About Us

Kristyn Senters joined Texas Women’s Foundation as Outreach Manager and is currently Associate Director – Communications. In this position, she oversees all communications, marketing, and public relations efforts for Texas Women’s Foundation, including but not limited to strategy, messaging, brand and identity, print and digital content, and event production. As Associate Vice President – Communications, she also ensures and guides the strategic development and implementation of successful events to support fundraising and awareness goals. This position also represents the Foundation externally with key program partners and/or community organizations and initiatives.

Previously, Kristyn had been with Junior Achievement of Dallas for 11 years, first as Marketing Manager where she managed all marketing and communications for the organization. She was then promoted to Senior Special Events Manager, a position she held for nine years. In this role, Kristyn managed all event development, solicitation, and logistics. In addition, she continued to manage all communications and marketing initiatives within the organization. Kristyn has strong experience and expertise in events management, marketing, public relations, program coordination and volunteer management. Prior to Junior Achievement, Kristyn interned with Howland Public Relations, Inc., and Bates Churchill Public Relations. She also interned in the Office of Publications at the University of Houston, where she earned a BA in Communications.

She has volunteered extensively, including volunteering on committees with Convention and Tourism Committee of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, and as a disaster relief volunteer for the American Red Cross. She is Legislative Voices Fellow for Leadership ISD – Dallas, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. – Northeast Dallas Chapter, where she currently serves as Chapter President and previously as Program Director. She also served on the board of Camp John Marc, where she served on the Communications and Outreach Committee.

Alissa joined Texas Women’s Foundation in October 2019 as a grant writing and development professional. Over the years, Alissa has worked across all departments to ensure the mission, vision and values of the Foundation are being effectively managed and communicated. She uses analytics from TXWF granting, programming, advocacy and research to reach audiences across the state.

Alissa has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Oklahoma State University and studied abroad in Bamberg, Germany. She loves traveling, cooking, and her newborn daughter.

A passionate advocate for social justice and life-long learner, Ashley Harris brings twenty years of experience in nonprofit fundraising, consulting and management and litigation to bear. With a roll up her sleeves approach to work and clarity of thought and purpose, Ashley excels at moving nonprofits to financial and institutional success.

Ashley’s educational journey as a Congress-Bundestag scholar sent her to Germany to complete high school. She matriculated to Rhodes College and took full advantage of the Tufts University study abroad program at the University of Tuebingen Germany and immersed herself in community service as a co-founder of the Rhodes College Habitat for Humanity chapter. Her first encounters with the impact of philanthropy came from a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico, to build a clinic during spring break and volunteering for a Memphis soup kitchen. Ashley received her B.A. cum laude with Honors, graduating majors in Third World Studies and German Language and Literature.

Ashley’s early exposure to people living in poverty convinced her that nonprofits are crucial to improving the lives of everyone in our communities. Following a ten-year career as a litigation paralegal at Winstead and Bank of America, Ashley began her second career raising money as a nonprofit fundraising consultant with Dini Spheris in 2009. There she worked extensively with volunteer and executive leadership to plan and manage successful capital campaigns ranging from $5 million to $90 million for clients such as the Resource Center, San Antonio Children’s Hospital Foundation, Circle Ten Council, Boy Scouts of America, American Cancer Society and the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. As a nonprofit staff member, Ashley has led multi-million dollar annual fund campaigns for two of Dallas’ premier human services agencies, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity and The Bridge where she served as Chief Development Officer. Her development and consulting experience with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations continue to provide qualified insight into today’s fundraising environment as the Vice President of Development at Texas Women’s Foundation where she leads a team of three and serves on the senior management team.

Ashley has raised money as a volunteer for The Kessler School and Association of Fundraising Professionals – Dallas Chapter, developed and taught classes at CNM Connect and serves as Co-Chair of the WFN Development Peer Community.

