Governor Abbott Appoints Jones And Mata To Family And Protective Services Council
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Cortney Jones and Enrique Mata to the Family and Protective Services Council for terms set to expire on February 1, 2025. The council is charged with studying and making recommendations to the commissioner regarding the management and operation of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Cortney Jones of Austin is the Founder and Executive Director of Change 1, a community based organization that collaborates with local agencies and individuals dedicated to foster care alumni success. In addition, she is a motivational speaker and previously worked for Child Protective Services. She is a member of the Child Welfare Race Equity Collaborative Advisory Committee and the Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Public Policy and Communications committees. She is a former board member of Adoption Knowledge Affiliates and Head Start Child Inc. and a former member of the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission Foster Care School Discipline Committee. She previously served on the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, and served as a field instructor with the University of Texas’ School of Social Work. Cortney received a Bachelor in Social Work from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Master in Social Work from Texas State University.
Enrique Mata of El Paso is a Senior Program Officer with Paso del Norte Health Foundation. He has more than 20 years of experience in health philanthropy including designing, implementing, and evaluating multi-million dollar initiatives. He is also certified as an advanced public health nurse and advanced nurse executive by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. He is a member of the American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society, and The University of Texas at El Paso Alumni Association. He serves on the UT El Paso School of Nursing Advisory Board, The El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium, and the El Paso 211 Advisory Board. Mata received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UT El Paso and a Master of Science in Public Health from Walden University.