KAREN EL-TAWILBoard Chairperson
Karen, a retired oilfield services executive, has been an active volunteer and donor with Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) since 2012. She has been involved with the women's program since its inception and served as Interim Executive Director in EWOP's inaugral year. Karen is known and loved by the Lockhart ladies for her dedication, servant leader heart and can do spirit!
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BERT SMITHBoard Member
Bert is the former CEO of Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) and has been involved within the organization since 2005. He has a law and investment background with many years of experience in a variety of industries. Bert is currently the President of the National Christian Foundation where he helps nonprofits and donors connect to change lives and experience growth.
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TRACI BERRYBoard Member
Traci is the Superintendent of Schools for Goodwill Excel Center. In addition to extensive leadership and development experience with non-profits, she has experience operating programs in prisons and specifically in the Lockhart correctional facility. Traci is well known for her advocacy for women's rights and desire to teach incarcerated women to become resourceful and independent.
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KAREN THORNTONBoard Member
Karen is Chief Administrative Officer for FTS International (FTSI), one the largest well completion companies in North America. She oversees the strategic direction of the HR function, leading the adoption of a culture of excellence among all employees and positioning the company as an employer of choice. Karen serves on the boards of Tarrant County College Foundation and the Tarrant County American Heart Association, where she chairs the Go Red for Women Movement.
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MARIA BRUEDERLINBoard Member
Co-Founder of Impact Coaching Solutions, Maria is a certified International Master Coach Trainer who's worked with global corporations such as Microsoft and ExxonMobil and institutions like MD Anderson and Rice University. Her expertise includes leadership development, communication, emotional intelligence, team alignment, elevating women leaders, and developing self-awareness/emotional skills. Maria is bilingual and has a broad knowledge of cultural diversity.
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MEET OUR STAFF MEMBERS
PAM PARKMANExecutive Director 
Pam has led a variety of nonprofit organizations over the past 25 years, with a focus on strategic planning and growth for start-up nonprofits. Pam founded Southwest Senior Solutions, a for-profit business helping senior adults downsize and relocate. She served on the National Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, building relationships and increasing awareness for arts education across the nation. Pam has a heart for women and is blessed to be a part of the EWOP family.
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LORI MELLINGERRe-Entry Services Coordinator
Lori Mellinger is a former newspaper writer from East Texas, who, in the midst of a longtime addiction to pills and alcohol, served two years on a six-year sentence in TDCJ. While in prison, Lori decided to make some drastic changes in her life, and paroled to Abilene, TX, a city where she had no ties. It was there that she heard her calling: to help women in similar circumstances walk a path to freedom. Lori is now the Re-Entry Services Coordinator for Empowered Women of Purpose, a job that she believes will allow her to use both her skills and her lived experience to help women succeed in freedom, too. Lori serves as a founding member and on the steering committee of the Statewide Leadership Council, a coalition of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, in Austin and as an active graduate and part of the Truth Be Told community.
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