professionally for the last three years. After graduating with her B.A. in 2016, from her hometown university, North Carolina Central University, she moved to Austin, TX. She began volunteering and working as an Operations Coordinator for Impact Austin, a local women’s giving circle. For two years she served on the board of the Young Women’s Alliance as the VP of Development and now owns her own development agency, Giving Geeks. These experiences solidified her passion for philanthropy and fundraising. Suhailah believes everyone deserves optimal support in fulfilling their goals toward social change.
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Director, Public Policy & Communications
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
transit advocacy nonprofit
youth empowerment
terminal cancer cure
Trevor Theunissen currently serves as Director of Public Policy and Communications at Uber Technologies. He leads the company’s government affairs and communications team for the South, an 18-state region including Florida, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
Trevor is responsible for establishing and building Uber’s brand and profile with policy makers and the media–including governments, third parties, reporters and academics; and working to ensure that regulatory frameworks support Uber’s products, including Uber Eats, Uber Freight, Uber Elevate, Uber Health and JUMP bikes and scooters. He is also responsible for Uber’s engagement with state attorneys general across the United States.
Previously, Trevor practiced law in New Orleans and served as Chief of Staff to a New Orleans City Council Member. He also worked for the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the state entity set up to lead Louisiana’s rebuilding efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Trevor holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree from The George Washington University and a Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children.
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Senior Associate
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
cause agnostic
progress of local ecosystem
Zoe is an investment associate at UTIMCO, the investment management company responsible for overseeing assets supporting The University of Texas and Texas A&M Systems in their pursuit of providing world-class higher education and patient healthcare for the people of Texas and beyond. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Zoe supports her alma mater through her efforts at UTIMCO and by serving on the Advisory Board for the Canfield Business Honors Program. Zoe has participated on the grants committees of the Women’s Fund of Central Texas and Impact Austin, and she continues to seek out opportunities to apply her business experience to support social impact organizations.
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Global Head of Paid Media and Social Marketing
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Literacy
Hunger
female empowerment
Alyssa Rolfe is an experienced digital marketing professional with a specialty in paid media & advertising. Starting agency side, she gained experience in B2C pharmaceuticals, recruiting & tech – but pivoted to B2B tech when she joined IBM two and a half years ago, where she currently leads paid media and social marketing strategy globally for the IBM IT infrastructure division, IBM Systems. Outside of work, Alyssa stays involved in the Austin community by serving on the Young Women’s Alliance Board of Directors and the Junior League of Austin Food in Tummies committee. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, travelling, wine tasting and spending time with family.
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Annie Daskovsky is an experienced finance professional, committed to solving complex problems in the healthcare industry. Annie is currently the Finance Manager at Adelanto Healthcare Ventures, where she helps healthcare providers access reimbursement for treating Medicaid and uninsured patients. Prior to moving to Austin in 2015, Annie spent 6 years in New Orleans, where she earned her Masters of Business Administration at Tulane University with a focus in finance and entrepreneurship. Annie now lives in the Cherrywood neighborhood of east Austin with her husband, Billy.
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A Louisiana native, Brandon is an Associate Brand Manager at Amplify Snack Brands, which is the better-for-you snacking arm of the Hershey company. He currently managers both Oatmega protein bars and the Paqui tortilla chips. Brandon started at Amplify after graduating from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management with his Master’s in Business Administration. While at Vanderbilt, Brandon served on the board for The Turner Family Center for Social Ventures and interned at the Kellogg Company on Rice Krispies Treats. Prior to his time at Vanderbilt, Brandon worked at his family’s stone and landscaping supply company in The Woodlands, Texas as the Marketing Manager. Brandon earned his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and proudly wears his purple and gold!
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Director Of Strategic Partnerships
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Recovery Access for drug & alcohol addiction
Brian is a Director of Strategic Partnerships at RF Code, a data center management software platform for enterprise IT organizations. His previous experience includes in enterprise sales, channel partnerships at Khoros (formerly Spredfast), and product management for BuildASign. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brian holds a B.A. in History and Education from Kennesaw State University and his M.B.A. in entrepreneurship from the Acton School of Business in Austin, Texas.
Brian currently resides in central Austin with his wife and their rescue border collie Abigail. He is an avid runner having taken up ultramarathon running as hobby in the past few years. You can usually find him running along any of Austin’s trail systems in the early mornings or catch he and his wife in one of Austin’s local Alamo Drafthouse theaters enjoying the newest movie release.
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Calvin is passionate about solving the world’s hardest problems and to make a positive impact in the world. He was born in Xingou, China and moved to the US with his family when he was fifteen years old. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from the University of Iowa.
Calvin is currently a consultant at Oracle with a focus on software implementation for non-profit organizations. At Oracle, he is the VP of Membership for the Oracle Toastmaster Club, and he is also co-founder of the Oracle Meditation Club which aims to bring mindfulness and mental health awareness to the corporate world.
In his free time, he loves traveling and meeting different people from around the world. He has travelled to 15 countries so far with the goal to visit 30 countries before he turns 30. He also started a travel hacking email newsletter to help people travel more for less.
When he is not traveling, he enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering at the Austin Forum on Technology and the Austin Zen Center.
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Product Operations Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
cancer research / preventative care
Connor is on the Product Operations team at Juniper Square, a real estate technology company. Originally from St. Paul, MN, Connor moved to Chicago and studied Economics at Loyola University Chicago. He worked in commercial banking and senior housing real estate until he realized that there were places to live that aren’t freezing for six months a year.
Connor is passionate about voting rights, fundraising for oncology research, environmental policy, and affordable housing. He loves connecting people through weak ties, and can often be found at the Scoot Inn trying to fulfill his nearly insatiable ear for live music.
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Senior Business Recruiter
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
children
nutrition
healthcare
education
Originally from Venezuela, Egalhy has a passion for recruiting and has worked in multiple Texas companies to bring talent and smiling faces through their doors. With a laser focus on diversity and inclusion, particularly women in tech and educational opportunities for minorities, she does everything she can to lift up the community around her.
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Harold Hughes is the Founder and CEO of BandwagonFanClub, Inc. Before starting Bandwagon, Harold spent nearly a decade in Corporate America working in the barcoding, RFID, and two-tier distribution industry. He received Bachelors’ degrees in Economics (B.A.) and Political Science (B.A.) from Clemson University as well as an MBA with a focus on Supply Chain and Information Management. He is a Founder Institute graduate (2015) and led his company through the Capital Factory Accelerator (2018) and the IBM Blockchain Accelerator (2019). Harold, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., takes pride in his role as a contributor and supporter in the startup ecosystem as he serves as a mentor for founders (primarily Black founders and women) while also being transparent about his founder journey. Harold serves as an advisor for Heirlum, an Austin-based virtual remembrance startup and he has angel invested in the Jay-Z backed CPG startup, Partake Foods, and Kanna, a platform for gig workers in the Cannabis industry. Harold and his wife, Tiffany, relocated to Austin in 2019 with their son, Carter.
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Founder & CEO
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
CASA of Travis County
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY)
Black Women Talk Tech
Janice Omadeke is the CEO and Founder of The Mentor Method, an enterprise platform helping companies keep and develop their diverse talent using the proven power of mentorship. Using a double-blind algorithm, The Mentor Method is closing the opportunity equity gap in the workplace. Her company won Capital Factory’s Women in Tech Challenge, is a MassChallenge Texas Gold winner, and has been featured in The Washington Business Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, is a 50 on Fire winner for both Austin and DC Inno, and a 2017 Startup Grind Global Exhibition selection. Black Enterprise magazine recognizes Janice as one of DC’s top 5 black women in tech, and she was a subject matter expert at the 2016 White House Summit on Building the Tech Workforce of Tomorrow. Janice is certified in Entrepreneurship from MIT, built a mentorship program scratch as a Manager at PwC, and is PMP certified with over 10 years of corporate leadership experience for Fortune 500 companies.
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Senior Analyst, Strategy & Transformation + Founder
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
sustainable economic development
human capital development
John William served as a Youth Development Volunteer in the United States Peace Corps Volunteer from 2010-2012. With a background in tech startups and development economics, he currently works at Vrbo as a Senior Strategy Analyst. While in graduate school at UT he founded the social impact startup Jump Finance with the vision of helping students in developing countries access financing for their higher education. He also serves as a board member for Chestnut Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation and a Big Brother/Big Sisters of Central Texas Mentor.
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Agency Scaled Account Strategist
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
economic equality
family systems
June Michael Castro is an alumnus of the University of Southern California majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Nonprofits, Philanthropy and Volunteerism. June currently works for Google as a program manager evangelizing cloud technology to Fortune 100 companies. In this role he is a jack of all trades for everything from legal, marketing, sales, training and operations. His 20% project at work is being the Grantee Success Manager for two nonprofits helping them scale their mission using ML technologies. In his free time, June creates oil landscape paintings, graphic designs and ink illustrations.
