Meet the Staff

As the Technology Officer for the Dallas Foundation, Erik spends his day ensuring the back end of the office functions smoothly and seamlessly, so everyone can do their job to the fullest of their abilities. As a department of one, Erik wears many hats including Windows Active Directory administration, O365 administration, networking, help desk support, Salesforce administration, database administration and reporting, and audio/visual support.

In his free time, Erik enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, and Basset Hound, Baxter, cooking, and driving too fast. He also enjoys playing ice hockey poorly.

Savohna Brown is one of the staff accountants at The Dallas Foundation. When she is not processing payments, she is sharing inspirational quotes and laughs with the team. Moving to Dallas from New York was a big change but a valuable one, as she has grown to love this wonderful city.

While her work at the Foundation uses Savohna’s financial skills, in her spare time, she shares her time and talents volunteering with a number of organizations working to create impact in Dallas. Savohna graduated from Austin College (Go Roos!) with a bachelor’s degree in International Economics & Finance and a minor in Spanish. Growing up, her mom stressed the importance of math because, “it’s important to get the correct change back.” In her spare time, Savohna enjoys watching 90s sitcom reruns (especially Living Single!), singing Selena songs, and meeting new people.

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.

As the Donor Services Officer, Mackenzie 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 people, help people. She is devoted to engaging, educating and empowering the next generation of volunteers and philanthropists.

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.

Tiffany Collins is a native Dallasite who has worked in the non-profit community for the past four years. She graduated Austin College (Go Roos!) with B.A.s in Biology and English, because she’s always had an interest in life and living. Questioning the pressing matters of today – the environment, society and the people in it – along with her personal experiences of being raised in a single-parent immigrant household, ultimately led her toward the public sector. Her passion lies in addressing the root causes of poor health and inequity in vulnerable communities and advocating for real social impact. As an avid learner, she spends most of her free time reading, watching movies, and going to stand-up comedy shows.

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.”

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 Chief Philanthropy Officer, Helen serves as the chief 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.

Lynsie grew up in Oklahoma City where she attended the University of Central Oklahoma. Between navigating the confusing financial aid process and relying on generous scholarships from various donors, her college years ultimately inspired her passion to help donors award scholarship funds to deserving students.

After college, Lynsie began her career in Oklahoma City cultivating her broad knowledge of philanthropy by working as a grants manager for a number of private foundations, public charities, and the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma. Over twelve years later, Lynsie now manages all of the scholarship programs for The Dallas Foundation and provides support to the grants department with The Dallas Foundation’s supporting organizations, disaster relief efforts, and other special projects.

Lynsie is an avid cyclist and prefers to spend her time outdoors. She also enjoys supporting families and teaching kids on the weekends at her church.

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.

Lesley is inspired by her work with donors and their families and finds great joy in engaging them in causes that reflect their values. In her 12 years at The Dallas Foundation, she has witnessed many transformative charitable giving experiences. She feels fortunate to have knowledge of the challenges of the Dallas community, and recognizes that philanthropy can help fill the funding gaps prevalent in the social sector, arts, health, education and others.

Lesley is a graduate of Austin College in Sherman, TX where she met her husband, Bill. Their three children and seven grandchildren live in Dallas, and family is the focus of their lives. She enjoys reading, and has been a member of the same Book Club for 17 years.

As the Administrative Assistant, 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.

As CFO, Tim is responsible for the finances of The Dallas Foundation. With the invaluable efforts of his staff, Tim assures that all stakeholders receive the information they need regarding gifts made by our generous donors and grants made to worthy organizations helping those in need. In addition, he and his team produce financial statements, monitor the investment portfolio, and ensure compliance with government agencies.

Tim has found the best way to relieve stress is to find the nearest dirt road and follow it away from the city. You will often find him and his wife enjoying the Lake Whitney area boating, landscaping, or just quietly reading a book and watching deer roam through the yard.

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.

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, and two daughters share their home in Rockwall with a very patient dog, a bearded dragon with a side-eye, and an elusive hamster.

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.