Joy Busch joined the Texas Women’s Foundation in August 2022 as the Associate Vice President of Development leading the strategy and fundraising for our two signature events, the Annual Luncheon and the Leadership Forum & Awards Ceremony. Having been able to turn her passion for helping others into a profession, Joy offers over 18 years of experience working with or directly for non-profit organizations. She has worked on social events, educational events, and endurance events and has done everything from managing corporate sponsorships and individual giving to leading peer-to-peer fundraising efforts. Having led multi-million-dollar events for Susan G. Komen, JDRF, the American Heart Association and most recently Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Joy is proud to bring her expertise to the Texas Women’s Foundation.

Jeanne Heinen joined the Texas Women’s Foundation in August of 2022 as Director of Major Gifts where she stewards relationships with friends and donors of the foundation with the intention of facilitating philanthropy. Jeanne works closely with the Women’s Leadership Council and the XIX Society to raise awareness in our North Texas community and encourage emerging Dallas women leaders to engage with TXWF’s mission.

After receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sociology from Texas State, Jeanne began her career in development at her alma mater securing funding for academic scholarships and programmatic support. Her development experience includes community nonprofit leadership and advocacy.

Jeanne leads her life with passion and is excited to bring her skillset back home to Dallas after 15 years in Central Texas to serve the foundation in effecting positive social and economic change for women and girls in Texas.

Dawn Hooper is Chief Financial Officer at Texas Women’s Foundation where she originally joined the team as Vice President – Finance & Operations at the end of 2016. Dawn is a Certified Public Accountant who has worked in public, private and nonprofit businesses. Since arriving at the Foundation, Dawn has spent much time learning about investing with a gender lens to lead the Foundation’s initiatives in social impact investing. Dawn also has a passion for identifying and correcting process inefficiencies and has been instrumental in streamlining Foundation processes during her tenure.

Dawn began her career in Internal Audit, followed by personal time with family and volunteer opportunities. Dawn re-entered the workforce as a Controller in the internet retail field, followed by Controller and then CFO in a Venture Capital start-up company. Those positions led to a shift in career focus and an opportunity to serve in a nonprofit role at Susan G. Komen headquarters, where she spent 7 years, ending her tenure at Komen as Senior Director, Accounting. Dawn spent much of her time at Komen, and in previous positions, improving processes and implementing system enhancements.

Dawn grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and received her BS in Accounting from Tennessee Technological University, and her Master of Accountancy from the University of Tennessee. Shortly after graduation, she and her husband, Chip, moved to the Northeast, where they spent 9 winters before finding their new home back south in McKinney, Texas, in 1998.

Dawn and her husband have been together for 40 years, and have two grown children, one precious granddaughter, and one sweet puppy named Ragamuffin. She enjoys spending time with her family, and has the pleasure of traveling economically with them as her husband is a “travel points junky.” Dawn also dedicates a lot of resources to her church family, including performing mission work in Central America and serving in various mentoring programs. Dawn feels very blessed to be a part of the fabulous work at Texas Women’s Foundation.

Roxanna Obregon is the Assistant Controller for Texas Women’s Foundation. She is responsible for recording and reconciling all the data for the monthly financial statements. This is comprised of daily activities for accounts payable and numerous reconciliations, including a detailed analysis of monthly and quarterly activity. She also takes part in assisting with preparation of the annual IRS 990 and leading the annual audit.
Prior to joining the foundation four years ago, Roxanna spent 10 years working in public accounting, with an experience ranging from restaurants to construction companies and nonprofits.
She received her associates degree from Mountainview Community College and both her undergrad and MBA from the University of North Texas at Dallas. She is now studying to sit for the CPA exam.

Savohna Brown joined Texas Women’s Foundation in August 2019 as a Senior Accountant. Savohna is a proud graduate of Austin College (Go Roos!) with a BS in International Economics and Finance and a minor in Spanish. While there, she studied abroad in Guatemala and Peru, which ignited her love to travel and desire to learn about the world. She is currently studying for the CPA exam. She brings over five years of non-profit accounting experience as she previously worked for The Dallas Foundation. Savohna’s passion for numbers and community service is what makes working in non-profit the perfect match. She brings high energy and a positive attitude wherever she goes.