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Marketing Lead
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
equitable access to education and learning
Kayla is midwest born and raised, with a Bachelors in English from Bradley University. Her passion for high-growth startups lead her to New York, and eventually, Austin, where she now works as a Marketing Strategist at Saatva, an online retailer focused on creating affordable, eco-friendly mattresses and bedding. In her role, she’s been able to combine her love of content strategy with the ever-changing world of direct-to-consumer marketing. She also leads Saatva’s Corporate Social Responsibility team, helping scale the company’s social impact programs in both recycling and nonprofit partnership. In her spare time, you can find her running with her dog in South Austin or (attempting) to bake a sweet treat.
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Conversion Rate Optimization Marketing Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
zero waste efforts
Kendra Bones is a persistent leader in Austin’s business and nonprofit sectors. As a Digital Experience Strategist at Accenture Interactive, Kendra uses evidence-based design and experimentation to help Fortune 500 brands create exceptional digital experiences for their customers.
A 6th generation Texan, Kendra developed her servant leadership style through her family’s active involvement in COA, an outdoor adventure camp established for youth in foster care. Kendra later served seven years as the District 4 Commissioner on the City of Austin’s Zero Waste Advisory Commission and led efforts to bring curbside composting to Austin.
Kendra earned a Bachelor of Science from The University of Texas at Austin and brings professional experience in business development, project management, and data analytics. She continues to seek out new opportunities to drive impact at scale.
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My name is Madison Butler, and I am the Senior Talent Engagement Partner at Everlywell. I grew up in Rhode Island and moved to Austin in 2016. My work is focused around talent, retention and onboarding. I am an outspoken advocate for diversity, belonging and the ability to be human at work. I am a self proclaimed start-up enthusiast and am passionate about building inclusive teams from the ground up with early stage companies. I am committed to helping change the narrative around what it looks like to be “human at work”, and hoping to help alleviate the need for code switching in the workplace. In my free time, I enjoy reading, traveling and hanging out with my rescue pups.
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Partner & CEO
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Accessibility
Mental Health
Data Literacy/Privacy
Max Miner is a strategic and creative business leader with a passion for social enterprise and award-winning background in UX design.
Max leads design for education startup, SkillsEngine, and serves as CEO of BEACON, a social innovation and technology organization. Previously, he led teams and new ventures for top design agencies and worked with companies from startups to Fortune 500 brands, including Google, Disney, Nike, Bud Light, Lexus, and more.
Max holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Master’s certification in Strategic Communication Design (UX emphasis).
When he isn’t working, you can find him doing art projects, traveling, or snowboarding.
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Programs Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
1st generation americans
marginalized communities
Minh is the Director of Strategic Programs at Notley in Austin, Texas where he leads Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming. A native Texan, Minh was born to refugee parents in West Texas and raised in Central Texas. At an early age, he quickly learned how to navigate white and heteronormative spaces while finding refuge in television and art. His passion for storytelling and giving back fueled his education and career path. Minh has also elevated similar work in his former position at Capital Factory.
Prior to joining Austin, he worked on behalf of the State of Texas to market the state as a premier production destination at the Texas Film Commission. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, he was heavily involved in the film and television industry in Los Angeles at NBCUniversal supporting teams in Events, Publicity and Programming.
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Design Researcher
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
advancement of health equity for underserved communities
I’m a design researcher with seven years of combined experience in psychology, behavioral science, and digital health innovation. Currently, I work for IBM Watson Health Life Sciences solutions.
Prior to moving into the digital health field, I studied behavioral science and bio-statistics at the University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC). My doctoral work explored the use of passively collected behavioral markers captured by smartphone sensors to identify depression symptoms.
As a researcher for CommunicateHealth, I provided user experience expertise in the evaluation of health applications targeted for populations with low literacy. I also provided end-to-end research services and consultation for companies such as Facebook, Zillow, and Target.
Most recently, I co-founded Build With Humanity, which enables underserved communities to shape equitable products and experiences. I also create sci-fi media that reimagines systems of healing from an African American perspective. My first short film was screened at the SXSW Film Festival in 2019.
I have a B.A. in Psychology, M.S. in Public Health, and a Certificate in Health Systems & Design from Texas A&M University. I also hold a Ph.D. in Behavioral Science from UTHSC and was a Biodesign Fellow with the TMC Innovation Institute.
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Founder & CEO
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
climate change
economic empowerment in communities of women
people of color
LGBTQIA individuals
I’m on a mission to empower an entire generation of at home food gardeners. Reconnect to your food, your neighbors, and yourself by growing your own organic food at home in containers with an app to help you as you grow – and with Gardenio, you don’t have to grow it alone.
Experience design leader by trade, previously marketing director of an acquired startup, and former 2012 Obama Ohio Organizer. Brown University philosophy grad and it shows. Subfocus in brain/mind studies. I dig making craft cocktails, going to punk shows, and throwing themed potluck parties (please ask). I used to host a backyard experimental storytelling night. I’m an ever-curious home cook, record banjo synth songs, and balance my time being an Austin hipster creative and rigorous, challenge loving businessperson. Let’s be friends.
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Partner Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
empowering youth and women of color through education programs
Sanjana is an interdisciplinary techie and marketer with a passion for building community. In her current role as Partner Manager at Facebook, she helps advertising agencies leverage Facebook’s family of apps as effective growth drivers of their clients’ businesses. She also plays an active role in Young Jains of America, a national non-profit creating opportunities for Jain youth to connect through social events, services, and education.
Outside of work, Sanjana enjoys writing, hiking and dabbling in landscape photography. She received her BBA in Finance and Business Honors and BA in Advertising from The University of Texas at Austin.
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Senior Manager of Strategy & Planning
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
hunger
youth homelessness
Siri is the co-founder of Reset, a network of corporate meeting spaces found in Austin’s local businesses. Her previous experience includes corporate strategy consulting for clients in sectors like construction, mining, and consumer products, and operational private equity turnarounds primarily in manufacturing. Before Reset, she was the Chief Strategy Officer of a B2B SaaS gamification startup.
Originally from Chicago, Siri holds a B.S in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign and an MBA from the University of Texas – Austin. She’s served as a non-voting board member of Girls Empowerment Network and has done pro-bono consulting for small arts organizations in Chicago. In her free time, she loves exploring the live music scene, enjoys cooking Indian food for her friends and family, and is always on the hunt for the best taco here in Austin.
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Brandon Ratliff is an Operations Manager at Bird, leading market operations for the Midwest. Prior to Bird he led strategy and innovation at OneHope, an international NGO focused on children and youth, helping launch social entrepreneurship ventures in East Africa, East Asia, and South Asia. He is passionate about the intersection of entrepreneurship and impact, and fostering collaboration across organizations and sectors. Brandon holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a BA in Psychology from Baylor University.
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Managing Director and Chief Visionary Officer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
ag + regenerative
farming nutrition
planetary wellness
After spending 10 years between developing her holistic nutrition practice and non-profit roles in international aid, Brittany found the perfect balance of passions for social impact and sustainability as Managing Director of Food Truth Solutions, where she engages in sustainable food systems to raise the level of consciousness in the way companies do business and create impact in the farming industry. She has also recently co-founded Shemply, an online marketplace leading the efforts to bring regeneratively grown hemp to market in a way that will have a positive impact on our food systems, our health, and our planet.
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Product Implementation Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
homelessness <> tech
Chukwudi N. Kanu is the Product Implementation Manager of LitLingo, an AI-driven analytics and compliance startup. He serves as the bridge between customers and the engineering and product teams. Chukwudi is a Venture For America Fellow and Board Member at Diversity VC.
Prior to LitLingo, Chukwudi ran the operations for Cleo Capital’s Chrysalis program, a fully-remote six-week fellowship designed to provide a space and resources for 150 talented individuals laid off due to COVID-19 to build startups. Before that he was a Program Manager at StartEd where he scaled their membership program and supported the growth of their accelerators, which resulted in the doubling of the company’s revenue.
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Legal Analyst – HR/Immigration
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
women/nonbinary pro development
entrepreneurial education
I am a creative leader with a passion for community engagement, innovative solutions, and collaborative spaces. I am quick with a joke, love meeting new people, and have been known to dress as a clown for art. I love to travel but always enjoy coming back home to Austin.
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Community Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
storytelling
aging
combating loneliness/mental health
I’m Emily, a native Texan and committed partner to my wire-haired dachshund, Mo. My small town upbringing led me down the path of community work. I craved exposure to different kinds of people and their stories. I studied International Relations & Global Studies at UT Austin and am the Community Manager at Ceresa, where we’re democratizing access to whole-person leadership development. In my spare time, I teach yoga, run a small vintage shop (with a good friend of mine), exercise, and play music.
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Senior Program Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
access to underserved
transportation
intersectional issues
I’ve spent the last 10 years in the automotive space with Enterprise, Chariot, Uber & Lyft as part of fast moving and nimble operations strategy teams. Primarily my focus has been strategy development, performance analytics, and execution of key strategic initiatives – as well as creating environments in which our team members and customers can succeed. I recently joined RigUp, where I lead Fleet, PPE & Equipment strategy.
