Erica Gonzalez ’14 (L) and Lila Valencia ’11 (R) are using data to
stories of our neighbors – and to shape the future of two Texas cities.
UTSA
Administration
Lynne Cossman, Ph.D.
Inaugural Dean
Rhonda BeLue, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Partnerships
Alberto Cordova, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Success
Kelly Garza
Assistant Dean of Fiscal Administration and Operations
Erica Sosa, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research Success
Johnelle Sparks, Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Faculty Success and Administration
Rob Tillyer, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Graduate Student Success Department Chairs
John Bricout, Ph.D.
Social Work (incoming)
Amy Chanmugam, Ph.D.
Social Work (Outgoing)
Nancy Cheak-Zamora, Ph.D.
Public Health (incoming)
Sandor Dorgo, Ph.D. Kinesiology
Richard Hartley, Ph.D.
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Sandra Morissette, Ph.D.
Psychology
Sara B. Oswalt, Ph.D.
Public Health (Outgoing)
Francine Romero, Ph.D.
Public Administration
Ray Swisher, Ph.D.
Sociology and Demography
iHCAP
Center for Applied Community and Policy Research
Michael Smith, J.D, Ph.D.
Center for Community Based and Applied Health Research
Erica Sosa, Ph.D.
Meizi He, Ph.D.
Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research
Lloyd Potter, Ph.D.
Institute for Health Disparities Research
Fernando Riosmena, Ph.D.
Texas Demographic Center
Lloyd Potter, Ph.D.
Stay Connected
To keep up with general news about the College for Health, Community and Policy, we encourage you to visit hcap.utsa.edu. If you would like to receive our e-newsletter, please make sure we have your email address (send to: hcap@utsa.edu).
To submit class notes and photos (1-5MB), please email hcap@utsa.edu. We reserve the right to edit submissions.
Engage is published bi-annually for alumni and friends by the College for Health, Community and Policy. If you have opinions or comments on the articles, please email hcap@utsa.edu or write to us:
Downtown campus
UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy
501 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. San Antonio, TX 78207
Main campus
UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy
1 UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249
Engage staff
Writers: Amanda Cerreto
Editors: Amanda Cerreto, Lynne Cossman, Julia Wolf
Designers: Peggy Lo, Gregory Schneider
Cover story photography: Julián P. Ledezma
Individual
NEW FACULTY
Qiliang He, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Psychology
Chia (George) Hsu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Public Health
Eduardo Gandara Garcia, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Public Health
Ian Johnson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Social Work
NEW DEPARTMENT CHAIRS
John Bricout, Ph.D.
Social Work
John Bricout, PhD, MSW, is professor and chair of the Department of Social Work in the University of Texas at San Antonio College for Health, Community and Policy. His research examines the sociocultural aspects of participatory, ethical design for robotics and intelligent assistive technologies, training and policy development. He conducts mixed methods research in a variety of settings, often working closely with community-based organizations, and explores the role of policy in ensuring a human-centric approach to human-AI collaborations. He is a Fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research, and a Network Co-lead for the Grand Challenges in Social Work Harnessing Technology for the Social Good.
Yongjae Nam, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Criminology and Criminal Justice
Gregory Orewa, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Public Health
Robin Stassen, MPH
Senior Lecturer, Public Health
Nancy Cheak-Zamora, Ph.D.
Public Health
Dr. Nancy Cheak-Zamora is a professor and the chair of the Department of Public Health in the University of Texas at San Antonio College for Health, Community and Policy. She is a health services researcher with expertise in developmental disability, autism, and health care transition. Her research on Health Care Transition (HCT) for autistic youth was the first in the field and has led to improvements in healthcare delivery and inspired research in this area. She is committed to improving the quality of care for children and youth with special healthcare needs. Dr. Cheak-Zamora has had the pleasure of serving as an invited contributor to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorders Research across multiple years, is the Past-Chair of the Maternal and Child Health Section of the American Public Health Association, serves on the health care transition Research Consortiums Executive Board and on the editorial board of Autism in Adulthood journal.
Dean's Note
Four years. The College for Health, Community and Policy celebrates its official anniversary of launching on September 1 this year and we have now been serving the largest number of Roadrunners—more than any other college—at UTSA for four years. Many in our first cohort of graduates who started with HCAP in fall 2020 graduated in May of this year. We have highlighted some of these students in our Start to Finish feature. These students span all of our eight disciplines and have completed many hours of internships, preparing them for careers in healthcare, policy and leadership.
We are hitting our stride for sure. We are no longer building the college; we are sustaining, finetuning, and growing the college. In these four years we have launched many new academic programs. We now have bachelor’s degrees in Social Work, Health and Nutrition, Health, Aging and Society, and Health Care Administration. We have also launched a Master of Science in Health, Community and Policy which offers students an excellent opportunity to study health promotion, data management, health disparities or health policy—in four terms they can complete the degree requirements. This program launched with three dozen students in the fall and another three dozen this spring! We are also growing in concert with UT Health San Antonio in that we’re building a collaborative School of Public Health with them. The MPH students will be on campus this August and we are planning for two doctoral programs to be launched in fall 2026. Planning will start soon for those two doctoral programs.