Savohna fulfills her passion for giving back by volunteering weekly at Our Friend’s Place with the Junior League of Dallas; gathering her friends together to volunteer with various organizations in Dallas; and serving on the board for Abide Women’s Health Services. Savohna is also a part of Social Venture Partners Dallas and Engage Dallas.

Although not a native of Dallas, Savohna has fallen in love with the city, and looks forward to continuing to be involved in the community.

Lisa de la Garza is the Vice President – Grants and Programs for Texas Women’s Foundation. She is a member of the leadership team and is directly responsible for overseeing grants and programming of the Foundation. This includes managing the Foundation’s giving circles, strategic and initiative funds, community grant cycle and out of cycle granting. In her role, she marries the Foundation’s strategic direction, the results of research initiatives, and effectiveness of grantmaking to demonstrate the impact of the Foundation’s programs to its donor base and the entire community. Additionally, she serves as a steward for a variety of donors, including the advisors of donor-advised funds.

Before joining Texas Women’s Foundation, Lisa served as executive director and chief executive officer of Trauma Support Services of North Texas where she provided leadership and guidance in expanding services and programs across the Metroplex, including free, trauma-informed counseling to victims of crime and trainings to licensed clinicians and community partners throughout Texas. An accomplished and dedicated leader, Lisa brings more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, community development, fundraising and advocacy and is well-versed in program development and management

Lisa holds a BA in Psychology from the University of North Texas. She currently serves as the foundation’s representative for the Fort Worth Chamber, Women’s Policy Forum, Women of Color in Philanthropy, North Texas Early Education Alliance, and the Early Matters Dallas Advisory Board. She also serves on the University of North Texas’ Latinx Alumni Network Steering Committee.

Lisa lives in Las Colinas (Irving).

Mary Valadez joined the Texas Women’s Foundation in 2005 and is currently Associate Vice President for Grants. Mary implements the Foundation’s grantmaking strategies which are participatory, intersectional and equity focused. In addition to supporting all facets of the Foundation’s grantmaking efforts, Mary also leads the Foundation’s Young Women’s Initiative in Dallas and Houston. The Initiative’s purpose is to amplify the collective power and voices of young women of color to identify and address core issues and create solutions toward meaningful systemic change.

Mary brings her experience of working in the public sector’s fast-paced, community-centered, and responsive environment to the Foundation with an eye toward creating impact with a high degree of accountability. In addition, she values her own lived experience as a Latina and working at the intersection of gender and race is where she gravitates.

Mary has served on numerous community, advisory and nonprofit boards that support social services, education, community health care, and women’s leadership. She is originally from Central Texas and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. Mary and her husband of 25 years are longtime residents of Southeast Dallas and they have one daughter.

Kim Hoang is the Senior Manager- Grants for Texas Women’s Foundation. In this role she manages the breadth of the community grant cycle and serves as a resource to grantees and grant applicants on the Foundation’s guidelines and grants process for all grants, including giving circles, LOIs, donor advised fund grants and any off cycle granting opportunities.

Having worked in nonprofit for over ten years, she is passionate about giving back and serving the community through education and support. Prior to joining the Foundation, she has worked at New Hope Housing, overseeing initiatives to end homelessness. She also spent some time with The Alzheimer Association managing their largest fundraising event, and The Salvation Army in Donor Services, working with donors to ensure fundraising goals and reporting were met.

Born and raised in North Texas, she lived for several years in Houston and graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in History and Asian American Studies. In her free time, she co-founded a nonprofit, Operation of Humanity, that brings people together, giving them an opportunity to volunteer and help the community. When she isn’t working or volunteering, she is most likely traveling, camping, hiking, cooking, or reading. Staying still is not a form of enjoyment.

Kim lives in Dallas.

Chandra Matthews is the Senior Manager-Programs for Texas Women’s Foundation. In this role, her primary responsibility will be managing The Foundation’s Giving Circles, their membership, and the breadth of their individual grant cycles while working closely with the Giving Circle Leadership. She will also work on evaluating the impact of all Texas Women’s Foundation’s programming, including the assessment of existing programs, the current structure and expansion of our giving circles, and coordination and implementation of new programming.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Chandra worked for Helping Hands for Single Moms Dallas as the Development Director where she had a direct impact on ending generational poverty by assisting single mom families while mom pursued a college education. Chandra specializes in leadership development and relationship building with a lens of helping others reach their full potential.

