Her Story
About Lianna
I am a development and philanthropy leader with over a decade of experience in fundraising, donor relations, and community engagement, currently serving as Director of Development at Rebuilding Together Austin San Antonio, a role I have held since October 2025, where I lead development strategy and fundraising initiatives to support affordable housing programs and community revitalization efforts.
Prior to this role, I served as Regional Director of Philanthropy and Public Relations at National Church Residences for three years, where I translated strategic goals into on-the-ground action through designing community-centered events like VIDA Fest which supported affordable housing programs, mobilizing local stakeholders, and crafting storytelling campaigns that moved people to engage and give to programs such as indoor gardening for disabled adults, building cross-sector partnerships and empowering staff and volunteers. I also served as Property Manager at Airbnb on a contract basis for over a year.
Before that, I spent over twelve years at T Bar M Camps and Retreats in progressively responsible roles, including Senior Director of Development, Director of Development, Resource Development Coordinator, Retreat Sales Lead, and Event Coordinator, where I led fundraising campaigns, managed donor relationships, oversaw sales departments, and planned meetings and events for clients. I also served as Logistics Sales at C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. for nearly four years, where I managed accounts, invoicing, inside and outside sales, and logistics solutions.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Anthropology from The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Across my career in development, philanthropy, and community engagement, my work has been driven by a commitment to building strong communities, creating meaningful connections, and advancing missions that make a lasting difference. Whether I am leading fundraising campaigns, designing community events, or building cross-sector partnerships, I bring a strategic, collaborative, and compassionate approach that empowers organizations and communities to thrive. I am proud of the work I have done throughout my career and excited to continue advancing affordable housing and community development through my work at Rebuilding Together Austin San Antonio.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lianna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say that staying grounded and staying motivated for the mission that you're serving really outlines the success that you'll have. I really like to establish a lot of buy-in with the team that I'm working with. I am a huge team player, and so it's important to me that we all work together and can have open communication and dialogue. When we can see that there are real results and there has been change, that's a great way to measure the success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is to surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, so that you are continually learning and kind of expanding and staying curious. Whether that be in a field that you're working in or even just in relationships and life in general, I think it makes sense to learn from those that are around you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
For younger women entering, I would say it's important to have integrity, to make sure that they are making choices and decisions that makes sense for themselves but for those that are around them. Also to ask for what it is you want. I truly believe that women need to be able to voice their opinions and ask for what it is that they want. They may not get it, but just being able to ask and not being afraid to be told no, I think, is really important.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest challenges, I would say, is kind of the federal climate at this point. A lot of funding is kind of up in the air. In the housing industry specifically, there is an ongoing housing crisis. Something that repair organizations face is creating that awareness so that more people realize rebuilding and repairing the homes that are already in existence is a really great solution for the housing crisis and a far less expensive way to mitigate some of the housing issues.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I always knew that I wanted to help people when I was younger. Once I was introduced to the nonprofit world, it really made sense to be involved with work if I was going to be away from my children, which are really my priority in life. If I'm going away from them, I want to make sure that I'm doing work that is impactful, that's making good change in the community or improving an area. Making change locally is what matters.
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