Welcome new SAFE Board Members!

Written by SAFE

We are excited to introduce the newest members of the SAFE Board of Directors!

The SAFE Alliance is governed by a board of directors consisting of experts in their fields, stakeholders, and community leaders—all passionate about the mission of SAFE. The work of the Board is largely accomplished through robust committees. The SAFE Board of Directors meets every other month or as needed, and is responsible for the vision, mission, and governance of the agency and the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer.

You can see the full list of board member by clicking this link. Please welcome our newest board members:

Kate Andrade

Kate Andrade is a cofounder of Eanes for Equity, a parent organization focused on providing spaces for parents in the Eanes ISD community to have conversations around DEI.

Kate has been an Austinite almost her entire life. After receiving a BA in Art History and Psychology from New York University and an elementary teaching certification through UT Austin’s College of Education, she taught public elementary school both in Austin ISD and in Palo Alto USD. Upon returning to Austin, she worked as an Educational Consultant for Double Line Partners and enjoyed learning more about education and problems of practice across the country. She has also worked as a grant writer for Austin ISD and the Austin Ed Fund and currently serves on her family’s MFI Foundation. In her free time, she loves being outdoors with her husband, three children, and dog.

Octavious Bishop

Octavius Bishop is a professor at UT’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work and a psychology professor at ACC. His expertise is bridging the gaps of connectedness at companies, organizations, teams, and faith communities. He is passionate about SAFE’s work and the many ways it aligns with his own work.

Octavious once helped open up holes for Heisman-winning running back Ricky Williams as the three-season starting left tackle for Texas. He went on to play in the NFL, NFL Europe, and XFL. After he retired from football, he earned his master’s degree in social work at UT and his Ph.D. in psychology at Walden University-Minnesota. He is currently a lecturer in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work where he oversees the Sports Social Work Program, BSW Committee Member, and teaches multiple courses. He is expanding UT’s program to provide education, guidance, and advocacy for the wellness of student athletes.

Dr. Bishop is the Founder and President of Eye Level Consulting. His mission is to educate, motivate, and inspire universities, organizations, companies, and faith based communities in the area of leadership, mentorship, and inclusivity. He has twenty years of experience addressing mental health, human behavior, and walking shoulder to shoulder with individuals and families to heal from trauma and find their purpose in their lives. He has been a key figure in the Austin Community to bridge the gap of unity between law enforcement and the public through productive and respectful conversations.

Bishop has served as a board member on multiple nonprofit boards and now works to highlight philanthropic organizations through Eye Level Consulting. Octavious is loved and supported by his wife Elizabeth, a Mid-Level Practitioner, and their three children, son Anderson, and daughters Tatum and Quin.

Lila Brolsma

Lila Brolsma is the manager of finance at Every Texan, a nonprofit organization that researches, analyzes, and advocates for public policies to expand equitable access to quality health care, food security, education, and good jobs. Her board experience includes Asian Family Support Services of Austin where she served as Board Treasurer. Lila is a member of Eanes for Equity and Young Men’s Service League where she serves on the Audit and Philanthropy Committees. She has a finance and accounting background.

Lila is a Certified Public Accountant with experience working for a multitude of companies and organizations, such as Dell, ABB Capital B.V, Arthur Andersen, and the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission. Prior to her current position at Every Texan, she was the Accounting Director for Abilitie—a company specializing in experiential learning for rising leaders and executives.

Lila served on the board of Asian Family Support Services of Austin for six years. She has been, and continues to be, an active volunteer for many organizations and community groups.

Venus De Hoyos

Venus De Hoyos is a Certified Diversity Executive. She is passionate about SAFE’s mission and has expertise in equity, diversity, and inclusion work. She has a background in tech; prior to starting her own virtual DEI consulting firm, Venus was with Facebook.

After spending 18 years in tech solving complex business problems, defining business strategy, and leading global cross-cultural teams, Venus founded Vector U and the Inclusion Plus Institute, dedicated to changing cultures and developing DEI skills, behaviors, and policies in an organization.

In her experience driving cultural transformation projects, Venus witnessed how equity and inclusion practices optimize an organization’s capabilities. She uses her deep business acumen to guide organizations to operationalize DEI, connecting it to business strategy. As a certified Mediator, Leadership Coach, and Diversity Executive, Venus relies heavily on data and evidence-based approaches to create an aperture through which personal awareness and organizational transformation can develop.

Venus has worked to increase the representation of underserved communities in tech through community involvement, founding the oral history nonprofit “The Strong Latina Project.” Her personal experience has also made Venus a strong advocate to end domestic violence in all of its manifestations.

Venus believes our individual journey is unique and through practicing our talents and understanding our personal truth, we contribute to uniting the global community her young daughter and all of our children will inherit.

Cathy Kyle

Cathy Kyle is a partner and litigation attorney for Chamberlain McHaney. Her board experience is extensive with Hill Country Ride for AIDS, Saint John’s UMC, University UMC, West Austin Neighborhood Group, City of Austin Ethics Review Commission, Planned Parenthood, CASA of Travis County, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, Gateways, Austin Bar Association, and American Board of Trial Advocates.

She has a legal and policy background. Cathy graduated from the University of Texas before receiving her law degree from Baylor University School of Law.