Originally I am from Scotland, but I have lived in the U.S. for 20+ years and received my degree from Texas A&M University. When I am not working you can find me running or playing golf and after that enjoying time with my family in places where there is good food, interesting people, and tasty drinks!
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Global Account-Based Marketing Program Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
inequality
immigration
mental health
My name is Haofei (pronounced like “coffee” with an H), and I’m a recent Austinite from New York City. Currently, I am working at IBM, where I manage worldwide Account-Based Marketing (ABM) programming for top customers in the Data & AI business. Outside of work, my interests include traveling, cooking, and watching “Survivor” (I’m a little too obsessed with that show!)
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Venture Growth & Partnerships Lead
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
access to education
digital equity
criminal justice reform + access
transportation + labor issues
Heather has spent her career working across sectors and organizations to build and support strong and resilient communities. She currently pursues this mission as the Venture Growth and Partnerships Lead at Republic, where she works to form meaningful partnerships to create a supportive community around diverse investors and founders. She brings a dynamic background in education, nonprofit, philanthropy, travel writing, and project management to the VC and technology community. Most recently, Heather worked as a project manager for the Cannabis Marketing Association, a staff writer at the American Genius, and a beertender at the Brewtorium. She holds a BA in Neurobiology from Harvard University and is a City Year AmeriCorps alum.
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Strategic Account Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
small businesses
music industry
Heather’s career is focused at the intersection of technology, policy, and strategic partnerships, most recently at Austin-based legal tech firm DISCO and Rover.com. Outside of work, she is a passionate entrepreneurial advocate and supports policy efforts to advance equitable, sustainable, forward-thinking economies. She serves on the Austin Tech Alliance, Marketplace Risk, and Western Governors University advisory boards.
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Community Sales Manager/ Brand Ambassador
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
family development
economics
Icye Walker is the Executive Director of The GrowThru Mentoring Organization and is an Entrepreneur Enthusiast in Austin, Tx. She is an involved community member that has dedicated the majority of her life to youth and young adult mentoring and vision development. She enjoys creating content and conversations via The GrowThru Podcast and participating in Community Radio at KAZI. Lastly, she is the Community Sales Manager at Jeany’s Ginger Elixir, (Black Female Owned) organic cold pressed beverage company dedicated to health and social justice.
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Head of Talent Insights & People Analytics
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
board member for charter school supporting drop outs
meals for foster kids
voter registration
Isabel is a native Austinite who attended undergrad at the University of Arizona and earned her MBA at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. Isabel started her career with a Presidential Appointment at the United States Department of Education before moving back to Austin to work on education policy and management in the non-profit space. After graduating with her MBA, Isabel leveraged her summer MBA internship at Starbucks to move into human capital work, landing a role as the head of Talent Insights & Analytics at Whole Foods Market. Isabel has recently moved over to Visier, a people analytics company out of Vancouver, where she is a Director of Product, responsible for broadening the impact of human capital insights in small and medium sized businesses through a partnerships strategy. Isabel is passionate about community, dogs, and food and looks forward to living and working with purpose through the Notley Fellowship.
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Development Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
access to mentorship/jobs
socioeconomic inequality
After graduating from Texas A&M, I spent six years as an Officer in the Marine Corps before starting my career in commercial real estate. I’ve spent time as a broker, general contractor, owners representative, and developer. The youngest of five kids, my mother brought us up to respect people for who they are and the actions they take, and to strive to leave things better than youfpund them. Now that I have two boys of my own, my wife and I are trying to raise them the same way.
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Senior Product Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
climate change
educate women
sustainability
Komal Agarwal is currently a Senior Product Manager at AppSumo, a software marketplace for entrepreneurs. Previously, she was the Product Lead for ShipEngine, a B2B shipping and fulfillment API software company and subsidiary of Stamps.com (STMP). In her spare time, she enjoys mentoring startup founders with their most pressing problems. Komal graduated from Rice University in Houston, Texas with a double major in Managerial Studies and Psychology.
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Kurt Lockhart is the Data Insights Manager at Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and improving Texas public schools. His professional background includes experience in public policy, consulting, and operations management. Kurt is passionate about voting rights, and serves as a Travis County Volunteer Deputy Registrar and poll worker.
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Senior Operations Associate, Blended Care Therapy
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
healthcare (inequalities / access)
Lauren is a development specialist currently focused on all things people, and has a strong background in consulting, strategy, transformation, and change management. She is passionate about building relationships and having a meaningful impact through her work. In her free time (in non-COVID times), Lauren loves to explore the world, whether it be trying a cool new spot in Austin, or visiting a new country. In more recent social distancing/quarantine times, she has found joy in good books, yoga, virtual game nights, and baking bread.
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Sr. Visual Communications Specialist
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Flow Code
org diversity + leadership
smaller NPOs
Lucy is a native Austinite and graduate from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in French. Naturally, that led her to a career communications.
She uses her powers for good, working in the nonprofit sector to create user-centered content and stories.
Previously, Lucy worked at HomeAway in Internal Communications and Human Resources, with a brief stint in Geneva, Switzerland.
When not working you can usually find her at local breweries or taking way too many photos of her FeLV+ cat, Cashew.
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Chief Strategy Officer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
civic
public space
environment
climate change
Luke Warford is the Director of Voter Expansion at the Texas Democratic Party, where he leads the party’s voter registration and vote-by-mail efforts. Previously, Luke has worked in big tech, consulting, and the nonprofit sector, as well as on the 2012 and 2016 Presidential campaigns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Luke has passed the time by going on walks around Town Lake, playing the board game Ticket to Ride with his girlfriend, and doomscrolling on Twitter. Luke is so excited to join the Notley Fellowship family!
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Program Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
health equity
homelessness
preventative care
I am a passionate Product Manager at Bright Health! I have only been in Austin for about 2 years, but love the people, the food, and the abundance of outdoor areas. In my free time, I love to cook & bake, hike with my dog Bailey, kayak, and have recently been teaching myself to paint. As long as I can remember, all I have ever wanted to do was to help people in any way that I can, so finding Notley’s Fellowship Program was a dream- it will allow me to learn about Austin’s ecosystem and apply my skills towards social impact.
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Founder
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
mental health
brain trauma
gender equality
A seventh generation Texan and Austin native, Michal Ann is a writer and archaeologist-turned-entrepreneur.
Her work in archaeological research and heritage protection has included projects in Greece, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Ireland, the Caribbean, and around the United States.
Since surviving a severe Traumatic Brain Injury in 2016, Michal Ann has become an advocate for healthcare reform and for work spaces that are inclusive of people with different abilities, a conviction she brings to her work as the Founder of an emerging skincare brand.
Gender equality is the foundation of much of Michal Ann’s work; she serves as a Founding Member and the Communications Chair of Pathfinder International’s NextGen advisory board, the Acacia Circle, where she advocates for sexual and reproductive health services for women around the world.
She is also a Founding Member of the Nexus Impact Society, and has an interest in regenerative culture and systems, conscious capitalism, neuroscience and mental health, and brands with a social impact focus.
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Offering (Product) Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
youth empowerment
career services
mentorship
Sabine is a proud Haitian-American who hails from Miami, FL. She holds a BA from the University of Florida and a dual MA from Indiana University – Bloomington. Her passion for social justice has influenced her work in strategy, philanthropy, community building, and technology. As a Product Manager she focuses on solving real-world problems through the lens of equity, usability, and value to those who need it most.
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Account Supervisor
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
access to education + financial aid
diversity + inclusion programs
I’m a proud immigrant with a passion to tell and share authentic stories. And in the words of Maya Angelou: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
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Head of Business Development
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
CPG space
homelessness
Stephanie is a strategic brand marketer focused predominantly on food & beverage CPGs large and small. She has over a decade of experience in diverse roles which she brought to her current position, supporting the launch of Kibo Foods – now past its 1 year mark! Upon certifying her last company in Boulder, CO as a B-Corp, she became more concerned with social and environmental impact and hopes to continue that work within the Austin community. Originally from Philadelphia, you’ll find Stephanie soaking in the year-round warm Austin weather and attending as many outdoor events as possible. She is constantly on the hunt for her next favorite place to eat, watching food documentaries, or testing out a new recipe at home.
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Financial Planner
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
people focused cause areas
mentorship
sanctuary project
Native Texan that’s become an outdoor enthusiast here in Austin. Found that life is about people and impact and thus chose a career serving others as a financial planner. Love spending time with family and friends on the golf course or over a “friendly” game of Monopoly Deal.
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Content Marketing Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
access to education
diversity + inclusion
Hi, my name is Tatyana! I hail from the Sunshine State where I obtained a BFA in Digital Media, fostered an obsession for French Toast and a love for storytelling. After completing a digital marketing Apprenticeship, I made storytelling a career: As a Content Marketing Manager in the EdTech industry, I connect with students to make school sound cool so everyone has equal opportunities to receive a top quality education that enhances their careers and lives. And as the Diversity, Equity and Belonging Chair for the Young Women’s Alliance, I hope to continue to bridge gaps and connect people to conversations they never knew existed.
