We’re one of a kind.
The Grant Halliburton Foundation team is a talented group of professionals with industry backgrounds from many fields including education, social work, advertising, public relations, and nonprofit.
The staff is dedicated to the Foundation’s mission to help teens and their families recognize the signs of distress or suicidal crisis in a young person and how to lead them to help. Our growing team is always leading the way to make a difference in North Texas!
Vanita Halliburton
Co-founder and Executive Chairman
Vanita is a frequent speaker on youth mental health and suicide prevention in schools, at professional conferences, and throughout the North Texas community. She speaks from the heart about her son’s battle with depression and bipolar disorder, his suicide at the age of 19, and the need for a collaborative and comprehensive approach to mental health education and suicide prevention in North Texas.
Kevin Hall
President
After a 30-year career in advertising, Kevin heard the voice of purpose and in early 2017, left the industry to join Grant Halliburton Foundation as chief operating officer. In April 2018, Kevin transitioned to the role of president, providing leadership and long-term planning for the Foundation. Kevin works closely with Vanita and staff to oversee day-to-day operations and future growth initiatives, with an emphasis on marketing, program services, community outreach, and development. He has also served as an active board member since 2015.
Thrive Education
Amy Pool, M.Ed.
Senior Thrive Education Manager
Amy is the primary liaison with the Foundation’s Thrive strategy school partners. She brings more than 30 years of experience in the education system, including classroom teacher, program coordinator, building administrator, campus principal and special education consultant. Amy has an unwavering passion for her students and is especially interested in pursuing a future educational model that puts a renewed emphasis on social and emotional learning.
Shauna Barnes
Mental Health Education Manager
Shauna’s background in child psychiatry research has given her a passion for mental health awareness and advocacy. She’s motivated by the desire for adolescents, parents, teachers, and community members to have the knowledge and resources to recognize and support those struggling with a mental health condition.
Meghann Budenski
Mental Health Education Presenter
With more than six years in the classroom, Meghann is dedicated to helping others thrive. This is her driving force for advancing the Foundation’s mission to help families and young people recognize the signs of mental illness. Meghann is passionate about supporting students and their families navigate mental health concerns and believes education is the first step to overcoming stigma. She is devoted to teaching mental health and suicide prevention and advocating for its awareness in schools and communities in North Texas.
Lindsey Encinias
Hope Squad Manager
Lindsey thrives on thoughtful connection through writing and speaking about her personal experiences with mental health conditions. She communicates with purpose and authenticity about losing her father, who died by suicide, when she was a teenager. Inspired by her two young children, Lindsey is passionate about suicide prevention advocacy and mental health wellness conversations beginning in our schools. She believes opening the door of communication with students will change how they view mental health.
Yvonne W. Merritt, M.P.A.
Mental Health Education Manager
Yvonne has a passion for helping students, parents, and educators identify, manage, and overcome mental health obstacles. For more than six years, Yvonne was an educator in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Through that experience, she gained social-emotional learning skills to help convey vital topics to students, parents, and educators to help and equip youth with coping skills. Yvonne is committed to educating and spreading the word about mental health and suicide prevention and believes that learning how to cope or support others with mental health conditions can be the first step toward resilience.
Mental Health Resources
Blanca N. Garcia, LCSW-S
Senior Director of Mental Health Resources
Blanca leads the Foundation’s Here For Texas program. A licensed clinical social worker, she has worked with children, teens, and families for more than 10 years as a bilingual mental health clinician. Blanca understands that navigating mental health services is a challenge and was critical in implementing the Foundation’s Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation line to increase access to mental health resources in North Texas.
Leslie Silva Castillo, M.S.W.
Mental Health Resources Manager, Hispanic Outreach
Leslie works to connect North Texans to vital resources through the Foundation’s Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line. Leslie has a master’s in social work and has more than five years of experience working with survivors of complex trauma. As a first-generation college graduate to Mexican immigrant parents, Leslie is passionate about encouraging and connecting the Hispanic and Latino communities in North Texas to mental health resources and breaking the stigma of mental health.
Crystal Gonzalez, M.S.W.
