Our Staff
Elisabet “Lisa” Iparrea
Elisabet “Lisa” Iparrea is our new executive director. Her responsibilities include programs, development, community partnerships and relations, staff and operational management. Formerly the Chief Program Officer at West Houston Assistance Ministries (WHAM), Lisa has served in leadership and advocacy roles at the Houston Food Bank, Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation, and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
She is an alumna of the University of Houston-Downtown (B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Nonprofit Management). She has participated as the board secretary with Fellowship in Him Ministries, a board member with Westchase Community Fund, an advisory board member and committee member with the University of Houston-Downtown, and as a board member with WHAM.
In her free time, Lisa enjoys volunteering, singing, trying new restaurants and foods, walking, and spending family time with her husband and two beautiful daughters.
Contact Lisa at [email protected].
Sarah Langston
Director of Programs and Volunteer Experience
Sarah, a native Houstonian, is a proud Texas A&M Aggie with a background in early childhood education. She is a wife and a mother of a son and daughter. Sarah’s young son is a brain cancer survivor who received treatment as a patient in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (BMTU) at Texas Children’s Hospital. As part of his time on the unit, he received a huge His Grace Foundation (HGF) – Patient Welcome Basket filled with toys and other items to uplift him and their family during their first inpatient stay on the BMTU. Through HGF, they also received support, services and activities for the entire family.
During this healing period, Sarah set a personal goal: one day, she would share her knowledge and give back to other children and families caring for a seriously ill child on the BMTU as an HGF volunteer. She volunteered with HGF for five years and is now an employee. In her free time, she continues to find ways to improve the livelihood of others. She continues her volunteerism with a therapeutic horseback center that serves adults and children with different abilities.
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies of Education and a Master of Education in Administration from Texas A&M.
Traci D. Patterson
Director of Communications
Traci D. Patterson is a Greater Houston-based, nonprofit communications leader who specializes in public relations, marketing and social media for mental health, behavioral health, education, advocacy, and child welfare organizations that serve children and youth, families, women, military veterans, faith communities, and BIPOC communities.
In her career, she has conducted local, state, national and international awareness and campaigns on a variety of issues such as child and youth mental health, transitional-aged youth, trauma and attachment, mental health parity, maternal mental illnesses, postpartum depression, OCD, suicide prevention, minority mental illness, and PTSD in post-9/11 military veterans for organizations including Family Roots for Life, Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of Texas at Austin, Mental Health America in Texas, Mental Health America of Greater Houston, DePelchin Children’s Center, Mission of Hope International Church, Texas Suicide Prevention Coalition, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Greater Houston. She has also represented Texas as a national outreach partner and presenter for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and national Mental Health America.
An Austin, Texas native, Traci graduated from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Public Relations and Business Administration. She enjoys cooking southern and ethnic foods, watching historical fiction and crime dramas, and traveling to U.S. museums.
Katie Clancy
Accountant
Katie is an independent accountant and owner of EmPowered Business Solutions, a business that specializes in small business accounting and consulting. She is a Summa Cum Laude alumna of the University of Houston Downtown and honored as an Outstanding Accounting Graduate of 2011.
Board of Directors
Rebecca Gentry
Board Chair
Rebecca is the Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Houston (UH).
Previously, she was Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at UH, overseeing campaign strategy, communications, donor relations, events and volunteer programs in the office of University Advancement. In other roles, she held advancement leadership positions in museums, historic homes, and foundations in Washington, DC and Miami.
A graduate of Wake Forest University, Rebecca is an active volunteer with the Junior League, Houston Symphony, Salvation Army Guild, Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, and others.
Kiran Ali
Board Member
Kiran became involved with His Grace Foundation after learning about the organization when her daughter received a double Bone Marrow Transplant in 2021 at Texas Children’s Hospital. She felt deeply connected to give back and volunteer with HGF, and was eager to make a direct impact on the same unit her daughter was treated.
Kiran is the Director of Admission and Enrollment Management at The Regis School of the Sacred Heart and has previously worked at Good Reason Houston, Teach for America, and Barclays Capital.
Kiran received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Rice University.
Val Anderson
Board Member
Val Anderson has been involved with HGF since its inception, working at the grassroots level to help the organization take flight as the best friend and supporter of Erin Kiltz, HGF Founder.
Val served as HGF’s Executive Director for 17 years, where her administrative, fundraising and people skills expanded HGF to double its program services.
Monique Pappas
Board Member
Monique graduated from Texas A&M in 1986 with a BBA in Accounting. She spent time working as an auditor for Siedman & Siedman as well as BFI, but her best job has been mom to her two children. Monique has worked the past 7 years in the accounting department of Annunciation Orthodox School where both her children attended preschool through 8th grade.
While a stay at home mom, Monique volunteered with AOS in many different capacities including Gala & Book Fair Treasurer, PTC Treasurer, PTC President, Annual Fund Chair and Care Committee Chair.
She was also active with her daughter’s National Charity League Chapter, where Monique became acquainted with and started volunteering with His Grace Foundation. Monique has also held board positions with NCL Bayou City and Camp Cho-Yeh.
Corynne Hume Yamasaki
Outside Board Representative, Junior League of Houston
Corynne works as a Project Engineer for the Aerospace Corporation. She has supported the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at NASA in Project and Hardware Management of the space suit and tools used by our astronauts on spacewalks for 15 years.
The activities of her two children she shares with her husband, Chris, keep her agile and enjoying this special time in life. She has been an active volunteer with the Junior League of Houston for the past 8 years.
A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering, Corynne also earned an MBA from Rice University.
Erin Kiltz
Founder/Ex-Officio
Erin co-founded His Grace Foundation with her husband, John, in 1997, and co-founded Wheels of Fun, a company that creates custom spoke guard covers for wheelchairs, in 2006.
Each of these endeavors was inspired by the youngest of the Kiltz’ three children, Gracie (the namesake of His Grace Foundation) who was born with Down Syndrome, battled leukemia, and suffered complications from treatment that resulted in a severe brain injury.
Erin is now the Executive Director of Brookwood in Georgetown, a vocational community for adults with disabilities.
John Kiltz
Founder/Ex-Officio
John is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Stonelake Capital Partners. He directs the firm’s institutional investment and acquisition program. In 1997, John co-founded His Grace Foundation with his wife, Erin.
He received an undergraduate degree in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin and a Master’s of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.
John currently serves as a Board Member of Brookwood in Georgetown.
Hunter Sage
Legal Counsel/Ex-Officio
Mr. Sage is Managing Director and General Counsel of Stonelake Capital Partners, LLC, a fully-integrated private equity real estate firm. Prior to joining Stonelake in 2012, Mr. Sage practiced law in the Houston office of Locke Lord LLP from 2004 until 2012.
While at Locke Lord, Mr. Sage represented institutional lenders, regional lenders and investment funds in connection with lending matters, workouts and foreclosures.
Mr. Sage also serves as Secretary and General Counsel of Post Oak Little League and is a member of St. Michael Catholic Church. Mr. Sage received his Bachelor of General Studies Degree, summa cum laude, from Louisiana State University and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law.
