THF announces Klaeger as community services lead
Glynis Crawford SmithThe Highlander
Bessie Jackson, left, welcomes former county judge Donna Klaeger on board at the Texas Housing Foundation (THF) Friday, Nov. 3. Jackson is the community resource director of the THF Marble Falls Community Resource Center and Klaeger has been named new senior vice president of community services, coordinating all the THF centers as Community Resource Centers of Texas, Inc. (CRC).
By Glynis Crawford Smith
The Highlander
If ever a job were custom made for a new employee it is senior vice president of community services at the Texas Housing Foundation (THF).
Former county judge Donna Klaeger, instrumental in creating the THF Community Resource Center in Marble Falls, has been named to the position that will coordinate services in that center, others in Llano and Liberty Hill and one being created in Johnson City.
Mark Mayfield, president and CEO of the Texas Housing Foundation, made the announcement Wednesday, Nov. 1. Known jointly as Community Resource Centers of Texas, Inc. (CRC) their mission is to provide social and public health services to qualified clients supported by area nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
“By locating dozens of these agencies in one location, clients can quickly learn about, apply for, and receive services that are provided by each agency,” said Mayfield. “Experienced staff can also refer clients to off-site agencies. On any given day there are numerous non-profit and government agencies located at each CRC, with one goal: to assist clients to access services.”
In 2005, THF worked collaboratively with Klaeger, as the executive director of the Seriff Foundation, to form the first CRC in Marble Falls at the T.Q. Brown Center on Broadway Street.
“The building was here and we pitched the idea of a center,” said Klaeger. “Mark Mayfield took it to his board and they pulled in the Texas Health & Human Services Commission.
“Marc and Carolyn Seriff paid for all the furnishings.”
Today, Bessie Jackson is community resource director of the Marble Falls center and she and Klaeger have a long history of community service together.
“I am excited about this job,” said Klaeger. “I had been praying about what would be coming next in my life.”
“Just like me, Donna Klaeger was a newcomer to Marble Falls and new to public service,” said Jackson. “We were welcomed to it.”
Jackson was elected to the Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees and the Granite Shoals City Council and is active with Mission Marble Falls among many other charities. Klaeger was a successful candidate for Burnet County Judge, serving from 2006-2014.
She became part of the Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), a non-partisan think tank that focuses on finding solutions to the region’s thorniest problems, where she continues to serve, before becoming interim director of the Highland Lakes Legacy Fund.
Klaeger has served as chairwoman of the Capital Area Planning Council of Governments (CAPCOG), Capital Area Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CARTPO), and Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). She continues to serve on the boards of directors of the Texas Water Development Board Region K Planning Group and the Bluebonnet Trails Community Services.
“I am honored and excited to become a member of the Texas Housing Foundation team, which provides affordable housing, economic opportunity, community service assistance and a suitable living environment for the families they serve, without discrimination,” said Klaeger. “I look forward to working with Mark Mayfield, Bessie Jackson, and the entire staff of the THF.
“I believe that good works performed by a community collaboratively, can change lives. We invite our community to learn more about our Community Resource Centers and how you can be involved as a non-profit, services provider, or a volunteer. Call us at 830-798-0700 or stop in to visit at 1016 Broadway in Marble Falls.”