HCAP is also celebrating many of our alumni in this year’s magazine. We are highlighting Lila Valencia '11 and Erica Gonzalez '14 on the cover this year. They are two Latina alumnae who are working the in the policy arena and we are so proud of the differences they are making. We also highlight Tim Morrow (Sociology, ’97) who is the Executive Director of the San Antonio Zoo—from sociology to a zoo’s executive director—everyone’s path is interesting and different! We also are covering three Master of Public Administration graduates— Jeff Coyle ’07, Lori Houston ’03 and David McCary ’16 —who are all Assistant City Managers for the City of San Antonio. It is so wonderful that this program has trained half of the Assistant City Managers for our city.
Looking forward to the next four—and forty— years of improving the health and wellbeing of San Antonians, Texans, and Americans, as well as global citizens.
Dean’s Advisory Council
The Council’s mission is to drive strategic direction while promoting the college’s mission to community partners and stakeholders. The vision of the Council is to offer support and collaborate through local, regional and nationally recognized experts across the community, health and policy sectors.
Carl Negley (Board Chair) Owner/President, Medvolution, Inc.
Kara Allen
Chief Strategic Officer, San Antonio Spurs
Jimmie O. Keenan, MSN, RN, FACHE, FAAN, Major General (Ret) US Army
Sr. Vice President, Enterprise Clinic Operations, WellMed Medical Management Inc.
Jaime Wesolowski
President and CEO, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas
Claude Jacob, DrPH, MPH Director, City of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District
Chiquita A. Collins, Ph.D.
Vice President, Opportunity, Outreach & Health Access Associate Research Professor Department of Population Health Sciences Long School of Medicine
Phil Beckett, Ph.D. CEO, C3 Health Information Exchange
Dr. Ana “Cha” Guzman Consultant, Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
Terri De La Haya
Senior Vice President of Community Heath & Clinical Services, Retired University Health
George Pedraza
Sr. Vice President and Private Client Advisor Bank of America
Janie Martinez Gonzalez President, CEO and Digital Engineer, Webhead
Senator Leticia Van de Putte Co-Founder and President, Andrade-Van de Putte Consulting
Chris Talley Owner, Talley Communication Strategies
David Gilbertson Virtual Health Informatics
C. Leonard Karge
President, Chenega Environmental, Healthcare & Facilities Strategic Business Unit
Elsa Guerra Williams
Vice President of Membership and Engagement YMCA of Greater San Antonio
Roaring Success: Tim Morrow’s journey from UTSA alum to CEO of the San Antonio Zoo
The majority of American CEOs held undergraduate degrees in business administration, engineering or finance, according to a 2019 Forbes report. This is a trend that Tim Morrow ’97, CEO of San Antonio Zoo, proudly bucks with his BA in sociology from UTSA.
Morrow is a leader who puts his team first, crediting much of his approach to business from the strategies he learned inside the four walls of sociology classrooms at UTSA. Morrow draws on what topics he’s learned from sociology to not only organize his departments but also manage his operations in ways that deliver successful outcomes to the zoo and its visitors.
“My career started in operations, which is 100% sociology,” Morrow said. “It is dealing with how the guests behave, how they're going to react to change – all of that ground-level data. And so, I've brought that operations lens through everything.”
Those and more sociological lessons helped him discover how to lead people by appreciating their talents and diverse skills.
The office space where Morrow and the rest of the Zoo’s executive team reside is an open space with plenty of windows. On any given day, Morrow can glance out his window to see a menagerie of lions, elephants or other exotic animals in transport. In the conference room, large banners hang detailing their mission points: Love, Engage, Act and Protect.
It only takes a few minutes of conversation with Tim Morrow to know that the zoo’s mission is at the foundation of every strategy, interaction
and event at San Antonio Zoo. This is especially noticeable through the zoo’s popular events, such as “Cry me a Cockroach” where you can name a roach after an ex, “Zoo-La-La,” a food and drink fundraiser and “Zen Zoo,” a chance to practice yoga near the flamingos on select Saturday mornings. Followers of their social media channels will find quirky content with an informative edge.
“We've divided our 10 departments into two categories: mission delivering and mission enabling,” Morrow said. “Mission delivering includes areas like animal care, conservation and education, and everyone else is mission enabling, like finance, front gate, culinary, merchandise, maintenance…they all know their role in the big picture.”
That lens grows wider each day, especially as the zoo expands. “I view everything through the lens of a guest,” Morrow explained. “On the website, how many clicks to get where I need? How long are the register lines? How many registers are open and for how long? How many gates are open?”
This guest-first mindset is likely one of the reasons the zoo has seen tremendous growth in the last decade. Since Morrow’s arrival, more than 150 animal habitats have been improved, including a new savanna for giraffes, increasing the jaguar
habitat by over 100% and redesigning and expanding the African lion and rhino habitats. In January 2018, the zoo’s preschool for children, the Will Smith Zoo School, opened and became the largest nature-based preschool in the country.
Morrow’s focus on the zoo’s mission to inspire its community to love, engage with, act for and protect animals and the places they live has been the catalyst for the changes at the zoo.
