Board of Directors
CommUnityCare is governed by the Central Texas Community Health Centers Board of Directors. As required by the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the FQHC Board must be comprised of more than 51% patients of the health centers. This ensures the decisions of the Board and organization are patient-centered.
In addition to our patient members, our Board represents a wide variety of community professions, including medicine, finance, technology and ministry. Two of the 15 seats on the Board are appointed by Central Health. Members are elected to serve two-year terms.
NOW RECRUITING CONSUMER (PATIENTS) BOARD MEMBERS
Thomas B. Coopwood
Board Chair
Thomas B. Coopwood, M.D., was born and raised in Lockhart, Texas, and is a 1956 graduate of Lockhart High School. He attended The University of Texas at Austin from 1956 to 1959 as a premed student, receiving a B.A. in the Plan II Honors Program. After graduating from Baylor College of Medicine in 1963 and completing an internship, Dr. Coopwood spent two years in the U.S. Air Force before returning to Baylor to complete a general surgery residency in 1970.
Coopwood has been active in the community, serving on the Northwest Austin Civic Association board as vice president from 2009 to 2013.
Professional: Practiced general and trauma surgery in Austin from 1970 to 2003 and was on the staff of the Seton and St. David’s hospital systems. Was chief of surgery at Brackenridge Hospital from 1980 to 85 and the chief of medical staff in 1986. He also served as president of the Travis County Medical Society in 1995.
Awards: Physician of the Year at Brackenridge (1988) and the Travis County Medical Society (2004). Named by Austin Business Journal as a Healthcare Hero (2011).
In retirement, he has held several community board positions. He served as a member of the board of managers of Central Health from 2004 to 2015, serving as board chair for three years and serving on the Mayor’s Task Force on Aging and the Commission for Aging for one year. Dr. Coopwood is the current Chair Person for the CommUnityCare Board.
Guy Swenson
Vice Chair
Guy Swenson moved to Austin in 1998 from Denver, Colorado, with a mutual funds company and was a registered principal in the company’s correspondence department.
He has a background in food and beverage and in entertainment. Swenson volunteers at an Alzheimer’s respite program, where he plays the piano for sing-alongs and leads chair exercises. He is a longtime client of CommUnityCares’ David Powell Clinic and an advocate for LGBTQ rights, AIDS awareness, and the homeless. He joined the board as a community member in March of 2019 and is the current board Secretary.
Bradley Price
Treasurer
Bradley Price, M.D., was elected to the CommUnityCare Board of Directors in 2022. Dr. Price practiced medicine in Austin for 40 years from 1977 to 2017 at St Davids Medical Center, where he delivered almost 6,000 babies.
Dr. Price’s retirement project is to work toward improving the American healthcare system. He is particularly passionate about regular exercise to delay or prevent chronic disease. He tries to set a good example by completing hundreds of triathlons, including Hawaii Ironman. He has completed a published study documenting the benefits of exercise in pregnancy.
Dr. Price and his wife Maria Inez have two sons, Stephen, a radiologist in Austin, and Matthew, a full-time musician.
Dr. Price earned his degree in psychology at Stanford University and graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He completed residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
Barbara Brooks-Shirley
Barbara Brooks-Shirley is a native Texan and devotes her life to her family, church fellowship and community service. She attended Prairie View University, St. Luke’s Licensed Vocational School, the Academy of Computer Technology and Bible Study Fellowship International. Brooks-Shirley is trained and certified through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and currently serves as a Prison Minister.
Her professional pursuits have included employment as a Licensed Vocational Nurse, a Telecommunications Trainer and a Programming Technician. Her faith-based activities include serving as a member of the clergy staff at the Travis County Correction Complex in Del Valle, ten years of church administration at Austin Transitional Center, and participation in a finance mentoring program. She is also a leader for Celebrate Recovery, a Christian 12-step program.
Brooks-Shirley has received numerous professional recognitions from her employers and many certificates of recognition for Prison Ministry. She is also head of the Prison Ministry at Greater Mount Zion Church.
She has served as a CommUnityCare Health Centers board member since January 2010 and is a founding member of the board’s Patient Experience Committee. She serves on the Strategic Planning, Vice chair of the Patient Experience and Population Health committees. She also chairs the Nominating and Governance committee.
Brooks-Shirley lives in Austin and has a son and five grandchildren. Her hobbies include writing poetry, becoming a published author of a book of poems, singing and community service.
Steven Garrett
Steven Garrett was elected to the CommUnityCare Board of Directors in 2021. Steven is currently Partner at Boulette Golden & Marin. Steven is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Steven joined the firm in August 2013 after three years with the City of Austin, as Prosecutor in the Municipal Prosecution division where he prosecuted hundreds of cases and over twenty jury trials and then as an Assistant City Attorney in the Employment and Public Safety Division advising multiple city departments on employment issues as in-house counsel. Since joining the firm Steven has represented clients in a variety of labor and employment issues including negotiating initial collective bargaining agreements, litigating non-compete and trade secret matters, advising clients on thorny work separation decisions, assisting with federal and state agency compliance and investigations, and of course, defending employment claims brought against his clients.
