ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN - AUSTIN
Our Values
Our values guide us to achieve our mission. Each value applies not only to our youth, Friends, and program teams, but also applies to all Friends of the Children employees, volunteers, and partners. We use our values to make informed decisions; to hire, coach, and manage; and most importantly, we use our values to change the way the world treats and views our most vulnerable youth.
Put Children First
We intentionally serve youth who are facing the greatest obstacles. To help our youth discover their limitless potential, we foster their internal resiliency. We listen to our youth and base decisions on each youth’s needs and dreams. We prioritize self-care so that we bring our best selves to our work and focus on our youth.
Build Relationships on Love
We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love, acceptance, and culturally-informed practice. We don’t give up easily, and take a no matter what approach to our work. We commit for the long-term. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy, and healthy communication. We believe that we build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful, and meaningful.
Commit to Empowerment
We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work, and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.
Pursue Goals Relentlessly
We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.
Demand Equity
We acknowledge the historical and present injustices impacting marginalized communities. We demand equity from ourselves and from our community. We insist that all people have the necessary support to achieve all of their hopes and dreams. We amplify the voices of our children, families, and communities. We bring together different experiences, skills, and backgrounds to provide opportunities to overcome personal, systemic, and institutional barriers.
STAFF
Nancy Pollard
Executive Director
Caroline Page
Director of Development and Marketing
Marilyn Manzo
Program Director
Kay Foos
Office Manager
Katy Morris
Development Manager
Professional Mentors
Jorge Jiménez
Professional Mentor and Team Lead
Jaime Garcia
Professional Mentor
Silvana Granados
Professional Mentor
Lori Rodriguez
Professional Mentor
Alex Torres
Professional Mentor
Daisy Woods
Professional Mentor
Manuel Cantu
Professional Mentor
Uriel Dominguez
Professional Mentor
Andrea Arca
Professional Mentor
Marco Bustamante
Professional Mentor
Jésus Aguilar
Professional Mentor
Angela Allison
Professional Mentor
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rachel Arnold
Board Chair
Principal, Vista Equity Partners
Ryan Atlas
Board Treasurer
Senior Vice President, Vista Equity Partners
Milam Newby
Board Secretary
Managing Partner, Vinson & Elkins
Christian Alvarado
Co-Founder, CBTX Capital
Amy Baer
Director of the Baer Family Foundation
Jade DeKinder
Asst. Professor of Marketing, Program Director, McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
Libby Doggett
Strategic Change Leader, Early Learning
Salah Gamoudi
Chief Accounting Officer, Jones Energy, Inc
Lisa Graham
Co-founder & Owner, Notley
Caroline Haley
Manager, Bunker Lee Residential
Aurora Martinez Jones
Associate Judge, Travis County Civil Court
Erinn Kelley-Siel
Chief Officer of Public Funding and Policy, Friends of the Children National
Jill Kraft
Founder and CEO, Okena Designs
Jessica Leggett
Founder and CEO, Seven + Gold, LLC
Brian Loring
Vice President, Vista Equity Partners
Lauren Moorman
Director of Business Development, Central Austin Management Group
Johanna Peyton
Master of Public Health
Miguel Romano
President of Foundations (Seton Family Healthcare), Ascension
David Sooch
FP&A and Operations Strategy Manager, Waterloo Sparkling Water