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Research and Insights Lead
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
cultural + performing arts
Notley Presents
Teresa has spent the last three years in high tech marketing at Dell Technologies and now VMware, telling stories and crafting content about how technology powers people and the planet. Before pursuing her MBA at the University of Texas at Austin, she created, produced, and marketed live performance in New York. But her move to enterprise technology did not put an end to her involvement in the arts and culture space. She currently serves as the Board Chair for Austin’s home grown, internationally renowned theater ensemble, the Rude Mechs, and remains committed to building community systems that enable everyone to participate in the arts, both as makers and audiences. When not thinking about arts accessibility or content marketing, she teaches yoga, drinks tea, arranges flowers, and spends time with her husband and their husky/akita Luna.
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VP, Branch President
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civic Engagement
Education & Literacy
Racial Equity
Wealth Inequity
Adriana Alvara-Shipp is a Branch Manager at Regions Bank, where she oversees branch operations, directly manages associate performance, and provides guidance as needed to ensure associates are helping customers reach their financial goals by understanding and meeting customer needs. Adriana is a Seasoned professional with experience in marketing, business to business networking, account management and consumer direct environments. Adriana prides herself on building genuine relationships and is passionate about giving back to the community. Some of her volunteer-ship’s with non-profits include organizations such as El Paso in Austin, Young Women’s Alliance, Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County.
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Data Engineer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civic Engagement
Human Rights
Wealth Inequity
Alex Salerno is an unrepentant math nerd who believes in the power of using data and tech for the betterment of society. Alex currently works as a Data Engineer at Civitech, an Austin-based public benefit corporation dedicated to lowering the barriers to civic participation and helping get more progressives elected to public office. Originally from the NYC area, Alex moved down to Austin in the fall of 2018 to try to make Texas more blue, and then ended up making a career of it. When she’s not building tech tools, Alex enjoys canvassing for local political campaigns, spending time with her partner and ever-expanding menagerie of rescue pets, and watching/doing more math nerd stuff with baseball.
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Director
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Education & Literacy
Food Insecurity
Ali is a storyteller. He gets excited about tinkering with language and the order of words until a sentence sings. At JDI, he loves working with entrepreneurs building companies with compelling science and ensuring they have a prominent voice in their industry.
Prior to JDI, Ali was the Executive Director of the nonprofit, Austin Bat Cave. He has also published fiction, poetry, and essays, and in his free time, enjoys baking bread.
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Strategic Relationships Executive
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Conservation & Sustainability
Environment
Health Care & Wellness
Mental Health
Youth & Children
If empathy and connection were superpowers, they would be Alli’s. Alli King is a people connector and a thought leader that gathers great minds together to build dynamic and provoking spaces.
With over 13 years of experience in the commercial furniture industry, Alli brings a strategic lens to each commercial project she is on to help her clients develop an environment that encompasses their company culture and drives results. Alli has a passion for sustainability and human based design, and believes that a thoughtfully designed space can positively impact the brand, planet and the people operating inside while being hyper focused on the business’ mission.
When Alli is not actively cultivating relationships in the commercial interior design industry, you will find her helping those seeking homeownership in Austin as a licensed real estate agent. Paired with a helper’s heart and the drive to get things done, Alli is ready to be a catalyst for change in her community with the Notley Fellowship.
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Program Director
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civil Rights
Conservation & Sustainability
Racial Equity
Wealth Inequity
Always passionate about nurturing talent and supporting growth in others, Alyssa Padron found her calling in supporting founders, starting her career at a consumer packaged goods accelerator. She now serves as the Austin Program Director for DivInc, a nonprofit dedicated to removing barriers for BIPOC and female early-stage tech founders. Alyssa volunteers as events coordinator for LatinTX and serves on the Startup Chica Conference committee for Latinitas. She is passionate about financial feminism, sustainable fashion, and enjoys yoga and karaoke in her spare time.
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Service and Interaction Designer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Food Insecurity
Health Care & Wellness
Youth & Children
Ariel Lee is a designer, entrepreneur, and student of the world that focuses on building innovative solutions that solve real people’s challenges. Ariel has a love for systems thinking and social impact entrepreneurship. She has been featured on the Forbes Next 1000 list for her entrepreneurial ventures and believes that with enough patience and focus anything can be achieved.
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Technical Program Manager – Universities
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education & Literacy
Arts & Culture
Human Rights
Asif Ali is a Technical Program Manager at Oracle for Startups where he is focusing on helping university students unlock the power of the cloud by helping them build solutions to unique problems on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
At Oracle, Asif has collaborated with the Oracle Diversity and Inclusion division to help implement D&I initiatives at work. He also helped kickstart Oracle for Startups program in Austin, Texas by organizing events, analyzing startups, and conducting deal sourcing. Asif is also a Board Member for Latinitas and Co-Chair of the Oracle Latinos Alliance.
During his free time, Asif is passionate about volunteering, diversity, Rumi’s poetry, food, fashion, design, and technology.
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Project Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education & Literacy
Racial Equity
Wealth Inequity
Brianna R. Smith is an ambitious young professional from Oakland, California. Born and raised in Oakland, Brianna transitioned to Austin Texas where she works as a Cybersecurity Project Manager in Identity and Access Management. Brianna serves as the Vice President of the Austin Area Urban League Young Professionals, a service auxiliary group and affiliate of the Historic National Urban League. As Vice President, Brianna is responsible for the development of strategic programming to mobilize young professionals 21-40 through community engagement, professional development, and fundraising opportunities. Brianna is a compassionate community leader with a heart for service and a passion for empowering communities of color. She hopes to continue to make an impact in the lives of underserved communities and their emerging leaders.
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Senior Project Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education & Literacy
Environment
Conservation & Sustainability
Youth & Children
Hi! I’m Charlie. I work as a Senior Project Manager at a tech education company focused on helping people change their careers. I also volunteer as a mentor with Seedling and Explore Austin and absolutely love it. I care deeply about making a positive impact with my work and take a community approach to giving back!
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Software Engineer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education & Literacy
Food Insecurity
Health Care & Wellness
Human & Civil Rights
Christina Hughes is a Software Engineer at SpaceX, with about five years of prior software experience at robotics companies ranging from scrappy Austin and Bay Area-founded startups to an international robotics leader. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Alabama, which she acquired after growing up in Austin.
These days she splits her time between Austin and Starbase, the SpaceX production and launch facility in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley where the first spaceships that will transport humanity to Mars are being prototyped.
On the weekends, you can find Christina out exploring nature with her dog Starbae, workshopping new ideas for entrepreneurial and impact initiatives, cultivating her home and garden, volunteering, sharing food-centric experiences with friends, spending time with family, and planning her next travel adventure.
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Vice President of Operations
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Education & Literacy
Environment
Harrison is a technology professional focused on bringing out the best in early growth-stage companies. With a background in business operations, he has devoted his career to identifying, prioritizing, and solving organizational challenges that sales, marketing, customer, product, and financial teams often face. Harrison believes that personal fulfillment is most easily achieved by helping others. Experience at software companies like Bazaarvoice, Mass Relevance, YouEarnedIt introduced him to an inspiring network of people that together generated successful fundraising and exit events. Today, Harrison is the VP of Operations at Stoplight, a software developer tool changing the way APIs are designed.
Austin has been home for Harrison since first moving here in 2005 to attend the University of Texas. He finds balance in spending quality time with his partner and their dogs, exploring the city on bicycle, attending concerts, and alphabetizing his vinyl record collection.
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Senior Manager, Product Commercialization
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Human Rights
Civil Rights
Gender Equality
Jenna is a graduate of Boston University and spent 9 years working for various CPG companies in project management and supply chain in New York City before searching for warmer weather in Texas in 2018. She currently leads product commercialization efforts at Amplify Snack Brands, the Hershey Company’s better-for-you snacking division, where she is responsible for sourcing manufacturing solutions to support innovation and capacity. When she’s not battling supply chain challenges, Jenna is a member of the Amplify Corporate Social Responsibility committee advocating for funds and employee engagement to support the local Austin community and is passionate about volunteering with the SAFE Alliance where she serves as the Vice-Chair of the SAFE Young Professionals. Jenna loves adventure and experiencing new cultures with a goal to visit at least 1 new country every year.
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Manager, Strategic Business Development – Global Omnichannel Partnerships
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civil Rights
Wealth Inequity
Education & Literacy
Jessie is currently a Strategic Business Development Manager within the Omnichannel Practice at BigCommerce where she is tasked with sourcing, negotiating, and signing partnership deals with top marketplaces, social commerce platforms, ad networks, and more. Prior to BigCommerce, Jessie worked for Google both abroad in Dublin, Ireland, and domestically in New York City and Ann Arbor, Michigan. While abroad, and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jessie lead the international expansion of the Sales Inclusion Taskforce, an organization dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion education, to the EMEA region at Google and also served as the UKI DEI Lead for the Dublin office.