Carlos Gormaz
Carlos Gormaz was elected to the CommUnityCare Board of Directors in 2021. Carlos is the current Executive Director of Hands Anonymous Project and has been there since 2009.
Carlos is a passionate advocate for the Latino community, whose Hands Anonymous Project is dedicated to serving. Their mission is to empower families to defeat abuse, discrimination and achieve social justice.
Carlos has a Master´s degree in Counseling and in Business Administration from St. Edwards University. He’s a problem solver with excellent verbal/writing communication skills, a superior work ethic, and a team player.
Carlos joined the CUC Board because he wants to advocate for better community health services for the underserved.
Sedora Jefferson
Sedora Jefferson was elected to the CommUnityCare Board of Directors in 2023. Since 2003, Jefferson has served as Chief Corporate Counsel and Associate Executive Director of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB). She is responsible for providing legal advice and representation to TASB management and staff on matters affecting the association and its affiliated entities. Prior to joining TASB, Jefferson held similar executive-level legal counsel positions with state and local government.
Jefferson has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University and a Juris Doctor degree from the UCLA School of Law. She has been practicing law in Texas since 1986.
Jefferson is a lifetime member of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and Jack and Jill of America (Austin Chapter). She is president of the Austin-Travis County Duplicate Bridge Club, an affiliate of the American Bridge Association, and has participated in her employer’s adopt-a-school program since 2004, serving as a tutor and pen pal. Jefferson maintains an active lifestyle through pilates, walking, and reading books with her 30-plus year old book club.
Kimberly Johnson
Kimberly Johnson joined the CommUnityCare Board of Directors in early 2021. She is a staunch advocate for education, civic and community opportunities. Working as an Admissions Associate for an Episcopal School gave her great joy because she helped to provide many children with the opportunity to attain an exceptional primary education so they can excel in life.
She now has the pleasure of being a member of the East Austin Coalition for Quality Education as well as a members of the Winn Elementary Campus Advisory Committee. Due to her recent part-time retirement, she can now focus her attention on new ventures such as entrepreneurship and travel.
Debbie Locklear
Debbie Locklear was elected to the board of directors in April 2011. She serves on the board’s Consumer Committee. Debbie is a self-employed massage therapist and a community college student.
In addition to being an active member of the board of directors, Locklear donates her massage therapy and wellness skills at community health fairs. She worked for Capital Metro for 10 years, driving a bus for special-needs riders. This is where, she said, she developed her passion to help the medically underserved.
Isaac Sanchez
Isaac Sanchez was elected to serve on the CommUnityCare Board of Directors October 2022. Sanchez has a background in hotel management and is now retired. He is a proud member of the LGBTQIA community and has been actively involved in raising AIDS awareness. He joined Austin Pride in 2008 and has been serving as a co-chair since 2011.
Sanchez also spends time lending support to the Austin International Drag Festival and the AIDS Candlelight Memorial Service. He also enjoys volunteering his photography skills to these organizations.
Sanchez shares he is excited to serve on the board of directors to be an advocate for increasing access to health services.
Sanchez moved to Austin in 1997, originally from McAllen, Texas. He graduated from McAllen High School in 1975.
Karen Siles
Karen Mariela Siles is a delivery manager for IBM Corp. in Austin. Her current role involves leading the delivery and development of a new Block and File IBM Cloud Service. Siles has been with IBM since 2007 where she has held several positions from software development to her current role in the cloud business unit. Her achievements at IBM include filing four patents and publishing three, leading her to achieve her first Patent Plateau last year.
In addition to her professional experience at IBM, Siles has also been a part of the Hispanic Employee Resource Group at IBM Austin for the past 10 years and served as the chair the for previous two. Siles received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University in May 2007 and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Technology Commercialization at UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business. Siles is also a 2012 graduate of the Hispanic Austin Leadership program. Last summer she began serving as the chair for the National Academic Committee of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Inc.
Siles’ other volunteer work includes serving as chair for the board of directors for the nonprofit Latinitas and on the board for CommUnityCare Health Centers.
Claudia D. Williams
Claudia D. Williams was elected to the CommUnityCare board of directors in June 2014.
Williams is a native Texan from Corpus Christi and earned a degree in computer science from the University of Houston. She worked in accounting management for 10 years before taking a position with the West Oso Independent School District. She has also served as vice president of her own investment company.
Williams and her husband relocated in 2010 to Austin, where they continue to happily reside. Williams currently assists as a local coordinator with international experience and has hosted exchange students from Finland, Suriname, Switzerland and Spain. She is also a substitute teacher for the Manor Independent School District.
Williams enthusiastically welcomes the opportunity to help CommUnityCare provide quality health care for residents of Travis County. She currently serves as the chair of the Patient Experience Committee.