NSCNA Blog Archive

The North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association’s 2022 election of officers and directors will be held on Tuesday, January 11 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Due to current Covid restrictions, it will be a Zoom Meeting. The meeting’s only agenda item is the election. An email has been sent to members providing information about the election.  Election notices will be posted on NSCNA’s Facebook page and on Nextdoor North Shoal Creek.  An additional email will be sent to members prior to the election providing them with the link they will need to join the meeting online.

The association’s Nominating Committee has put together a slate of 11 candidates, one for each of the 11 positions. Posted below are the statements submitted by the candidates to the Nominating Committee. Please read them to help you learn more about the candidate and why he or she is running for office.

Non-members can attend the meeting, but only those who join and pay their dues online prior to January 10 will be eligible to  vote.

North Shoal Creek is growing and changing. We believe the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association is the best way to make your voice heard and to take part in building our neighborhood’s future. We’re fortunate to have 11 members willing to step forward and lead us in 2022. Please join us and vote on January 11.

North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association Nominating Committee 12/31/2021

CANDIDATES STATEMENTS 2022 

PRESIDENT:  Josh Conrad:  I moved to Stillwood @ Briarwood in 2019 with my partner Clarissa and our now 9 year old son Miles. We live on the corner lot with the kid’s little library. We have been Austinites for over a decade and neighborhood association members since we moved. We also maintain a veggie bed at the community garden. We love our neighborhood for its friendliness, diversity and convenience. I am currently a doctoral student at UT in the School of Architecture where I study urban issues such as historic preservation and housing development, and Clarissa is a clinical social worker at UT Health.  I am running for President because I am interested in helping to restart and continue all the great work undertaken by our neighborhood association over the past decade to celebrate and improve our neighborhood. I hope to support greater diversity, affordability and sustainability in our neighborhood as well as in Austin as a whole. 

 VICE-PRESIDENT:  My name is Adam Powell and I’ve had the pleasure of living in the North Shoal Creek neighborhood since June 2019. I’m pursuing a leadership position in the NSCNA because I’m passionate about the power of community, and I’m excited for the opportunity to actively contribute to this slice of Austin that I call home. I’ve worked in public service and mission-oriented work for my entire professional career thus far; including as a full-time union organizer, teacher recruiter for a local school district, and currently as a state employee. In each of those roles I’ve been able to do energizing work centered around giving back to communities of various sizes, but now that I’ve been working at the statewide level I for a few years I deeply miss the immediate impact and power of connecting with people at a truly local level. After taking time to look into various ways to get locally involved, dedicating my time to the neighborhood association was clearly the best way that I could make an impact in our wonderful neighborhood.  

 I’m seeking the Vice President position specifically because I want to contribute to multiple committees and efforts within the association. Here are a few high-level concepts that I’m excited to get to work on:  

    Community Engagement - We’re only as strong as our membership, and I want to be a contributor both to growing our organization and keeping our current members as engaged as possible. Specifically, I’d love to start discussions about revitalizing our social media presence, maximizing the membership opportunities of our annual events, and evaluating our meeting structures to ensure high levels of participation.  

    Park Development – Just as Pillow Park is a fantastic asset to our community, I want to spend time pursuing the development of another park in the area on an unused strip of land in our neighborhood. I’ve connected with Kevin and Mary Jane about this subject (they’ve put a ton of time into researching and laying the groundwork for this!) and it feels like it’s time for our association to dedicate more time to making this concept a reality.  

    Relationship with the City of Austin - From experience (especially as a state employee), I’m that special type of person who actually likes to interact with the complexities of government. I welcome the opportunity to make connections with the City of Austin, and I pride myself on a personal history of being able to navigate large systems and bureaucracy to get the important things done.  

    Learning – This is more of a personal focus of mine than the other concepts: learning from the exceptionally deep wealth of knowledge we have in the association. I recognize that I’m at a stage where I don’t even know what I don’t know, but I’m committed to listening and learning from our association members to ensure we’re spending our time on what makes the most positive impact on our community.  

 Finally, I want to note that I am not a homeowner. I’m just a 20-something renter who is grateful to have found this neighborhood with my fiancé. That said, if I’m elected Vice President I will aim to share a renter’s perspective that helps to contextualize not just our neighborhood as it is (with hundreds of renters here already), but our where our neighborhood is going as well given Austin’s exceptional growth.  

 Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to meeting and working with as many of you as possible! 

