Board of Directors

GAVA’s board is largely representative of the communities that we serve. Our three board officers attended or raised children enrolled at the middle and high schools within our neighborhoods, and bring a historic perspective or lived experience as well as the insight of adaptation required to continue living in Austin as it changes. All board members bring technical expertise as well as community expertise to GAVA’s organizational strategies.

Because we center our strategic efforts around the experience of residents in our base (with insight from content experts in our networks and partner organizations), our tactical steps and programmatic goals are always grounded in our service to the community: to achieve tangible results that improve the health of the built-in environment where they live, and to support their ability to stay in their neighborhoods.

If your values and interests align with ours, we invite you to apply to serve as a board member. Please reach out to [email protected]

Eva Hernandez

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Eva Hernandez has over 20 years of experience in the U.S. environmental movement, serving as an organizer, strategist, and leader at organizations like Sierra Club, MoveOn, and Dogwood Alliance.

As Executive Director at Mosaic, she drives efforts to strengthen climate, conservation, and environmental justice movements, fostering collaboration, amplifying underrepresented voices, and bridging divides. Previously, as Managing Director at Sierra Club, she led organizational transformation, modernizing systems and culture to enhance impact.

Beyond her executive roles, Eva coaches social justice leaders through The Management Center and serves on the boards of organizations like Friends of the Earth US and GoAustin/Vamos Austin. She is also deeply engaged in participatory grantmaking to support grassroots movements.

Based in Austin, TX, Eva finds renewal in nature, exploring the Texas Hill Country with her family.

Ankit Sanghavi

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Ankit Sanghavi is the Executive Director at Texas Health Institute (THI), an independent non-profit public health institute that works to advance the health and well-being of Texans through objective, evidence-informed, and consensus driven solutions. In his current role, Ankit leads a team of experts in conducting research, developing programs, and influencing policies that address the most pressing health challenges in the state and beyond. As a trained dentist and systems change expert, Ankit has a unique perspective on the intersection of health care and public health, and how to align systems and resources to improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and advance health equity. Additionally, Ankit co-leads the Texas Primary Care Consortium, serves on the Board of Trustees at National Network of Public Health Institutes, Go Austin Vamos Austin, External Advisory Boards for School of Public Health Texas A&M University, and Texas Health Improvement Network.

Sydney Garcia

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Sydney Garcia currently serves as the Land Conservation and Water Program Associate at The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation in Austin, Texas. She provides support for the design and management of the land conservation and water program strategies and grants portfolio to achieve the foundation’s sustainability goals. As an environmental professional with experience in water policy, natural resource management, and community engagement, she has led nonprofit advocacy efforts, managed grant-funded programs, and built coalitions to advance community-driven projects. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Save Barton Creek Association, and a Community Assistance Fellow for the National Park Service: Rivers Trails and Conservation Assistance Program. She holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University with a concentration in Ecosystem Services and GIS and a Bachelor of Social Science from Saint Edward’s University with focus in Urban Conservation.

Brion Oaks

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Brion is the Vice President for DEI and Operations for the Charles Butt Foundation. He brings over twenty years of experience advancing racial equity at the executive level for both the nonprofit and public sector. Brion was the inaugural Chief Equity Officer for the City of Austin and served as the Vice President of Health Equity for the American Heart Association.
He specializes in working with organizational leadership and local communities to create equity frameworks and facilitate dialogue and organizational practices that support the development and adoption of equity as a shared value. He serves as a technical expert in addressing equity as it is applied to policies, programs, practices, and budget decisions with an overall vision to advance racial equity.
Brion approaches his work with a lens and a belief that the people most impacted by an issue are the ones to provide the best solutions to solving them. During his leadership as the chair of the Austin Homelessness Leadership Council, he advocated and adopted a policy to compensate community members with lived experience and those advocating on behalf of vulnerable populations for their service on the Council and its sanctioned committees.
During his career, Brion has not been one to shy away from the difficult conversations and challenges that stand in the way of advancing equity in our community. After the murder of George Floyd, he served as co-chair for Austin’s Reimagining Public Safety Initiative in which he worked with community leaders to shine light on racial disparities in policing and most importantly put forth recommendations to respond to safety in communities with alternatives other than policing.
While much hard work and change is needed to make our community equitable, Brion has had the pleasure and honor to work alongside community members and co-workers to co-create transformational change in many spaces. One of his proudest professional accomplishments is leading Austin’s Equity Office in partnership with community leaders to successfully advocate for the City of Austin to become the first municipality in the state of Texas to publicly fund a guaranteed income program designed to springboard low-income families out of poverty.
Brion earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from University of Houston and Master of Public Administration from Texas State University. Prior to his work at the City of Austin and American Heart Association, Brion worked as a legislative assistant for State Representative. Dora Olivo, D-Rosenberg, and as a project coordinator for the Texas Healthy Kids Corporation and the Texas Medical Foundation. Throughout his career, he has focused on improving outcomes for communities of color and addressing disparities in vulnerable populations. He dreams of a community where everyone can achieve their full potential regardless of social identity, ability, and/or life circumstances.

Kellee Coleman