Time outdoors sparks curiosity, builds confidence, strengthens academic achievement and supports children’s overall well-being. Yet students with differing abilities often face barriers to accessing meaningful outdoor learning opportunities. With support from the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation, two Austin-area organizations are developing environmental education curricula meant to overcome these barriers and meet the needs of youth with visual and hearing impairments.
Families in Nature, which connects youth to the outdoors through nature-based education, cultivated a partnership with the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to develop accessible outdoor learning experiences on the school’s 40-acre Austin campus. Families in Nature created a comprehensive outdoor education guide tailored for the school’s students in English and Spanish, and is producing braille and audio formats, with the latter produced in partnership with students. The organization is also developing tactile learning materials, training the school’s educators to deliver the program, and hosting special events on campus like “Camping 101” and nature-based family activities that help students build confidence outdoors.
Pease Park Conservancy restores, maintains and activates Austin’s oldest public park. Through its Peasecology School Program, the Conservancy transforms the 84-acre greenspace into an outdoor classroom for central Texas youth, including elementary-aged students from the Texas School for the Deaf. Through this partnership, the Conservancy provides transportation from the school to the park, meals and American Sign Language interpretation to deliver outdoor lessons and service-learning projects focused on local ecosystems and conservation, while sharing tools for students to engage safely and comfortably in outdoor spaces.
These partnerships represent an important step toward environmental justice, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to explore, learn and enjoy the benefits of the outdoors. Importantly, both Families in Nature and Pease Park Conservancy are committed to sharing their resources and lessons learned so that they can support others in pursuing inclusive environmental education programming. According to Allison Johnson, Director of Community Engagement at Pease Park Conservancy, “These field trips not only provide an opportunity for the Texas School for the Deaf students to step out of the classroom and learn from new people and experiences, but they have helped the Pease Park Conservancy team become more adept at planning for and leading field trips that are inclusive and adaptable to a variety of student needs.”
Carolina Salmeron joined the Foundation as Program Officer in 2022. She previously served as Senior Director of Programs for Healthy Futures of Texas, where she led local and statewide initiatives that developed and implemented inclusive, culturally sensitive, and medically accurate sexual education and resources for adolescents and their families. Prior to that, as Program Officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Carolina led youth programs and partnered with reproductive justice champions around the globe to elevate youth voice and leadership. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. Carolina currently serves on the board of MECA, a Houston nonprofit committed to the healthy development of underserved and underrepresented families.
Julia Gutierrez, Executive Assistant, joined the Foundation in 2021 after almost five years at the Houston Zoo. Having worked in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds, Julia brings years of experience in management and administrative roles. A native Houstonian, Julia received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston. She maintains a passion for Houston’s native flora and fauna and is an avid fan of the trails along Buffalo Bayou.
Alan Chang joined the Foundation as Director of Finance in 2023. He previously served for 14 years as Controller at the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation in Houston, Texas, where he led all aspects of the accounting, finance and investments processes. Prior to that, Alan served as a staff auditor at a local accounting firm, serving nonprofit and private foundation clients. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accountancy and taxation from the University of Houston and is a Certified Public Accountant in Texas.
Deborah Mueller, the Foundation’s Director of Operations and Grants Management, has worked on behalf of the Foundation in a variety of capacities for nearly 25 years. She first met Terry and Jake Hershey in 1996 while volunteering for Urban Harvest, an organization that Terry helped to establish. When Terry learned that Deborah was using her computer and organizational skills to help transfer Urban Harvest’s books from a paper-based system to a computer-based one, Terry immediately recruited her to do the same for the Foundation. Deborah has a BA in Art from Rice University, and has spent her career working for both for-profit and non-profit organizations in various management capacities, primarily focused on systems development, project management, and corporate governance.
Elizabeth Love has served as CEO of the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation since 2020. Prior to that, she served as Senior Program Officer at Houston Endowment, where she led environmental and health-related initiatives for 11 years. Before entering philanthropy, Elizabeth served as the Director of Harris County Public Health’s Office of Policy and Planning, overseeing the department’s legislative affairs, strategic planning and evaluation efforts, and started her career as a fellow for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Elizabeth received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University and a master’s degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health. Elizabeth serves on the boards of Commission Shift, the Environmental Integrity Project and The Funders Network, as well as on the Steering Committee of the Climate and Energy Funders Group and the Advisory Board of the School of Social Sciences at Rice University. Elizabeth is a past president of the Junior League of Houston.
Angelica Razo is the Deputy Director of Campaigns and Programs for Mi Familia Vota, where she oversees efforts to increase political representation and power for the Latinx community through electoral, advocacy and community organizing strategies. Angelica serves on the steering committees for Houston in Action and the Race Equity Leadership and Research Collective; co-chairs the Government Affairs committee for the Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience; and serves on the Houston 2036 Environment Task Force. Angelica obtained her B.A. from Rice University, where she remains connected as a Board member for the Society of Latino Alumni, and is a graduate of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Emerging Leaders Institute. In 2021, Angelica was featured in the inaugural edition of the Houston Chronicle’s “¡Extraordinarios! 10 Houston Latinos who are making a difference.”
