Race Talk: Community Leader Panel
We’re thrilled to have an incredible lineup of panelists for RBI Austin’s upcoming Race Talk Town Hall on Thursday, November 12 from 6-7pm.
This week, we’ll hear from a group of leaders in the Austin community about how race has impacted their lives and their work.
If you haven’t already RSVPed, do so now and we’ll send you the Zoom link.
But now, let’s meet our panelists!
Quan Cosby
Austin Businessman
Former NFL Wide Receiver
As a multi sport athlete, Quan Cosby could be remembered for his performance on many different playing fields, but his passion for philanthropy is what most people know about Quan today.
Quan began his career as a baseball player, being drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft by the Anaheim Angels. In 2009, Cosby began his career as an NFL wide receiver, playing with the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars. For most, the NFL is a career!
Today, Quan is currently involved with speaking to schools and students about their educational endeavors. In addition to his involvement with promoting students successes, Quan fills his free time with as many philanthropic events as his schedule permits. His speaking engagements that focus on the inspiration and motivation needed to be a successful business has led Quan to become a licensed insurance representative, focused on and living back in the central Texas area.
Laura Cortez
Austin Businesswoman
Cortez Consulting
Laura is from the Rio Grande Valley and came to Austin in 1999 as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science from Drake University, and later went on to earn her MBA from St. Edward’s University and PhD in Higher Education from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2012, Laura served as a postdoctoral fellow at UT’s Community Engagement Center, and in this role led one of Austin’s most comprehensive public engagement projects known as the Colony Park Sustainable Community Initiative. Laura credits this experience with changing her professional trajectory and after completing the project she launched Cortez Consulting.
Today, Laura is designing new ways to effectively engage the public, particularly those individuals who are traditionally left out of the conversation. Cortez Consulting is certified as a Women and Minority-Owned Business (MWBE) and Historically Underutilized Business (HUB). Cortez Consulting is involved with an array of projects across the City working to build positive relationships within the community. During her free time, Dr. Cortez stays active in the community and serves on the board of the Austin Parks Foundation and Leadership Austin.
Tonya Nixon
Austin Police Officer
Travis County Constable-Elect
Tonya Nixon is a native of Austin, Texas who has been a peace officer 16 years and is the current Sgt at Travis County Constable Precinct One. After winning the primary elections in March, Constable-Elect Nixon is the first black women to run and win the seat of Constable in Travis County and the Central Texas Area.
Tonya’s passion is the community. She was a 2017 panelist at the Big Data and Community Policing Conference, a 2018 panelist at the Excellence and Advancement Foundation “Counselors Over Cops” event, a 2019 panelist at the Big Data and Community Policing Conference in Houston, Tx, a 2019 and a panelist at the Austin Community College Juneteenth Celebrate Freedom festival.
Tonya strongly believes community policing and being actively involved is the only way to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community. She has taken on many volunteer opportunities and community leadership roles. She strives to give back while encouraging and inspiring others to do the same while keeping their trust and preserving the quality of life.
Rondell Treviño
Nonprofit Founder & Director
The Immigration Coalition
Rondell Treviño is the Founder and Director of The immigration Coalition — a faith-based non-profit providing clean drinking water to Immigrants and Migrants at the Southern Border and biblically balanced resources on immigration that show compassion and respect for the rule of law.
Rondell speaks on issues of Immigration from a theological and biblical perspective at Churches, organizations, and conferences around the United States and the world, including Cambridge University in England among other places. Rondell has written for and been featured in several publications, including The Gospel Coalition, Faithfully Magazine, Christianity Today, and The Washington Post.
Treviño received a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Belhaven University and a Master of Divinity from Capital Seminary and Graduate School. Rondell is happily married to Laura Treviño and is the proud father to Sofia Treviño and Charlotte Treviño.