Our Team
TFA Austin connects over 900 TFA alumni who live in Central Texas. TFA Austin was founded as the first Alumni-Forward region in 2019, building upon the longest running volunteer alumni board. In partnership with the board, TFA Austin works to engage, support, and develop classroom, campus, and community leaders to achieve educational equity for all students in Central Texas.
Christine Nishimura
Los Angeles ’06
Executive Director, TFA Austin
Nicole Seltman
New Mexico ’06
Senior Managing Director, TFA Austin
Sofia Lanza
San Antonio ’19
Manager of Alumni Impact for San Antonio and Austin
Christine Nishimura (Los Angeles ’06) brings more than a decade of education and legal experience to her role as executive director for Austin. Christine joined TFA as a Los Angeles ‘06 corps member, where she taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Christine took her experience from the classroom with her to law school, where she focused her learning in education law and policy. Following law school, Christine earned an Equal Justice Works Fellowship to work at Disability Rights Texas as a special education attorney advocating for appropriate, and culturally responsive interventions for low-income families. Immediately prior to becoming the Executive Director of Teach For America Austin, Christine was the general counsel for the Texas Public Charter Schools Association, advocating for equitable education policies for all students in Texas. Christine holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Texas.
Nicole was born and raised in New York. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University, she decided to join Teach for America – New Mexico in 2006. She taught for two years on the Navajo Nation, and then continued to work with Teach for America as a Program Director for two years. After supporting elementary teachers in the New Mexico region, Nicole made her way to KIPP Austin in 2010. In 2013, Nicole founded KIPP Austin Leadership Elementary (KALE), a K-4 college-prep charter school serving students in central and east Austin. Prior to joining Teach for America Austin staff, Nicole served as the Director of School Improvement at the Texas Education Agency working to improve the performance of low-performing schools across the state of Texas. Nicole lives in South Austin and enjoys spending time outdoors, staying active, and exploring new coffee shops.
Sofia was born and raised in Bradenton, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2019 with a double major in Political Science and International Studies. After graduation, she joined Teach for America and moved to San Antonio where she taught 7th and 8th grade Social Studies at Davis Middle School. After her corps years, Sofia joined the TFA San Antonio team and has recently joined the Austin team. She enjoys connecting and supporting alumni across San Antonio and Austin.
2022-2023 Austin Alumni Board
Alexa Higginbotham
Rio Grande Valley ’13
ELL/ESL Secondary Curriculum & Policy Specialist at Austin Independent School District
Patiance Villa
Oklahoma ’13
Board Team Leader
Regional Special Leadership Team at KIPP Texas
Kristen
Mosley
Dallas-Fort Worth ’14
Planning and Evaluation Coordinator for Austin ISD’s Office of Innovation and Development
Ian
McEntee
South Louisiana ’19
Nearpod
Employer Relations Lead at the Moody College of Communications at UT Austin
Aimée
Jones-Wilkerson
Houston ’17
Coaching and Teaching at Wayside Public Schools in Austin, TX
Andrea
Gutierrez
Rio Grande Valley ’12
Assistant Principal of Instruction at KIPP Austin Collegiate