Board of Directors

Created on Thursday, 19 May 2011 20:35

Laramie Boyd Gorbett, MA

Executive Director and Founder

Laramie has always fostered a passion for activism and has taken that passion and implemented it into her personal, academic and professional life. She received her BA in Anthropology from Texas Tech University in 2002 where she was a McNair Scholar, President of Lamda Alpha Honor Society and President of the Sociology Club. In her graduate studies at New Mexico State University (MA 2006) and USC she used non-human primates as models to explore violence against females from a cross-cultural, biological and evolutionary perspective. Laramie has many years of experience working with survivors in various capacities, including her work at Women’s Protective Services, Lubbock Rape Crisis Center, Domestic Violence Educational Services in California, Williamson County Crisis Center, Hope Alliance and the Trinity Center. She is an active volunteer in the Austin non-profit community and enjoys creating art. She has been in six different productions of the Vagina Monologues and has worked to bring awareness to many social justice issues. She looks forward to seeing Empower Art grow and positively impact young survivors and the greater Austin community.

Andra Snyder, MT-BC, NMT, MMT

Board Member

Andra completed her Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Music Therapy from Sam Houston State University in 2006 and completed an internship with individuals diagnosed with psychiatric disorders at the Waco Veterans’ Affairs Hospital. Andra became the Director of Music Therapy at the Austin State Supported Living Center (formerly the Austin State School) in 2007 where she works with individuals diagnosed with intellectual and physical disabilities, psychiatric diagnoses, and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Andra completed training in Neurologic Music Therapy (2007) at Colorado State University with Dr. Michael Thaut and is currently pursuing a Master of Music Therapy degree through Colorado State University.

As a music therapist, Andra has witnessed the ability of individuals to increase their self awareness through music and other art forms.  Through this increased awareness of self, individuals can increase their self esteem and autonomy in order to live the highest quality of life possible.  Andra is excited to be a part of Empower Art’s mission to assist adolescents in recovering from violence and abuse.

Dana Dawson, BA

Board Member

Dana graduated from Texas Tech University in 2002 with a Bachelor degree in Psychology.  She has worked with a variety of different populations, including adults and adolescents with mental retardation, autism, brain injuries, and mental illness.  She has also volunteered as a mentor to adolescents through the San Marcos Youth Council in San Marcos, TX.  Currently, she works in the Quality Assurance department of the Austin State Supported Living Center (formerly the Austin State School) and she enjoys playing and teaching children to play the piano. She believes in the mission of Empower Art and looks forward to serving youth in need.

Bernard Klinke, MSSW

Board Member, Secretary

Information to come.

Jaime completed her undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Licensed in state of Texas as a Professional Counselor since 2005 and board approved as a LPC Supervisor since 2010, Jaime currently works with individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Her counseling background includes solution-focused therapy with military families and couples, psychoeducation in women's health, addictions counseling with adolescents and adults, and behavioral modification in a correctional setting with juvenile offenders. Also, Jaime is pursuing her education in the area of behavior analysis. In dedicating her career to challenging populations, Jaime has seen the the healing effect of art and artistic expression in individuals dealing with life's struggles. She has helped with the revision of the My Power, My Art workshop curriculum.

Information to come

Information to come

Ashley Loyd, BA

Former Board Member / Affiliated Professional

Ashley completed her degree in Religion and Classical Studies from Kalamazoo College (2007, Kalamazoo, MI).  She is currently an advocate at the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the Love Is Respect National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. She is currently earning her Master in Social Work degree at the University of Texas at Austin.  She wants to be part of Empower Art in order to help young people, and especially young women, find the strength and resolution to make good choices for their lives, heal from the violence they have experienced and live with a zero-tolerance attitude toward interpersonal violence.

Meredith Mull

Board Member (Inactive) / Affiliated Professional

Meredith Mull works at the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) in Austin, Texas, as a Hotline Advocate providing crisis intervention services, referrals, resources and safety planning to callers. Meredith is also a member of NDVH’s Training and Wellness team, providing training and support for new advocates as well as leading monthly Wellness sessions for all NDVH advocates and staff. She received a BA in Journalism/Public Relations from Baylor University. Upon college graduation, Meredith served a one-year term as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) in Austin and continues to serve as a Volunteer Ambassador for CAFB. Meredith also volunteers regularly with the Sustainable Food Center and Women and their Work art gallery. Meredith’s mission is to love, serve and inspire others - creatively working to enact change, treading lightly on the earth, surrounding herself with inspiration and being happy and at peace.

Richard Guerra, MLA

Board Member (Inactive) / Affiliated Professional

A native of San Antonio, Richard Guerra received his BA in Theatre Arts from the University of the Incarnate Word, where he was a McNair Scholar. After his undergraduate studies, he went on the academic lam, during which his exposure to the addicted, abused, and impoverished fostered in him a commitment to the public interest. He arrived in Austin, without a penny or a plan, and enrolled in the MLA program at St. Edward’s University, which he completed in 2007. He has worked in various avenues of art, activism, and education as a performer, curator, canvasser, zinester, cultural arts panelist, researcher and educational writer. Richard believes that the services provided by Empower Art are necessary and substantially helpful for young people who are coping with abuse.