Get to know the amazing Austin Bat Cave team!
Richard Z. Santos
Executive Director
Richard Z. Santos has a degree in English and History from UT Austin, an MA in English from Georgetown University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Texas State University. He taught nearly every English class and elective from grades 8-12 and most of the Social Studies courses. Trust Me, his debut novel, was published by Arte Público Press. In a previous career, he worked for some of the nation’s top political campaigns, consulting firms, and labor unions.
Leticia Urieta
Program Director
Leticia is a proud Tejana writer from Austin, TX. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and holds an MFA in Fiction writing from Texas State University. She has been a teacher and teaching artist in the greater Austin area for ten years and loves working with folks to help them tell their stories.
Xochitl Gonzalez
Program Manager
Xochitl is an Austin native and lives with her two dogs. Her first experience with a nonprofit was Austin Bat Cave, and it was so impactful she decided to major in business and pursue a career in the industry of giving back. Working for the people who started it all for her is a dream come true.
Heather Jones
Intergenerational Program Manager
Heather holds a degree in comparative literature from Oberlin College and a master’s in social work from UT Austin and is passionate about developing programs that teach writing as a tool for healing and social change. At ABC, Heather leads therapeutic journaling groups for teens and seniors in partnership with the St. David’s Foundation Connecting Generations Learning Collaborative. Prior to joining ABC, she worked in the areas of publishing, youth mental health, and restorative practices.
Board of Directors
- Deborah de Freitas, President
- Rachel McElroy, Vice President
- Dalia Azim
- Sindya Bhanoo
- Timothy Braun
- Miguel Fernandez
- Joel Gross
- Indira Gutierrez
- Kyle Hawley
- Simone Pollard
- Laura Razo
- Aisha Gayle Turner
Associate Council
- Susan Johnston Taylor, President
- Melissa Beckham
- Tracy Boyd
- Chris Friedrich
- Alina Grabowski
- Lizzy Lincoln
- Kat Moore
- Amanda Nyren
- Cindy Stewart
- Brad Wilson
- Mary Zuniga Johnson
Advisory Council
- Roberto Ainslie
- Wendy Carnegie
- Claudia Chidester
- Doug Dorst
- Spike Gillespie
- Tom Grimes
- Syed Ali Haider
- Michael Hall
- Shaun Jordan
- Keith Kreeger
- Richard Linklater
- James Magnuson
- Naomi Shihab Nye
- James Pennebaker
- Ruth Pennebaker
- Lara Prescott
- June Rodil
- Evan Smith
- Ana Stapleton
- Natalia Sylvester
- S. Kirk Walsh
- Simone Wicha
Volunteer with Austin Bat Cave
Every year, Austin Bat Cave is fortunate to work with an amazing team of volunteers who provide one-on-one and small-group writing support. They inspire students to undertake and complete writing projects which they proudly share. Students emerge from our programs with edited and polished written projects, greater confidence in their voices, sharpened writing skills, and a lifelong appreciation for writing.
If you’re interested in learning more about volunteering, please contact our Program Director or join our volunteer list.
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