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 director
Sidney leads Texas Housers’ research work out of the Austin office. She supports the organization’s advocacy and community power building work through research and analysis. Her work includes developing tools to communicate public data to a variety of audiences and monitoring local, state, and federal housing policy and programs to support better outcomes for low-income Texans. She has a B.S. in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University and 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, visiting national and state parks, and spreadsheets.

Michael Depland
Communications manager
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.

Jax Garcia
Statewide community organizing and power building director
Jax has grassroots organizing experience that is rooted in relationship building with directly impacted communities and focused on issues relating to public education, immigration justice, and electoral engagement. Their mission at Texas Housers is to cocreate collective power with organizational partners centering housing justice advocacy across Texas and build creative organizing strategies that reflect the lived experience of those affected by housing inequity. As a firm believer that sustainable change is grounded from trust and a common goal, Jax is dedicated to empowering the voices of low-income Texans and mobilizing leaders in communities to organize. As native San Antonian, they enjoy connecting with nature by visiting local trails and going on long bike rides.

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.

Favianna Moreno 
Advocacy director
Favianna oversees the organization’s development of legislative priorities, policy public education efforts, and maintaining meaningful relationships with impacted communities across Texas. She came to Texas Housers from the Texas House of Representatives, where she served as Chief of Staff and Policy Director. Prior to her legislative work, she worked on colonia-focused housing advocacy in the Rio Grande Valley. A Brownsville native, Favianna holds a B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice from St. Edward’s University. In her free time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her two dogs and cat, and time at her home in Northwest Austin with her partner.

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.