Staff
Chelsy Alexander
Family Support Network Coordinator
Chelsy Alexander
Family Support Network Coordinator
Chelsy earned her Bachelors degree in Social Work from the University of North Texas in 2009. During her time in undergraduate studies she began her work in the social service field with Communities in Schools and also spent time working with Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center in various roles. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from The University of Houston in 2011. From there she continued to work with children and families in multiple capacities including Baylor College of Medicine Community Programs and Texas Children’s Hospital. Most recently, she worked as the Family Development Coordinator for The Settlement Home for Children, Foster Care and Adoption Program where her efforts went towards recruiting and training potential foster/adoptive families. Chelsy previously worked as the Director of Foster Community where she helped to build capacity for children in the child welfare system and establish connections with child welfare organizations to better serve communities. As the Texas Family Support Network Coordinator with TACFS, her role includes the coordination, training and implementation of the Standards of Quality for Family Strengthening and Support with a diverse set of providers across the state of Texas. Chelsy is passionate about seeing the Child Welfare System reimagined in a way that supports communities so families can stay together.
When Chelsy is not working, she spends a lot of time with her family. Chelsy and her husband moved from Houston 7 years ago after they had their second child and adopted two children-all within six months of each other. They added their last baby to the Alexander bunch in 2020. They have five children total; two bonus kids, AJ and Olivia and three biological children, Bailey, Preston and Landon. As adoptive parents, she understands the intricacies of adoption and the unique style of parenting that is utilized when raising children who have been in foster care. As a family they enjoy dancing and listening to music, spending time with friends, and watching sports.
Katy Bourgeois
Vice President of Systems Advancement
Katy Bourgeois
Vice President of Systems Advancement
Katy joined TACFS as the Vice President of Systems Advancement in April 2021. Before joining the team, Katy served as the Director of Aligned Impact at Mission Capital, where she managed a team responsible for implementing and advising cross-sector collaborative projects designed to address complex community problems. At Mission Capital, Katy led the development and growth of the Travis County Collaborative for Children – a high-impact, cross-sector collaborative designed to bring healing and permanency to children in foster care. In addition, she facilitated the creation of Foster Community, a collaborative initiative aimed at increasing the number and diversity of healing kinship, adoptive and foster families in Central Texas.
Prior to Mission Capital, Katy worked with nonprofit and government organizations as an independent consultant, specializing in grant writing, fund and program development, and building government/nonprofit partnerships that expanded service capacity and increased impact. Her expertise in these areas came from work within state agencies where she conducted program evaluations for the Legislative Budget Board, provided fiscal policy analysis to the Governor of Texas, and managed activities related to federal fund development and strategic planning for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. In addition, Katy worked with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services to oversee a study of services to adults with autism in Texas and review recommendations for pilot projects to address gaps in services. She also worked with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to design a method for distributing $7.2 million in federal funding to support pilot programs targeted at providing home visitation services to at-risk infants and children.
Katy received a MSW from The University of Texas and a BA in Psychology from Mount Holyoke College.
Tameka Caldwell
Family Support Project Coordinator
Tameka Caldwell
Family Support Project Coordinator
Tameka joined TACFS in July 2021 as the Family Support Project Coordinator. Her role focuses on the growth and development of Family Resource Center (FRC) programming and practices across Texas. As a developing subject matter expert in the National Family Support Network (NFSN) and FRCs, Tameka provides ongoing training, technical assistance, and support to program sites to build and sustain collective impact success.
Tameka has worked in various roles within child welfare serving organizations for over 21 years. Prior to joining TACFS, she served as the program manager of a home visiting program which provided parent education and support to families with young children. Her experience expands across all areas of the Texas child welfare system including child abuse prevention, foster care and adoption, youth aging out of foster care, and Child Protective Services.
Tameka obtained a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Services (specializing in Social & Community Services) from Capella University and anticipates graduation in March 2022.
Audrey Carmical
Vice President for Legal and Regulatory Affairs
Audrey Carmical
Vice President for Legal and Regulatory Affairs
Audrey Carmical joined TACFS in January of 2021. Prior to coming to TACFS, she was at DFPS—first as a policy attorney, then as the Director of Policy & Program Support, the General Counsel, and finally, the Associate Commissioner for Compliance and Strategy. Before DFPS, she was in the General Counsel Division at the Office of the Attorney General as an Assistant Attorney General and the Court of Criminal Appeals as a Research Attorney. And before that, she was in law school worrying about her grades.