“Contemporary zoos are judged by how big and natural and enriching their habitats are and how much conservation and education work you're doing.” Morrow welcomes this swing in priorities from zoos in decades past, noting that the education and conservation work is what the zoo is at its core.
Morrow never planned to spend his career in theme parks. He completed two associates’ degrees at San Antonio College, preparing to
follow his father’s steps into law enforcement. “At that time, I was working between Six Flags and SeaWorld as a lifeguard and trainer,” he recalled. “They kept calling me back, I kept saying ‘no,’ and then they kept promoting me.”
Despite his conviction that his work in these parks were summer jobs, Morrow kept going back. When he attended a large industry trade show, he began to see a path separate from law enforcement. “I saw the big picture of what the industry was – it wasn’t just the local theme parks I grew up with,” he said. “And the more I thought about it, sociology seemed like a good fit for this line of work.”
While it was a perk that many of his criminology introductory courses tied into sociology, surveying behavior was what really appealed to Morrow. “Sociology is really studying people and learning patterns of human behavior,” he said. “That is really what theme parks and attractions are doing all the time: trying to figure out the behavior of their customers.”
That background proved instrumental as Morrow grew in his career. From his first stint in 1996 as the supervisor of park operations for SeaWorld, Morrow has held positions as the director of park operations and vice president for the theme park, as well as overseeing the opening of Parque Plaza Sésamo in Monterrey, Mexico, Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida and Aquatica Waterpark in San Antonio. He took the position as CEO of San Antonio Zoo in December of 2014.
“I remember when I was telling my parents I was going to be a sociology
major, my mom asked what I could possibly do with that?” Morrow chuckled at the memory.
“I’m of course glad I majored in sociology, but I’m especially proud that I did it at UTSA.”
The zoo seems to be bursting at the seams with UTSA pride. Apart from Morrow, the Zoo’s COO, Jesse Vargas, is a UTSA graduate along with many employees at all levels. The murals that line the walls of the African area of the zoo were completed by UTSA students. Engineering students have visited to build enrichment
" Morrow welcomes this swing in priorities from zoos in decades past, noting that the education and conservation work is what the zoo is at its core."
items for tigers, lions, elephants and more. The zoo also has a robust internship program and welcomes UTSA students into that pipeline. And they’re not stopping there.
“We have a committee to find ways to scale our successful Will Smith Zoo School, which we hope to involve UTSA in and find teachers, researchers and more to work on that,” he said. “We want to expand our education programs as well as our conservation programs, so there will be so many ways for UTSA students and the university itself to get involved.”
Morrow especially enjoys the fact that UTSA and the zoo are on similar paths of growth.
“I went to UTSA when it was four buildings,” he said. “I remember when the football team first started. And now UTSA is everywhere.”
Morrow’s plans for the zoo aren’t contained to San Antonio, however. The zoo has conservation and research projects in Japan, China, Peru, Chile and others, and there are more to come.
“We are literally touching almost every corner of the planet from this zoo,” he said.
Although Morrow’s family moved from San Antonio when he was a child, he knew even then that one day he would have to return.
“I love San Antonio for so many reasons,” he said. “It’s so collaborative and helpful –you can easily get connected with anyone that can help your cause or mission.”
His enthusiasm for his city and his zoo is catching; it is clear that the conservation and education projects are dear to his heart, and visitors respond to his authenticity and passion. As he detailed the specifics of each conservation project, his hands flying and eyes sparkling, it is perfectly clear that this “man on a mission’s” bottom line is simply to help conserve our planet.
Three accomplished alumni from the Master of Public Administration program are currently serving in the pivotal role of Assistant City Manager for the City of San Antonio. Fueled by a collective dedication to public service, innovative thinking and a shared commitment to the city's future, these HCAP graduates embody the spirit of progress and community enhancement.
Assistant City Managers navigate the complexities of municipal governance in more than 35 departments. They apply their managerial skills and knowledge of policies to ensure the smooth operation of the city.
left to right: Jeff Coyle, Lori Houston, David McCary
Jeff Coyle ’07 MPA
“I didn’t grow up in San Antonio, but I’ve lived here almost 25 years now, and during that time, the city has grown and improved in so many ways. One of the things I love most about working at the City of San Antonio is getting to play a part in the ongoing evolution of our community.”
“I had a communications and media background, but it was the decision to pursue my Masters in Public Administration that really gave me the knowledge and credibility to work in government. Achieving my MPA was one of the best career decisions I’ve made; it has been the key to so many opportunities that followed. I owe so much to my time at UTSA.”
“In recent years, I’ve been given the opportunity to teach a graduate Urban Management class as an adjunct professor. I enjoy it so much – my wife tells me I’m always so happy when I come home from teaching! It is fascinating to work with the students to apply the concepts and principles they’ve learned in the MPA program with the real-world challenges that my colleagues and I face every day at the City.”
Jeff Coyle joined the City of San Antonio in 2013. In his current role, he oversees the Aviation, 311 Customer Service, Government Affairs, Military and Veterans Affairs and Communications & Engagement departments.
