Get to know the amazing Austin Bat Cave team!
Richard Z. Santos (he/him/his)
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 (she/her/hers)
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.
Xóchitl Gonzalez (she/her/hers)
Program Manager
Xóchitl 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 (she/her/hers)
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.
Keegan Shepherd (they/them/theirs)
Development Director
Keegan Shepherd has called Austin home since 2017. As Development Director, Keegan works with the rest of the ABC team to ensure our programs remain healthy so that we can continue to grow our writing community. Before joining ABC, they were the development director at Texas Fair Defense Project; they also led fundraising and membership efforts for USF’s Graduate Assistants United and Lady Science magazine. Keegan holds a doctorate in history from the University of South Florida and has been, at various times, a community college teacher, union organizer, policy coordinator, and essayist.
Board of Directors
- Deborah de Freitas, President
- Dalia Azim
- Timothy Braun
- Lillian Brown
- Miguel Fernandez
- Susie Gidseg
- Joel Gross
- Indira Gutierrez
- Kyle Hawley
- Chris Kerns
- Cecily Parks
- Simone Pollard
- Laura Razo
Associate Council
- Cindy Stewart, President
- Melissa Beckham
- Tracy Boyd
- Chris Friedrich
- Alina Grabowski
- Lizzy Lincoln
- Kat Moore
- Amanda Nyren
- Brad Wilson
- Mary Zuniga Johnson
Advisory Council
- Roberto Ainslie
- Wendy Carnegie
- Claudia Chidester
- Doug Dorst
- Spike Gillespie
- Tom Grimes
- Katie Angermeier Haab
- 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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