Who We Are

Our Board of Directors:

Chair: Nancy Nicolas, Travis County Attorney's Office 

Vice Chair: Michael Simons, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP

Immediate Past Chair: Loretta Holland, Prospect Consulting 

Treasurer: Sebastian Rodrigano, Popp, Gray, & Hutcheson, LLP

Secretary: Michael Mackert, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin

David Borden, Austin Community College

Myneeka Cook, IBM

Kimberly Davis, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Jon Engel, Community Action, Inc.

Vanessa A. Gonzalez, Gonzalez Law Office, PLLC

Emily Miller Payne, Texas State University

Heidi Marquez Smith, Texas Book Festival

Retta Kelley Van Auken, Austin American Statesman

Tom Wilkinson, PMB Helin Donovan, LLP

Our Staff:

Meg Poag, MSSW - Executive Director

Meg Poag received her Master’s of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.  Meg served for two years as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Texas School of Social Work and has focused her professional career facilitating a variety of collaborative community-building efforts.  In her thirteen years of professional experience in human services, Ms. Poag has worked in direct practice, administration and community planning in the areas of housing stability and affordability, substance abuse, mental health treatment, early childhood education, literacy, and services for the elderly and survivors of domestic violence.

Wendy Taylor Wampler - Manager of Special Projects

Wendy Taylor Wampler graduated from the University of Colorado with degrees in Spanish and Kinesiology. Her professional career has focused on adult education, specifically English language instruction and program management. She taught English in Japan while working for a private Japanese language company, and upon returning to the United States, joined the Adult ELL program with Austin ISD's Department of School, Family and Community Education. She is an adult education trainer and workshop facilitator for the central Texas region specializing in the areas of language assessment and best practices for the English Language Learner classroom. She is a nationally certified trainer for the BEST Plus as well as a state certified trainer for the Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks.

Jen Freeman, Literacy Advancement Program Manager

Jen Freeman graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio where she majored in English and Political Science. She is a community trainer of English as a Second Language and Adult Basic Literacy instruction.  Jen previously worked as a reader-grader and leader of Supplemental Instruction, a collaborative learning program at her university. Jen has gained teaching experience (and happy memories) by volunteering in literacy programs around the community. She loves to read. Jen's professional passions include teaching, writing, research, advocacy, and community engagement.

Peter Morrison, Health Literacy Program Manager

Peter Morrison graduated from Lake Forest College in Illinois with a double major in International Relations and Spanish, and with a minor in Business.  He is a certified English as a Second Language trainer and has extensive experience in health literacy training design and facilitation, program development, and community engagement. Prior to joining the LCCT, Peter gained experience internationally in the fields of health and education, most recently in Guatemala. He is passionate about community and international development, especially in relation to health and education.

Maegan Ellis, Operations & Communication Manager

Maegan Ellis is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she received a B.A. in Art and Art History with a minor in Business. Maegan's professional background includes administration and development roles in both retail and non-profit arts organizations as well as in conventional corporate environments. Her professional and personal passions include reading, community volunteer work, planning and overseeing fund-raising events, and ensuring operational efficiency.

Blanche Greene-Cramer, Public Health Intern

Blanche Greene-Cramer received her Master’s in Public Health from Emory University in Atlanta with a focus on Global Health and Public Nutrition. During her time at Emory she conducted research on chronic disease risk behaviors among youth in the Federated States of Micronesia and worked with a local NGO to develop a nutrition curriculum to promote local foods and encourage active living. Blanche is continuing her study of public health at UT where she is in her first year of the DrPH program in Health Promotion.

Emily Pulley, MSSW Intern

Emily Pulley graduated from Syracuse University majoring in Spanish, International Relations and Policy Studies. During her time at SU, she participated in a community benchmarks program which developed baseline assessments of community literacy in Onondaga County. She also volunteered with a local refugee literacy program as a grant writer and English tutor. Through a variety of experiences in the U.S. and Latin America, Emily has developed a passion for community and international development in relation to access to higher education. Currently, Emily is enrolled in the MSSW program at the University of Texas at Austin.