Board of directors
Laura Razo is a 22 year educational professional and currently the Job Placement Manager for Transit. She has served as part of the Nuestra Palabra Educator Outreach team for the Edward James Olmos Latino Book and Family Festival and is a founding member of the Librotraficante Caravan: social justice through literacy, intellectual freedom, and performance protest. She is a 15 year volunteer for the National Hispanic Institute and is currently a Board Trustee. She has served as a Puente Mentor and has been recognized by various organizations for her work: 2013 MANA Outstanding Houston Area Educator, 2009 Baytown Sun’s-Unsung Hero, 2008 National Hispanic Alumni of the year, 2000 Educator of Year-Nuestra Palabra.
Faye Dedrick is a passionate problem solver who loves helping people solve their most complex problems. She has previously worked at IBM as a Software IT Architect. Currently, she is retired but spends her time volunteering with many organizations. At the YWCA she serves on the board of directors as the treasurer.
Faye serves as the chair of the finance committee.
Cecile is most excited about leading efforts to drive diversity and inclusion in a business or community. In business, Cecile is advocating for women leadership via multiple Employee Resources Groups and campus recruitment events. In community, she serves 300+ hours annually to keep children, women and men with different backgrounds connected safely and grow healthy together. Cecile is an Achiever, Connector, and Leader, excelling at driving results with team collaboration to deliver services and products that cultivate a better-connected world. She comes from a two-generation female cancer survivor family and enjoys learning new things all the time. After graduated from MBA at McCombs business school, University of Texas at Austin, Cecile joined Dell as a Business Intelligence Manager for Small Business Sector in North America. She currently is a Marketing Operations Manager for Server Business in North America. Cecile has been working with several non-profits in the past for refugee camp youth education, low-income residency neighborhood building and healthcare services in the local community.
Susana is a seasoned organizational development consultant. She is trained in a multitude of techniques to authentically engage and facilitate constructive and productive conversations. Susana has consulted and worked extensively with non-profits nationally and internationally. Susana strongly believes in lifting up the collective voice of the community in order to create and nurture healthy, sustainable, equitable communities. With over two decades of community service, Susana is committed to serving on the board of the YWCA. Currently, she volunteers for the American Evaluation Association, is a trainer for NAMI Central Texas, a career coach for Dress for Success Austin, and is a national board member for the Open Architecture Collaborative.
Data-driven marketer, leader, innovator, and analyst, & a girls soccer coach on the side. Passionate about gender equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Kali Adams has spent her recent years as a public servant committed to eliminating homelessness across the state of Texas and currently serves as the Homelessness Programs Specialist at the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. As a native-Austinite, Kali is passionate about seeing true change in the city that shaped her as a child and in seeing Austin transform into a better, stronger community for all of its people. She is passionate about community development and social justice, especially as it relates to housing and public health. Kali holds her Bachelors in International Development and Social Change and her Masters in Community Development and Planning from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. When she’s not spending time with her family, she enjoys camping, gardening, and almost any outdoor activity you can name. You can regularly catch her and her 100-pound rescue pup, Lily, at any of Austin’s amazing parks.
Glynis has spent the last seven years working in Tech, leading teams focused on legal and partner operations. Prior to that, she was a middle school teacher, teaching both locally in Austin and as a Teach for America Corps member in Rhode Island. Since her days in the classroom, Glynis has been committed to education, equity, and racial justice advancement. Glynis holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from the University of Chicago and a Masters of Education in Urban Education from Providence College. At home, Glynis is kept busy with her two pups, two cats, and three chickens.
Collaborative financial analyst for technology security company. Passionate about community, equity, and a growth mindset.
Jess has been a proud Austinite for over 10 years. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, her career began as a public servant to the State of Texas and she currently serves as the Government Relations Manager for an Austin tech company.
As a member of the Junior League of Austin and involved with the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas and The Center for Child Protection, she has a passion for empowering those who cannot advocate for themselves.
In her spare time, Jess enjoys yoga and running around town lake with her pup Olive.
Becca Hyatt has been a social worker with the Travis County Mental Health Public Defender office for ten years, where she works with clients with mental illness involved in the criminal legal system. Outside work she advocates in the community to address the intersecting issues that create challenges for people like her clients. A highlight of recent years, Becca was an organizer of the “Queer Dance Freakout at the Governor’s Mansion,” in response to the “Bathroom Bill” and other anti-transgender legislation being proposed in Texas. Recently she presented at the National Organization of Forensic Social Work conference and the Texas Conference on Ending Homelessness. Becca loves to be outdoors, and is happiest in a hammock at a campsite.
Pam is a 15 year Supply Chain professional working in the technology consulting industry. She has served in the non profit community serving in the areas of fund development, board governance and advocacy with nonprofits in Alabama and Illinois.
Ashley Saulcy is a disaster resiliency professional who is passionate about community transformation in the face of calamity. She is currently a Senior Managing Associate at Hagerty Consulting, an emergency management firm working in preparedness, response, and recovery initiatives nationwide. She holds her Bachelor’s in International Studies from the University of Wyoming, and her Master’s in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Her early education and career focused on emerging democracies and post-conflict transformation, including work in Nepal to support gender equality and social inclusion initiatives in local governments during the country’s transition to federalism. Upon returning to the United States, she spent two years with a volunteer non-profit rebuilding homes impacted by Hurricane Harvey throughout the Coastal Bend and Houston communities. She loves the outdoors and can often be found hiking and running the trails in the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Shoal Creek Greenbelt, and our many amazing Texas State Parks!