Before becoming Assistant City Manager, he directed Government and Public Affairs (GPA), where he served as the City’s chief lobbyist and spokesperson. There, he was responsible for state and federal legislative affairs; strategic communications and media relations; TVSA; the San Antonio.gov website and more.
Coyle also previously directed public affairs and government relations for KGBTexas Communications. He represented a wide range of public and private sector clients at the local, state and federal levels. He helped develop the San Antonio Public Library Strategic Plan, the San Antonio International Airport Master Plan and the Museum Reach of the San Antonio River Improvements Project.
Lori Houston ’03 MPA
Lori Houston was appointed Assistant City Manager in July of 2015. In her role, she oversees the Center City Development and Operations Department, the Department of Arts and Culture, the Office of Historic Preservation, the Department of Human Services, the Neighborhood & Housing Services Department, the World Heritage Office and the Alamo Redevelopment Plan.
These six departments have 650 employees, a combined $250M operating budget and a $500M capital budget.
Houston started her career in municipal government with the City of San Antonio in 2002. Prior to her appointment as Assistant City Manager, she served five years as the Director and Assistant Director of the Center City Development Operations Department. She also served nine years in various capacities within the City’s Public Works Department and City Manager’s Office providing administrative support and managing numerous economic development projects.
During Houston’s tenure with the City, she led the development of major economic development projects such as the San Antonio River Improvements Project, numerous multifamily housing projects that will yield over 12,000 multi-family affordable housing units, the expansion of the University of Texas San Antonio’s downtown campus, and the Alamo restoration and development. She also led the creation and development of the Emergency Housing Assistance Program that provided rental, mortgage, and utility assistance to over 200,000 individuals impacted by the COVID pandemic and the establishment of the City’s Homeless Response System that addresses homelessness through a collaboration among multiple agencies and partners.
David McCary ‘16 CPM, MPA McCary shared that one of his favorite moments in his career includes listening to and acknowledging co-workers that sit in the back of the room, that have the answer to the continuous question, but no one would take the time to ask! “What a lost opportunity!”
Another favorite moment for McCary is having the humbleness as a leader to see, work and acknowledge the greatness in co-workers around daily! “You don’t have to look far to see greatness, it is all around you!”
David McCary was appointed Assistant City Manager in February of 2020. In his current role, he oversees six public facing departments: Animal Care Services, Parks & Recreation, Public Libraries, Office of Sustainability, Office of Resiliency, and Solid Waste Management. He has over 30 years of professional experience in environmental work and solid waste management services. One of his first critical projects as ACM was to evaluate and design new safety protocols in response to the 2020 COVID pandemic. The strategic plan included working in concert with Renee Frieda, Human Resources Director, and Craig Hopkins, Chief Information Executive to implement and execute the City’s first “Return to Work Plan and Contingency Strategies” with safety protocols for 40 City Departments covering over 13,000 municipal employees.
Before joining the City of San Antonio in 2007, the Department of Solid Waste Management averaged an injury a day from failed manual collection practices. McCary was instrumental in eliminating labor related injuries by replacing failed manual collection practices, with innovative automated collections practices. Collectively, his team provided millions of taxes and rate payers dollar savings as a result of innovation. Other automated cities include Houston, Texas; Durham, North Carolina; and Tampa, Florida, all without one employee ever being laid-off in any of these cities.
Through his passion to advance a safer work environment across the nation, McCary led and directed the City of Tampa’s Department of Environmental Services and its Waste-To-Energy facility, where they received over 360,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually. There they successfully converted enough electrical power to supply electrical needs to accommodate over 15,000 Tampa homes monthly. Through McCary’s passion for safety, San Antonio became the first municipality in the world to receive the Safety Accredited ISO 45001 Certification from the International Organization for Standardization. Solid Waste Management continues to hold this world class safety accreditation.
HCAP “Start to Finish”
The first four years of UTSA’s largest college
This spring marked a huge milestone for the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy: its first full cohort of graduates walked the stage to receive their bachelor’s degrees.
HCAP was established in 2020 in response to the city’s growing need for trained professionals amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no better time to form a college that addresses the need for skilled healthcare and policy workers in the city, with a strong emphasis on data and research, to develop solutions to complex problems facing our city.
With first-time virtual schooling and teaching underway, and little information about the scale and treatment of COVID-19, the college’s founding came quietly. Because of the dedication and belief in their mission, faculty shaped a new curriculum and structure – unique to UTSA and Texas higher education – that would prepare students not only for careers, but for roles as change-makers in society.
“I am particularly proud of this cohort of students who started college in the fall of 2020, having missed the opportunity to walk for their high school graduation,” said Lynne Cossman, dean of the college. “Celebrating their successes in the face of adversity at the May commencement was gratifying for all of us. I look forward to seeing all the ways they will create change in San Antonio.”
To celebrate this milestone, HCAP developed the “Start to Finish” campaign, aimed at celebrating the more than 280 members of its first cohort. Students submitted photos and video testimonials reflecting on their time in the college and what it meant for them to be a part of HCAP.
Spearheading the effort was junior Delaney Stevens, a peer mentor for the HCAP Student Success Center. Stevens developed a social media campaign to celebrate the first full cohort and conducted interviews for the graduating seniors.
