Dedicated team committed to better outcomes for youth.

Staff

To learn more about working with us, contact us.

TIFFANY ECHEVARRIA

Executive Director

Tiffany Echevarria supports the work of Collective Action for Youth by providing leadership and strategic direction. Tiffany’s background includes implementation, evaluation and continuous quality improvement for youth programming. She is an experienced facilitator who regularly brings people together to dialogue around race and diversity. In this role, she is eager to work shoulder to shoulder with youth to create better solutions for the community. Tiffany has a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas Southern University and a Master's of Public Policy and Administration from University of St. Thomas. She is a proud Black and Puerto Rican woman. Tiffany believes All Black Lives Matter, Love is Love, and Women’s Rights are Human’s Rights. Tiffany leads with empathy, respect, humility, and considers herself a lifelong learner.

ASHLEY MCFARLAND, LCSW

Training Program Manager

Ashley McFarland is responsible for training the dual status youth model. Ashley is a Licensed Master of Social Work and a TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) trained practitioner with more than ten years of experience working with children, teens and their families. Ashley is passionate about providing care that is both trauma-informed and strengths-focused. Her professional background specializes in parent education, working with dynamic and complex teenagers, and using her pragmatism to support the stability of the entire family unit.

YVANNA HUBBARD

Project Associate

Yvanna is a Project Associate for Collective Action for Youth. She creates projects and materials that help better serve dual status youth. She is a Houston born native with a passion for education, children's liberation, and community building. Although she has successfully graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown with a BS in psychology, she considers herself a lifelong student on the study of Black and Queer liberation. Her continuous work alongside unhoused individuals and families has not only sharpened her politics, but has also allowed her to grasp a realistic understanding of how being poor under a capitalist state is punishable by separation, isolation, and death.

**AMANDA DOYLE-NICHOLLS**
*Administrative and Development Coordinator*
Amanda Doyle-Nicholls is responsible for creating best practices to improve coordination among systems as well as administrative and development support and direction. Prior to this role, Amanda worked as a Business Manager for Temenos CDC, where she was responsible for all business operations. She is excited to bring her more than six years of nonprofit business support and experience to this role to further advance Collective Action for Youth’s mission of helping dual status youth. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with her 2 cats, Bunny and Biscuit, or going on outdoor adventures with her dog, Sam.

BRADI LEWIS

Community Collaboration Coordinator

Bradi Lewis is responsible for assisting with the development of programs and the coordination of events in order to bring awareness and a call of action to support youth who are involved in both the juvenile and child welfare system. She focuses on community issues and responding to requests from community residents so that she is able to accurately advocate for dual status youth on a larger scale. A major part of her responsibility is to also foster relationships and build long lasting partnerships with those who are willing to provide resources that will support dual status youth.

**JOVI SMITH**
*Project Associate*
Jovi is a Project Associate and a non-profit professional who is committed to rebuilding communities. Despite facing challenges in the criminal justice system, he has turned his life around and now brings value to his family and community. Jovi attended Prairie State College and was inspired by his mentor, Earl King, who mentored him when he was part of No Dope Express. Jovi's hobbies include technology and computers and he is interested in bridging the gap in technology in Black communities. Overcoming systematic thinking and racism, Jovi now shares his experiences to help young people at risk. Jovi's favorite quote is "by any means necessary" by Malcolm X, which speaks to his determination and resilience.

**EVELYN BARRON**
*Communications Intern*
Evelyn is a communications intern for Collective Action for Youth. She is a recent high school graduate from Worthing High School. Evelyn was born and raised on the Southside of Houston. Being raised in a neighborhood like Sunnyside and seeing how the juvenile system affects the youth, she would love to be able to help make a change in an environment she understands so well. She would love to be a part of the change and by being the communications intern, she believes she can help give the resources that CA4Y offers to the community.

**MEGAN RATTO**
*Systems Integration Director*
Megan Ratto, formerly Davis, is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Harris County’s Dual Status Youth Practice Model in close coordination with the Department of Family and Protective Services and Harris County Juvenile Probation. She is also the lead trainer on the implementation of the Model and using a strengths-based framework for supporting dual-status youth and families. Megan uses tools of graphic facilitation and visual data sharing to support understanding of our work. Prior to CA4Y, Megan worked for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for 7 years in a variety of roles including Investigator, Child Fatality Worker, Supervisor, and Family Group Facilitator. Megan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University.

JADE MILLER

Senior Project Associate

Jade Miller serves as an intermediary for Houston’s ongoing projects. Her expertise is in non-profit work that is based around domestic abuse survivors/victims and the Juvenile Justice System. She has served as a mentor to 50+ young girls and women by teaching them that they are not and will never be their circumstances. Jade holds a BA in Political Science and Communications from Sam Houston State University and is an upcoming JD Candidate for Fall 2023 with hopes to impact the Juvenile Justice space by becoming a court judge to help uphold the shift into holistic restoration for juvenile youth. Amongst all other things Jade is a boy mom of 2 that definitely keeps her sharp and enjoys distressing and centering herself in the gym and with yoga.

**WILLIE HARRIS**
*Youth Justice Director*
Willie Harris is a Chicago born native with 13+ years working to implement positive youth development into youth curriculum programs throughout the Chicago area. Willie attended Lane College in Jackson Tennessee with a focus in Criminal Justice. He is committed to embracing positive youth development, pouring into the youth to help them become the best version of themselves, and giving back to the community. Willie strongly believes that embracing one's past motivates one's drive to a better future. He continues to share his knowledge, personal experience, and skills with the youth-serving community as he leads training and programs, especially about how to excel beyond one's environment or upbringing as well as parenting youth to become the best version of themselves. Willie is honored to work with young people on a daily basis and seeks out opportunities to help them recognize their amazing capabilities. He is committed to working collaboratively with community partners to develop and implement strategic solutions to help motivate youth to reach their full potential.

**JERNARD BROWN**
*Project Associate*
Jernard is a passionate individual who was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and raised in Houston, Texas. Growing up in a single-mother household with his two brothers, he learned the importance of hard work and dedication. Jernard's interests include sports, music, and juvenile justice reform. He is particularly passionate about preventing kids from going to jail and promoting alternatives to incarceration. His advocacy work in the field of juvenile justice reform has been influential in inspiring positive change. In his free time, Jernard enjoys playing sports, listening to and creating music, and spending time with loved ones. He is dedicated to making the world a better place and hopes to inspire others to join him in his efforts to create a more just and equitable society.

Board of Directors

Lalla V. Morris, CenterPoint Energy

Suri Clark, We-Collab

Edward Jointer, Quinones and Associates

Cindy Alvarado, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC Foundation

Robert Lihalakha, Life Above the Ball

Other Stakeholder Organizations

8 Million Stories

Coalition for the Homeless

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Council for State Governments Justice Center

Covenant House Texas

DePelchin Children’s Center

Earl Carl Institute for Legal and Public Policy

Family Court, Harris County District Courts

Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform

Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice

Fairness and Equity

Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC)

Houston Police Department

Mental Health America of Greater Houston

Prairie View A&M University

Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission

Texas Children’s Hospital

Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD)

Texas Network of Youth Services

Texas Organizing Project (TOP)

The Montrose Center

The Salvation Army Social - Young Adult Resource Center

The State Bar of Texas - Juvenile Law Section

The University of Houston Law Center

YES Prep Public Schools

UT Physicians