allen-weeksAllen Weeks

Executive Director

Allen has been Executive Director of Austin Voices since 2010, taking over leadership from AVEY founder Amy Averett. A long-time educator and community activist, Allen helped spearhead successful community school reform efforts at Webb Middle School and Reagan High School. With his wife Julie, he also created Family Resource Centers, which currently provide wraparound school based services for families at 8 AISD campuses. In 2009, Allen, in collaboration with AVEY Board Member Susan Moffat, formed Save Texas Schools, a statewide coalition of public school advocates. He has been recognized for his positive impact on education by the Texas Education Agency, Bank of America, Liveable City, and is a Hall of Fame member of Austin Parters in Education. Under his leadership, the St. John Community has won numerous awards, including the “100 Best Communities for Youth Award” given by America’s Promise Alliance. Allen speaks throughout Texas and nationally about the effectiveness of the community school model. He has degrees from Washington & Lee, Duke, and UT-Austin and will complete his Ph.D. in Education in 2019 from Texas State University.

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Louis Malfaro

Associate Executive Director

Louis Malfaro has been the Associate Executive Director at Austin Voices for Education and Youth for two years and worked for AVEY as a contractor during 2020.  He provides support to all the Family Resource Centers and their staffs and has worked to help develop and support AVEY Community Schools and Parent Leadership work.  Louis is a certified Bilingual Elementary School Teacher and taught 2nd and 5th grades in Austin ISD.  He is the past President and co-founder of Education Austin, the teacher and school employee organization in AISD.  Louis served as the Secretary-Treasurer and President of the Texas American Federation of Teachers and as a national Vice President at the American Federation of Teachers. He is bilingual and completed a degree in Elementary Bilingual Education from the University of Texas at Austin.  Louis also studied Public Policy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and has lived and studied in Mexico.

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gabriel-estradaGabriel Estrada

Assistant Executive Director

In 2018, Gabriel became AVEY’s Assistant Executive Director. Since 2012, he has served as AVEY’s Youth and Community Engagement Coordinator, focusing on AVEY’s Eastside Memorial Vertical Team initiative. This included community organizing, student leadership programming, and school improvement efforts to connect neighborhoods with their neighborhood schools. He worked for the Austin Independent School District for 20 years, 19 of those as a 5th and 6th grade teacher at Zavala Elementary in East Austin. While there, he was an active member of Zavala’s renaissance as a nationally recognized community-based school reform model. His efforts in Zavala’s turnaround included leading educator development, house meetings over issues brought forth from community members and teachers, and actively initiating programs that enriched the education of students. He believes in public education and its promise to give everyone the opportunity to be successful. Gabriel also serves as a member of AISD’s FABPAC.

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julie-weeksJulie Weeks, RN, MSN

Director of AVEY Family Resource Centers

Julie Weeks serves as a coordinator for the AVEY Family Resource Centers, for which she has developed all of the systems and processes since 2007. She also serves as the Director of the Webb Family Resource Center. Julie has extensive experience in healthcare, both as a Masters-prepared nurse and nurse educator for the Seton Family of Hospitals. Her work at Seton included clinical nursing, developing network education systems, training for the Clinical Assistant and School Health Assistant Programs, and network accreditation systems. She is also experienced in community development and directed nursing aboard a large hospital ship in West Africa for four years. Julie has been recognized by the Bank of America for her work, and was a semifinalist for the Robert Wood Johnson National Community Health Leader Award. She currently serves as President of the St. John Neighborhood Association.

Contact Julie

jose-carrasco

Jose Carrasco

Lead Community School Coordinator/Director of Dobie MS Family Resource Center

Jose Carrasco has been the Dobie Family Resource Center Director since 2015 and Lead Community School Coordinator for AVEY since 2018. In 2023, Jose was chosen as the National Community School Coordinator of the Year by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) and the Coalition for Community Schools. Jose comes to Austin Voices after 8 years as a Parent Support Specialist (PSS) with the Austin Independent School District. He was born in Chicago and moved to Austin at the age of 7. Jose was a PSS at Mendez Middle School and later at LBJ High School. After high school, Jose joined the Marines for 5 years and was a Sergeant when he left the Marines. Over his younger years, Jose worked with his parents to help other people through his local church. Jose is a graduate of St. Edward’s University.

