Our
Team

Katy Butterwick, MSc. is the Executive Director of The Cullen Trust for Health Care, a support organization granting financial assistance to institutions providing health care, conducting health-related research, or training health care providers in the greater Houston area.

Katy most recently served as Vice President of Strategy at The Hackett Center for Mental Health and as a Senior Program Officer in the grants division of the Episcopal Health Foundation.

Her areas of expertise include early relational health, health systems, behavioral health, and reproductive health including equitable upstream preventive approaches. She brings 25 years of experience in the non-profit arena where she has worked in operations, communications, program management, fundraising, and leadership development.

Cathy Easter is President and CEO of Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services and Senior Vice President of Community Development, leading global strategy, business development, and community engagement.

For more than 30 years, she has championed partnerships that expand access to healthcare, including collaborations with Federally Qualified Health Centers, free clinics, specialty care, and mental health providers across Greater Houston. Her leadership has also helped expand Houston Methodist’s global presence throughout Latin America and the Middle East.

A recognized healthcare and community leader, Cathy additionally serves on several other nonprofit and civic boards and has received numerous honors for her contributions locally, nationally, and globally.

Elena Marks, JD, MPH is currently the senior fellow in health policy at the Baker Institute at Rice University.

Her work focuses on achieving health equity in the U.S. by reforming the $4.1 trillion health system so that it produces positive health outcomes, not just medical services. Previously, she served as the founding president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, a $1.3 billion nonprofit, from 2014 to 2022 and as the director of health and environmental policy for the city of Houston from 2004 to 2009. Earlier in her career, she practiced law and started, built and sold a successful law-related business.

M. Anne Murphy, CFRE has more than 45 years of experience as a development professional philanthropic educator and consultant.

Her experience includes advancement roles at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, University of Houston Downtown and the Gulf Coast March of Dimes. Nationally, she has contributed to fundraising efforts at Mary Baldwin College, the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation Campaign and as principal of Dini Spheris.

She currently serves as board chair for Stephens College and the Rice University Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies Advisory Board, where she is also an instructor.

Mike Nichols, JD currently serves as the Director of Housing and Community Development for the City of Houston, having been appointed by Mayor Whitmire in March 2024.

Mike has an extensive background in the non-profit sector, most recently serving as President & CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County, as Interim CEO of the Houston Parks Board, as well serving on various Boards of Directors, including Chairing the Board of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Prior to, Mike had an impressive corporate career with Sysco and with Grocers Supply, as well as a stint in politics.

Esmaeil Porsa, MD, MBA, MPH, CCHP-A is president & CEO at Harris Health System, one of the largest community-focused, academic and safety-net healthcare systems in Texas.

Prior to joining Harris Health in 2020, Porsa served as the executive vice president and chief strategy and integration officer at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas, where he worked since 2007 in different capacities including medical director of the Dallas County Jail, associate chief medical officer and senior vice president for Professional and Academic Affairs, and interim chief medical officer.

Keena Pace, LCSW is the CEO of the Harris Center, one of the nation’s largest behavioral health organizations.

Keena Pace serves as Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center, where she oversees programs serving more than 88,000 people annually and leads collaborative efforts with community partners to address behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disability needs.

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she holds a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Texas Christian University.

Keena is active in the National Association of Social Workers and serves on the board of the Association of Substance Abuse Providers in Texas.