Ashley Allison is the executive director of Waco Foundation, where she manages all aspects of a $60 million community foundation with the mission of improving the quality of life in McLennan County.
Ashley obtained her Bachelor of Arts in economics at Baylor and a Master of Arts in political science from West Texas A & M University. During her early career, she worked at a Council of Governments writing grants for public infrastructure projects through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Since 1994, she has worked in the community foundation field, including a total of nine years of service with the $150 million Amarillo Area Foundation where she left as vice president, and two community foundations in the Boston area where she was president & CEO. During her career, she has raised over $25 million in grants and contributions for various community foundation efforts.
Ashley is a member of Waco Rotary, where she was recently elected to the board of directors. She also serves on the Waco Business League, Waco Leadership Forum, the Waco Visioning Board, the Waco Chamber Advisory Board and the Greater Waco Education Alliance Board and Summit Planning Committee. She also serves the membership committee of the Southwest Conference on Foundations. She is a graduate of Leadership Waco (class of 2009) and Leadership Texas (2000).
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Erica Ancira has a background that makes her uniquely qualified as the director of technology & administration at Waco Foundation. Her academic career began at McLennan Community College and includes a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Although she holds a real estate broker’s license, Erica has spent the majority of her career in the legal field and as a restaurant manager. She currently teaches classes in real estate and management information systems at Baylor. Erica oversees all aspects of technology and administration at the Foundation, including office management, records management, grants administration, budget analysis and the creation and implementation of internal policies and procedures. In addition, Erica led the website development team and handles various special projects for the Foundation.
Erica recently received a certification in nonprofit management from the Dallas Center for Nonprofit Management (2011) and has been with the Foundation since 2009.
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Jana Bland graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baylor University with a major in marketing with a minor in French. During her time at Baylor, Jana spent her senior year interning with the Baylor University Department of Community Relations. This opportunity allowed her to be more involved with the Waco community, while developing valuable networking skills.
Upon graduating, Jana accepted the executive assistant position with Waco Foundation. Jana manages all communication and arrangements for the executive office and is part of the Foundation marketing team.
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Rachel Hobbs recently joined Waco Foundation as the coordinator of planned giving. Her initial responsibility will be the development of Waco Foundation’s planned giving program. She will work closely with donors, advisors and area nonprofits to establish a valuable resource for planned giving within our community.
Rachel graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor in Business Administration and a major in accounting, subsequently obtaining her CPA license. Prior to joining the Foundation, she began her career in public accounting with Jaynes, Reitmeier, Boyd & Therrell, P.C. in Waco, where she worked more than 14 years in the Tax Department, concluding her career there as a senior tax manager. During her public accounting career, Rachel worked extensively with high net worth individuals, partnerships and corporations.
Rachel is native to the Waco community and remains very involved in community activities and area nonprofit organizations, both personally and professionally.
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Leslie Mitchell graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor in Business Administration and a major in accounting, subsequently obtaining her CPA license. She spent 20 years of her accounting career with Jaynes, Reitmeier, Boyd & Therrell, P.C. in Waco, where she worked in the Audit Department, Employee Benefit Services Department and the Tax Department, concluding her years there as a Tax Manager.
At the Foundation, Leslie prepares monthly financial statements and reports the results to the Board of Trustees. She is responsible for overseeing the annual audit and Form 990 preparation, as well as creating and maintaining accounting policies and procedures and overseeing special projects related to financial matters.
Through her work, Leslie has gained the confidence of donors and fundholders by conducting accurately and timely financial reporting, which ultimately maximizes the amount Waco Foundation has available to grant every year. Leslie has been with the Foundation since 2008.
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Claire Moncla joined the staff as the coordinator of marketing & communications for Waco Foundation and the Greater Waco Community Education Alliance. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from Baylor University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a major in professional writing and a minor in public relations. As coordinator of marketing and communications, Claire handles the planning and coordination of marketing Waco Foundation’s many programs, services and initiatives, such as grantmaking, the MAC Scholarship Program and the Capacity Building Program. She also handles communication to Education Alliance’s stakeholder groups and promotes the alliance’s efforts and outreach.
Before coming to Waco Foundation, Claire worked as an assistant to Baylor First Lady Alice Starr and volunteered for the Community Cancer Association, as well as interned for the Baylor Line magazine and TSTC Publishing.
Waco Foundation provides a good fit for Claire, as it allows her to use both her communication skills and creativity to serve the Waco community.
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Robbie Stabeno came to Waco Foundation with an accounting background as one of its first two employees. She took over as director of scholarships five years later and now oversees all scholarship funds at the Foundation as the director of scholarships.
Through the MAC Scholarship Program, she helps McLennan County high school seniors with the financial aid process for college. She has become a resource in the community for up-to-date college financial aid information. By helping students complete their college or technical training goals, the MAC Scholarship program is truly improving the quality of life in the greater Waco area.
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Ashley Weaver, a native Wacoan, brings to her new position as director of the SmartBabies Initiative extensive knowledge, background and passion. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Texas State University in Elementary Education as a certified teacher. She continued her education at Brown University where she received her Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy. Ashley not only exemplifies the meaning of integrity of heart and character, but she also has a passion for the education of children and recognizes their success begins before entering school. Having served as project coordinator for the Greater Waco Community Education Alliance, Ashley gained valuable knowledge about the successes and challenges of this great community. Strategic planning and coordinating are not new skills to her, as she has extensive experience with community-based projects at a local and national level, bringing together stakeholders to achieve a goal. Ashley's academic preparation, and significant experience, together with her numerous accolades, fellowships, scholarships and professional memberships, make her uniquely qualified for this most pressing but exciting challenge.
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Eric Wyatt serves as the MAC & Scholarship Coordinator. He brings over five years of experience in higher education, previously serving for the provost and president of Dallas Baptist University. Eric maintains a database of all the high school seniors in McLennan County. He helps students and families understand the process of receiving financial aid and other available scholarships.
Through his background in higher education, and as a recent graduate earning his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Professional Development from Dallas Baptist University, Eric understands the important role that the MAC & Scholarship Coordinator can play in a student’s life. Eric has developed a love for serving, and he desires to assist students in achieving their goals through their pursuit of post-secondary education.
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Nicole Wynter recently joined Waco Foundation as the director of special projects. Her responsibilities will largely be geared toward providing capacity building services to area nonprofits and facilitating the administration of various special projects.
Nicole has held a lifelong interest and commitment to serving the public sector, promoting community development and facilitating quality of life enhancements. Her work in the nonprofit sector began in 1994 as a program assistant in the Fund Development Division of the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee. It was here that her interest in nonprofits first emerged. She has been working in the sector since that time, providing program development and administration, as well as fundraising assistance for the various community projects with which she has been involved. Nicole previously served as the economic development liaison between the City of Waco and a local nonprofit, promoting downtown, the Brazos River Corridor and industrial development in Waco for seven years. Her experience also includes time overseas, where she provided support to international nonprofits serving the health, education and general social service sectors.
Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Georgia State University and a Master in Public Policy and Administration from Baylor University..
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