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Megan Dreyer, LBSW

Social Worker, Webb Family Resource Center

Megan Dreyer serves as the bilingual social worker for the Family Resource Center at Webb Middle School. Over her extensive career Megan has worked as a case worker for Easter Seals, Any Baby Can, Child Inc. and Foundation Communities. Her hobbies including hiking, swimming, thrift store shopping and most of all, making connections with the many partners who serve families in east Austin.

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Nancy Carrasco

Director of Webb Family Resource Center

Nancy Carrasco has served as the Director of the Webb FRC since May, 2023. Previously, she was the Parent Support Specialist at Navarro ECHS, and she has also worked with Latino Healthcare Forum. In her spare time, Nancy likes to read books to her son and play Super Mario.

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Naomi Caballero

Community School Coordinator/Special Projects

Naomi Caballero has been serving. her community for 15 years as a community organizer and public servant.  As a Community School Coordinator  and program coordinator she coordinates the Community Block leader & Promotora Community Health Worker programs within Austin Voices for parent leaders & volunteers.  As a call center team lead she connects AISD families and parents with Family Resource Centers and shares community resources and connects them to basic needs and social services in the Austin area.  She is bilingual and completed her BA in Social Anthropology and Mexican American Studies & received a paralegal certificate both from UT Austin.

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socorro-carrascoSocorro Carrasco

Director of Burnet and Navarro Family Resource Centers

Socorro is our Director of the Burnet and Navarro Family Resource Centers. She previously had served as the Director of the Webb Family Resource Center since 2018, and as  Community School Coordinator for the Navarro Feeder School Pattern. Socorro is a native Austinite and has been working with Austin Voices for six years, including a year at the LBJ ECHS Family Resource Center. Recently, Socorro received her Bachelors in Business Management from Texas State University. Socorro’s passion aligns with Austin Voices that she sees the importance in improving public education by serving schools and neighborhoods in Austin.

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Lilliana Garcia

Administrator for Burnet and Navarro Family Resource Centers

Lilliana Garcia has served with the FRC since 2021 as an administrative assistant. She previously worked in administration with the IRS, and as a notary and tax preparer.

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Cintya Campos-Garcia, LBSW

Social Worker for the Burnet Family Resource Center

Cintya Campos-Garcia serves as the bilingual social worker at the Burnet Family Resource Center. Cintya, a native of Mexico, has spent much of her career in El Paso and Colorado. She has her Bachelors Degree in Social Worker from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Monterey, Mexico. Most recently, she has been case managing unaccompanied children arrived at the U.S. border in El Paso, getting them shelter and medical care. Prior to that, she has been a medical case worker as well as a family social services case manager in Denver and Boulder, Colorado.

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Blanca Herrera, LMSW

Social Worker, Navarro Family Resource Center

Blanca serves as the bilingual social worker at the Navarro Family Resource Center. Prior to Navarro, Blanca served as the FRC Director and social worker at the Martin Family Resource Center for 11 years. Blanca has a Master of Arts in Social Work from Texas State University and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the National Nursing School in Guatemala. Blanca joined the FRC as a part-time social worker in August 2011 and in August 2013 was promoted to serve as Director of the Martin Family Resource Center. As a social work intern, her placements included the Dell Children’s Medical Center and Child Protective Services.  She also served for 9 years as a chaplain with Market Place Ministries and as an assistant Pastor at Hyde Park Baptist Church, where she served as coordinator and leader for the annual Guatemala Medical Mission trip, providing leadership and educational training on Spanish culture and language, among many other administrative responsibilities. Blanca also served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer where she assisted case workers with child abuse cases.

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Miguel Santana

Adult Education Teacher

Miguel Santana teaches adult education, including the Plazas Comunitarias program (high school completion in Spanish). Miguel has been a family literacy and Spanish teacher at several schools in the Austin area. Miguel is also an award-winning professional artist, and teaches at the Mexican-American Cultural Center. He also is the co-founder of Artestudio Austin.