In her extra time, Jessie serves on multiple advisory boards, works as an independent consultant, supports her fiancé Jack at local rugby matches, and takes her one-year-old golden retriever Sugar to all the dog parks across Austin. Jessie is thrilled to join the 2022 class of Notley Fellows and is greatly looking forward to putting roots down in Austin and serving the community in any capacity she can.
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Product Marketing and Strategy Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civic Engagement
Health Care & Wellness
Youth & Children
Michaela leads Product Marketing and Strategy at VMware, where she uses her entrepreneurial spirit and focus on people, product, and process to launch the VMware Marketplace. Prior to VMware, Michaela helped build a B2B marketplace based in Austin, where she served as head of operations and customer success. Michaela is passionate about young adult mentoring and has been a dedicated mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters for the past ten years. When not exploring hiking trails around central Texas with her mentee, Michaela can be found running, baking, or painting.
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I’m Mike McCabe and I am the founder of SEAR Men’s Counseling. I discovered my calling as a therapist after a decade of working in public education, real estate development, and live music. I am now getting a Master of Science in Social Work degree at the University of Texas at Austin, where I also work with young men dealing with substance use disorders. When I’m not working or in class, I love hiking the Greenbelt with my wife and our two dogs, scribbling in the margins of books, and watching the English Premier League.
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Product Owner and Requirements Analyst
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Human Rights
Racial Equity
Environment
Conservation & Sustainability
Wealthy Inequity
Nina Urigwe is a tech professional with a passion for social good. Her interests include building innovative products and ventures that can improve the world around us. Her specialties are understanding client needs, translating them into a product vision, and aligning people around that vision. She looks forward to using that expertise to tackle complex societal problems in creative new ways.
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Business Process Analyst
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Human Rights
Racial Equity
Wealth Inequity
Sandy Gordon is a seasoned and forward-thinking marketing & sales operations professional. Throughout her career, she has driven strategic initiatives and enhanced operational effectiveness for some of the leading global companies, including large corporations, SMBs, and start-ups. She excels at delivering process efficiency + automation strategies and developing cross-functional partnerships to foster a collaborative and high-performance environment. Recognized as a top performer, she is deeply passionate about closing the opportunity equity gap in the workplace and championing opportunities for Black professionals to be recruited, promoted, and positioned for success.
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Analytics Consultant
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Environment
Conservation & Sustainability
Food Insecurity
Health Care & Wellness
I am currently an Analytics Consultant at Bright Health. I have lived in Austin for over 2 years and have fallen in love with everything this city has to offer – nature, food, and the people! For the last few years of my professional life, I have been focused on using my skillset to help solve some of the most complex problems from global hunger to equitable access to healthcare. I am extremely passionate about making an impact in my community which is what excites me the most about Notley! In my spare time, you can find me trying new vegetarian/vegan recipes in my air fryer or exploring the world (I love to travel!!).
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Investment Associate
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Health Care & Wellness
Racial Equity
Born in Austin, and raised in the small Central Texas town of Smithville, Shanté is passionate about housing affordability, mental health, and empowering historically-excluded and under-resourced communities.
She is an Associate at Debut Capital, a venture capital firm investing in Black, Latinx and Indigenous founders where she manages current portfolio companies and evaluates new investments. She is a Board Advisor at the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, and the GenZ-focused non-profit Elevate Your Essence.
Shanté graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 2019 where she received a BBA in Management with a Consulting & Change Management specialization from the McCombs School of Business, and a minor in African & African Diaspora studies from the College of Liberal Arts.
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Data Engineer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education & Literacy
Environment
Conservation & Sustainability
Wealth Inequity
I am a software engineer with a focus on data engineering and machine learning. I have been in Austin for about 3 years and have seen it grow into an incredible hub for some of the most incredible people around the world. In my free time I dabble in robotics, teaching computer science, astronomy, traveling, non profit work and my most favorite activity of them all……eating tacos! Being able to consistently and confidently give back to the community and be a leader in that area, has been a big passion of mine ever since I was a kid. I am so excited to be part of the Notley 2022 Fellows Program to kick that into high gear and transform Austin.
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Management Consultant
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Civic Engagement
Education & Literacy
Sofia is a creative thinker interested in using human-centered design to explore and create innovative business strategies that improve the quality of life for people and the planet.
She is an avid lover of the arts and has continued to teach dance in the Austin area while also working as a management consultant.
In her free time, Sofia enjoys live music, being outside, and spending time with her dog, Mochi.
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Head of Marketing and Brand Strategy
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Health Care & Wellness
Research & Public Policy
Steven Cutbirth is Head of Marketing & Brand Strategy at Point Health, a digital health company focused on making healthcare easy to find, easy to understand, and easier to afford.
Prior to his role at Point Health, Steven served as Director, Digital Analytics and Engagement at W2O Group (now Real Chemistry), directly partnering with clients like Aetna, CVS Health, & Houston Methodist Hospital, to guide the integration of social, search and media analytics; identify actionable insights from complex data sets and create insights-based marketing & communications strategies.
Steven holds a BBA in Marketing & Management from Baylor University, an MBA in Economic Development from Eastern University and recently completed a Masters of Science in Healthcare Transformation from the Value Institute for Health and Care, a joint venture between Dell Medical School and the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.
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PhD Candidate & Product Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education & Literacy
Environment
Conservation & Sustainability
Youth & Children
Venkata Rayudu is a final year Ph.D. student in the Cockrell of School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He is currently working as a Product Management professional at Silicon Labs. His professional background includes experience in engineering/technology, startup consulting, and project management. Venkata is passionate about education & literacy, environment & sustainability, and looking forward to making an impact in those areas through the Notley Fellowship.
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Senior Associate
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education/Families/Childcare
Economic Inclusion/Financial Literacy/Wage Gap
Food Insecurity/Sustainable Agriculture
Ammar is a Senior Associate at Prophet, a global transformation consultancy that unlocks uncommon growth for businesses. His work involves developing customer-centric brand and marketing strategies through data and storytelling to help his clients remain competitive in a digital age.
He is also a passionate advocate for closing the education gap, having served on and alongside multiple boards and nonprofits supporting literacy, mentorship, and accessibility—both domestically and abroad.
In his spare time, Ammar enjoys experimenting in his kitchen, traveling off the beaten path, and nurturing his relationship with cardio. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Marketing and Writing.
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Founder and Executive Director
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Disability Support / Services / Awareness (Physical or Cognitive)
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Dr. Claryssa “Clary” Montgomery is a speech-language pathologist, who is currently starting a non-profit corporation that aims to continue rehabilitation services for uninsured patients discharging from the hospital, as well as to broaden clinical and research opportunities for both students and practicing clinicians in Central Texas. Her experiences as a first-generation American and medically-based SLP navigating the healthcare systems in Texas and New York for 12+ years have influenced her empathic approach to patient care and clinical mentorship, and she is unwavering in her passion to expand access to healthcare services and education.
In her personal life, Clary is happiest spending time with her husband Scott, daughter Paloma, and circle of extended family and friends exploring new foods and activities, dancing, singing, and always trying to learn something new.
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Senior Director, Strategy
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts and Culture
Food Insecurity / Sustainable Agriculture
Environmental Sustainability / Climate
After earning a doctoral degree in music and spending several years teaching in academia, Colin took an unexpected turn to product marketing, where he has spent the last 13+ years focused on marketing management, strategy, and leadership.
He is currently the Senior Director of Strategy at Bazaarvoice where he helps build longterm business strategy and product roadmaps.
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Social Impact Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Environmental Sustainability / Climate
Food Insecurity / Sustainable Agriculture
As a Columbus, OH native currently residing in Austin, Texas, Esther brings a unique perspective to the field of social impact, blending her interests in technology and wellness to drive meaningful change. In her role on the Social Impact team at DoorDash, she leads initiatives aimed at addressing systemic inequalities and providing access to capital and technical assistance for marginalized small business owners. Additionally, as the Founder and CEO of Ranowo.org, a revolutionary donation platform connecting donors with nonprofits serving Black and Latinx communities, Esther exemplifies her unwavering commitment to fostering social and economic justice.
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Learning & Development Program Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Racial Equity / Justice
Reproductive Rights
Arts and Culture
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Jimena has made Austin, Texas her home for the past ten years. She is passionate about empowering immigrants and under-represented groups, serving her community, and exploring the nation’s National Parks.
As a Learning and Development Program Manager, Jimena helps organizations prioritize employee learning to support their growth and success. Her superpower is tackling issues related to employee belonging in the corporate sector and through it, has launched and led employee interest groups for women and DEIB programs.
Jimena wants to leverage her knowledge of learning and development and employee belonging to contribute to the wider social impact sector and help entrepreneurs build businesses that put people first.
