ILHIGH Welcomes Three New Board Members

As I Live Here I Give Here enters its 14th year of service, I am thrilled to announce our newest class of incoming board members, each of whom brings many years of community involvement to their role. From establishing the Guaranty Bank & Trust Austin office, to creating one of Central Texas’ most successful PR agencies — Giant Noise, to leading community engagement strategies at St. David’s HealthCare, these superstars will undoubtedly help ILHIGH get closer to achieving its vision for Central Texas to become the most generous community in the country. 

Community service is engrained in Ryan Coaxum, a native Austinite, who lives life to advance others in the community. You see that enthusiasm in both his professional and personal community engagement. In addition to his new role on the ILHIGH Board of Directors, Ryan also served as a 2020 Co-Chair for ILHIGH’s signature See Us Give program. Additionally, he is on the Board of Trustees for the St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church, the Andy Roddick Foundation Leadership Council, the Host Committee for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Ice Ball, the Texas Empowerment Academy Community Advisory Board, Leadership Austin Nominating & Governance Committee, and the Trail Foundation Finance Committee — and these are just his current positions! Previously, he held volunteer leadership roles with the Soul of Austin Culture Fest, the Austin Trail of Lights, and the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum. Ryan is also civically engaged in a variety of banking initiatives, and he serves on the Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequalities.

Although Elaine Garza is new to the ILHIGH Board of Directors, she is not new to our organization. As founder and CEO of Giant Noise public relations agency, she has made an indelible mark on our community. With diverse clients like ILHIGH, the Austin Parks Foundation, Home Slice, the South Congress Hotel, and the Moontower Comedy Festival, among many others, Elaine has helped build partnerships between nonprofit organizations and businesses to encourage giving and generosity. Her PR expertise in lifestyle, media, and nonprofit organizations has also helped advance ILHIGH’s programs, including Amplify Austin Day, which has raised more than $69 million for Central Texas nonprofits. 

Meg Moss, another born-and-bred Austinite, is the division director of community engagement for St. David’s HealthCare. She is also the first board member in ILHIGH history to represent the healthcare industry. In her role at St. David’s HealthCare, she directs the community engagement strategies for the hospitals across the system. We are thrilled to have Meg’s expertise on our board, as ILHIGH works to expand our Annual Business Membership program to offer more employee engagement opportunities to our corporate partners who want to connect with the community on a deeper level. In her free time, Meg is a member of the Junior League of Austin and has four kiddos! 

Thank you to these community leaders for joining the generosity movement and strengthening our team by sharing your expertise and unique perspectives to grow our potential.

Please join me in sending our newest members a Texas-sized welcome! 

Courtney Manuel

Executive Director

I Live Here I Give Here