Who We Are
PIP is a team of dedicated professionals with shared values and visions for Central Texas families. Learn more about our staff, our founders and the Board of Directors.
THE PIP TEAM
Val Rios | Executive Director
Val (she/her/ella) is thrilled to be a part of the Partners in Parenting team. She has held an array of positions in the corporate and non-profit world. Prior to moving back to Austin, she lived abroad and knows the value of having a supportive community around you when transitioning to parenting. She is excited about bringing her leadership skills to the table in order to propel Partners in Parenting forward. In her spare time, you can find her practicing Iyengar yoga. Together with her own special partner in parenting, Floris, they have one spunky little girl and an active little boy.
Ali Tepper | Program Director
Ali brings a wealth of experience empowering parents and strengthening the parent-child connection through research-based, and empathetic, practices. As an avid supporter of parents and children, Ali has dedicated her career to making a meaningful impact on improving families' lives. Her experience includes being a curriculum director at an educational nonprofit focused on literacy and leadership building and later, a program specialist at a parent support nonprofit where she trained early educators and parents on trauma-responsive tools to improve social-emotional well-being. Ali grew up in sunny Florida, moved to the bright lights of NYC, and has since settled in lovely Dripping Springs, TX with her husband, Taylor. Ali has three kiddos that keep her laughing and busy. You might spot her around Austin enjoying hot yoga, or checking out a new live music spot.
Jenna Williamson | Marketing and Development Specialist
Jenna (she/her) has been an advocate for youth, families, and parents in the Austin area for the past decade. Before PIP, she provided mental health counseling and facilitated multigenerational trauma-informed programming for women-led families. Jenna is thrilled to have a key role in expanding PIP’s services through strategic marketing, design, outreach, partnerships, and fundraising. Outside of work, you may find Jenna at the garden center, picnicking with her family, supporting local bands, or thrifting!
Liz Crawford | Operations and Data Specialist
Liz (she/her) believes wholeheartedly in the mission and values of PIP. She brings a wealth of knowledge within consumer-focused solutions and strong interpersonal skills to assess the needs of clients and make recommendations to ensure satisfaction. In her downtime, she enjoys learning, crafting, event planning, and spending time with her “crazy family”.
Mari Valladares | Bilingual Program Specialist
Mari (she/her/ella) is passionate about equality, raising kids in a conscious way, parenting support, and books. Specialized in Psychology of Human Development, she used to work with underserved communities in her native Venezuela by giving workshops for children, helping them develop literacy skills and emotional support, encouraging them to discover the world through books. As a mom she truly believes that it’s easier if we create bonds with other parents to feel understood and less isolated. She has been in Austin since 2014, where she has grown fond of the walking trails and outdoor dining patios or enjoying live local music with her family. She is the mother of a lovely little girl, and you can probably find them reading books in the library.
2024 Board of Directors
Allie Townshend Peña (President) (she/her/hers) As a two-time PIP alum and devoted volunteer group leader, Allie is thrilled to be chairing the PIP Board! Although she's been home with her three mini bosses (ahem, kids) full-time since the spring of 2020, Allie has a fundraising background and has served in development roles with local nonprofits Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Austin Humane Society, and Generation SERVE. She considers herself a “professional volunteer;” when Allie isn’t helping out with PIP, she also serves on the Development Committee for Generation SERVE and spearheads parental involvement/volunteering at her kids’ school. Originally from Northern Virginia, Allie has been in Austin since 2011 and loves exploring all the city has to offer.
Carla Delagdo (External Affairs Committee) (she/her/hers)
A native Austinite and University of Texas alum, Carla is the founder and creative director of Page 33, a graphic design studio that specializes in brand identity and editorial design for purpose-driven organizations. Prior to founding her studio, she worked as an associate partner in the Austin office at the international design firm Pentagram. Carla and her husband are high school sweethearts and currently live in southwest Austin (not far from where they grew up) with their two small boys. Outside of running her small business and trying to keep up with her kids, she loves spending time doing virtually anything outdoors, tinkering in her [amateur] woodshop, and going on family bike rides. She is passionate about serving her hometown community and is thrilled to continue supporting Austin’s families through PIP.
