Health & Clean Water Organizing

As Policy Director of PODER (2019-2025), I led campaigns that advanced policies combating environmental racism at the city, state, and national levels.

• Access to Clean Water

  • Secured $1,000,000 for the Eastern Travis County Water Main Improvements Project, which will help bring water service to residents in the Elroy area

  • Lead a community-based campaign to ensure that 12,000 residents in East Austin have access to clean and affordable water

  • Conducting water testing with UT to collect data about exceeding lead and arsenic levels and addressing them at the TCEQ

  • Fighting a water rate case to ensure low income residents can afford water

  • Working on federal policy to pass elements of the WATER act to prevent further water privatization

• Holding Tesla Accountable

  • Led a two year campaign to hold Tesla accountable for environmental harm and workers rights violation in Central Texas

  • Co-created a network of 15 advocacy organizations to support campaign

• Shutting Down Military Facility

  • Successfully shut down a proposed military facility, Saronic, in East Austin where communities already face the cumulative impacts of pollution

• No Tank Farms

  • Developed strategic communications plan for organizing against proposed tank farms near communities engaged 50+ to speak at city council

  • Wrote a resolution for city council to relocate tank farms

  • Raised $43,000 through social media, liaison with lawyers and community member around our NEPA lawsuit

• No Way Prop A

  • Created strategic communication plan and series of videos to stop a location proposition to cut social services and fund the policy

  • Won the campaign

  • Write monthly newsletters updating partners and community members on PODER’s work, created social media plan reaching over 2 million people via Instagram, facilitated 5 zoom panels on the history of PODER featuring elder organizers for our 30th anniversary celebration, designed our website, manage all inquiries and 30+ volunteers, write press releases and coordinate press interviews

• Covid-19 Campaign

  • Organized mutual aid passing out mask and sanitation supplies, and resources to access food banks, internet access, tutoring, utilities assistance as a response to COVID-19; reached over 4,000 people by going door to door in low income neighborhoods and apartment complex

  • Interviewed thousands of residents to write a comprehensive report on the city of Austin’s response to Covid-19 and shared recommendations to ensure resources reach East Austin communities

• Voter Mobilization

  • Project managed the Nov. 2020, June 2021, and Nov. 2021 election campaigns, ran a volunteer team of 15 people to coordinate outreach, and worked with the election office to organize data regarding registration, increased voter turnout in districts 426, 427, 432 by 230% through digital canvassing, ran the successful No Way Prop A campaign to prevent defunding of public services