Meet the Staff

If you’ve ever visited The Dallas Foundation’s office, you’ve probably met Gwen, the Foundation’s long-time receptionist and administrative assistant. Nineteen years ago, Gwen’s job search led her to a position at The Dallas Foundation. The organization’s support of education and the social services, particularly for children, coincides with Gwen’s passions and has kept her managing day-to-day operations since that time.

A native Texan, Gwen is originally from Floydada, Texas, also known as the Pumpkin Capital of Texas. Gwen has volunteered as a tutor for Reading Partners for five years. In her spare time, she enjoys playing softball and officiating youth sports, and is our go-to “Coach” for campus athletic events. She’s been told that she must want to be a singer and dancer in her next life.

Mackenzie joined The Dallas Foundation as the Donor Services Officer in June 2017 and leads the donor services program for the Foundation. She is passionate about connecting donors, along with their families, to organizations who are making our community a better place. With over a decade of non-profit management and philanthropy experience, she is dedicated to helping donors make the greatest impact possible. As a 21/64 Certified Advisor and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®), she is devoted to engaging, educating and empowering the next generation of volunteers and philanthropists.

Prior to The Dallas Foundation, Mackenzie served as the Grants Administrator at the Lyda Hill Foundation, where she assisted Miss Hill, a member of The Giving Pledge, support organizations focused on game-changing advances in science, healthcare, nature and community empowerment.

When she's not working with donors, she is serving the community through the Mayor's Star Council, a civically-minded leadership development organization for young professionals who are committed to making transformational change in Dallas. Mackenzie enjoys traveling, live music, volunteering, a nice patio with friends/family and spending time with her pug, Taco. Her world revolves around good food, so she is always up for trying a new lunch spot.

A self-described “military brat”, Claudia was born in Japan and grew up surrounded by majestic mountain ranges. No beaches for her! Since 2006, she’s filled myriad roles at The Dallas Foundation and now manages over 80 Community Funds. Claudia is inspired by the diversity of the people with whom she works and is grateful that working at the Foundation provides continued exposure to a wide variety of people. As a steadfast supporter of social equity, she is dedicated to the adage, “Do the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Julie joins The Dallas Foundation’s executive team in June 2019. With over thirty years of experience, her career has focused on advancement and external relations in prominent performing arts, cultural and educational institutions. Across her leadership roles, Julie has worked in close partnership with key constituencies, including donors, parents, alumni, and students.

Julie most recently served as the Chief Advancement Officer at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science. Prior to that, she served for ten years as Chief Advancement Officer at Greenhill School. Prior to Greenhill, Julie served in senior leadership roles at Southern Methodist University, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory of Music and the WGBH Educational Foundation.

Julie received her BA from Salem College in Arts Management and an MBA from Boston University and has also served as adjunct professor for the MA/MBA program at SMU Meadows School for the Arts.  Julie and her husband, Andres, have two sons, Peter a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston and Gabriel a sophomore at Greenhill. 

Heather leads The Dallas Foundation’s Finance Team as well as its overall financial and investment management. She is also responsible for operational support functions.

Before joining The Dallas Foundation in 2019, Heather served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Her previous posts include service as the Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration at St. Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice, CFO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, Director of Fund Distribution for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Finance Officer for the Office of the Provost at Southern Methodist University and Accountant on the Assurance & Advisory Services Team at Deloitte Dallas. 

Heather earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Dallas and focused her dissertation research on the purpose and utilization of private college and university endowments.  

In life and in poker, we can do everything to put the odds in our favor, but we can’t completely control the outcome. That’s how Gary feels about philanthropy. As a Certified Advisor in Philanthropy, he has the knowledge and tools to help donors articulate and advance their highest aspirations for self, family, and society. After 18 years at the Foundation, he still considers it the highest honor to learn about donors’ passions and visions, and work alongside them to make those aspirations a reality. 

Gary enjoys spending time with his wife and his new grandchild, and watching Rice University football, where his youngest son, Cole, plays offensive guard. He’s also an avid student of the game of Texas Hold ‘Em and enjoys sharing his knowledge of the game. 

As Senior Vice President & Chief Impact Officer, Helen serves as the primary strategist for the foundation’s grantmaking function. In this role she is able to follow her passion every day, which is serving the community by connecting needs, solutions and resources.