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Climate Impact Portfolio Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Environmental Sustainability / Climate
Housing Affordability / Gentrification / Homelessness
Transportation Development (TOD) / Community / City Planning
Jocelyn manages the Climate Impact Investing Portfolio for Cisco Foundation as part of the organization’s $100M Climate Commitment. Professionally, she is excited by utilizing innovation and investment to protect the environment and promote inclusive economic growth. Prior to her work at Cisco, Jocelyn lived in Southeast Asia where she worked on innovative projects related to the circular economy/plastic pollution, women’s economic empowerment, and innovative finance. In addition to advocating for global climate action, Jocelyn is passionate about serving foster youth, underserved youth, and homeless communities in her hometown of Austin.
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Chief Operating Officer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts and Culture
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Education / Families / Childcare
My experience includes roles in executive leadership and international economic development. My specialties include growth and monetization strategies, high stakes communication, community transformation.
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Business Operations Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education / Families / Childcare
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Born and raised in the Rio Grand Valley, Katt learned early on about seeking opportunity to build a happy life for her and her family. Her passion is helping individuals achieve their goals. Katt’s journey has not been linear and a story she loves sharing with younger individuals trying to find their calling. She started in retail at Apple and ventured into the startup world as VP of a COVID company supporting schools in San Antonio. After learning how to start a business and building a community she took a leap on moving to Austin & returned back to Apple as a Business Operations Manger. She is an advocate learner and enjoys gaining perspective in discussion. Katt is a collaborator and connector.
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Founder
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Housing Affordability / Gentrification / Homelessness
Education / Families / Childcare
Kelsey Buchanan is a Project and Program Manager with expertise in end to end project planning and implementation, process analysis and design, and organizational change management. Her expertise is helping companies navigate through ambiguity with analytical and thoughtful solutions that drive efficiency, promote resiliency and clarity, and improve team member effectiveness across different size companies, industries, and business departments. She desires to offer the best experience through thorough planning, good communication, and simplified processes.
Kelsey’s long term career goal is to be a free lance consultant for social businesses and non-profits that need help improving or implementing processes and navigating business changes. She is passionate about using her talents to help accelerate businesses with socially conscious and purpose driven missions and using work as a way to drive impact and support others.
Outside of work you will find Kelsey spending time with her husband and 7 month old son, practicing and teaching yoga, and appreciating the outdoors and good food with friends.
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Co-Founder & Executive Director
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
A mystic at heart. A psychotherapist by trade. A an entrepreneur by calling. And a psychonaut in spirit.
Kevin is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Thank You Life, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that exists to expand access to psychedelic therapy by eliminating financial barriers to treatment. By providing grants for people who would otherwise not have access to treatment, Thank You Life is on a mission to revolutionize mental healthcare and participate in helping the world to heal.
Kevin spent his 20s searching for truth, purpose, and methods to alleviate suffering. After many years of deep inquiry and spiritual practice, he returned to the world and entered into graduate school at Naropa University in Boulder, CO to study Mindfulness-based Transpersonal Counseling. Kevin has been working in private practice as a psychotherapist since 2018, specializing in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
Kevin enjoys the outdoors, meditation retreats, playing sports and games, and finding humor everywhere.
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Public Health Consultant
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
Food Insecurity / Sustainable Agriculture
Education / Families / Childcare
Lauren is driven by the mission to help build a healthier, more equitable world through her work and life. She’s is a fast-talking, born-and-raised New Yorker that was honored to be adopted by Austin in 2018. With an academic background in Public Health, she is currently a Public Health Consultant at Deloitte working with state government clients to improve public health infrastructure and insurance systems. She came to consulting with years in non-profit programming, government, and education. Lauren completed a Bachelors in Speech-Language Pathology at The College of Saint Rose and a Masters in Public Health at Columbia University. In her spare time you can find her volunteering, on a long walk or hike around town with a favorite podcast or audiobook in her ear, or searching out a local maker’s market with friends.
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Senior Consultant
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Reproductive Rights
Lucero is currently a Sr. Consultant in the Organizational Effectiveness practice at Slalom. She has a B.A. in Organizational Psychology and a master’s in public policy from Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey. She also has an M.B.A. from the University of Texas in Austin. Lucero has lived and worked in Mexico, Canada, France, Ireland, and the U.S. Prior to joining Slalom, she worked at Workday, Deloitte, Teach for America, and the OECD. Lucero is a yoga, travel, coffee, and vegetarian food enthusiast. She currently lives in Austin with her husband and her pup, Frida Bubbles.
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Strategy and Operations Project Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
Housing Affordability / Gentrification / Homelessness
Madison Wisdom is a Strategy & Operations Project Manager for the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). She performs strategic planning, process improvement, and project management work for the agency. She graduated with her Master’s in Public Health from UTHealth Science Center School of Public Health. Madison received her B.S. in kinesiology and minor in philosophy from Texas A&M University. She is passionate about the intersection between public and private sectors to help vulnerable populations. Madison is also a nonprofit board member for Public Health Connected, alumni advisory council member for UTHealth School of Public Health, and volunteer consultant for IssueVoter and RCVforTexas. Madison lives in Austin, TX with her partner, Stanley, and beloved (and very spoiled) doggo, Harper. They are on a never-ending search for the best Austin taco. Recommendations are welcomed.
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Consultant
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Housing Affordability / Gentrification / Homelessness
Mrinalini (Nali) Shah is a management consultant where she supports government clients in building digital infrastructure and data analytics capabilities. Throughout her career, she has been in social impact roles ranging from field work for the United Nations to innovation planning for the University of Texas System. She transitioned into consulting to learn how to scale these impacts, and is passionate about building innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors.
Outside of work, she serves on the Board of Directors for Financial Health Pathways (an Austin nonprofit and Moontower award nominee), the Archer Fellow Alumni Association Leadership Board, and is an Impact Austin member. Born in Austin, she enjoys hot Texas summers, live music, and teaching yoga. Ask her about her favorite vegan restaurants!
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Advanced Project Engineer
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Environmental Sustainability / Climate
Housing Affordability / Gentrification / Homelessness
Transportation Development (TOD) / Community / City Planning
Rolly is an Advanced Project Engineer leading manufacturing and facility capital projects at 3M. He leads 20-30 projects concurrently with 81 projects managed to-date with $18M Total Investment Cost. Partnering with stakeholders to plan requirements, manage project schedules, identify risks, and communicate project status. He has mentored through various deep-tech startup accelerator programs, such as; Tarmac ATX, Blackstone LaunchPad, Seal, and Austin Technology Incubator (ATI). In these programs, he supports founders by sharing project management principles and manufacturing concepts.
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Senior Software Engineer / Broker Associate
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Housing Affordability / Gentrification / Homelessness
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Driven by a passion to learn, Sean Gajjar’s expertise lies in both real estate and software tech. As a co-founder and Broker Associate at Om Homes Realty, he helps clients achieve their long-term financial goals. He also works as a Senior Software Engineer at data.world, where he helps build the world’s best enterprise data catalog.
You can find Sean cooking creatively in his kitchen, skiing down mountains with a burrito in his jacket pocket, and reading books that continue to challenge his perspectives.
Growing up in a business family has taught him that entrepreneurship is one of the best tools for change. He hopes to use his entrepreneurial skills, ambition, and experience to make a positive impact in his community through the Notley Fellowship.
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Product Manager
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education / Families / Childcare
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Stanley is a Product Manager at Dell Technologies where he is focused on helping to create a world class customer experience and the next generation of premium notebooks. Prior to Dell, he was an Engineering Consultant at Emerson Electric helping biotech manufacturers modernize their production facilities.
Stanley is passionate about financial literacy, education, and healthcare affordability for minority communities. He is an admission reviewer for UCLA’s Riordan MBA Fellowship which helps prepare individuals from underrepresented communities to competitively apply to and succeed in a top MBA program and a career in management. During his free time, Stanley can be found searching for the best tacos in town with his partner, Madison, and doggo, Harper.
Stanley holds a BS in Engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from UVA Darden School of Business.
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CEO & Founder
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Food Insecurity / Sustainable Agriculture
Tyler Durman is a marketing leader whose work accelerated the growth of Austin-based B2B SaaS companies backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Shasta Ventures, and Chicago Ventures. From that experience, Tyler founded Ignition Growth Consulting in 2022 to help B2B SaaS companies implement growth marketing practices to scale customer acquisition. Tyler also co-founded Austin Growth Meetup to connect the local community of growth professionals in Austin.
Prior to his latest venture, Tyler was responsible for all of growth marketing at data.world from its Series A through its Series C round, building and leading his team to achieve its goals year after year.
Tyler graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Communication Studies from the Moody College of Communication and loved giving back to fellow Longhorns by serving as the Chair of the Young Alumni Committee at the Austin Chapter of Texas Exes.
