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Lydia OzunaPresidentAfter the 2016 election Lydia joined others in the Katy area in their demands for systemic change and justice. Gerrymandering is a systemic problem that undergirds every social issue that needs to be addressed in Texas. That’s why Lydia is passionate about community districting reform.
Lydia was born in Del Rio, Texas and is mother to 7 children, grandmother to 23 and great grandmother to 9. She and her family have lived through generations of civil rights violations. As an educator for 23 years, Lydia advocated for the rights and needs of underrepresented and underserved communities. She has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Texas Woman’s University and a master’s degree with a concentration in organizational development from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. |
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Dr. Jennifer CantuSecretaryJennifer joined TAG to be a voice for a forgotten community. From Without changing her home address from 2011-2021, she has lived in 3 different Texas House Districts: 27, 85 and now 28. As a mother of two amazing daughters, it is important to her that their legacy and future is protected. Jennifer strongly believes that diversity without inclusion is powerless, and that equality without equity never leads to true and lasting change.
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ERICA BARBEE
TreasurerErica joined Texans Against Gerrymandering (TAG) in 2018 to fight for fairness in our voting process. Every vote counts and currently our gerrymandered districts dilute votes and allow politicians to choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in Katy, TX with her husband and three daughters. Erica has an MBA from Monmouth University and works as an Account Executive for Fiserv, a global leader in financial technology.
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SHIRLEY NICOLADirector of Grassroots outreach Shirley spent her professional career as a human resource professional in different industries. She believes in taking action to fix problems. For that reason, she joined Texans Against Gerrymandering from its inception. Originally from Virginia, Shirley received a degree in accounting from Old Dominion College in Norfolk. Shirley serves as a Harris County Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar and is an active participant in the election process. An avid sailor and patron of the arts, Shirley believes that life should be lived to the fullest.
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Uma RamamurthyDirector of TechnologyUma is an engineer/computer scientist and an educator. She serves as a Fort Bend County Volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar. Uma believes in the democratic process-- that voters should elect their representatives, and that every vote matters.
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Mohammad Usman AijazDirector of AdvocacyJazz joined Texans Against Gerrymandering in November 2020 to work towards fair maps in Texas. Jazz studied tax accounting and data analytics at the University of Houston.
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eliz Markowitz Director of communicationEliz is an instructor, corporate trainer, and author with the Princeton Review and an adjunct professor at The University of Houston, where she has taught in the Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning services. She has bachelor's in Computer Science and Studio Art from Trinity University, two master's degrees in Business and Healthcare from UT San Antonio and UT Health Science Center at Houston, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction-Learning, Design, and Technology from the University of Houston. Eliz is currently pursuing her Masters of Public Administration at the University of Houston in order to better understand the intricacies of policy implementation and public service agencies.
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Former Board Members & Founders
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Linda Goldberg2017-2021Served as Secretary of the Board
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Stephanie Tamborello2018-2021Stephanie was instrumental in the development of our first website and served as Secretary after Linda's departure. Regrettably, Stephanie's tenure was unexpectedly cut short in December 2021. Her strong commitment and legacy of support for community districting reform continues to live on through all of us.
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Jennifer CazaresVice President 2017-2022Jennifer believed that civic engagement is vital and is achieved by encouraging others to participate in the political process through community outreach. She joined Texans Against Gerrymandering (TAG) in 2017 because she believed that voters should be able to choose their representatives and politicians should not choose their voters. Jennifer's passion and commitment for community districting reform lives on through all of us.
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Tomeji Miller2017-2022Served as Director of Grassroots Advocacy and provided training in giving testimony to the Legislative Redistricting Committees during the 87th Legislative Session.
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