When she’s not out on agency site visits or meeting with community stakeholders, she can be found enjoying Dallas’ arts and cultural scene, going to movies or making handmade greeting cards. Her favorite family tradition of 30-years is baking and decorating homemade Christmas cookies with her three beloved nieces.

As someone who has always had a passion for helping others, Porsche subscribes to The Dallas Foundation's tagline, "Here for Good," and knew immediately that joining the Foundation would be a great fit.

Having worked in non-profit accounting for 10 years prior to joining The Dallas Foundation, Porsche is no stranger to the fact that the success of great causes is often directly tied to great funding and even greater accounting.  In her role as a staff accountant, Porsche assists the finance team in ensuring that the gracious giving of the Foundation's donors reaches its intended recipients.  

Porsche graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration.  Go Mavs!  In her spare time, she enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering as a financial literacy teacher to young girls and as a member of the event staff for organizations focused on reaching those who live in underserved communities.   When she needs to get away from the city, Porsche goes back to her small hometown in East Texas to relax and spend  time with her family and friends. 

Growing up Becca was taught to always help others, work hard and be kind. With those ideals in mind, Becca entered the work field with a focus on service.

Becca has worked as an executive assistant and administrative assistant in the restaurant, real estate and financial industries. Working in the nonprofit sector has always been a goal that has become reality at The Dallas Foundation. As an administrative assistant in the Community Impact Department, Becca loves knowing that she is part of a team that is serving the people of Dallas and truly making a difference.

In her spare time, Becca enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with her husband and one-year old son.

Torrey has over 15 years of experience in accounting across several industries including, healthcare, chemical engineering, and manufacturing. He ventured into the nonprofit sector because of the opportunity it offered to impact the quality of life across the community and attributes much of his success to his parents, who continue to inspire him each day.

Torrey earned his undergraduate degree at Tennessee State University and his graduate degree at The University of Dallas. He is an active volunteer with the Mansfield Cedar Hill Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. In his spare time, Torrey enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters and rooting for his favorite sport team. He also enjoys channeling his inner mechanical engineer when home furnishings and appliances break.

As the Development and Marketing Associate, Haley has the opportunity to work on various projects with the Development, Donor Services, and Marketing and Communications teams. Haley graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in Human Relations and minors in both Spanish and Non Profit Management. She is a great sport during OU-Texas game week!

A love for travel and cultural immersion led her to spend six months living and working in Madrid, Spain after graduation. Haley has been with The Dallas Foundation since September 2018, but also served as an intern here for two summers during her college years. She has always had a passion for serving others and is happy to be back in Dallas doing just that! 

Kim joined The Dallas Foundation in 2017 when she returned to her hometown of Dallas after living a number of years in Little Rock, AR. In her current role, she works with individuals, families and professional advisors to develop charitable giving plans for both current and planned giving. With her extensive background in non-profit development along with her training as a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®), Kim brings a unique perspective in understanding both the non-profit and the donor’s needs and how to create giving plans to achieve maximum impact and meaning.

Kim graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Music. As a classically trained pianist, she is a lover of music and the arts. She is thrilled to be back in a city with such a thriving and dynamic arts scene. Kim also loves cooking and sharing a meal with friends - either at home or at one of the many fabulous restaurants in the city.

Linda is the Charitable Giving Manager for the Highland Dallas Foundation, a supporting organization of The Dallas Foundation. Linda previously served as president and CEO of the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, where she oversaw the development of Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. Before that she served as president and CEO of The Real Estate Council (TREC).

While clerking for federal judge, Jerry Buchmeyer, Linda witnessed public housing conditions in industrially impacted areas with rising poverty rates, increasing unemployment, limited or no health care or transportation options and poorly performing public schools. As a result, Linda has focused much of her professional and personal endeavors toward mitigating the lasting effects of segregation.

She enjoys the outdoors, particularly public parks, where everyone has equal access to nature and recreational amenities.

A native Detroiter and the first in his family to graduate college, Matthew’s career has focused on improving outcomes for under-served communities. Matthew began working in politics and public service, but quickly made his way to the education sector where he spent 15 years working to improve civic education, college access, and STEM readiness. Making connections between smart, passionate, results-driven people and organizations is among Matthew’s favorite work so the opportunity to lead The Dallas Foundation is both energizing and humbling. Away from the office Matthew spends time with his wife, Amanpreet, and their son, Grayson. He’s also an avid supporter of Albion College and UT Austin, institutions that provided him with the life-long gift of education and opportunity.  