Chandra is a Dallas native and graduated from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Administration in Management. In her spare time, Chandra enjoys watching her son’s basketball games, reading or watching anything rom-com related, and socializing with family and friends. Chandra resides in Bedford with her husband, son, and mini poodle, Bentley.

William Capper is the Administrative Assistant – Grants & Programs for the Texas Women’s Foundation. He serves as cross-departmental support for fundraising events and programs, as well as assisting in TXWF’s many grant cycles. William also oversees the Foundation’s signature leadership development program: the Women’s Leadership Institute.

Prior to joining the Foundation, William spent two years in 16 different countries throughout Europe, Africa and Asia working with local community initiatives to promote equity, justice, and sustainability. After returning to the states, William worked in administration for a company servicing the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

William holds two Bachelors: one in West Asian History, and the other in Linguistic Anthropology from the University of North Texas. In his free time, William enjoys volunteering his time and energy for justice movements and homeless protection, advocacy, and support. He is an avid reader and painter and loves long backpacking trips with friends.

William lives in south Dallas with his cat, Kenneth.

Ashley K. Lindsay serves as the Chief of Staff for Texas Women’s Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing economic security and leadership opportunities for women and girls. Ashley leads a people-focused culture to drive organizational impact, growth and revenue, while overseeing the Foundation’s Operations Team.

Ashley is a seasoned leader with a proven track record in accelerating innovation while maximizing impact through operational processes. Prior to Texas Women’s Foundation, Ashley held leadership positions at American Heart Association and Louisiana Community & Technical College System.

Ashley is on the Membership Committee for Dallas-Conscious Capitalism, Advisory Committee of 4Word and Social Committee of her neighborhood association. Ashley resides in East Dallas with her husband. They enjoy traveling, running, and supporting the local restaurant scene.

Elise Daniel serves as the Director of Administration for Texas Women’s Foundation. In her current role, she is responsible for office administration and Board of Directors support. Prior to joining Texas Women’s Foundation, Elise supported the Mission and Advocacy ministry at First United Methodist Church, where she discovered her passion for nonprofit work and helping others. Before that, she spent her career managing vendor relationships with Fortune 500 customers, payroll implementation and ERP project management with organizations such as Oracle and ADP.

Elise has a passion and gift for giving back. She has been on many local and international mission trips and has served on the board at Booker T Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She is an active volunteer at church and Austin Street Center.

A third generation Texan, she grew up in Plano and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Psychology. She resides in Dallas with twins Holden and Isabella, who attend college, and a rescue Boston Terrier. Her oldest daughter is married and lives close by. Elise is a lover of the Arts, home improvement projects, traveling, finding new hiking spots, and spending time with family.

Abigail Gonzalez joined Texas Women’s Foundation in 2022 as the Operations Manager – Donor Services, ensuring donors have a valuable experience with The Foundation. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Psychology from Austin College. After college, she began working at a nonprofit in Dallas and holds almost 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has turned her passion into a career, to help and serve her community.

Abigail enjoys hiking, especially at National Parks. Her goal is to visit all 63 US National Parks and has visited twenty so far. She is also a huge fan of the Dallas Mavericks and loves going to the games. Other hobbies include hanging out with her nieces, spending time with her Dachshund named Luka (Go Mavs!), game nights, trying new restaurants, and traveling with friends and family.

Breanna “Bre” Khorrami is the Operations Manager – Events for Texas Women’s Foundation. She is responsible for facilitating cross-team collaboration and coordinating detailed elements of donor operations and events. Her primary focus is elevating service delivery, communications and operational tasks related to the development team’s $7-9M annual revenue generating activity.

Before joining Texas Women’s Foundation, Bre has been involved with numerous nonprofits like The American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club and AmeriCorps. Bre holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from University of Oklahoma. BOOMER!

Bre currently lives in Fort Worth with her husband, son, and two cats. When you want to discuss the latest and greatest pop-culture, Bre is your gal.