Here’s a snapshot of the presentations made, events hosted, and honors received by the talented and dedicated staff of the Hogg Foundation during the month of February 2026.
Jason Castillo, policy program specialist, and Maddie Garza, policy fellow, facilitated the February meeting of the Hogg Policy Academy, covering advanced advocacy strategies and policy capacity building for nonprofits.
Tammy Heinz, senior program officer and consumer & family liaison at the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, has been elected to serve on the board of directors of Texas Rural Funders. Texas Rural Funders is a statewide network advancing collaboration and learning among philanthropic organizations to strengthen rural communities across Texas. Tammy brings to the board deep experience in behavioral health philanthropy, community engagement, and mental health lived experience, which informs her systems‑level approach to improving outcomes for rural Texans.
Rick Ybarra, senior program officer, was a funder panelist for a Learning Session on the topic of fiscal intermediaries. The event was hosted by 212 Catalyst, and sponsored by St. David’s Foundation.
Rick was also a panelist at UT Austin Qualitative Research Night. The event was hosted by The University of Texas at Austin Office of Career & Life Design Graduate School and drew 75-100 masters, Ph.D and post-doc students. The event provides an opportunity for advanced degree students and scholars engaged in qualitative research to learn from practitioners in field.