“Working on the Start to Finish Project brought me into contact with all our amazing graduates,” Stevens said. “I loved hearing their stories and being able to celebrate them on our social media.”
Many of the graduates noted that they began their UTSA careers with interests in fields such as nursing or pharmacy but realized that public health was more aligned with their overall interests and goals. Similar stories are heard from students with ambitions to study law before pivoting to criminology and similar fields.
In four years, HCAP’s enrollment continued to grow, keeping its standing as the largest college at UTSA. Since its founding, HCAP has awarded more than 7,000 degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. As the years passed, the sense of community and belonging with HCAP students grew.
From healthcare management to public policy, from data analysis to cuttingedge research, HCAP’s range of majors equips students to address the unique needs of San Antonio. The college evolved in its short time, adding undergraduate degrees in health, aging and society, nutrition and health and social work, and a graduate degree in health, community and policy.
HCAP graduates are equipped with unique resilience and determination to be forces for positive change in their communities. While the days of virtual learning and pandemics are hopefully behind us, this inaugural group of HCAP graduates serve as not just the products of their education, but the embodiment of its values – compassion, integrity and a relentless pursuit of shaping the future of healthcare and policy.
Two HCAP alumnae shape urban futures
Cesar Chavez wrote, "The end to all knowledge should be the service to others." Using knowledge to help people is a cornerstone of HCAP’s mission. For two of HCAP’s firstgeneration, Latina alumnae, this is also the cornerstone of their careers.
Lila Valencia ’11, a graduate of the Ph.D. in Applied Demography program, and Erica Gonzalez ’14, a graduate of the Master of Public Administration program, spend their days in service of others. Valencia serves as the City Demographer of Austin and Gonzalez is the Director of Food for Today at the San Antonio Food Bank.
These two careers may not seem aligned, but they have several major points in common. The first is that they are constantly providing services to their neighbors, whether in the form of food insecurity relief or data points that help plan out housing and transportation. The second is a heavy reliance on data sets and data analysis.
As Gonzalez and Valencia reflect on their journeys, they are grateful for the opportunity to make a profound difference in their community. Their dedication to public service, coupled with their expertise in policy and data analysis, has enabled them to enact tangible change.
Valencia’s days are steeped in data. She produces population estimates and projections to support the planning and decision-making of city departments, local businesses and organizations and the community at large.
“I produce population estimates to let people know how many people are actually in the city so we can know what kinds of services we're going to need to provide,” she said. “And then we do long range planning with projections: where the city needs to put power lines, water pipes, transportation, et cetera.”
In between all of the data analysis and projections, Valencia and her team are using the data to tell a story.
“We use the data to describe Austin’s differentiators,” she said. “Austin is no longer the fastest growing large metro in the country, so we think about the implications of that – what it means for housing, businesses and that sort of thing.”
Gonzalez, meanwhile, uses data provided by those like Valencia to serve families across San Antonio at the Food Bank. As the director of Food for Today, Gonzalez oversees the immediate needs of residents across 29 counties. She supervises this work with partner agencies, mobile distributions, the “mega” distribution center and more.
“It’s not just about feeding people. It's goes beyond that,” she said. “We look at census information all of the time to better understand the neighbors we’re serving. We’ll look at who makes up that
population, what kind of economic growth there is in that area and really use that data to try to tailor our services to meet a specific need.”
Some of the data the Food Bank gathers is basic demographic information, like addresses, cities, zip codes. Since some programs are tied to specific populations, their team will also gather data like age, household income and more.
Both Valencia and Gonzalez came to UTSA in pursuit of advancing their careers. Valencia had been working as a senior demographer for the Texas Demographic Center and was persuaded to join the brand-new Ph.D. program by the late Steven Murdock.
“I was doing demographic work, but I didn’t really know demography,” Valencia said. “I was a psychology major. But Steve wanted this program to be the face of Texas, and so I joined and learned about demography while in it.”
“We’ll look at who makes up that population, what kind of economic growth there is in that area and really use that data to try to tailor our services to meet a specific need.”
Still, she hesitated initially to join the program, knowing she didn’t want to pursue academia as a career. “I knew that I wanted to do applied work,” she said. “The fact that I could go to a program, gain marketable skills to apply in a way that could give back to my community was really important. And I wouldn’t have my job now if it wasn’t for this program.”
Gonzalez, also armed with an undergraduate degree in psychology, enrolled in the Master of Public Administration program in 2012. Her major concern: balancing her family life with a full-time job while attending a rigorous master’s program. However, the MPA program at UTSA is designed for just that, and she found she fit right in.
“I knew I wanted to work with people, and I had to find a program that could work with my schedule,” she said. “I found the public administration program and the bonus was the certificate for nonprofit management and leadership.”
“…we do long range planning with projections: where the city needs to put power lines, water pipes, transportation, et cetera.”
Gonzalez credits the program for furthering her understanding of the unique needs and functions of nonprofits. “I learned the importance of having a very true understanding of what your mission is, and your board members and the support you're getting from them, and your bylaws and all of these things that develop this solid foundation for a nonprofit.”