Rock Shum (External Affairs)
After growing up in Connecticut and spending over a decade in NYC and Boston, the year 2022 marks when Rock will celebrate Austin as the longest place he's lived as an adult. Moving here when his daughter was only 3 months old, Rock connects with PIP's mission to help new parents find community. Rock currently works at the brokerage firm Charles Schwab and has had a diverse career in media, sports and digital marketing. He also serves as the Board President of the Austin Asian American Film Festival and has a passion for cinema and increasing representation in media. Outside of work, Rock enjoys beach vacations, playing Jeopardy! on Alexa and reliving his childhood through doing kid activities with his daughter.
Shelley Mattingly (Treasurer)
(Executive & Finance Committee)
(she/her/hers)
Shelley grew up around the midwest and spent her early adult years on the East Coast as well as abroad in Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, and the UK. After five years practicing corporate law in London and New York, she moved to Austin in 2009, where she switched gears and joined a nonprofit, working to implement aid programs in Ethiopia while also diving into the world of philanthropy. She welcomed her first daughter in 2014 and shortly after participated in one of the very first PIP groups. Without extended family in Austin and having experienced anxiety throughout her pregnancy and postpartum, Shelley knows how important it is to have a network of support as a new parent and is thrilled to further PIP's mission by serving on the board. Now the proud mom of two girls, Shelley continues her philanthropic work, running a small foundation that supports organizations that serve pregnant people, new parents, and disadvantaged women and children. Shelley loves to travel with her husband and daughters and in her free time also loves cooking and baking.
Elizabeth Kirichenko (Secretary) (she/her/hers)
Elizabeth is the mother of an amazing 3.5 year old and the owner of Clover and Bloom Counseling, an online therapy practice that supports parents based in Austin, Texas. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist, perinatal therapist, and long-time early childhood and elementary special education teacher. Elizabeth loves to help parents adjust to their new roles and to share useful and creative ways for parents to thrive amidst the busyness of pregnancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood.
Elizabeth is a native Texan, a University of Texas at Austin graduate, and a 2020 Newborn PIP Group alum. Elizabeth first joined PIP in 2020 as a new mother during the global pandemic. She appreciated the support and community so much that she became a PIP Prenatal Group and PIP Baby Group Facilitator. As a therapist and early childhood educator, Elizabeth understands that finding a supportive community during the early years of parenting is incredibly beneficial for both the well-being of parents and their children. Elizabeth is thrilled to be a part of the PIP Executive Board and she looks forward to connecting more families to PIP groups, resources, and community across greater Austin.
When not volunteering with PIP, she enjoys exploring new places both near and far, visiting unique bookstores, baking cookies of all kinds, hiking, and making art projects with her family.
Gaurav Jain
Gaurav is a Senior Manager (IT Program Management) at Charles Schwab, where he leads projects panning Investor, Advisor, Retirement, Regulatory, Digital, and Technology segments. Born and raised in India, Gaurav holds an MBA and MS in Information Systems from Bryant University, a BS in Computer Science from Providence College, and several technology certifications. He is committed to charitable causes focused on underrepresented and diverse communities and have strong interests in fine arts and creative work. He currently lives with his wife and 2 kids in Northwest Austin. In his free time, you will find Gaurav either hiking, attending band, orchestra, or choir concerts of the local high school, and help judging the Speech, Debate, or Geography Bee events.
Verónica Gómez (Programs Committee)(she/her/ella)
Hola, my name is Veronica Gomez I have 3 children: Camila, David, and the youngest is Misael. My husband's name is Javier. I currently live in Pflugerville. I love spending time with my family, going for walks, and listening to music. Helping out means a lot to me, it's a way to give back to our community. Being a volunteer has helped me connect with many moms. For me, family is very important and teaching my children to be good to others is very important.
