Leadership

Stephanie Duke is an attorney and Disaster Resilience Coordinator at Disability Rights Texas (DRTx).  Ms. Duke works to build resiliency for the disability community by advocating for collaboration and inclusive planning processes with local and state entities to remedy systemic barriers, via actionable cases, policy reform and provides outreach to educate the community on individual preparedness and resources to promote independence and autonomy during any event. Ms. Duke is an Equal Justice Works Disaster Fellow alumnus; Vice-Director of the American Bar Associations, Young Lawyers Division, Disaster Legal Services Team; Chair of the State Bar of Texas, Disaster Law Task Force and is an appointed member to the Governor’s Task force on Disaster Issues Effecting Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities.

Justin McInnis has spent his entire professional career in the disaster/public service space helping communities locally, statewide, nationally and internationally.  After leaving his role in Emergency Management/Emergency Services, he took on the role of President and CEO at Texas Search and Rescue (TEXSAR); a nonprofit that supports the state of Texas in missing persons cases, flood and swiftwater rescue, and disaster support.

Michelle Brewer is Executive Director for Jefferson County Long Term Recovery Group serving Jefferson County, Texas. She is the 2022-23 President of Southeast Texas VOAD, is a member of the Disaster Leadership Team (DLT) serving as a volunteer disaster recovery leadership mentor, serves Texas Division of Emergency Management on the Disaster Recovery Task Force, and holds a gubernatorial appointment to the Board of Directors for OneStar Foundation. Michelle lives in Silsbee, TX with her husband of 34 years, Justice of the Peace Charles Brewer. Together they have 4 married, successful children and 11 perfect grandchildren

Courtney serves as the TDEM State Voluntary Agency Liaison and is a member of the Disaster Recovery Task Force. The Voluntary Agency Liaison role oversees statewide volunteer and donation management, VOAD and disaster non-profit engagement in addition to creation, education, mentorship and integration of Long-Term Recovery and COAD groups.

Courtney began her career in Emergency Management in 2015 following the Memorial Day Flood impacting her hometown of Wimberley. She assisted in recovery operations on the local level before being hired as a contract State VAL for TDEM in 2016-2017. Courtney most recently held the role of Recovery Specialist in Hays County, joining TDEM in April 2020. She has extensive disaster response and recovery experience in both declared and non-declared disasters across the State of Texas. Courtney has been a member of the Texas Emergency Management Assistance Team being deployed in both Hurricane Harvey and Imelda.

Throughout her career she has specialized in mentoring local jurisdictions thru the response phase into long term recovery including damage assessments, DSO assistance, sheltering and feeding, GIS, public information, community engagement, volunteer reception and multi agency resource centers, creating long term recovery groups and implementing State and Federal programs. She is passionate about advocating for disaster survivors and equipping communities to build resiliency and recover more efficiently.

Taylor Wolter is the Director of Rebuild Texas at OneStar Foundation, where he leads statewide disaster and philanthropy programs that drive critical resources to communities in need. Since joining OneStar in 2017, Taylor has played a pivotal role in strengthening Texas’ disaster resilience, serving first as a Disaster Services Program Officer and later as Senior Outreach and Training Officer before assuming his current leadership position.

With a passion for cross-sector collaboration, Taylor spearheads high-impact philanthropic initiatives and strategic social impact networks that enhance disaster response and recovery efforts across Texas. His leadership ensures that communities affected by crises receive essential funding, expertise, and long-term support.

Prior to OneStar, Taylor spent five years at the Texas Conservation Corps at American YouthWorks, where he served as Managing Director of Conservation and Disaster Services, overseeing large-scale environmental and disaster response programs. A dedicated public servant, Taylor is a two-time AmeriCorps alum, having served as an Environmental and Disaster Response Team Leader with the Texas Conservation Corps in Austin.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Human Resource Management from Western Governors University and a Certificate in Fundraising Leadership from the Texas A&M Bush School. He lives in Denton with his wife, Katie, their son, Jack, and their two dogs, Dill and June

Marly Maskill is an experienced nonprofit leader, specializing in disaster response, logistics, project management and nonprofit capacity building. Marly is currently the Executive Director of the Houston ToolBank where she oversees the growth and development of the organization. The ToolBank builds capacity across the nonprofit sector in Southeast Texas through resource sharing, facilitating collaboration, amplifying volunteerism and equipping local nonprofits to do more, especially during times of disaster. Marly holds a B.S. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, an M.A. in Nonprofit Management from the University of Houston Downtown, and is a Senior Fellow of American Leadership Forum, Class LVI.

I have a degree in Chemical engineering and after working 16 plus years in the chemical industry decided to listen to my heart and pursue community service as it is my passion to serve humanity in distress, particularly communities that are underserved or have been impacted by disasters .My first experience and association with Sewa International started when we were responding to Hurricane Harvey. While serving with Sewa International, I have seen personal growth from being a Disaster Case Manager to a Program Manager. I have spearheaded a diverse project portfolio since 2018.

Alex Payson is the Texas area coordinator for Operation BBQ Relief, a national organization that has been feeding disaster-affected communities since 2011. His day job is running Numinous Coffee Roasters, a coffee roaster/bakery/cafe in Marble Falls, TX. Alex has also served as a member of the Marble Falls ISD school board since 2017.

