Our Staff

Celia Cole is an expert in food and nutrition policy with experience at the state and federal level. Prior to Feeding Texas, Celia was a senior policy analyst with the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) for 14 years, where she covered food and nutrition, welfare, and family economic security issues. She also has worked in a policy capacity with the Texas Department of Human Services and for Laurel Consulting Group, a private consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Celia serves on the advisory committees of the Partnership for a Healthy Texas and the Texas Food Policy Roundtable, and is actively involved as a board member of her local YMCA. Celia holds a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Columbia University and a master’s degree from the Institute of Latin American Studies at UT-Austin.

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Rachel oversees the impact of programs and strategies that tackle hunger on four fronts – racial equity, social services, community health and nutrition, and special projects through the AmeriCorps VISTA Community Capacity Corp. As a public health dietitian, she is passionate about making health easier for all by addressing the root causes of hunger and illness. Her expertise comes from working with community organizations to improve health among refugees, people experiencing hunger, and children from underinvested communities. Rachel earned her MPH from the University of Texas School of Public Health with a focus on program design, implementation, and evaluation and completed her dietetic internship at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.

 

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As Director of Policy & Advocacy, Jamie focuses on federal and state policies around food, nutrition and economic development. Previously Jamie worked as Policy Analyst and as Supply Chain Manager for Feeding Texas and as Senior Program Associate at the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation. Along with a diverse background in both the non-profit and public sectors, Jamie holds a Master of Global Policy Studies with a specialization in Energy and Environmental Policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Temple University.

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As Communications Director, Wesley oversees our integrated communications strategy to drive advocacy, brand awareness, and development goals. Prior to Feeding Texas, Wesley worked as Communications Director for Progress Texas, a nonprofit media organization. His role focused primarily on media relations, message development, and content creation in the advocacy space. He also oversaw the organization’s voting rights coalition work and provided communications counsel to partners. In addition to his nonprofit experience, Wesley has worked as a communications strategist for political campaigns in Texas and New Mexico. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin and is an alumnus of the Leadership Austin Emerge program.

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As Director of Programs, Ryan oversees strategy and growth by scaling solutions, capture effectiveness and impact of statewide programs implemented across member food banks. Prior to joining Feeding Texas, Ryan served as Vice President of Impact at It’s Time Texas, Director of Case Management at Vivent Health, a nationwide HIV healthcare organization and Senior Director at Lorton Community Action Center, a Fairfax County (VA) social services nonprofit. Ryan has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the University of Arizona. He is also a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor.

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As Program Manager, Leon works with member food banks and AmeriCorps VISTA service members to develop and implement capacity building programs that address the upstream causes and downstream consequences of food insecurity. Previously, Leon worked as the Manager of Operations for the Economic Empowerment Program at Sanctuary for Families, a NYC-based nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence. A native Briton, Leon holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Exeter.

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As the People & Culture Manager, Jasmine manages human resources, general administrative functions, and works with the entire organization to collaboratively facilitate the expansion and practice of Feeding Texas’s cultural values of equity, inclusion, and belonging. Prior to Feeding Texas, Jasmine was the Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator at the UPenn School of Social Policy and Practice. Jasmine holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Quantitative Methods from the University of Pennsylvania.

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Amy Cuellar assists Feeding Texas’ social services outreach program focused on providing education and application assistance for public benefits through the Texas food banks. Amy has 28 years of experience in social services with the State of Texas most recently as the HHS Community Partner Manager over Volunteer Services as well as the Community Partner Interviewing Project. She was also a part of the team that developed the Community Partner Portal.

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Jeanie Escalona holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration-Accounting and a Master’s degree in Professional Accounting-Taxation from UT Austin. A native Austinite, Jeanie has more than twenty years of experience in various accounting arenas including public accounting, government contracts, property management, tax accounting, private school management and landscape architecture. Jeanie is excited to apply her experience to the nonprofit arena and further Feeding Texas’ effort for a hunger-free Texas.

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Theresa is currently working out of the Houston Food Bank, investigating the barriers faced by specific populations to help better serve all Texans. Not a native Houstonian, Theresa moved around enough that she doesn’t really know where she’s from. Previously, she served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia as a Community Health Educator, where she drank lots of local coffee. Theresa attended Stephen F. Austin State University for her bachelor’s and earned her Master of Public Health from Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

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As a member of the Civic Engagement team, Shaleia works with the Community Voices Program to facilitate advocacy bootcamps, ensure Feeding Texas policy priorities are informed by community input, and build systems of ongoing engagement opportunities for people around the state.

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As Development Manager, Tonya Wilson-Brown serves as a part of the Communications Team with a focus on individual giving, cause marketing, corporate partnerships, and foundation grants. Tonya brings with her over ten years of nonprofit experience and holds a bachelor’s degree in Nonprofit Organizational Management from the University of North Texas. She also obtained a certification in large-scale Volunteer Management and Community Resource Mapping from UNT in 2013.  

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As a member of both the Communications and Civic Engagement team, Jonathan is responsible for strategically building, engaging, and tracking our targeted digital audiences.  Jonathan most recently worked with Feeding America member food bank, Philabundance. During his time at the food bank, he oversaw and maintained the organization’s website, social media channels, email and other external digital communications. Jonathan has a passion for art and technology and over 12 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Emerging Media and Communications from the University of Texas at Dallas.

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