ALEEAH HARDEN (she/her)Aleeah is the Business Administrator/Equity Data & Research Associate for Full Circle Strategies. Having a particular interest in human behavior and how it relates to mental health and wellness in individuals within black, indigienous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities drives her work with Full Circle. Aleeah takes this understanding and centers both her purpose and achievement in supporting a project or event to run well and come out successful. Knowing racism, colorism, and anti-blackness play huge roles in the issues BIPOC folx experience, she can more fully think about her work in supporting organizations through a justice oriented lens. Aleeah has a love for details and supports the work by creating tracking for technical, back end moving pieces that are needed in order for things to flow smoothly. Being in this role allows her to learn more about people and their thought processes, as well as how to anticipate and address needs as they arise. Within our data team she is able to identify how structures, processes, and language affect outcomes and then how we can change them to improve results. Before working with Full Circle Strategies, Aleeah was a facilities assistant at the University of Missouri-St. Louis Millennium Student Center and then went on to become a facilities manager. She has extensive experience in supporting teams in running events, event organizing, and general building operations. Alleeah holds a B.A. in Psychology with a Trauma Studies Certificate from the University of Missouri - St. Louis. She also loves cats, trying new foods, and thrift shopping during her free time.
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Cecilia montesdeoca (she/her)Cecilia is the proud daughter of José Luis & Leticia Montesdeoca who immigrated to the US from Mexico. Born and raised in the midwest, she is now a resident of San Antonio, and the Leadership Development Manager at MOVE Texas. Her formal educational background is in cultural anthropology, applied community economic development and community health education. She has ten years of experience in community engagement, program management and developing the next generation of leaders through service, education, and advocacy programs. Her experience includes community organizing, developing and implementing identity-based programs, strategic planning, and fostering practices that promote equity, engagement, and healing. She specializes in using qualitative research and ethnographic methods for organizational assessments that advance strategic planning and programming in the social impact sector.
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Chelsea law (she/her)Chelsea Law is the HEARTspeak Project Manager with Full Circle Strategies. She brings a commitment to dismantling racism and a fight for justice and equity in how she approaches her work on the team. Within this framework, Chelsea is able to provide on-going support to clients through the HEARTspeak organizational change process and leverages her multifaceted skill set and prior experiences to best meet the needs of those she works with. Prior to her transition to Project Manager, Chelsea worked with Full Circle’s communications team, managing social media and communications outreach work. She also served as County Clerk for the Fort Bend County Justice Center where she gained invaluable experience in evaluating equity within organizations, corporations, and the prison system. Chelsea holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. When not working with Full Circle, Chelsea enjoys painting, traveling and exploring nature, and a guilty pleasure of binging true crime podcasts.
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Christi vasquez- martin (she/her)Christi Vasquez-Martin is the director of marketing and communication for SERJobs, a nonprofit organization powering workforce development, financial literacy, education and occupational training in Houston and across 13 Texas counties. A native of Houston, Vasquez-Martin is a graduate of Rice University and is currently pursuing her Master's degree in public relations at the University of Houston. She is a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) with almost 10 years of experience in nonprofit marketing and communications. In the community, she serves as vice chair on the board of Small Places, a nonprofit that develops community-centered urban farms that address food insecurity, nutrition education and food access. Vasquez-Martin also holds volunteer leadership roles for the East End Chamber of Commerce, L.I.F.E. Houston, and the East End Communities Collaborative. She is a member of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
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james thomas jones iii (he/him)Dr. James Thomas Jones III is a graduate of The Ohio State University, having earned degrees in African American Studies (B.A. & M.A.) and History (M.A. & Ph.D.). He is currently an Associate Professor of History/African American Studies at Prairie View A&M University. Dr. Jones’ current research interests focus on the plight of African American males, an endeavor that has been most frequently expressed via his personal website Manhood, Race, and Culture (www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com), and YouTube Channel by the same name. A lover of all facets of Africana Studies, Dr. Jones has also ventured into creative writing that uses the Black experience and current events to examine and discuss Black America. The primary vehicle for the neverending debates and discussions is Foolish Floyd, a contrarian that reminds readers of Langston Hughes’ Jesse B. Semple. An initial manuscript title Foolish Floyd: The Life of an African American Contrarian is available for purchase.
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Maria Renee Morales (she/her)Maria Renee is a Latina, bilingual (Spanish and English), social worker originally from Guatemala. She received her Bachelors from St Edward’s University and Masters from the University of Houston. She has always been an organizer and has worked with the Texas’ community since she moved to the USA in 2013, specifically with the Latinx community. She uses her cultural background, experience, and education to organize and mobilize young people to advance causes for the freedom and equality of BIPOC communities. Maria Renee currently works for Civic Influencers as a Statewide Organizer for Texas.
