About THEA
Our Mission Is Our Story
THEA protects your right to a safe environment through education and advocacy.
MISSION:
Texas Health and Environment Alliance is a regional nonprofit whose mission is to protect public health and the environment by engaging, educating, and empowering impacted communities to advocate effectively for the cleanup of historical contamination.
Our Founder
“I understand what people go through when they learn their neighborhood is contaminated, because that is my story.”
Jackie Medcalf became a champion for public health when she discovered that toxic chemicals in her drinking water were making her family sick. She was 15 when her family moved to a new home in rural Harris County. Soon their animals started to get sick. She developed seizures, loss of motor function, and endometriosis. Then her father broke his back due to an incurable cancer in his bone marrow. While studying for an environmental geology degree in college, she tested the well water at her home and discovered it was contaminated. Her own lab work showed levels of nearly two dozen toxic metals. She founded THEA to give others the tools to protect their own health.
How Jackie’s Story Led Her To Start THEA
Our History
Since its founding, THEA has worked neighborhood-by-neighborhood to clean up toxic chemicals in Houston and Harris County. During that time, the organization has built a coalition of more than 58,000 residents and influenced more than $122 million in EPA-ordered cleanup projects.
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Jackie Medcalf begins working as a part of the San Jacinto River Coalition to mobilize residents around dangers of the San Jacinto River Waste Pits Superfund Site.
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The IRS recognizes THEA as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. THEA partners with the Texas Department of State Health Services on an assessment of cancer rates in east Harris County, TX.
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THEA works with the community to speed up remediation of the San Jacinto Superfund Site and builds support to tackle the impacts of toxic contamination throughout Houston and Harris County.
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THEA’s work in the San Jacinto River area pays off when the EPA orders a $115 million full remediation of the site. THEA starts the Cypress Community Coalition to push for cleanup of the Jones Road Ground Water Plume Superfund Site.
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THEA collaborates with Greater Fifth Ward residents, advocacy groups, and government officials to form the Northeast Houston Coalition and address environmental injustice and cancer clusters in neighborhoods.
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Cleanup begins on the Jones Road Water Plume Superfund Site.
Texas Department of State Health Services begins releasing a series of cancer assessments for Northeast Houston.
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THEA forms a partnership with the University of Texas Medical Branch and Baylor College of Medicine to study health impacts from the Jones Rd Site and the San Jacinto Site. Texas Department of State Health Services releases a birth defect study for Northeast Houston.
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EPA approves plan for removal of contamination from the Southern Impoundment of the San Jacinto River Waste Pits
THEA launches area-wide health survey to better understand what types of disease plague our communities today.
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The EPA announces that the Jones Rd Site continues to threaten the local community’s health.
Cleanup activities at the Waste Pits’ Southern Impoundment begin to physically remove dioxin waste.
Our Board Members
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Lisa Gossett, J.D.
PRESIDENT & TREASURER
Mrs. Gossett, J.D. is a lawyer and educator who also has an undergraduate degree in engineering. She teaches environmental law and management at the University of Houston – Clear Lake, where she chairs the Environmental Management program.
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Rhian Davies, MBA
VICE PRESIDENT
Ms. Davies has worked extensively with venture capital companies and startup entrepreneurs. She is a Senior Consultant with the global strategy firm, Simon-Kucher Partners. She has been very involved in Houston environmental nonprofits.
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Jeffrey Spike Ph.D.
ETHICS ADVISOR
Dr. Spike is a national leader in the fields of medical and public health education and ethics. He is a professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine, and on the ethics committee of the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
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Sean Matula
SECRETARY
Mr. Matula has a background in emergency response and emergency management, with a focus on public safety and environmental response. He grew up close to the San Jacinto River Waste Pits and his personal experience informs THEA’s work.
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Oscar Lazaro
BOARD MEMBER
Oscar Lázaro is a Commercial Graduate Associate with S&P Global and is pursuing a Master of Environmental Management degree from the University of Houston - Clear Lake. He has a deep understanding of our mission, having worked as a community coordinator with THEA.
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Jennifer Anderson
BOARD MEMBER
Jennifer Anderson, MPH, brings extensive experience in community engagement and nonprofit management. She holds a Masters of Public Health and a B.A. in Women's Studies and Women’s Health from the University of Michigan.
Our Council Of Community Advisors
Our advisors live on the front lines of the fight to protect the environmental health of Houston-area residents. They are invested in THEA’s mission because their homes are threatened by the toxic waste sites, we are pushing government agencies to address.
Pamela Bonta
Sarah Davis
Keith Downey
Sandra Edwards
James Fretty
Marlene Lobberecht
Jeff Reese
Carolyn Stone
We rely on our advisors for their leadership in the communities we serve and to make sure that their neighbors’ priorities are our priorities.