Valencia and Gonzalez not only built the skills they needed for their careers, but found camaraderie with their classmates and role models in their instructors.
“Johnelle Sparks was such an inspiration to me,” Valencia said. “Here she was, a woman in this career, with a family, and doing it all – and it showed me that I could be that, too.”
Gonzalez was raising her daughter while enrolled in the program, and when exams rolled around in her final year she was pregnant with her second.
“Looking back on it, I’m not sure how I managed, but the program was just so accommodating,” she said. “I just remember thinking that I needed to get through my last final before going into labor!”
As both women moved up in their careers and grew their families, they realized how valuable
their time was at UTSA – not only for their jobs, but for trailblazing. As first-generation Latinas, they felt they had an extra weight on their shoulders to succeed and work every day to be the role models for their families and communities.
Every day, Valencia and Gonzalez show up to work knowing what they do matters. It’s a responsibility they don’t take lightly, and they are eager to educate their communities on the importance of their work.
“A lot of people don't know what demography is, but once they do know, they realize what a wealth of knowledge comes with that,” Valencia said. “It can be scary that I'm going to put out a population estimate number, and people are going to make decisions based on that number.”
The pressure to get it right is immense, but knowing that there’s no such thing as “perfect data” helps ease that pressure. “There's all sorts of assumptions that we're making with that imperfect data, so we can give a policymaker or service provider this information to better their services.”
Gonzalez notes that she faces a lot of pressure on her data as well, since it’s more than simply
passing out food to those in need. “We can pass along our neighbors’ food benefits; however, we’ll also provide information on federal programs, workforce opportunities, and we’ll help them along in the process,” she said. “With more data, we have an opportunity now to take a deeper dive and a closer look at the data for the communities that we're serving.”
Their paths, often marked by obstacles and challenges, have been illuminated by their shared heritage and the values instilled in them by their families. Their stories are not just ones of professional achievement, but testaments to the power of diversity and representation in shaping a brighter tomorrow.
—
Amanda Cerreto
photography by Julián P. Ledezma
Violent Crime Reduction Plan
In recent years, violent crime across the United States has been in the headlines. FBI statistics indicate a sharp increase in violent crime between 2019-2020, with a steady but uneven decline after 2020.
HCAP researchers set out to reduce violent crime in cities across the country: Tacoma, WA; Salt Lake City, UT; Dallas, TX; and most recently, at home in San Antonio, TX. The team is comprised of Michael Smith, professor, Rob Tillyer, professor, Brandon Tregle, assistant professor, Stephanie Cardwell, assistant professor, Yongjae (David) Nam, assistant professor and graduate student Brett Steib.
Each plan, while unique to its population, follows three phases: Phase 1 involves hot-spots policing, Phase 2 focuses on a Problem-Oriented PlaceBased Policing (POPBP) strategy, while Phase 3 implements focused deterrence, an offenderbased strategy that seeks to support a change in lifestyle for repeat violent offenders.
Drawing from a substantial body of research on the positive impacts hot spots policing can have on reducing violence, all city plans begin with a
hot spots strategy to increase police visibility in areas where violent crime is concentrated. The strategy is evidence-based and relies on increased police visibility, deterrence, and in some cities, a careful focus on repeat offenders rather than generalized “stop and frisk,” zero-tolerance policing or other dragnet tactics.
The hot spot strategy divides the city into 100m x 100m grid squares (or equivalent), identifies which grid areas have the most violent street crimes, and deploys officers to those area during peak crime hours with the emergency lights on their patrol cars flashing as a highly visible deterrent to crime.
While POPBP strategies often have a law enforcement component, the aim is to frequently involve other stakeholders who can help address the conditions that make a particular location attractive for crime. Routine
activities theory suggests that three elements must come together for a crime to occur: a vulnerable victim, a motivated offender and the lack of a capable guardian. This strategy seeks to remove one or more of the pre-conditions to crime to prevent victimization and reduce the likelihood of a crime at the targeted location.
Focused deterrence, first designed and implemented in Boston in the 1990s, is a holistic, resourceintensive process involving multiple law enforcement and community partners. Its goal is to change the behavior of high-risk offenders through a combination of deterrence, arrest, community involvement and the provision of alternatives to violence.
“Focused deterrence is the most successful offenderbased strategy we have to reduce offending by repeat violent offenders,” said Smith. “It offers offenders a range of social, occupational,
SAPD Chief of Police, William McManus, talks with HCAP researchers
PHASE 1
involves hot-spots policing
PHASE 2
focuses on a ProblemOriented Place-Based Policing (POPBP) strategy
PHASE
3 implements focused deterrence, an offenderbased strategy that seeks to support a change in lifestyle for repeat violent offenders
and educational services to help them desist from their violent lifestyles and lead productive, crime-free lives. Offenders who take advantage of the services are often successful at transitioning out of a violent lifestyle, but if they continue to offend, all available criminal sanctions are utilized to incarcerate them if necessary to protect the community.”
As this plan is in the early stages of implementation in San Antonio, it’s useful to look at the successes and areas of improvements of prior plans. Dallas, TX was the first city to implement the Violent Crime Reduction Plan. Now in its third year, the City has reached all three phases of the Crime Plan, including focused deterrence.