-Adam Powell

 SECRETARY:  I am Barbara Gaston and I am running for the office of secretary of NSCNA, which I have had for the past two years. My family has lived on Donna Gail since 1976, and we have been members of NSCNA since its inception. Change will always be with us, but it has been managed by our representatives who have collaborated with city staff in order to assure the continuance of our excellent neighborhood quality of life. I support the constructive evolution of our neighborhood that will continue to make North Shoal Creek a very desirable place to live. I would certainly appreciate your vote for secretary.  

TREASURER:  Sharon Justice:  My husband (his name is Daniel Barrera) and I have lived on Little Laura Drive since 1998.  I’m a retired librarian. I worked 25 years in various jobs in the Austin Public Library system.  I’ve served several times as a NSCNA Director and I’ve been chair of the Media Committee and editor of the newsletter for the past 7 years. In 2022, I will continue to serve as Media Chair but will no longer be newsletter editor.  I am now running to serve as Treasurer, a position I’ve not held before. I was also active in North Shoal Creek’s neighborhood planning process. As a board member, I see my greatest responsibility to be furthering the goals of NSCNA, in particular “to promote and protect the quality of life, safety, and residential characteristics” of our neighborhood. I also hope to encourage more involvement by residents in the activities of our association. 

 DIRECTORS 

Place 1: Iain Cox 

 Place 2: Amber Dodson 

 Place 3: Maggie Kingsbury Hansen  / Place 4: Wes Hansen

We have lived in the North Shoal Creek neighborhood for 5 years and have been NSCNA members for several years but haven’t been completely consistent in joining every year. We have not been involved in NSCNA projects but are looking forward to getting involved. 

This is our first home, and this is the neighborhood where we’ve chosen to start our family. During the pandemic, we have spent more time outside and walking around the neighborhood than ever before. We’ve met so many new faces and it’s been incredibly nice to have that sense of community. We’d like to offer our time to hopefully help in any way that we can to continue the great things we have going on here.  

PLACE 5: My name is John Randall: I moved to 8605 Stillwood in Jan. 1981 when I bought my home. At that time, I worked as an Environmental Scientist for the Radian Corporation on Shoal Creek. Between then and now, I have lived in the home on and off with various relatives (daughter and grandson) until 4 years ago. While I don’t remember how long I have been a member of NSCNA, I believe it has been since its beginning. 

I have attended many NSCNA meetings over the years but have never been on any committees. I believe it is time for me to “pay back” some of the efforts that have gone into my enjoyment of living in this North Shoal Creek neighborhood. I hope to be a staunch advocate for keeping the neighborhood the family-friendly neighborhood that it has always been for me. The increase in people being added every day  – with the new construction at Mopac and Steck (the old Luby’s ) and on Rockwood and Burnet Road (behind Waterloo) –may take some getting used to and “work” to maintain our “friendliness.” I plan to focus on that aspect of being an advocate (Director) for NSCNA. I am sure that other things will come up for my participation during my directorship. I would appreciate your vote in my favor. 

PLACE 6: Tomas Rodriguez :  Our family moved to the neighborhood in 1980 and became NSCNA members around 1987 . My children attended Pillow . I am a retired AISD teacher.  I’ve had an opportunity to serve on the Traffic committee and would like to continue serving on that committee for the coming year . I’ve served as president , participated in negotiations that have provided funds for the association by the  Nissan dealership and several nominating committee terms . Other activities have been the recent Mosaic art project , our 4th of July parade and the annual Luminarias Christmas events.  

 PLACE 7: Kenneth Webb My family home has been on Donna Gail since we purchased the new home in December 1971. It was one of the last homes built in the immediate area before the development of the Lucas tract west of Melshire. Pillow School was a major reason we chose this neighborhood. Our son attended Pillow Elementary, Burnet Junior High (now Middle School) and graduated from Anderson High School. One daughter graduated from Lanier High (now Navarro), another attended Lanier and graduated from the first class of Anderson High, and the University of Texas.  

I have been a member of NSCNA for several years beginning before 2000. I have served as Vice President, President, and several times as a director. I have been webmaster and administrator for the NSCNA website nscna.org since 2012.   My NSCNA priorities are “to promote and protect the quality of life, safety, residential characteristics, and property values of this neighborhood” (quoted from the NSCNA bylaws), and support of Pillow School. 

Committees of interest include Bylaws, Development, Garden and Media. I hauled half of the lumber used in building the community garden and participated in its construction. I also worked in the Steck Avenue bridge mosaic project. 

I am retired from the US Army after serving in the Texas Army National Guard for 38 years, of which 36 were as a Civil Service employee.