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Andy Lyon

Community School Coordinator, Navarro Early College High School

Andy serves as the Community School Coordinator for Navarro Early College High School ( as well as supporting its feeder campuses-Burnet, Cook and Wooldridge). He brings a rich background in education and community involvement. He recently retired after 24 years as a public school teacher including 13 years as a science teacher at Burnet Middle School. He has been a strong advocate for students, their families, and the school community with ties to AVEY that go back several years, when he worked as a teacher advocate to bring the Family Resource Center model to
Burnet Middle School in 2012. He has served on and chaired many school and community action groups to support and improve the lives of his students through each campus where he has worked, as an Education Austin advocate, and as a member of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection. Andy is committed to building on the foundation of community support within the Lanier Feeder pattern and is excited to be a part of the AVEY family.

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Roxette Martinez, LBSW

Social Worker, Dobie Family Resource Center

Roxette Martinez has served as a social worker with the AVEY call center, starting in September, 2020 and as the Dobie FRC social worker since August, 2021. Roxette is from Laredo, TX and earned her B.S. in social work from UT-Edinburg. Prior to working with AVEY, she served as a family-based safety services specialist with  the Texas Dept. of Family and Protective Services and as an Outreach and Health Education Specialist with the Driscoll Health Plan in Laredo.

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Jeffrey Hermsen, LMSW

Social Worker, Martin Family Resource Center

Jeffrey Hermsen serves as the bilingual social worker at the Martin Family Resource Center. Jeffrey has his Master’s of Social work from the University of South Dakota. Prior to Austin Voices, Jeffrey worked as a family case manager and hospital social worker in Peru and Beaumont, Texas. He also worked as a social worker and middle school teacher on the Rosebud Sioux Indian  Reservation in South Dakota.

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ellie-riveraEligia “Eli” Rivera

Administrative Assistant at Dobie Middle School, and Webb Middle School

Ellie is the Administrative Assistant at Dobie and Webb. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Texas State University. She has worked for ACE AmeriCorps as a Pre-K teacher’s assistant, and she especially loves spending time with her five-year-old son. Eli has also served as the Director of the Webb Family Resource Center.

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Angelita Tobias, LBSW

Bilingual Social Worker at Houston Elementary School

Angelita Tobias is our bilingual social worker at Houston Elementary School, where she has served since 2022. Previously, she served as the bilingual social worker at the Mendez Family Resource Center and the Webb Family Resource Center. Angelita was Austin Voices first full-time social worker, starting at the Webb FRC in 2009. Angelita brings 28 years of experience as a licensed social worker. She graduated with a degree in social work and currently holds a LBSW certification.  She is passionate about working as an advocate at a grass root community level. During her career she has worked in collaboration with 10 school districts in Texas. For many years, she conducted home-based, case-management services to families through Any Baby Can.  It was through this experience that she learned about the many challenging situations families face and how the these unmet needs impacted their children’s academic experience.

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Erik Salinas

Community School Coordinator at Houston Elementary School/Travis Vertical Team

Erik Salinas joined Austin Voices in May, 2023 as our new Community School Coordinator, based at Houston Elementary School and serving the Dove Spring/Travis Vertical Team areas. A native of south Texas, Erik is a 2017 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in International Relations and Global Studies. He has worked in various capacities as a community and political organizer. Before joining AVEY, Erik was a social services case manager and program supervisor for Refugee Services of Austin. Erik is a classically-trained musician, and plays in an indigenous folk music ensemble. He also comes from a family of chefs.

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Edward Turner

Dallas Lead Community Organizer

Ed Turner serves as our community organizer in Dallas ISD.  He has worked with Austin Voices since 2016, and currently is helping increase community partnerships, mentoring and parent engagement at Dade Middle School, Burleson Elementary School, John Neely Bryan Elementary School, Cedar Crest Elementary School, Cochran Elementary School, and Douglass Elementary School in DISD.

Contact Edward (Ed)

Sylvia Reeves

Dallas Community Organizer

Sylvia Reeves works together with Ed Turner as a bilingual community organizer in Dallas ISD.  Sylvia has worked with AVEY as a contractor since 2022, and became a full-time organizer in August, 2023. Sylvia’s husband David also works with AVEY as a contractor providing mentoring services.

Contact Sylvia