She has a J.D. from the University of Texas in Austin and a B.A. from Northwestern University (double major in German and English). She has two rambunctious children, one extremely large cat, one extremely small tripod cat, and a penchant for reading tedious regulatory material.
Chelsey Castro
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Project Coordinator
Chelsey Castro
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Project Coordinator
Chelsey Castro joined TACFS October 2021 as the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Project Coordinator. In her role she will be helping with the expansion of Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program across Texas. Prior Chelsey was a Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiter for Arms Wide Adoption Services for 5 years where she was dedicated to finding permanent families for children in foster care who are most often overlooked. That includes teenagers, children with special needs and sibling groups. Chelsey has helped many youth in foster care find permeant adoptive homes by using the Child-Focused recruitment model. She is a 2016 graduate from the University of Houston Clear Lake where she obtained her Bachelors of Arts in Social Work during this time she interned at Catholic Charites and Arms Wide Adoption Services in Houston Texas.
Sarah Combs Boruff
Director of Operations
Sarah Combs Boruff
Director of Operations
Sarah Combs Boruff joined TACFS in 2007 and has served in a variety of roles over the years. Prior to joining TACFS, Sarah served as the Director of Communications for the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, a tax policy think tank in Austin, and worked for many years as an editor for an Austin-based educational publishing company.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Austin Community College.
Santiago Cirnigliaro
Public Policy Analyst
Santiago Cirnigliaro
Public Policy Analyst
Santiago joined the TACFS team in September of 2020 as the Public Policy Analyst. Previous to this role, Santiago was at the University of Houston earning his Master’s degree in social work. During his time at UH, Santiago served as a policy analyst for the Legislative Study Group chaired by Representative Garnet Coleman in the 86th Texas Legislature.
After graduating from Lamar University with his bachelor’s in social work, Santiago started his career as a conservatorship caseworker for CPS in Houston. His time at CPS ultimately led him here to TACFS, where he plans to continue his passion for child welfare in Texas on a different platform. Santiago was born and raised in Argentina until the age of 7 when he and his family were relocated to Houston.
Meg Davis
Director of Communications
Meg Davis
Director of Communications
Meg joined TACFS as the Director of Communications in March 2022. Prior to this role, she was the Director of Events & Programs at Texas PTA, another association based in Austin serving children across the state through family engagement, advocacy, and parent education.
She was previously the Multimedia Specialist at Midway ISD, a Waco area public school district, where she served as the district graphic designer, assistant writer, and videographer.
Meg completed both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Journalism at Baylor University where she studied public relations and new media.
Tiffany Greco
Vice President of Learning
Tiffany Greco
Vice President of Learning
Tiffany joined TACFS as the Director of Learning in August 2020. Prior to this role, she was the Project Coordinator for Community Partnerships for Protecting Children, a network of public and private child, youth, and family serving organizations in Southern Maine. Tiffany developed and managed the network‘s strategic learning initiatives, facilitated cross-sector partner meetings, and supported community-based child welfare reform efforts.
She was previously the Director of Education at a victim service agency in upstate New York where she led the implementation of The Enough Abuse Campaign, a child sexual abuse prevention education initiative. Tiffany was appointed by Prevent Child Abuse New York as the initiative‘s statewide Master Trainer and Project Consultant.
Tiffany is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with an MSW from Baylor University who also has experience as a victim advocate, school-based clinician, and supportive visitation facilitator. She serves as a Field Coordinator and Adjunct Instructor for the School of Social Work at Saint Joseph‘s College of Maine.
Alma Guardado
Staff Accountant
Alma Guardado
Staff Accountant
Alma joined TACFS in November of 2021 as Staff Accountant and has been working in accounting for over fifteen years. Alma started her career working in public accounting where she assisted in the audit preparation for clients in various industries including healthcare, real estate and retail and manufacturing. After her time in public accounting, she worked in the private sector’s technology and energy industries and later worked for a local government. In 2001, Alma received her BBA and MBA in Accounting from Angelo State University. She obtained her Certified Public Accounting license in 2005.
Sarah Hall
Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Project Manager
Sarah Hall
Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Project Manager
Sarah Hall joined TACFS in January of 2021 as the Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Project Coordinator. In her role at TACFS, Sarah is working to help our member organizations build capacity to provide more direct care services to youth who have undergone commercial sexual exploitation and to increase CSEY prevention services throughout the state. Her support of community provider organizations includes designing, coordinating, and facilitating trauma-responsive trainings for youth-serving professionals, with a particular focus on preventing, identifying, and responding to youth commercial sexual exploitation. She advises on public policy and advocacy priorities relating to combating CSEY and crafts public-facing communication pieces regarding the topic.
