Quiana Fisher
Executive director
Quiana is the lead team member of Texas Housers working out of the Austin office. She joins the organization following her previous roles as Vice President of Homelessness Response System (HRS) Programs at ECHO, in addition to extensive experience serving low-income households at Texas Homeless Network, Caritas of Austin, and Foundation Communities. Quiana developed a racial equity framework and a commitment to improving systems on behalf of people who shared experiences like hers, first at historic Texas Southern University and later earning her MSW from the University of Houston. She is focused on building and maintaining authentic relationships with directly impacted Texans, as this prioritization will be essential in this next chapter for the organization.

Sidney Beaty
Research analyst
Sidney works out of the Austin office analyzing data and researching policies relevant to the administration of federal housing and disaster recovery programs in the State of Texas. She has a B.S. in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University and will soon graduate with master’s degrees in Public Affairs and Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. She enjoys spending time with her lovable dog Frank and visiting national and state parks.

Michael Depland
Communications director
Michael manages all communications for our organization, internal and external. Crafts narrative to improve the lives of low-income households including equity issues, disaster recovery, environmental justice, and the Texas Legislature, among many others. He provides editorial leadership for the research and organizing teams, and utilizes social media strategy to shape the environment and conversation regarding housing justice in our state. He graduated with a B.A. in Communication from UTSA and a M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Erin Hahn
Research analyst
Erin’s research at Texas Housers is focused on the impacts of COVID-19 on affordable housing and communities of color. She evaluates the effectiveness of rental assistance programs to meet the needs of low-income Texans today and the potential for programs to promote housing stability into the future beyond the pandemic. Based in San Antonio, her work also includes tracking local evictions of low-income recipients of federal aid and advocating for their protection against housing discrimination. She graduated from Trinity University in 2021 with a B.A. in Urban Studies and a Minor in Economics.

Ben Martin 
Deputy director
Ben analyzes housing need and availability, eviction and foreclosure data, and housing assistance spending at the local, state, and federal level. He supports the organization with a wide variety of research and analysis tasks. Ben is an urban planner whose past work has focused on displacement mitigation, cultural planning, and economic development. He holds an M.S. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin. He’s also a big music nerd, bike enthusiast, and bookworm.

Julia Orduña
Southeast Texas regional director
Julia as regional director focuses on housing affordability, lack of access to safe and dignified housing, and climate change in Houston and surrounding areas. Her work in the organization shines a light on current issues pertaining to disaster recovery and how to address the housing need in a more efficient and equitable manner. She holds a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University and a Masters in Public Administration from Texas A&M International University. She likes musicals, participates in slam poetry, and enjoys spending time with her talking dog.

Isla Ruiz
Operations and Development Manager
Initially joining us as a member of our Houser Academy, Isla focuses on establishing organization and efficiency in office operations as well as fundraising and innovating fresh ideas into the organization’s workflow. In their spare time, they enjoy playing Animal Crossing, rewatching comfort shows, or cooking in the kitchen and experimenting with different recipes with their partner.