FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gillian Linden
703.402.6507
gillian@rosengrouppr.com
AUSTIN, TEXAS (August 15, 2024)—Jeremiah Program (JP)—a national nonprofit with one of the most successful strategies for helping single mothers and their children overcome the barriers that sustain generational poverty, today announced the appointment of Tiffany Tillis Lewis, Ph.D., as the new executive director of its Austin campus. Tillis Lewis succeeds Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia, Ph.D., who has been promoted to JP’s Vice President of Alumni & Public Policy.
With over 23 years of experience as an executive leader and consultant, Dr. Tillis Lewis brings a unique perspective shaped by her own journey as a single mother and a first-generation college graduate. Her career is marked by a deep commitment to student success and equity, which she demonstrated from her impactful tenure at the University of Texas at Austin (UT).
“Dr. Tillis Lewis is an extraordinary leader whose experience and dedication align perfectly with JP’s mission,” said Chastity Lord, President and CEO of Jeremiah Program. “Her unique perspective, both as a professional and as someone who has walked a similar path to the mothers we serve, makes her an ideal advocate for our Austin community. We are thrilled to have her on board.”
Before joining JP, Dr. Tillis Lewis held several key positions at UT Austin, most recently serving as Assistant Vice President, where she focused on advancing academic equity, enhancing student success, and promoting four-year graduation initiatives. Her dedication to fostering inclusive educational environments led her to co-found the Fearless Leadership Institute in 2013, a program that has since supported first-generation, low-income women of color in achieving an impressive 86% four-year graduation rate among its participants.
“Joining JP feels like a divine calling, allowing me to marry my personal passions with my professional expertise,” said Dr. Tillis Lewis. “As a single parent in college, I struggled and would have loved to be a part of JP. Now, I have the opportunity to give back to the community in a meaningful way.”
In her new role, Dr. Tillis Lewis is committed to amplifying JP’s presence in Austin, ensuring that the program’s impact is recognized by potential donors, volunteers, and the single mothers it serves. She is committed to reinforcing JP’s two-generation (2-gen) approach, ensuring that every child receives the support they need to thrive. Additionally, she plans to advocate for policies that support affordable childcare and housing in Austin.
“When we uplift the most vulnerable, it benefits the entire community,” added Tillis Lewis. “It’s crucial that JP has a voice in shaping policies that directly support our moms and the broader Austin community.”
Dr. Tillis Lewis holds a B.A. in Psychology, an M.Ed. in College Student Personnel, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, all from UT Austin. She continues to contribute to the academic community as a lecturer at UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business, where she teaches leadership in multicultural work environments.
JP Austin began its journey in 2013 in partnership with the Guadalupe Neighborhood Development Corporation (GNDC). By 2017, JP had opened its own 35-unit housing campus for single mothers and their children facing poverty. This campus includes an onsite child development center with the capacity to serve up to 60 children. In 2023, JP Austin supported 209 mothers and children, making a lasting impact on the community.
About Jeremiah Program: Jeremiah Program (JP) is a national organization whose mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time. By investing simultaneously in a mother’s vision for her personal and professional goals and the education of her children, she simultaneously reauthors her family’s outcome as well her community’s — proof points matter. In 2023, JP actively served over 2,000 moms and children across nine cities in Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN; Las Vegas, NV; Minneapolis, MN; Rochester, MN; and St. Paul, MN.