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myesha henderson (she/they)Myesha Henderson is a Social Architect, an “Artivist”, and community educator hailing from Milwaukee, WI. She’s worked as a Peer Reproductive Educator, Academic Facilitator and Queer Organizer to solve problems of harmful reproductive legislation, educational racism, and trans/homophobia. Currently pursuing her Masters of Art in Social Innovation, her passion is to develop an organization that creates self sustainability for black and brown communities through sustainable agriculture, education reform, artist expression, and political literacy. Myesha currently works as a DEI Coordinator at Dentons, the largest global lawfirm.
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tori falcon (she/they)Tori Falcon is the Communications Manager at MOVE Texas. She was born and raised in San Antonio, TX and after six years in her college town of Denton, TX she is excited to be back in community with the countdown city. She is an alumna of the University of North Texas and completed her degree in journalism with a minor in sociology. They have been with the comms team at MOVE Texas since 2020 and have supported many exciting campaigns and cultural organizing initiatives across the state. When she is not comms managing, you can find her taking pictures of her little Tuxedo cat named Binky or writing on everything from art, music, culture, politics and exploring themes surrounding Latine identity, mental illness, fatness and sexual trauma through her poetry.
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vee ramos (they/them)Vee Ramos is a non-binary Pame/Tepehuan Indigenous-Latinx person. During the day they support health equity design and communications efforts with Harris County Public Health. They are most passionate about community building through a trauma informed, anti-oppressive, and compassionate lens, while challenging systems and those most privileged. They recently completed their MSW from University of Houston- Graduate College of Social Work, with a focus on Abolition and the intersections of Human Trafficking and Queer and Trans folks. Vee is grateful for their furr children Túk Bartolomé and Puma Furrman. Currently, they are learning Nahuatl and investing their free time in raising awareness on Abolition Feminism in Houston. They love ceviche, making art, the outdoors, and are hopeful to return back to their homeland in Mexico soon.
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zoe njemanze (she/her)Zoë Njemanze is a consultant and design thinking specialist, working to authentically present and address the needs of diverse communities. She received her bachelor’s in Health and Society with a concentration in Population Health and minor in Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. It was during her time at UT where she became familiar with socio-cultural systems and factors that impact the health and mental well-being of communities of color. Zoë takes specific interest in microaggressions and boosting one’s self-confidence and identity to combat the deleterious effects of racist experiences, a topic explored in her master’s thesis.
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aimee woodall (she/her)Aimée Woodall is the CEO and founder of the Black Sheep Agency, a cause-driven brand strategy firm that works with impactful companies and organizations to activate communities around things that matter. A tireless advocate for social change and a firm believer in the power of creativity to solve any problem, Aimee focuses her company’s efforts solely on impact—serving nonprofits, civic organizations and for-profit companies who prioritize social responsibility and balance purpose with profit. Her clients include the Obama Administration, the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, the CW Network, the San Francisco Federal Reserve and grassroots causes across the nation. Aimee is a native Houstonian and lives in the Heights with her husband, Tyler Crabtree, and their two children, Wilde (5) and Tallulah (3).
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BRITTANY FRITZ (SHE/HER)Brittany Fitz joins our team after working with us for years as an evaluation consultant. Bringing experience from design thinking, evaluation, and Results-Based Accountability, she supports our network’s data-informed decision making and drives our work towards measurable outcomes. Brittany has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years helping organizations prove their impact, implement data tracking procedures, and navigate publicly available data to gain meaningful insights. She is a past president and current board member of the Texas Evaluation Network and holds adjunct positions at Baylor University and University of Mary-Hardin Baylor where she teaches research methods and various sociology courses. Brittany has a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master's in church-state studies, and a doctorate in applied sociology specializing in community analytics. She lives in Waco with her husband, Andrew, and two Labrador retrievers, Bernard and Brenham (who often make appearances in her Zoom calls).
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CHRISTINA ALLEY (SHE/HER)Christina Alley is a non-profit program manager with over 10 years’ experience who has a passion for working with communities to increase their potential for success. Her work in spaces of community impact and hunger-relief programs drove her to pursue her master’s in organizational leadership, which she recently received from American Public University. She is currently combining her two loves of leadership development and nonprofit management into the development of civic empowerment programs where she believes everyone has an opportunity to learn and grow, when given the chance, to transform their lives.
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EVAN TIFFANY (HE/HIM)Evan is beginning his second year attending the University of Houston as a Master of Social Work student. He will be interning with Full Circle Strategies during the 2022-2023 school year, and is studying to better understand and engage with the systemic opportunities and barriers that impact social justice work. Evan finds joy in spending time with his family, volunteering with children and youth, and being outdoors.
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LIZ ESSARY (SHE/HER)Liz Essary is a second year clinical student at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, where she is a Trauma Education Program (TEP) Fellow. She spent the first part of her professional life in language services as a certified court and healthcare interpreter, educator, and trainer. Liz comes to the Ukombozi Fellowship with an open heart and curious mind.
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