Overall, violent crime in Dallas was down more than 15% after the second year of the Crime Plan compared to the previous three years. Violent crime in hot spots was down more than 30% while total arrests decreased city-wide. Significantly, violence-related arrests fell almost 25% in areas of the city that received the hot spots treatments.
Although the Crime Plan’s second phase has shown some success at reducing violent crime in some of Dallas’ most violence-prone places,
implementation was initially slowed by a lack of coordination across city departments.
“Coordinating place-based improvements across multiple city government agencies is challenging, but by the mid-point of year two, the DPD and other city stakeholders had largely worked out a process to bring much needed city resources to bear on some of Dallas’ most troubled communities,” said Smith. Those efforts are paying off with lower levels of violence and calls for service in the POPBP areas.”
The Violent Crime Plan for Tacoma, WA was implemented in July 2022. In its first year, the City experienced a 17.5% decrease in violent street crime incidents, and six months later, violent crime had fallen almost 19% compared to the year before. In its treated hot spots, violent crime was reduced by more than 25% in the first year of the Crime Plan alone. In Salt Lake City, UT, which implemented its plan in September 2022, violent crime was down 11% city-wide after the first year and by a similar amount in treated hot spots.
The plan for San Antonio was implemented in April 2022. Because crime is highly concentrated in urban areas, the SAPD is treating only 35
grids out of more than 135,000 total throughout the city. Hot spot treatments rotate to new grids based on emerging crime trends every 60 days. As of this publication, violent crimes in the treated areas were down 41%.
“The work being done in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice to reduce violent crime has been hugely successful, and we have seen the results in a very quick period of time,” said Lynne Cossman, dean of the college. “This is precisely the sort of work that reflects our college’s mission to improve the health and well-being of people in South Texas and around the nation and world.”
For the full reports, scan here:
— Amanda Cerreto
Jordan Ali Fayadh Kinesiology
Internship: University Hospital Injury Prevention Team
“Being a part of the injury prevention team at such a big system has shown me so many sides of the medical field that I wouldn't be able to see otherwise. I enjoyed being around like-minded individuals who valued health and wellbeing as much as I do. It was invigorating to collaborate with the fellow interns and various staff on a day-to-day basis to spearheard prominent issues within our communities.”
Student Internships
In HCAP, experiential learning is the norm. Hear from five students who had extraordinary internship experiences this year and how they helped shape the trajectory of their careers.
Sarah Akhtar Social Work
Internship: The Social Impact Studio at WestEast Design Group
“The Social Impact Studio is setting new precedents to address housing and homelessness through innovative approaches like trauma-informed design. We are driving social change on a systemic level and WestEast Design is one of the only architect firms in the US with social workers on their team.”
Lori Gallo Social Work
Internship: Bexar County Public Defender’s Office
“Working with the Bexar County Public Defender’s office was an honor of a lifetime.
I am grateful to have been a part of a team that highlights people’s strengths during their struggles and creates space for people to tell their stories. I saw firsthand how humanizing people and fulfilling unmet needs can help change the trajectory of lives and positively impact our community.”
Jackelyn Rodriguez Psychology and Criminology and Criminal Justice
Internship: YWCA San Antonio
“It is great to see YWCA help San Antonio families in need, especially those in my West Side community. My time as an intern helped me establish what I was doing after graduation. I am now in the Graduate program at UTSA and accepted a part-time position at YWCA San Antonio.”
Christine Busse Social Work
Internship: The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
“This internship provided hands-on experience during the 88th legislative session, enhancing my skills in public policy, state-level advocacy, and government relations. I had the opportunity to draft a policy primer to critically examine the nuanced relationship between mental health and violence, dispelling myths and exploring current evidence-based insights. Additionally, I conducted a literature review supporting a grant proposal for paid graduate school internships to support the behavioral health workforce in Texas.
My experiences at the Hogg Foundation taught me the importance of developing strong bipartisan relationships, collaborating with diverse stakeholders, and contributing meaningfully to legislative processes, all while championing sound public policies that support mental health and well-being through informed and strategic advocacy efforts.”
Nathanial Hoecherl
Nutrition and Dietetics
Internship: The Diabetes Prevention Program in the Metropolitan Health Department
"Working in the San Antonio policy sector was a great experience that provided insight into how the city operates and all the opportunities it gives us. It was amazing to work with other college interns with similar interests and even gave us opportunities for future careers after college."
HCAP Traditions
Since its founding in 2020, HCAP has developed several traditions that are enjoyed by students, faculty, alumni and more.
Dean’s Community Lecture Series
The Dean’s Community Lecture Series provides valuable opportunities for current students and community members to become connected with the leaders of today.
Panels are comprised of city leaders in healthcare, policy, government and more. Some notable past panelists and moderators include Henry Cisneros, Vasan Ramachandran, Rebecca Clay-Flores, William McManus and Tommy Calvert.
Tailgate
Each year, HCAP holds a special tailgate at a Roadrunner Football home game. Participants mix and mingle with fellow alumni, Dean Cossman and members of our Dean’s Advisory Council.