Christi works in the Finance Department and enjoys being a part of The Dallas Foundation team because of the focus on positively impacting the city and citizens of Dallas. The Foundation’s tagline, “Here for Good,” serves as a reminder to Christi of the philanthropic work she supports, which makes it is a pleasure for her to come to work each day.

Outside of the office, Christi loves entertaining and enjoys having family and friends at their family’s special place on Lake Conroe, home to their famous “Cousin Camp,” which brings together all the kids in her large, extended family and provides an opportunity for them to grow closer together. The kids look forward to it every year.

Kezia joined The Dallas Foundation in October 2020 as Senior Director of Donor Engagement. In this newly created role, she will serve as the foundation’s liaison to supporting organizations and will manage the Donor Services Team. 

Kezia served most recently as the Founding Executive Director of Friends of Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, a nonprofit that supports the first public, all-boys school in Dallas ISD and North Texas. Kezia raised funds and leveraged relationships to support the school’s mission and programs in the areas of College and Career Readiness, student exposure and faculty development. Prior to Obama Academy, she worked at St. Mark’s School of Texas in Development and Alumni Relations and as Assistant Director of Community Service.

Kezia earned her MPA from the University of Texas at Dallas, studied public policy abroad at Korea University and attended the University of Texas in Austin for her undergraduate degree. She is an active member of the Junior League of Dallas and a graduate of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2018. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their fraternal twin girls who are identically adorable. 

Dawn joined The Dallas Foundation in 2015 as director of marketing and communications and each day since has been a wonderful opportunity to support, witness and share information about the generosity of individuals and the impact it has on our community. Dawn’s super power is multi-tasking and her desk is usually cluttered, but she thoroughly enjoys the energy associated with collaborating on a wide variety of projects. She frequently can be found asking her colleagues at the Foundation to read something or write something, and they graciously return the favor.

She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in communications from Loyola University New Orleans and subsequently spent much of her 25+ year career in the nonprofit sector, including roles in higher education, social services and philanthropy. Dawn, her husband, two daughters and several pets reside in Rockwall.

As a Program Officer, Brittani Trusty has the great pleasure of working closely with the nonprofit community, assisting in the development and management of proposals and awarding grants. When she’s not at her desk utilizing her excellent written and verbal skills, she’s out in the community conducting site visits and learning about the work of prospective grantees.

Brittani attended Stephen F. Austin during her undergraduate years and received a graduate degree in Political Science from Texas A&M University. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, and has been known to reference her black belt skills when the need arises.

As the Manager of Executive and Board Support, Liz spends her day playing the part of chief scheduler and gatekeeper to the President and CEO. When not managing Matthew, she ensures our Board of Governors are informed and prepared for meetings, and that the organization’s policies and procedures align with the forward momentum of the Foundation.

Liz enjoys spending time with her husband and their 10 year old daughter, cooking and seeing movies. Her favorite season is Oscar season and vows each year to see every Oscar nominated movie.

Samantha joins our team with a career focused on serving the non-profit community in Dallas.  She has worked side-by-side with non-profit organizations her entire career to help solve their operational and day-to-day accounting challenges.  She is a graduate of Abilene Christian University, with a B.B.A in Accounting and a Masters of Accountancy.
 
Samantha is passionate about supporting the community and furthering our donors’ philanthropic impact in Dallas.  In her spare time, Samantha enjoys spending time her goldendoodle and traveling with her husband.

Krista is the Grants Manager for Metrocrest Hospital Authority, a fund of The Dallas Foundation. Metrocrest Hospital Authority funds on the healthcare continuum in the Carrollton Farmers Branch community. Krista has previously served as executive direction for Social Venture Partners Dallas and as director of marketing and development for the Nasher Sculpture Center.

Krista believes passionately in giving back to your community and enjoys volunteering for various organizations in Dallas. Outside of work, Krista loves spending time with her three sons. She enjoys traveling, arts and culture, cooking, and sports...especially college football. Go Badgers!

Aubrie joined The Dallas Foundation as the Donor Services Associate in September 2019 and has the pleasure of working with the Philanthropic Partnerships team. Aubrie is a native Texan and a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas and Southern Methodist University. She has a passion for helping others and making the community a better place, which led her to the nonprofit world. She has worked for over ten years in many capacities with local nonprofits, including United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and JDRF.

While away from work, she loves being outdoors, traveling, catching up with friends over dinner and spending time with her cat, Stanley.