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Senior ESG Consultant
Austin, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civic Engagement / Politics
Environmental Sustainability / Climate
Racial Equity / Justice
Whitney has spent her career working on environmental and social impact projects across public, private, & non-profit sectors. She currently works with companies across industries, supporting the development and implementation of ESG metrics into decision-making and performance measurement.
Previously, Whitney worked in Texas state government funding soil health projects and building technical applications to increase public access to environmental data. She holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts from Baylor University.
Outside of the 9-5, Whitney is most often found hunting for junk in Round Top, attempting to garden, or running after her two young boys.
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President + Owner
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Foster programs
Growing small businesses
Owner of San Antonio in a Box we are enthusiastic about our San Antonio small business community; we blend together our culture, history and small businesses to find the perfect gift to give. Passionate about giving back to our nonprofit community and foster youth through being an active board member of THRU Project and Alamo Heights Presbyterian Church Day School. We are blessed with 3 beautiful energetic children who inspire us everyday!
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Project Manager
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Food security & sustainability
racial equality & justice
health & wellness
I am currently the Project Manager at Momofuku CPG located in the heart of the San Antonio Downtown Tech District. I was born & raised in Laredo, Texas, then made my way to Cornell University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Agriculture. I’m dedicated and passionate about the growth happening for young professionals in San Antonio, and I enjoy encouraging those around me to explore all that San Antonio has to offer. In my free time, I can be found coffee shop hopping, attending food pop-up events, and staying active.
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Founder + CEO
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
The digital divide
Climate change
Impact of screen time
Ashley Bird is the founder and CEO of Blooming with Birdie, a children’s edutainment company inspired by Dr. Montessori and Mister Rogers. She is also the manager of the Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival, serves on the San Antonio Climate Ready Technical Committee, and is an active member at Geekdom. In her free time, she enjoys time with friends + family, live music + comedy, and hiking + exploring. And, a good sci-fi.
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Creative Director
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Bridging the opportunity gap
transportation
cyber hygiene
international relations
Made in Russia, born in Switzerland, raised in France, and altered in Texas. As Creative Director, Audrey Brunner brings an international perspective to SATX Consultants.
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EdTech Solutions Specialist
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Opportunities for minority women
Transgender and gender non-conforming awareness
Student and teacher growth opportunities
After receiving the 2020 Texas Region 20 Secondary Teacher of the Year, San Antonio Independent School District 2019 Secondary Teacher of the Year, and 2019-20 Trinity University Distinguished Educator awards, I left the classroom to make a larger impact in education. While in my new roles in Educational Technology and K-12 User Experience Design consulting, the need to support teachers became apparent. I launched my startup in January of 2021 to give teachers that exact support. With a B.G.S in Music/Theatre, M.A in Educational Technology, military and corporate experience along with being a mother, I feel well-equipped for my new entrepreneurial journey to help teachers globally.
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Officer, Senior Marketing Specialist
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Renewable energy
economic development
sustainable city infrastructure
Skilled digital marketing specialist with over 11 years of experience in marketing, data-driven content generation, brand digital development, editorial, and creative content writing. Driven to build partnerships in the San Antonio community through creative solutions and strategy. Striving to facilitate the development of renewable energy resources for all citizens to combat climate change.
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Litigation Counsel
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Climate
Public Health
Education
Economic Development
Diversity & Inclusion
I am a first-generation Mexican-American and was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. In my professional career, I am a commercial litigator focused on high-stakes business and energy disputes throughout Texas. I am a husband, father of two, sports fanatic, outdoors enthusiast, and economic development follower.
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Producer
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Sustainable urban development
Mobility
Education
Mental Health
I’m a Creative Producer with 10 years experience developing & delivering impactful digital content for mission-driven brands. Equal parts orchestrator and creative, I love to lead teams to tell good stories with the right media. My work as a storyteller has taken me around the world, running productions in ten states & half a dozen countries to cover subjects at the highest levels of entertainment, business, and art. After earning my undergrad degree at UT, I founded Compost Pedallers, a zero-emissions startup that helped usher in Austin’s city-wide organics program.
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Co-Founder + CFO
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Physical Health
Entrepreneurship
Digital Divide
Community Engagement
Eduardo was born and raised in Mexico City. He holds a BBA in International Business from UIW in San Antonio TX and serves as co-founder and CFO of Irys, a venture-backed software company that enables Architecture, Engineering, and Construction companies to efficiently gather data from the community to gain actionable insights. Prior to Irys, Eduardo worked as a Management Consultant for EY and a Financial Analyst for IPI. If not in his office, you can typically find Eduardo running or cycling through San Antonio parks and trails with his dog.
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Sr. Research & Content Analyst
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Smart cities
sustainability
civic innovation
entrepreneurship
As an emerging technologies analyst, I help translate the future for businesses, people, and communities. I am passionate about smart cities and sustainability and do all that I can to leverage my experience to further those efforts in San Antonio and abroad. Additionally, I am a mentor, public speaker, business owner, and unapologetic bookworm.
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Sr. Housing Policy Coordinator
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Housing affordability
local government accessibility
health
equitable policy
job access
Kristin is a native Texan with more than a decade in public service who is passionate about creating more equitable cities through public policy rooted in authentic community collaboration and expansive data. She is committed to building cities where zip codes have less power in predicting educational, economic, health, and social outcomes. Outside of work, Kristin loves to spend time outdoors, always has a book in hand, and enjoys spending time giving back to her community.
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Programs Manager
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Access to the arts
wellness
21st century education
opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs
Leslie grew up in San Antonio, holds a BFA in Communication Design from Texas State University, is a Codeup alumni, a Winter 2015 Techstars Cloud alumni, and spent several years working at local arts organizations such as the San Antonio Museum of Art, Artist Foundation, and the City of San Antonio Arts & Culture department. She’s been managing entrepreneurial programs at Geekdom since May 2020, and spends her spare time practicing yoga and pilates, exploring nature, dabbling in arts, and hanging out with her stepsons, husband, dogs, and cat.
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Founder + CEO & Director for Mexican Operations
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Sustainability
farm-to-cup
women empowerment
entrepreneurship in CPG
Maria Mejia is an accidental entrepreneur who founded Colibri Mountain Coffee to connect her origins in Colombia with her life in North America by producing naturally sweet roasted coffee and ready-to-drink cold brew that tastes good, does good and makes you feel good without cream, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. Maria moved to the United States more than 10 years ago with a scholarship to study business and, after holding a number of jobs in the energy industry, she is able to highlight beauty and make a positive economic and social impact in Colombia and in the United States through coffee.
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Law Student
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
gentrification
criminal justice reform
higher education
mentorship
accessibility
judiciary reform
Natalie DeCesare is an aspiring public policy lawyer in her last year of law school at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Prior to law school, she actively participated in political campaign management, grassroots activism, and campus civic engagement. Natalie is a former Newman Fellow, Sumners Fellow, Charles Koch Institute Fellow, an intern for Pacific Legal Foundation, and conference attendee for the Institute for Justice. Natalie is passionate about mentorship, and started the first peer mentorship program among Texas law schools; mentors foster girls through the court system and her alma mater; and is currently creating prelaw pipeline programs for underprivileged populations. Natalie looks forward to taking the Bar in July 2022 and finding a career that combines her love of law and policy.
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In addition to my expertise in the hiring and recruiting field, I am passionate about collaboration across areas of expertise. I bring process and structure to the often chaotic and creative work of building new software solutions from scratch. I am happiest when I am helping people, through 1:1 career coaching or mentoring startup founders through Geekdom.
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Operations Officer
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Increasing access to public resources
public-private partnerships
civic engagement and access to the political process
addressing civic challe
nges using technology
urban development impact
Taylor Watson is the Operations Officer for the Order of Daedalians, the premier fraternal organization for military aviators where in her #2 role she supports infrastructure and capacity building and ensures strategic projects make it across the finish line. Taylor attended the University of Rochester where, she developed an interdisciplinary course of study in U.S. Military Policy and Culture drawing from anthropology, political science, and military science departments and developed a passion for bringing together qualitative and quantitative analytic approaches and developing cross-disciplinary solutions. Building on her extensive work as a neighborhood activist serving on boards of a neighborhood association, neighborhood activist network, and non-profit news site that focus on the impacts of urban development, she also does consulting work for civic and non-profit projects and organizations through her company the Alcachofa Agency. An advocate of robust civic engagement, Taylor is currently serving as the San Antonio District 2 Zoning Commissioner and is contributing to several projects focused on enhancing entry points for public participation and data collection strategies to improve neighborhood engagement efforts and citizen activism. She was an NLC Fellow in 2021, teaches Sunday school at her local church, and is also an active member of Urban Land Institute and the League of Women Voters.
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Research Scientist + Program Manager
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Women leadership in the science
young women with cancer
I am Kurd immigrant who moved to states when I was 9. I have amazing husband and three kids under age 6 and they are my world. I am breast cancer survivor and my third kid being a chemo baby. I have masters in organic chemistry and the last decade I have dedicated my career in drug development from leading cross functional CMC project teams with proven adaptability transferring PM expertise across many other aspects of product development, such as pre-Clinical operations and Regulatory Affairs.Three words that sum up who I am are resilient, empathetic and ambitious.
