Erin Birney

Erin joined the Meadows Institute with 14 years of nonprofit experience and a strong commitment to expanding access to mental health care in Texas and nationwide. Most recently, Erin worked in refugee resettlement, first providing direct client support and later working at the national systems level in grants management and program training. She provided intensive case management for asylees and refugees in Texas, helping clients connect with mental health care, housing, and essential support services. On the national scale, Erin managed grants, provided training and technical assistance, and implemented programs that support refugees and migrant farmworkers. 

 In her Institute role, Erin focuses on resource development and fundraising efforts, ensuring support for grant proposals and donor strategies and streamlining internal processes to advance the Institute’s mission. 

Erin holds Bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and English Literature, with a minor in Latin American Studies, from the University of Kansas. She is also a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. Erin resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband and their rat terrier-chihuahua mix, Suvi.