Sarah is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate in the State of Texas and a National Certified Counselor. She has an M.A. in Professional Counseling, a B.Sc. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Government, and a B.A. in Anthropology. She has previously counseled juveniles in a residential treatment setting and engaged in consulting work for anti-trafficking organizations in the Austin area. Having worked closely with both children and adults who have a wide-range of disabilities throughout her life, she considers herself an advocate and ally for people with disabilities.
Valerie Hallam
Data and Evaluation Specialist
Valerie Hallam
Data and Evaluation Specialist
Valerie joined TACFS in December of 2021 as the Data and Evaluation Specialist. Before joining the team, Valerie worked in the energy industry specializing in data management and supporting multivariate analytics, statistical modeling, and process-based management. In 2010, Valerie received an MS from Northern Arizona University in physical science with a focus on statistical relationships observed in nature, and more recently she earned an MS in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University with a study focus on child development within the school to prison pipeline.
Elyce Harris-Brown
Mental Health Policy Fellow
Elyce Harris-Brown
Mental Health Policy Fellow
Elyce Harris-Brown was chosen as the Hogg Foundation’s Mental Health Policy Fellow. She comes from a background of child welfare, mental health, and victims of human trafficking. She previously worked with the San Antonio Housing Authority’s Jobs Plus program as a community organizer and Resource Specialist, where she helped low-income families gain employment skills and enroll in education programs. Elyce has worked for Refugee Services of Texas, an adult day program in North Carolina, for adults with mental illness and most recently as a houseparent at Boysville Inc. She recently graduated with her Master’s degree in Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University. Elyce holds two bachelor’s degrees from Texas Tech University in Spanish and Global Affairs. She has traveled around the world and lived in Mexico, France, Spain, and China. Elyce is fluent in Spanish and French. Elyce and her husband are in the process of adopting 3 children from the Texas Foster Care system. She currently has two biological children and enjoys swimming, belly dancing, Salsa dancing and Hula .
Brenda Keller
Director of Clinical Practice Initiatives
Brenda Keller
Director of Clinical Practice Initiatives
Brenda has been working in the field of social work for over 18 years. She earned her bachelors degree in social work from the University of North Texas and her masters degrees in social work from Eastern Washington University. Brenda has worked in child welfare, hospitals, community mental health, in-patient psychiatric units, Active Duty Military and volunteered in the AmeriCorps. She worked as an Active Duty Clinical Social Worker in the U. S. Air Force with Active Duty service members from all military branches and their families specializing in PTSD, trauma and crisis intervention. She currently serves in the U. S. Air Force Reserves and has her advanced clinical license.
Jennifer Lawson, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Evaluation
Jennifer Lawson, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Evaluation
Dr. Jennifer Lawson is the Director of Research and Evaluation at TACFS. Prior to her current position, she held academic positions at Texas State University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of California, Berkeley. Jennifer is an LMSW with a focus on community and administrative practice, and she holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Berkeley. Prior to her academic and research career, she was a Child Protective Services caseworker and supervisor in Texas. Jennifer’s areas of expertise include child welfare services and policy, evidence-based practice, quantitative research methods, child exposure to domestic violence, and Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Jamie McCormick
Vice President of Public Affairs
Jamie McCormick
Vice President of Public Affairs
Jamie joined TACFS in 2017, and brings with her more than 15 years of experience working on public policy, advocacy, and communications. She is passionate about sharing the stories of TACFS members and working to grow the innovative, quality, and compassionate care and services they provide. Jamie came from the Department of Family and Protective Services, where she oversaw the External Relations and Community Engagement teams, and later worked in an advisory role to the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. Jamie previously worked in the Texas Senate for six years as a Communications Director and Policy Analyst, her areas of focus including health and human services, budget, and education policy. She began her work around the Texas Capitol in 2005 for a campaign and legislative consultant. Jamie is a graduate of Oklahoma State University, where she studied Political Science and Studio Art. Jamie is also a working artist and mom to two.
Rachel Nicholson
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Rachel Nicholson
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Rachel joined TACFS in 2022 after more than 15 years working in Texas politics. She has spent the past six years focusing on the Texas Child Welfare system, and most recently worked at the Department of Family and Protective Services, where she served as Director of External Relations and later as a Senior Financial Analyst. Rachel formerly worked in the Texas House of Representatives for several members of the Legislature, and focused on health, child welfare, water, veteran’s affairs, tax, and elections policy. Rachel has experience at the Congressional level, as well as a focus on campaigns and fundraising.
