Planning Council

Planning Council's Role

The Planning Council provides general oversight to the Reentry Roundtable and assures that the Roundtable's work is consistent with its mission and vision. Guests are welcome to join for monthly Planning Council meetings, held on the second Monday of each month from 12:30-2pm.

To attend, please register in advance via Zoom at https://bit.ly/PlanningCouncilMeetings. To view the 2023 meeting schedule, click here.

The Planning Council's functions include:

Identifying, recruiting, and informing stakeholders
Planning and executing Roundtable meetings and forums
Coordinating committees and workgroups
Developing strategies and action plans
Identifying goals and timelines
Ensuring outcomes are met
Providing fiscal oversight, including identifying and securing funding and other necessary resources.

Executive Committee

Chair
Dr. Charles A. Moody, Jr.
Community Coalition for Health

Vice Chair
Melissa Shearer, LBSW, JD
Travis County Mental Health Public Defender

Immediate Past Chair
Donald J. Tracy
Austin Community College

RAP Representative
Cynthia Simons, RPS, MHPS
Texas Center for Justice & Equity

Nominating Committee

Dr. Charles A. Moody, Jr.
The Rock ATX

Helen Gaebler, JD
UT School of Law

Melissa Shearer, LBSW, JD
Travis County Mental Health Public Defender

Don Tracy
Austin Community College

Planning Council Members

Sonja Burns
Community Representative

Jennifer Carter
Goodwill Central Texas

David Clauss, LMSW
American YouthWorks

Helen Gaebler, JD
UT School of Law

Juanita Garcia
Travis County Public Defender

Mia Greer, RN, BSN, CLIA
Community Coalition for Health

Darwin Hamilton
Community Representative

Carl F. Hunter II, M.Div
Building Promise USA

Cathy McClaugherty
Travis County Justice & Public Safety

Rodolfo (Rudy) Pérez, Jr.
Travis County Adult Probation

Hank Perret
Community Representative

Kaleigh Phelan
Capital Area Private Defender Service

Joe Ramirez
Texas Veterans Commission

Paola Silvestre
Indeed

Louella Tate, Ph.D.
Community Representative

Peter Valdez, LMSW
City of Austin Community Court

Alex Villarreal, LPC
Integral Care

Interested in Joining the Planning Council?

Membership in the Roundtable is open to organizations and individuals who confirm their interest in supporting our mission and work. If you are interested in membership, please contact info@reentryroundtable.org to learn more.

Meeting Minutes

Minutes are available online for past Planning Council meetings:

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

Planning Council Member Interviews:

Reentry Advocacy Project gives that “Safe Place” feeling: An interview with Joe Ramirez

To Know Someone Personally Impacted Was a Wake-up Call for Me: An Interview with Laura Sovine

Laura Sovine, Past Chair, Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable Planning Council Director of Operations, Austin Recovery What brought you to this work? While I was in graduate school to be a therapist, my mom married a man with two sons in prison; one was incarcerated in Georgia and the other was in Huntsville, Texas. My mom …

To Know Someone Personally Impacted Was a Wake-up Call for Me: An Interview with Laura Sovine Read More »

Success Means Having Room to Fail: An Interview with Kenneth Thompson

Kenneth Thompson, Member and Past Co-Chair, Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable Planning Council Fatherhood Program Specialist, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services How long have you been involved with the Roundtable and what brought you to this work? I have been involved with the Reentry Roundtable since about two years after it began. I …

Success Means Having Room to Fail: An Interview with Kenneth Thompson Read More »

Building Alliances is Critical in a Large State like Texas: An Interview with Helen Gaebler

Helen Gaebler, Past Chair, Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable Planning Council Senior Research Attorney, William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, UT School of Law Tell me about your professional background. I grew up in Wisconsin and attended law school there. After graduating and clerking for a year at the Wisconsin Supreme Court, I …

Building Alliances is Critical in a Large State like Texas: An Interview with Helen Gaebler Read More »