Angel Poorman is the visionary Founder and President of United Rescue Alliance, a global disaster response organization dedicated to bringing Kingdom culture by driving transformative and sustainable change. With over a decade of field experience in international disaster response, Angel has led high-impact initiatives across the world, including in Guatemala, Belize, Bahamas, Indonesia, Mozambique, Israel, and Puerto Rico. Her expertise in building sustainable frameworks has empowered nonprofits, businesses, and entire nations, while her ability to mobilize resources has supported disaster relief efforts on a global scale. As a strategic advisor to leaders of all types, she has influenced positive change in community resilience, emergency management, and nation-building by bringing hope and saving lives.

A philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for community development, Angel’s work extends far beyond disaster response. Through United Rescue Alliance, she has created groundbreaking partnerships with universities like Lee University, Tel Aviv University, and LeTourneau University offering internships that cultivate the next generation of leaders in emergency management and disaster response. Passionate about empowering others and bringing the light and love of Christ, Angel mentors global leaders and consults with organizations to foster lasting, purpose-driven change. Her holistic approach—rooted in empathy, strategic vision, and practical solutions—has created an enduring impact, bridging local and international communities and promoting sustainable, life-saving initiatives worldwide.

Kaitlyn Perez serves as the Executive Assistant for SBP, a national disaster resilience and recovery nonprofit. As a Katrina survivor, Kaitlyn intimately understands the importance of community support and resiliency. In her role, she works closely with the leadership team, leveraging the organization’s near-20 years of experience to help impacted communities reduce the time between disaster and recovery. Prior to serving alongside the leadership team, Kaitlyn worked as Community Engagement Manager for SBP Houston, where she connected thousands of volunteers to recovery efforts, oversaw the rebuilding of hundreds of homes, and managed spending of nearly $5 million in recovery funds. Kaitlyn holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from LSU and has over a decade of experience in the New Orleans hospitality industry, equipping her to thrive in people-centric environments. In her spare time, Kaitlyn enjoys playing chess, exploring restaurants with friends, and spending time with her cat, Satsuma.

Brooke Swate is the Director of Special Projects at Catholic Charities of Central Texas (CCCTX). Brooke leads the agency’s performance quality and improvement (PQI) efforts and oversees mission effective projects. Additionally, Brooke also oversees the mission’s Disaster Response program that provides disaster preparedness education, disaster response, and case management to families impacted by natural disasters in CCCTX’s 25-county Central Texas region. She has the pleasure of mentoring all university social work interns who complete their field work with CCCTX. Through her work, Brooke strives to create a welcoming environment for CCCTX employees, clients, and volunteers helping to eliminate poverty across Central Texas.

Dominique Stephenson is a seasoned leader in disaster recovery, emergency management, and nonprofit operations. As a Regional Director of Disaster Recovery, they oversee disaster recovery operations for all mainland USA for Endeavors, managing multi-million-dollar federal grants and ensuring the seamless transition from policy development to on-the-ground implementation. Dominique directs program development, resource allocation, and logistical coordination to secure critical aid for communities in need. With expertise in policy implementation, grant writing, stakeholder engagement, and dedication to bridging gaps in long-term recovery efforts. Known for strategic problem-solving and commitment to collaboration, Dominique excels in high-pressure environments while fostering strong relationships across sectors to drive effective disaster response and recovery.

Cathy Garcia joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1999, after seeing a bulletin insert of a meeting for SVDP. She called Father Lawrence Matula and inquired about SVDP and this meeting. Father had explained the assistance of home visits and that is all Cathy had to hear. She wanted to join because her Grandparents Santiago and Catalina Saucedo would take her when she was a little girl to home visits with SVDP. Cathy served in many roles in the SVDP local, regional and national level. Cathy currently serves as the South Central Regional Disaster Chair covering Louisiana and Texas.

She was hired by SVDP back in 2010 to be a case manager to assist with Hurricane Alex. Assisted with the Bastrop fires in 2011 and worked in the Oklahoma tornadoes in 2013. In 2017 she was hired by the new arm of SVDP Disaster Services Corporation USA to supervisor 12 DCMs for Project Comeback Texas and served Wharton, Jackson, Victoria, Aransas and Nueces counties. In August 2021, Cathy was asked by her Catholic Bishop’s office to continue working a privately funded DCMP and served 10 counties in the Catholic Diocese of Victoria. Was hired to start a federal DCMP in Michigan, Montana, and Arkansas. Currently finishing up a federal DCMP in Mississippi and will be working DR 4781 in Texas as a DCM Supervisor.

Cathy has been involved on many different levels in her parish life and being a member of several church organizations. She continues to work on her spirituality to be a better disciple each day. Enjoys taking long and short trips with her husband and sometimes allows their companion Ace a full-blooded blue nose pit to join them. Cathy loves dancing with her husband. Cathy’s civic service consists of being involved in the El Campo Community Thanksgiving event for over 26 years and a past girl scout leader for many years, an adult leader for the JCDA, and elected official for a MUD for 8 years. Cathy is also a member of the Elk’s and SPJST.
Cathy is married to Felix T for 33 years, they have three daughters, Felicia, Sky and Cynthia, Cathy has one daughter Lynda and in additional have two stepchildren Felix C and Misty. In addition to the family structure, she has 22 grandchildren. Two great-grandchildren and one greatgrandchild to be welcomed in May 2025.

Cathy is so grateful for the knowledge and support of learning this disaster work which she calls her vocation from Liz Disco Shearer and Gail Bertrand who both took Cathy under their wings and brought Cathy where she is today.