Meet the Staff

Estella Gonzalez is the Interim Executive Director of the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity. The department seeks to improve the quality of life of Harris County residents by attracting and growing businesses that result in jobs that pay a living wage and new entrepreneurship opportunities, removing barriers to contracting opportunities, stabilizing household and individual incomes, providing workforce training to residents, and supporting essential workers.

Estella joined the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity after fifteen years in the non-profit sector. Her passion for service and dedication to community development led her to a career in the public sector. Prior to joining the DEEO, she founded a small business development program for immigrant and micro-entrepreneurs and spearheaded social enterprise projects, including a commercial kitchen incubator and coworking space. Estella holds a B.A. from the University of Houston and an M.P.A from Penn State University.

***

Alejandra Mondragon is the Sr. Program Manager of Budget & Performance of the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity. She oversees the budget and tracks program and service metrics to ensure goals are met. She also works collaboratively with division leads in creating a culture of accountability and data driven decisions in the department.

Alejandra joined the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity after thirteen years in the non-profit sector, the last six years of which has been focused on process improvement, and budget and data management. Prior to joining the DEEO, she led various projects including a major roll-out of a new CRM system for the division. Alejandra holds a B.S. in Social Science from University of Houston- Downtown.

***

Tiffany R. Green is the Office Manager for the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity and works to ensure all Office & Administrative functions are effectively operating.

Tiffany has over 15 years of Administrative Management experience within the sectors of non-profit, healthcare and government. Tiffany’s experience includes Executive Administration support, Human Resources management, Vendor & Contract management, Purchasing & Procurement, Space Planning and Management of Administrative Support Staff.

Tiffany holds a B.S. in Business Management from Monroe College in New York.

Jie Wu is the Interim Director of the Program Planning & Innovation division. The division provides program planning with a focus on innovation, community insights, program evaluation and analytics, and policy advising to advance equity and economic opportunity in Harris County.

Jie has more than 15 years of experience in research and nonprofit management. Prior to joining DEEO, she oversaw data initiatives and a portfolio of research projects at Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research and has published a series of reports on survey findings, economic mobility, community resilience and urban inequality issues. Jie earned all but her dissertation towards a doctorate in economics and her M.A. in economics from Rice University.

***

Dr. Paula Cecilia Pineda is the Assistant Director of ARPA Initiatives. In this role, she leads DEEO's efforts to optimize federal funding and provide inclusive economic development assistance via small business and workforce development strategies. A mission-minded, innovative, and strategic leader, Dr. Pineda is committed to extending economic opportunity to empower under-resourced communities and address inequality.

As a scholar of ethnic identity, ethnic conflict, and decentralization institutions, Dr. Pineda draws on her research background and interests to design programming and policy that addresses structural inequalities. An excellent communicator, Dr. Pineda has presented on identity, ethnicity, institutional design, and inclusive policy design across the US, UN-partnered initiatives, and abroad at the Hague, Iraq, Ecuador, and Turkey.

In her previous roles, Dr. Pineda led various workforce development and small business development efforts with the City of Houston, including work with partners such as Meta (Facebook) and federally-funded small business programming for Hurricane Harvey recovery.

***

Bryonne (Bree) Cummings is the Assistant Director, Policy & Special Projects. Her responsibilities focus on driving equity and inclusive economic growth in communities that experience disparities and disinvestment in Harris County through policy. She is a skilled operations professional and is experienced in analyzing existing business processes and implementing improvements to simplify the experience and drive efficiencies.

Bree has served in entities championing employment work programs and has extensive experience in the Kansas City government, where she worked in both juvenile and adult diversion programs. As an Auditor for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, she found her calling as an efficiency champion, ensuring compliance with guidelines and optimizing processes for organizational value. She began her tenure in Harris County managing a historic misdemeanor bail reform project in 2020.

Bree has a Master's in Organizational Development Psychology, a Graduate Project Management Certificate, and a Bachelor's in Psychology.

Jack Thomas is the Director of Inclusive Procurements for the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity.  Prior to his current position, Jack was the Director of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and Community Development for the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority, a position he held on two different occasions totaling more than 10 years.  Before Jack joined the staff in Jackson, he was the Assistant Vice President, Business Diversity Development at the Nashville Airport, Chief Diversity Officer for St. Louis County Government and Assistant Airport Director for the City of St. Louis Airport Authority, retiring after 30 years of service to the City and the St. Louis business community.  During his tenure with the City of St. Louis, Jack was the Director of the City’s M/WBE Program from 1996-1999 and Director of the City’s M/W/DBE Programs from 2001-2008.