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Yousef Kassim is CEO of legal tech company, Easy Expunctions. Kassim is passionate about leveraging technology to provide access to justice. Kassim also serves on the board of directors for Workforce Solutions Alamo and Crosspoint, Inc., and as a mentor for the MIT Solve: Unbundling Policing Challenge. Kassim is a graduate of Trinity University and St. Mary’s University School of Law, and member of the State Bar of Texas.
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Multimedia Journalist
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Racial Equity / Justice
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Growing up in the nation’s capitol inspired Bria Woods’ fascination with storytelling, documentation and archiving. As a photojournalist, radio host, and artist Bria focuses on capturing impactful stories and sharing them in an accessible way for the community.
After graduating from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, Bria went to London to earn her Master’s in Multimedia Broadcast Journalism from the University of Westminster. She made the transition from TV broadcast news to online journalism and now works as a Multimedia Journalist at the San Antonio Report. Where she captures images and videos telling the news of our community.
Outside of work Bria also has her own practice where she is currently facilitating The Herstory Project. This is a portrait and audio storytelling project documenting women making a positive impact in the community. You can also hear Bria host the Women in Jazz show on KRTU. 91.7 every Thursday at 8pm where she highlights women jazz musicians and albums.
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Co-Founder
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Education / Families / Childcare
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
As an advocate for sustainable media, Christie has dedicated her career to assisting people-first organizations create media with purpose. Therefore, she finds herself working with non-profits, such as University Health, CommuniCare, and City Year San Antonio who directly impact the San Antonio community. Although her career started with a love for graphic design, she’s found a passion in art direction and post-production. There isn’t a project she’s worked on where she doesn’t integrate a little of herself into, and she believes it’s a testament to herself as an artist operating in a marketing-adjacent industry.
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Diversity and Inclusion Manager
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Education / Families / Childcare
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Originally from Staten Island, New York, Elisa Cuellar is a first generation Liberian American who’s passionate about equity and the practice of inclusion. She is a fast thinker, an innovator, and advocate. Elisa serves as the Diversity and Inclusion Manager at H-E-B where she leads 14 diversity councils in DEI strategy and implementation. Prior to joining H-E-B, she spent 10 years in higher education at UTSA, engaging in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work and experiential learning program development. Elisa serves as a board member of Youth Code Jam, a non-profit that makes computer science fun and accessible to k-12 learners, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated, and serves as board Vice President of BECAA (Bong Education Center Alumni Association), a non-profit organization that supports education initiatives in Liberia, West Africa. She and husband Paul enjoy traveling with their toddler, Evan.
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Co-Founder
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Education / Families / Childcare
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
LBGTQIA+ Rights
Hi! My name is Gabe. I have over 8 years of experience working in the startup & community world. Currently, I am one of the co-founders for StackIQ, a techEd platform that is designed to help individuals get glimpses into careers they may no know exist. I get to work with students, build community, and see individuals and ideas grow. Building out unique processes for a successful product is what excites me, and helping people achieve their goals is the cherry on top!
If you catch me outside of work, I’m an adventurous traveler – 5 countries and counting – and an avid lover of tennis! I also like meeting new people over a cup of coffee in person or virtually! Feel free to reach out.
P.S. Here are 3 Fun facts about me!
I am OBSESSED with Schitt’s Creek. I am a lot like David, with Patrick in the mix, and of course, I am definitely a little bit Alexis. I am a native of San Antonio, Texas. And I have a cockapoo who somehow manages to take all of my money
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Associate Professor
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Racial Equity / Justice
As a public intellectual, Langston Clark, Ph.D. is the founder and host of Entrepreneurial Appetite, a series of events dedicated to building community, promoting intellectualism, and supporting Black businesses. Recordings of these discussions are available on the Entrepreneurial Appetite Podcast. He has also been a guest on several podcasts, including What’s New in Adapted Physical Education, BAME PE, Black + in Grad School, and Playing with Research in Health and Physical Education.
Langston Clark is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio in the College of Education and Human Development and The College of Health Community and Policy. Langston completed his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) at The University of Texas at Austin. Before obtaining his Ph.D., he received his M.A. in Adapted Physical Education from The Ohio State University and a B.S. in Physical Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T). Given his experience as an undergraduate at A&T, a Historically Black College/University (HBCUs), he has developed a passion for the continued development and elevation of minority-serving institutions. Dr. Clark’s research focuses on training Black physical educators and kinesiologists at HBCUs. His other research interest includes the intersections of athletics, race, and education.
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Senior Product Owner
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civic Engagement / Politics
Education / Families / Childcare
Animal Rights
Lauren is a technology translator with 15 years experience in program and product management. In her free time she runs D&D games and fosters animals for the San Antonio Humane Society. From New Orleans, she moved to San Antonio three years ago.
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Founder & Editor-In-Chief
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Arts and Culture
Education / Families / Childcare
Leroy Adams is the Founder of The Buddy Pass, a travel magazine and podcast that provides current and aspiring Black travelers with community, travel tips, and inspirational travel stories. Before starting The Buddy Pass, Leroy co-founded BLK GEN, a creative event-planning brand that utilized the arts to enrich the experiences of Black ex-pats and build relationships with the local business community in China. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia, where he led an international campaign to fund the construction of classrooms and participated in malaria awareness initiatives. After successfully connecting Black creatives and artists in Beijing with local businesses and building classrooms for high school students in Ethiopia, Leroy now publishes The Buddy Pass magazine. A publication that addresses the problems, scenarios, and unique experiences of current and aspiring Black millennial travelers while also providing entertainment and news relevant to them.
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Director of Marketing
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Disability Support / Services / Awareness (Physical or Cognitive)
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Liz Talley is a marketing professional passionate about creative problem-solving and cultivating memorable experiences. Liz began her career in the nonprofit industry, serving in capacities from Marketing Manager and scriptwriter to fundraiser and content curator. In 2018, her efforts placed Morgan’s Inspiration Island on TIME’s list of “World’s Greatest Places.” Today, she serves as the Director of Marketing at DOCUmation’s corporate office.
Liz has a knack for interior design, team building and is passionate about the importance of mental health. When she isn’t talking about her CliftonStrengths, you can find her with her dogs or watching the San Antonio Spurs.
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CEO
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Transportation Development (TOD) / Community / City Planning
Healthcare Affordability / Reform / Access
After being name the SABJ 40 Under 40 Woman of the Year in 2019, Meghan decided to bring her passion for public service and entrepreneurship together. As an owner and investor in more than three separate social ventures, Meghan understand first hand that we can change the world with business backed solutions. Today her work is centered on the intersection of affordable housing and healthcare in Texas.
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Community Engagement Lead
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Arts & Culture
Racial Equity / Justice
Food Insecurity / Sustainable Agriculture
Moima Chowoe is a creative, driven, and compassionate young professional who leads projects that leverage corporate resources to meaningfully impact diverse communities in innovative ways.
Born in Staten Island, New York, Moima is a first generation Liberian American, who has lived in 5 different states and 7 different cities. Previously, she was employed in transportation coordination, operations planning, supply chain management, field marketing, and CPG experiential activations, before migrating to work centered in community and cultural impact.
Currently, she is Pabst Brewing Company’s Community Engagement Lead, where her work contributes to strategic development and the implementation of initiatives that provide an outlet for community engagement, while increasing their brands’ cultural awareness.
When she isn’t helping foster, grow, and promote positive CSI–including wellness, arts, and diversity & inclusion–she enjoys yoga, sound bath mediations, cooking delicious meals for loved ones, traveling internationally, and attending music festivals.
She’s excited to be joining the 2023 Notley Fellowship as a way to become a change-maker in her new Texas community and grow her professional network.
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HUB Program Director
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Arts and Culture
Economic Inclusion / Financial Literacy / Wage Gap
Born and raised in Prince George’s County, MD, Porschia has always been creative, a leader, and passionate about helping those who have been disadvantaged.
She is the Director of the Historically Underutilized Business Program at The Texas A&M University System where she promotes business opportunities for companies owned by historically disadvantaged individuals in the construction industry.
She graduated from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University where she received a BS in Construction Engineering Technology. Outside of work, she creates art, and aspires to be an entrepreneur, writer, and speaker.
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Creative Director
San Antonio, Texas
IMPACT INTEREST AREAS
Civic Engagement / Politics
Arts & Culture
Entrepreneurship / Enterprise Development / Jobs
Ricardo Tomita was born in Mexico City in 1990 and raised between San Antonio and Tokyo. He studied film and animation production at NYU in New York City where he lived and worked until 2020. He is a freelance storyboard artist and animator, and the creative director of Megaphonic, an award-winning creative startup based in San Antonio. He loves unusual stories and seeks out a new mythology. He lives in downtown San Antonio with his one plant and fourteen golf clubs.
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