Angie Max (Chair, Programs Committee)
Living life on both coasts led Angie to plant roots in Austin, where she's raising a spirited two-year-old with her partner, Mark, thanks in part to the incredible support from the Partners in Parenting group. When she's not sparking innovation and focusing on enterprise wide digital transformations at PwC, you might find her diving into her passion for making sure technology treats everyone fairly. She's also the first to jump at the chance to host get-togethers, explore new places with her family, soak up Austin's lively scene, or hit the pause button for camping adventures whenever the Texas weather says 'go'.
Claudia Arniella (External Affairs Committee)
Claudia is a storyteller, facilitator, and communications strategist who helps mission-driven organizations build creative, dynamic, and impactful programs for diverse audiences. She has 18 years of experience in outreach and engagement for community programs including reproductive healthcare, education, immigrant services, and planning efforts for parks, trails, and transit. In addition to running a communications consulting business, Q’ente Communications, Claudia is passionate about building networks of support for women, mothers, and caretakers through gathering and connection. She lives in East Austin with her partner, daughter, and two cats.
2024 Board Committees and Members
Executive Committee
Allie Townshend Peña (President)
Elizabeth “Liz” Kirichenko (Secretary)
Shelley Mattingly (Treasurer)
Governance Committee
Adriana Kohler
Gaurav Jain
Shelley Mattingly
Programs Committee
Angie Max
Elizabeth Kirichenko
Verónica Gómez
Finance/Internal Affairs Committee
Kathryn Leins
Shelley Mattingly (Treasurer)
Erin McKay
External Affairs
Rock Shum
Evan Ortiz
Carla Delgado
Claudia Arniella
FOUNDERS
CAROLYN OPPS
Carolyn was born and raised in Minnesota, attended college at Drake University in Iowa, and received a Master's Degree at DePaul University in Chicago. She spent eight years living and teaching in Chicago, but decided to move to Austin in 2006. Following three years of teaching 4th grade, she and her husband decided to throw caution to the wind and travel around the world for a year. After returning to Austin she continued her teaching career for several years before devoting herself to PIP as the Program Coordinator after co-founding the organization in 2014. Carolyn continues to serve as a devoted volunteer. In addition, she has two children that keep her days full!
KRISTA MILLER
Fresh from the new parenting experience, and so grateful for the group of women that inspired her to form her own village of support, Krista co-founded and launched Partners in Parenting in 2014 as the next chapter in her journey. Krista spent the first two years of the organization in the role of Executive Director.
Board Alumni
Krista Miller (Founding Board Member 2013-2017)
Tanya Vermeeren (Founding Board Member 2013-2015)
Rebecca Nunan (Founding Board Member 2013-2015)
Megan Barnes-Zesati, LCSW (2014-2016)
Meredith McDaniel, CFA (2014-2016)
Kristen Warms (2014-2016)
Robyn Burchfiel (2015-2017)
Anna Rigby (2016-2017)
Nikki Moriarty (2017)
Caroline Freedman (2017-2018)
Liz Zimmer Waldman (2017-2018)
Amanda Neal (2017-2019)
Ilana Zivkovich (2017-2019)
Cole Godvin (2018-2019)
Todd Euston (2017-2019)
Sarah Pell (2017-2020)
Erin Ryan Mazcko (2017-2019)
Traci Gaskins Bermiss (2017-2019)
Carolyn Opps (2014-2020)
Ashley Choucroun (2018-2020)
Amreen Rajabali (2019-2020)
Shelby Kaufman (2019-2021)
Jason Appelbaum (2019-2021)
Elizabeth Nelson (2016-2021)
Rebekah Anthony (2019-2021)
Carson Quinn (2019-2021)
Whitney Moskowitz President (2016-2021)
David DeStefano (2020-2022)
Frankie Arvello (2020-2022)
Blake Sunshine Leiber (2020-2022)
Alma Gloria (2020-2022)
Jennifer Haefner President (2020-2023)
Anne Harrington President (2023-2024)
Rob Howard (2023-2024)
Myneeka Holloway (2020-2024)