Rachel is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She and her husband live in Pflugerville with their toddler and two dogs.
Katie Olse
Chief Executive Officer
Katie Olse
Chief Executive Officer
Katie Olse was appointed CEO of the Alliance in December of 2016. She formerly served as the Deputy Commissioner for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). Prior to her role as Deputy Commissioner she was Associate Commissioner for DFPS and Chief of Staff for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Executive Commissioner for DFPS and the former Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services. She was previously the Director of the Center for Consumer and External Affairs at DFPS where she worked closely with the DFPS Commissioner and the Legislature on critical issues within the child protection, regulatory, adult protective and prevention/early intervention realms.
Prior to joining the HHS system, she was the executive director of a statewide nonprofit organization where she worked on health and human services issues as well as other issues including education, criminal justice, and mental health. Katie has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and has completed graduate studies at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Katie can be reached here.
Megan Ransom
Chief of Staff
Megan Ransom
Chief of Staff
Megan joined TACFS as the Director of Community Engagement in 2019 and moved into the role of Chief of Staff in 2021. Megan comes to TACFS from Partnerships for Children, an Austin-based nonprofit, where she served as the Director of Foster and Adoption Services. Megan worked closely with DFPS and many Central Texas child placing agencies and nonprofits on community education/outreach initiatives built around children in the foster care system who are waiting for adoption, including the following Central Texas Programs and Initiatives: Heart Gallery of Central Texas, Foster Community, the Adoption Collaborative of Central Texas, and the DFPS Region 7 Information Session Revamp. She has a passion for building strategic collaborations that produce results and continuously work towards improvement of practices and partnerships to better the lives of children and families involved in the child welfare system.
Megan has worked in various roles within child welfare serving organizations for over ten years. Prior to her employment with Partnerships for Children, she worked for Texas CASA in the Quality Assurance Department. Megan holds a BA in Sociology & Psychology from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and a Masters of Nonprofit Management from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. She is a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner through the Karyn Purvis institute of Child Development. Megan and her husband are parents to two precious little boys, both adopted through the Texas Foster Care System.
Andrea Requenes
Statewide Training Coordinator
Andrea Requenes
Statewide Training Coordinator
Andrea joined TACFS in January 2021 as part of the Learning and Development team as the Statewide Training Coordinator. Her role focuses on coordinating and facilitating trainings in support of the Texas Foster Youth Health Initiative (TFYHI). Prior to joining TACFS, Andrea worked for 20 years at Arrow Child & Family Ministries, one of TACFS’s partner child-placing agencies. During her time at Arrow, Andrea held numerous roles, including many that focused on facilitating trainings for staff, caregivers, and the community. As both a Program Director and Regional Director for Arrow, she provided leadership and helped to oversee compliance with regulatory standards. She also served on many collaboratives, committees, and projects, including on the board of the Texas Foster Care Association. Andrea began her career as a foster care caseworker for the Louisiana Department of Social Services. She moved to Texas in 1999 and briefly worked for Tarrant County Mental Health Mental Retardation but missed foster care so much that she soon jumped at the chance to work for a child-placing agency. In addition to being trained in various curriculums, she is also a Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner through TCU’s Karyn Purvis Institute for Child Development. She is also a Licensed Child-Placing Agency Administrator and has long been a fan and active participant of the annual Administrator’s Conference hosted by TACFS. Andrea obtained her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from McNeese State University in Louisiana.
Tina Williams
Director of Finance & Administration
Tina Williams
Director of Finance & Administration
Tina joined TACFS in April 2022 as the Director of Finance and Administration. Tina’s previous role was with the Make-A-Wish Foundation where her tenure spanned 13 years working at the national and local levels. She has always worked in non-profit accounting and is passionate about missions that help children. Tina graduated from West Texas A&M with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).
Tina has one child, Brady (yes, named after the G.O.A.T himself!), and two black cats. One with a tail and one without! In an alternate life, Tina competes as a semi-professional bowler. She has been bowling since age four. She has been on Team USA in 2007 & 2008, runner-up for the collegiate national title at West Texas A&M and she has bowled more than 40 perfect games! Not to be outdone, the “real” bowler in the family is Stuart, Tina’s husband, who bowls professionally full-time on the PBA tour.
