REBECCA LIGHTSEY
Executive Director
Rebecca Lightsey, an attorney experienced in public policy and nonprofit management, is Texas Appleseed’s Executive Director. Lightsey has served in state government as Texas Commissioner of Insurance, Executive Director of the Texas Insurance Purchasing Alliance, and as Assistant General Counsel to Governor Ann Richards. Her positions with nonprofits include Executive Director of SafePlace, the domestic violence and sexual assault center in Austin; Colonia Director for the Community Resource Group, working on the Texas-Mexico border; and she was the first Executive Director of the Texas Consumer Association. As Colonia Director for the Community Resource Group, Lightsey partnered with Texas Appleseed in early efforts to improve mainstream banking opportunities for immigrant families - a project that is now national in scope. Lightsey received her law degree from The University of Texas School of Law.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 111
Email:
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DEBORAH FOWLER
Legal Director
Deborah Fowler oversees Texas Appleseed’s legal team, coordinating legal efforts on juvenile justice, foster care reform, MHMR and the courts, the School-to-Prison Pipeline, parent involvement in schools, and disaster relief. She is the primary author of Texas Appleseed’s handbook for defendants with mental retardation and the School-to-Prison Pipeline report. She has extensive experience working with the judiciary, both as a judicial clerk and supervising attorney, and developed an interest in public interest law through pro bono work. Deborah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark College's Northwestern School of Law.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 105
Email:
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ANN BADDOUR
Senior Policy Analyst
Ann Baddour is the state director of Appleseed projects aimed at bringing low-income and immigrant consumers into the financial mainstream. She oversees immigrant financial education, efforts to build transparency and consumer protections into remittance markets, and reform of regulations governing small dollar loans. She also oversees Texas Appleseed's project on protecting the rights of immigrants with mental disabilities in the immigration court and detention system. Ann has a Master of Public Affairs Degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and a Masters Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. Baddour is a Fulbright Scholar and a nationally recognized expert in financial policy affecting immigrant and low-income communities.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 104
Email:
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FERNANDO GUERRERO
Operations Manager
Fernando Guerrero manages all internal operational functions of the organization, including personnel, finance, communications, and the overall operations of the organization. A former membership manager for the State Bar of Texas, Fernando is a graduate of the celebrated Portfolio Center, a communication arts school in Atlanta, GA, where he worked as Director of Admissions & Recruiting before joining Appleseed. He also worked as Human Resources Coordinator for Rolling Stone magazine in Chicago, IL. He previously served on the Austin board of directors as Community Outreach Director for the American Institute of Graphics Arts (AIGA), the professional association for design and the Atlanta board of directors as Education Director.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 107
Email:
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GABRIELLA MCDONALD
Staff Attorney
Gabriella McDonald, courtesy of Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP's Community Service Fellowship Program, will help staff Texas Appleseed's heirship property, payday lending, disaster relief, and foster care projects over the next year. She received Bachelor of Arts degrees in both psychology and government from The University of Texas at Austin and is a 2009 graduate of The University of Michigan Law School. Previously, McDonald has worked for Lone Star Legal Aid and has conducted research and helped establish community focused programs at the Jesse Tree located in Galveston, TX.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 106
Email:
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JANIS MONGER
Communications Director
Janis Monger coordinates our media relations and has editorial responsibilities for all Texas Appleseed publications. She has extensive experience in news reporting, managing government relations and public information offices, and has worked as Deputy Press Secretary in the Texas Governor's Office. She also has worked with at-risk middle and high school students as Education Coordinator for Communities of Schools Central Texas. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a Masters degree from University of Michigan.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 103 or via cell 512-296-8043
Email:
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MADISON SLOAN
Staff Attorney
Madison Sloan staffs Texas Appleseed's disaster relief and foster care projects. She first joined Texas Appleseed as an Equal Justice Works Legal Fellow working on systemic issues related to Hurricane Katrina. Sloan received a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas. Her previous experience includes over five years as a legal services attorney.
Phone: 512-473-2800 x 108
Email:
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