Navigating New Horizons Together | 2025 AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting

On February 24, 2025, OneStar hosted the annual AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting—this year held as a pre-conference session of the Texas Nonprofit Summit. Anchored in the shared theme Navigating New Horizons Together, the gathering invited AmeriCorps programs from across the state to explore how national service can guide communities through an era of rapid change. By aligning with the Summit, the event offered participants a unique opportunity to engage with the broader nonprofit sector, expand networks, and gain insights from diverse leaders—all while strengthening the shared mission of service and community resilience across Texas.

Some notable highlights of this year’s AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting include:

• Charting a unified path in a changing landscape. To align with the Texas Nonprofit Summit’s theme Navigating New Horizons Together, this year’s AmeriCorps Texas Grantee Meeting underscored the importance of collaboration . By convening as a pre-conference session, AmeriCorps programs were able to engage with the broader nonprofit ecosystem, building connections and partnerships that extend the impact of national service beyond traditional boundaries.
• Strengthening foundations through transparency and data. In the session Transparency, Trust, and Data-Driven Practices: Building Strong Foundations for Program Success, Gabriella Garcia De-Avila and Leah Pagano of Literacy First led an insightful exploration of what it means to live out program values through intentional systems and culture. The discussion emphasized transparency across all practices, from data collection to member coaching, and highlighted trust and collaboration as the essential throughlines of strong programs. Attendees examined how feedback loops create opportunities for continuous improvement, and how data can serve as a driving force—not just for compliance, but for more equitable recruitment, more effective coaching, and deeper alignment with mission and values.
• Leading with clarity, connection, and celebration. Jaclyn Kolar, OneStar’s Vice President of Service and Volunteerism, hosted a Town Hall that fostered an open dialogue on the future of AmeriCorps in Texas, offering clarity on emerging challenges and next steps. The meeting culminated in the AmeriCorps Texas Awards, celebrating programs and members whose innovation, resilience, and service exemplify the spirit of AmeriCorps. Together, these moments reminded attendees that leadership in service is both a responsibility and a shared journey toward a more connected Texas.