Dr. Bakeyah Nelson is the Principal for Community Health Collaborative Consulting, where she partners with community, nonprofit and philanthropic partners to move environmental justice, climate justice and health equity forward. Bakeyah previously served as an Initiative Director supporting Bloomberg Philanthropies, as Global Initiatives Director for Climate Imperative, as Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston, and in Harris County Public Health’s Office of Policy and Planning, where she led health equity initiatives. Bakeyah serves on the Participatory Working Group for the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice and the Advisory Committee for the Environmental Integrity Project’s Center for Applied Environmental Science. She was a founding member of the New Giving Collective, a giving circle that supports and responds to the needs of the Black community. Bakeyah earned her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Bakeyah was named 2020 Clean Air Champion of the Year by the Texas Energy Summit
Dr. Olive Hershey, the Foundation’s longest-serving Director, has been a member of The Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation’s board since 1993. She is the daughter of Jacob Hershey and aunt of Jeffrey Hershey. Before she joined the Foundation Board, Olive was an early member of the Board of Directors of the Sierra Blanca Legal Defense Fund, and currently serves on the Board of Save Buffalo Bayou. She is the author of the novel Truck Dance and is a graduate of the University of Houston creative writing program, where she studied under Donald Barthelme, among others. Her most recent book project Ay, Que Vida!, a biography of Houston artist and activist Gertrude Levy Barnstone, is nearing completion. She has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. She is very active in Houston environmental issues and works continually to learn of new efforts to improve the air quality in Houston.
Dr. Kimberly Baker is the Director of the Office of Public Health Practice and Engagement at UTHealth School of Public Health (UTSPH) and serves as an Assistant Professor. Her research interests include reproductive and sexual health, health disparity elimination and the impact of racism on health. She manages We Can Do More, a multi-partner, system-level intervention to increase access to contraception for women in Harris County. She has also developed sexual health interventions informed by community needs targeting males, faith institutions and health providers. She is the co-founder of Full Circle Strategies Consulting Group, a firm that works with agencies across the nation to lessen the impact of racism through strategic planning, training and coaching. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hampton University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and her Doctorate of Public Health from UTHealth School of Public Health.
Amie Rodnick has served on the Board of the Foundation since 1995. She is a cousin of Terry Hershey and a semi-retired attorney in Austin. Amie has served as a past President of Meals on Wheels, the Eanes Education Foundation, Verde Valley School, and as Chair of the City of Rollingwood Planning and Zoning Commission. In addition, she has served on the Rollingwood City Council, the Board of Directors of Jane’s Due Process, Travis County Lawyer Referral Service, and the State Bar Grievance Committee (including as panel chair). She is current President of the Travis County Women Lawyers Association Scholarship Fund, an Immediate Past President of Collaborative Divorce Austin, and a current Board Member of the Travis County Dispute Resolution Center. She also serves on the Fort Marcy Homeowners Association Board in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Prior to opening her private practice in Austin, Amie served under Mark White and Jim Mattox in the Charitable Trusts Section of the Attorney General’s Office. She is a graduate of UT Austin and UT Law and was board certified in family law for 35 years, a credentialed distinguished mediator for 15 years, and is currently still a Texas Super Lawyer.
Dr. Andrew Sansom has served on the Foundation Board since 2007. He is one of Texas’ leading conservationists, having served as Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Executive Director of the Texas Nature Conservancy. Under his leadership at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Dr. Sansom spearheaded a number of significant programs, including founding the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, which has raised over $150 million for conservation in Texas to date, and adding over 500,000 acres to the State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas. He is a recipient of the Chevron Conservation Award, The Chuck Yeager Award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, The Pugsley Medal from the National Park Foundation, the Seton Award from the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Nature Conservancy. Dr. Sansom is a Distinguished Alumnus of Austin College and is a graduate of Texas Tech University. His published works have appeared in such publications as Texas Monthly and The Texas Observer and he is the author of eight books, including recent publications Of Texas Rivers and Texas Art and Seasons of Selah. He now serves as Professor of Practice in Geography and is founder of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University.
Jeffrey Hershey has been a director on the Foundation’s board since 2001 and has served as its President since 2017. He is the grandson of Jacob Hershey and is the owner and manager of a 2000-acre rice and grain farm in Wharton County Texas. He has worked for the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Stormwater Research Group, Lower Colorado River Authority, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Adjutant Generals Department in various capacities, including as Manager, Natural Resource Specialist, Wildlife Biologist, and Park Specialist. He is a graduate of Fort Lewis College with a degree in Environmental Studies.
Terry Hershey began her activist conservation work in the early 1960s when Buffalo Bayou was threatened with channelization as a means to prevent flooding.
As owner of an inland marine transportation business and former competitive sailor, Jake Hershey was vitally interested in the health of Galveston Bay and area waterways