Summer Camps
H-Caps
Each college at UTSA is fondly referred to by an acronym, so HCAP took advantage of this to create special H-caps. By attending special events or meeting with Dean Cossman, alumni and community partners can grab one of these limited-edition beauties!
HCAP’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice holds two one-week long summer camps for rising juniors and seniors and incoming freshmen. The camp allows students to explore the many facets of the ever-changing American criminal justice system, including tours of criminal justice facilities and organizations, learning how to dust for fingerprints and more.
Fiesta Medals
First unveiled in 2024, HCAP will continue to produce a yearly medal to commemorate this beloved San Antonio tradition.
CLASS NOTES
Don "Dino" Hampton (Health) has been a licensed massage therapist for the past 25 years. His business is called Healing Hands of Don. He is offering a great deal to his fellow HCAP alumni!
2018
2019
Branden Dross (MPA) is serving in his second city management position since graduating. He is now in the Portland Metro area, leading a city with a population of around 5,000.
Gabriel Alvarez (Criminology and Criminal Justice, Psychology) is currently a doctoral student in Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California Irvine. He is finishing two MA degrees along the way to his Ph.D: an MA in social ecology and an MA in demographic and social analysis. He is anticipating entering the concurrent Ph.D./J.D. program in the fall of 2024.
Vanessa Quintanilla (Kinesiology) is full of nostalgia for her days at UTSA. “At the time, I had no idea I was living the dream, one college memory at a time,” she said. She wants to thank UTSA for being a part of her journey to becoming a Doctor of Occupational Therapy, credited her schooling at UTSA for preparing her to pursue her dream career. After collecting acceptance letters to graduate schools, she chose to travel to Florida to pursue her doctorate. After eight years of education, doctorate internships, earning a white coat, and receiving "Dr." in front of her name, she is proud to represent all of the Hispanic-American Women pursuing their dreams at UTSA! She has successfully become a Supervising Doctor of Occupational Therapy, performing her dream job and touching the lives of individuals she meets both within and outside
of the clinic. “I am proud to be a UTSA graduate, as it has led me to where I am today: blessed, grateful, and absolutely loving life.”
2020
Erika Martinez (MS, Criminology and Criminal Justice) had the opportunity to work for the federal government and the county. “Thanks to the years I spent at the university, it also brought me wonderful relationships with friends, professors, and even a one of a kind significant other,” Martinez said. “To this day, I maintain a positive connection with these individuals and have created new experiences that last for a lifetime. Thank you UTSA!”
2021
John Paul Phillips (MS Health and Kinesiology) completed a thesis as part of his program titled "Assessment of Asymmetry in Posture, Neuromuscular Functional of Trunk Musculature, and Balance in Adolescent Baseball Pitchers." Since graduation, he was accepted into a couple of Doctor of Physical Therapy programs and is currently in his second year at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. He is thrilled to start his first clinical rotation in the summer of 2024.
2022
Rudy Salas (Criminology and Criminal Justice ) is currently serving as the supervisor of loss prevention at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.
Dallana Nicole Camargo (Master of Public Administration) has obtained a new position with the League of Women Voters of Houston as the programs officer for voter services. “I’m really glad to be working for a women's organization, empowering people to vote,” Camargo said. In February, she participated in a panel at the Net Inclusion
conference in Philadelphia, and last year, she was part of the NTEN fellowship, where she created a digital inclusion program from scratch, centered on the needs of the community. This year she was able to present on her experience and the knowledge she gained in creating a program in response to community needs.
Sulema Castillo (Psychology) is excited to announce that she is almost done with her master's degree in learning, design and technology. She is employed with SAISD as an inclusion and resource specialist. In her graduate studies, she had a literature review published in the fall, an accomplishment she is very proud of. This past summer, she went on her first cruise, and the experience surpassed her expectations. “I am grateful for all the opportunities and support that I've received at UTSA because, without their continued support, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to further my education,” she said.
Rogelio “Roger” Narvaez Jr. (Master of Social Work) self-published a memoir on resiliency and family dynamics called Between the Tracks (available on Amazon) and married the love of his life Valerie in January! The couple met doing work with the unsheltered community.
2023
Destiny Chan (Public Health) had finished her first semester of the Primary Care Physician Assistant Program at USC Keck School of Medicine.
Carolynn Ekbaeck (Psychology) is currently working for the Texas State Employees Union, the union that represents workers at UTSA, and is doing research with Dr. Mary McNaughton-Cassill.
Anu Sathya (Psychology) has been accepted into the HCAP experimental psychology funding program!
Mahmuda Sultana (MS Applied Demography) is currently serving as a state data researcher at the Center for Population Studies (CPS), University of Mississippi. Sultana is actively contributing to research initiatives that address critical demographic challenges. Sultana had the honor of participating in the commencement ceremony held in December 2023. Walking across the stage to receive a well-deserved degree, Sultana joined the ranks of our accomplished alumni, showcasing the dedication and hard work that define the Roadrunner spirit. The road to this achievement has been incredibly fulfilling, with the unwavering support of her loving husband, Shahidullah Kaiser, and the arrival of their precious son, Umair, on June 15, 2023.
