Our Board of Directors play an important role in governance, financial stewardship and ensuring that Texas CASA has the resources to fulfill our work and mission of supporting local CASA volunteer advocacy programs and advocating for effective public policy for children and families in the child protection system.
“We are honored that Jessica, Tracey, Elena, Mike, Mandy and Debbie have chosen to bring their time and expertise to Texas CASA, and welcome their strategic leadership as we work to create a safe, positive future for all Texas children.” – Texas CASA CEO Vicki Spriggs.
Meet our new board members below!
Jessica Cawthorn
Jessica Cawthorn is a former foster youth who aged out of the foster care system at 18 years old. Jessica endured many challenges in her youth and time in foster care, but has gone on to achieve so much, including working for the Administration of Children and Families and receiving her bachelor’s degree, which only 3% of former foster youth obtain. Jessica is passionate about sharing her story and the realities about aging out of foster care so others can learn and be educated on how they can make a difference. Jessica and her husband Jon have two children and live in Rockwall, Texas.
Tracey Hull
Tracey Hull is the Director of Development for Café Momentum, an award-winning non-profit restaurant located in the heart of downtown Dallas and a paid internship that aims to transform young lives by equipping our community’s justice-involved youth with life skills, education, medical and mental health care, and employment opportunities to help them reach their full potential. Prior to joining Café Momentum, she headed up the development efforts for The Dallas Opera, funding the most successful era in company history. This includes opening the Winspear Opera House, eight world-premiere operas, founding the Hart Institute for Women Conductors; and free public simulcasts. She ran the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. An active community partner, she’s served on many boards including executive committee roles for the Housing Crisis Center of Dallas and the Texas Rangers Baseball Club. She is a proud Dallas native and resident, as well as a graduate of Randolph Macon College in Virginia.
Elena Villaseñor Sullivan, J.D. and CCEP
Elena Villaseñor Sullivan is an attorney and Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP). She currently serves as the General Counsel for Massage Heights Franchising, LLC. providing strategic, legal, regulatory risk management advice and guidance to the executive leaders. Prior to joining Massage Heights, Elena was a compliance executive at USAA and a first-chair commercial trial attorney in private practice. Elena is committed to giving back to the community, with a focus on helping women and children. She was the Director of the Bexar County Women’s Bar Foundation LEAD Academy, served on the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of South Texas and served on a committee for National Association of Women Business Owners, San Antonio Chapter, helping teenage girls in underserved communities learn about careers and professionalism. She has consistently volunteered with the San Antonio Community Justice Program and the San Antonio Food Bank.
Elena graduated from Boston College and the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. She is a graduate of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership San Antonio and the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Lab. Elena and her husband Chris have a daughter. Elena enjoys strength training and hot yoga, massages, facials and IV drips, spending time with friends and family, traveling to new places, and supporting her daughter at her competitive cheerleading competitions.
Mike Viola
Mike Viola is a consultant with PwC’s Capital Markets Advisory Group in the Deals practice, with over 35 years of experience in the finance arena. Mike has had many roles in the Financial Organization of AT&T. As SVP-Treasurer he was responsible for all banking relations, capital market transactions, pension asset management and insurance/risk management. In his role of SVP-Finance with CFO he was responsible for all financial operations, financial planning and analysis, forecasting and budgeting, for several AT&T business units. Mike also represented AT&T to the investment community, including Wall Street research analysts as well as institutional and retail investors in the role of SVP- Investor Relations. Prior to AT&T, Mike served as VP and Treasurer of Kmart Corporation, various financial roles for Chrysler Corporation, and was an external auditor for Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC).
Mike earned his MBA from the University of Detroit and was a CPA (inactive) in Michigan. Mike has actively supported numerous not-for-profit organizations throughout his career as a board member and volunteer. Mike and his wife Phyllis live in San Antonio, TX and have two grown children.
Mandy Wright
Mandy Wright is the Executive Director at CASA for Kids of South Central Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Baylor University. Mandy has worked in education for over ten years with a wide range of students from preschool children with disabilities to integrated reading and writing at a junior college. She is a graduate of the 2020 Washington County Chamber Leadership Class. In 2021, she completed a Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership with the Bush School Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy and is a 2022 graduate of the Loyola University Children’s Law and Policy Executive Program. Mandy is currently pursuing her Master of Jurisprudence Program in Children’s Law and Policy at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She has been married to her personal hero for 16 years, Shane, who serves as a Lieutenant in the Pearland Fire Department. They moved to Branham in 2018 where they are raising four amazing children.
Debbie Jensen
Debbie Jensen was named Executive Director of CASA of Denton County in August 2018 after working for the program for six years in other roles. Debbie began her involvement with CASA in 2001, joining the CASA of West Texas program as a Volunteer Advocate. One of Debbie’s proudest accomplishments is being named Volunteer Rookie of the Year by CASA of West Texas in 2002. Her educational background includes a Master of Science in Family Studies from Texas Woman’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Austin College. Debbie was trained in mediation by the Office of Dispute Resolution in Lubbock, Texas, and worked for 10 years in journalism in the West Texas area. She and her late husband, Brian, raised six children, including two adopted from the Texas foster care system.