EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

piper@ilivehereigivehere.org

Piper Stege Nelson is a native of Austin, Texas. Prior to joining I Live Here I Give Here, she served as the Chief Public Strategies Officer at SAFE, a nonprofit dedicated to stopping the cycle of violence in Central Texas. There she managed the volunteer, community education, marketing & communications, earned revenue venture, and policy arms of the organization.

She recently ran for school board trustee in Austin and lost, but garnered over 10,000 votes. Her past roles include managing corporate partnerships for Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn initiative, serving as Deputy Director of Annie’s List, and being the Publisher of The Texas Observer. She has also supported women involved in politics internationally, worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and served as legislative director for Texas State Representative Jessica Farrar. In 2021, she was named one of the BBC’s Top 100 Women.

After graduating from Carleton College in Minnesota, she was awarded a Fulbright grant, then went on to earn her master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She recently served on the Austin Commission for Immigrant Affairs and on the Lee Elementary PTA Executive Board, as the Board Chair of AIDS Services of Austin, and on the Austin Council of PTAs. She and her husband just spent a year living with their two kiddos in Granada, Spain, but are so happy to be home in Austin again.

SR. DIRECTOR OF NONPROFIT & CUSTOMER RELATIONS

charli@ilivehereigivehere.org

Charli has spent 17 years in the nonprofit and public sectors with a focus on community programs, relationship building, and excellent customer service. She began her career at Portland Parks & Recreation while attending Reed College. After moving to Austin in 2014, Charli shifted to nonprofit work, serving as Program Director and later Deputy Director for Generation SERVE, developing volunteer and service-learning programs for youth and families and inspiring young people to be engaged citizens.

Charli currently serves on the board of Volunteering Untapped ATX and the Friends of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, and volunteers weekly at her neighborhood greenbelt. She is also a power lifter, aspiring rower, huge public library fan, and loves playing the piano.

SR. DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PROGRAMS & EVENTS

christian@ilivehereigivehere.org

Christian has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. She began her career at Alzheimer’s Texas after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Government from The University of Texas at Austin. Working in a variety of roles, including Program Director, Development Director, and, ultimately, Executive Director, Christian has a wide-ranging skillset. She is an expert in program implementation, executive leadership, event planning, process improvement, organizational development, fundraising, operations management, and team building.  

Christian is proud to be a native Austinite and to give back to the community. She has participated on several boards and coalitions, and especially enjoys serving through the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and Women’s Symphony League of Austin. 

Christian and her husband, Robert, have one son, Colton. She loves spending time with her family, being outdoors, attending concerts, and traveling.

SR. DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

jared@ilivehereigivehere.org

Somehow, for the last 20 years Jared has made a living off loving people. Whether as a pastor, a higher education professional, or a non-profit fund developer, his passion for helping others find themselves through service and generosity has remained constant.

After moving to Central Texas in 2012 to be a pastor with The First Baptist Church of Austin, Jared became a community leader amongst downtown nonprofits and faith communities organizing to better support Austin’s unhoused community. In 2020, Jared was asked to join The Other Ones Foundation, a local homeless services agency, as their Director of Relationships and Giving. While at TOOF he built a philanthropy program from scratch and in just three years helped secure over $6 million in funding from private donors and foundations.

When he’s not helping others give back, Jared loves giving back anyway that he can. With his friend David, he founded a team that’s built 85 (and counting) tiny homes at Community First! Village. He volunteers to greet and work concessions at Austin Playhouse and with Trinity Street Players. He checks on his neighbor’s dogs when they’re away from home.

Jared gives back to himself with season tickets to Austin FC, thrifting, baking whenever and whatever he wants, camping, fly-fishing, and obsessing over Liverpool FC and Formula 1. 

Jared has been married to his wife, Sarah Zeringue since 2017. She is a local theater actress and the greatest pet-parent you’ll ever meet.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

iris@ilivehereigivehere.org

Iris is an innovative and curious-minded Marketing Leader with more than 12 years of experience in digital marketing, creative direction, corporate communications, and e-commerce strategies. She’s helped companies expand brand visibility, reach revenue goals, and launch new products and services in a variety of industries — nonprofits, hospitality, bars & restaurants, apparel, beauty, consumer packaged goods, and most recently wine & spirits. Iris excels in strategic storytelling through a blend of paid and organic media, influencer and PR campaigns, plus experiential marketing and creative brand partnerships to engage meaningfully with an audience.

SR. DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

natalie@ilivehereigivehere.org

Natalie is fueled by the desire to see the impact of her work. Over the last decade she has used this drive to develop a career in the nonprofit and higher education sectors, producing high-quality projects and programs at both the international and local level. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan, Natalie lived in Taiwan for nine years, completing her master’s degree at Ming Chuan University and working at multiple universities.

Natalie moved back to the U.S. in 2016 and joined the EastWest Institute, a nonprofit organization in New York City, focused on preventing international conflict by building trust among influential stakeholders. She subsequently managed special projects at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, including planning and executing a year-long 70th anniversary campaign of initiatives and programs.

Natalie first joined I Live Here I Give Here in 2021 as a database administrator. In her current role, she oversees the technology ecosystem and processes that align data for the entire organization.

Natalie and her husband, Cheng Yu, have one son. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and enjoying the outdoors.

PARTNERSHIPS COORDINATOR

lynn@ilivehereigivehere.org

Lynn is passionate about inspiring kindness and bringing out the best in people. After graduating from Rice University, she spent the first 18 years of her career at National Instruments, where she developed a passion for guiding teams and leading large-scale projects. With her global content teams, she focused on customer success through making complex subject matter easily accessible and understandable.

In 2021, Lynn turned weekend passions into the second act of her career in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining I Live Here I Give Here, Lynn worked as the Family Volunteer Program Manager for Generation SERVE where she developed engaging volunteer experiences for children and their families. Through these experiences, Lynn helped encourage thousands of families across Central Texas and the Greater Houston area to learn about and care for their local communities. She's seen first hand the power of instilling the values of civic responsibility, kindness, and empathy in our youth and families. Those experiences have motivated her to continue the work of investing in our local nonprofit community and expand her reach to a bigger audience.

When Lynn is not working, you can find her and her husband, Johann, cheering on their girls at whatever athletic event is in season, saying no (unsuccessfully) to new pets or fostering puppies, and traveling to new places near and far.