Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has appointed 11 nonprofit leaders to the Texas Nonprofit Council. The 11 appointees make up the council’s entire team.
The Texas Nonprofit Council was established in 2013 under then-governor Republican Rick Perry. Members serve three-year terms, with no member serving more than two consecutive terms. According to the bill which established it, the Council is charged with:
- Making recommendations for improving contracting relationships between state agencies and faith- and community-based organizations
- Developing best practices for cooperating and collaborating with faith- and community-based organizations
- Identifying and addressing duplication of services provided by the state and faith- and community-based organizations
- Identifying and addressing gaps in state services that faith- and community-based organizations could fill.
The 11 individuals appointed by Abbott include:
- Kile Bateman of Wichita Falls, senior pastor, Evangel Church; director, Family First Orphan Care Founder, Phased IN
- Sereniah Breland of Pflugerville, city manager, City of Pflugerville; president, Texas City Management Association
- Deborah Healey Drago of Beaumont, low-income customer service specialist-eastern region, Entergy Texas
- Fedora Galasso of Austin, executive director, Texas Network of Youth Services
- Jenifer Jarriel of Houston, president, DePelchin Children’s Center
- Katherine “Kathy” Keane of San Angelo, consultant; former executive director, Texas Midwest Community Network
- Virginia “Ginny” Lewis Ford of Austin, executive director, Texas Association of Regional Councils
- Amy Ledbetter Parham of Buda, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Texas
- Adrianna Cuellar Rojas of Austin, president and CEO, United Ways of Texas
- Phillipa Williams of Dallas, executive director, ilooklikeLOVE
- Carol Zernial of San Antonio, executive director, WellMed Charitable Foundation
While the legislation establishing the Texas Nonprofit Council calls for a chair or chairs, as well as a secretary, to be chosen from among the council’s members, there was no announcement yet of these positions being filled. A spokesman for Abbott did not responded to a request for the status of officer selection.