Community Support Resources Manager
Crystal provides mental health support and advocacy to North Texas Hispanic communities. Armed with a master’s degree in social work, she is committed to serving others and equipping communities with essential mental health resources. Her social work background serving children and families strengthened her passion for erasing mental health stigma. Crystal works to raise awareness about critical issues that impact underserved communities in Texas and believes that addressing mental health openly and compassionately is the key to fostering an inclusive and empathetic society.
Lizzie Davis Holley, M.Div., LMSW
Mental Health Resources Manager
Lizzie works to connect North Texans to vital resources through the Foundation’s Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line. A licensed master social worker, Lizzie has more than five years of experience working with individuals, families, and communities experiencing poverty and food insecurity through case management, program management, and community engagement.
Elizabeth Jurado, LMSW, CFSW
Mental Health Resources Manager, Hispanic Outreach
Elizabeth works to connect North Texans to vital resources through the Foundation’s Here For Texas Mental Health Navigation Line. She has experience working with children, families, and individuals as an agent of support and guidance. Her professional life includes a commitment to serving the needs of low-income families. Elizabeth is especially sensitive to the mental health needs of the Hispanic community and serves as an advocate to those who don’t speak English.
Community Outreach
Sonya Parker Goode, CLC, CAMS-I
Director of Community Outreach
Sonya’s passion for helping people led her to pursue a dual career in education and nonprofit work almost 25 years ago. As a certified life coach and anger management specialist, Sonya enjoys developing and equipping people with tools to increase their confidence, set and respect boundaries, and to use effective communication and conflict resolution techniques. She has successfully managed a number of community education programs in Dallas County and has 10 years of experience teaching at the secondary and post-secondary levels. Sonya is committed to bringing awareness to issues that affect the emotional and mental health of people of all ages from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.
Development and Communications
Amy Halliburton McCloskey
Senior Director of Events
Amy oversees the Foundation’s fundraising events and annual mental health conference. With a background in marketing communication, writing, and design, she brings the organizational and planning skills to ensure well-run events from start to finish. As Grant’s sister, she’s passionate about youth mental health. Amy, who co-founded the Foundation with her parents, also serves on Grant Halliburton Foundation’s board of directors.
T.J. Griffin
Senior Director of Communications
T.J. leads all internal and external communications efforts for the Foundation. He coordinates print and online media, press releases, educational materials, fact sheets, media outreach, and all other writing and art projects including direct mail and email marketing content. T.J. also leads social media strategy and engagement and was the architect for the development of the Foundation’s new website, which launched in 2019.
Julia Beckel
Events and Marketing Manager
Julia manages the day-to-day logistics of the Foundation’s annual fundraisers, mental health conference, and other special events. She also manages the Foundation’s social media channels and assists with other creative and graphic design projects. With a nonprofit background, Julia is committed to making a positive impact through compassion and faith. A native of Dallas, she is dedicated to mission-driven work that uplifts the North Texas community, advocating for effective mental health education and suicide prevention.
Hannah Kennedy
Development and Volunteer Manager
Hannah manages the Foundation’s donor engagement strategy, focusing on event sponsorships and individual donor relationships. She also manages the Foundation’s donor database and coordinates donor cultivation and retention activities. In addition, she manages the Foundation’s volunteer program and young professionals auxiliary, GHF YP. Hannah has several years of experience in the nonprofit field, but it’s her personal connection to the cause that brought her to the Foundation. She thrives on building meaningful connections to build the Foundation’s base of donors, volunteers, and advocates for mental health in the community.
Finance and Operations
Diane Blumin, M.B.A.
Director of Finance and Operations
Diane manages day to day human resource needs and financial activities, including monitoring accounts, preparing financial reports, and processing donations and grants. She works closely with the Foundation president and board of directors to ensure the financial health of the organization. In her spare time, she also works as a financial coach to help those in need create their own financial health and stability.
Kristien Graffam
Office Administrator
Kristien came to Grant Halliburton Foundation first as a mom in need of support for her child struggling with mental health issues. Passionate about the cause, she began volunteering at the Foundation weekly as a way to give back and to support other Coffee Days moms and families with their struggles. Kristien coordinates clerical and administrative tasks and supports other staff as needed for events and conferences.
