Our Team

Dr. Sandra Smith (she/her) is the Vice President of Via Hope which is the Mental Health Resource of Texas (USA). She has vast experience in higher education administration with an unwavering commitment to the highest mental health and reentry standards to support and encourage today’s youth and adults. She is a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist and a Certified Reentry Peer Specialist. Dr. Smith is also a SAMHSA GAINS Center trainer for “How Being Trauma-Informed Improves the Criminal Justice System Responses.” She holds a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. in Human Services from Capella University with undergraduate studies in Business Administration. She is a published author on her true-life story entitled “Choices.” She has a trademarked training in “Thrauma®” which is the concept of the before, during, and aftereffects of trauma. Dr. Smith is also a Reentry Advocate based on her own lived experience.

Her most recent and proudest accomplishment is the conceptualization and co-authoring of an international Reentry Peer Support certification training. Thrauma® is one of the cornerstones of the training. The objective of the training is for formerly incarcerated individuals to begin the journey to healing from past traumas.

Alejandra Adán (she/her/ella) started her career at Via Hope in 2018, rejoined the organization in 2023, and has held three previous roles as Spanish Translation Project Coordinator, Peer Services Implementation Coordinator, and Recovery Institute Manager. She has held roles in a variety of nonprofit and start-up settings, including K-12 school communities, mental health, and higher education. Alejandra completed MHPS training in 2018 and is passionate about connecting individuals and communities with access to behavioral health initiatives through peer support and recovery-oriented practices. 

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Alejandra is a native Spanish speaker committed to engaging with multicultural communities and developing cultures of inclusion. She holds a B.A. from UT Austin, an M.S. Ed from Bank Street College of Education, and a DE&I in the Workplace certificate from the University of South Florida, Muma College of Business. Alejandra currently serves on the Board of Directors at VECINA, on the Board of Directors at Magellan International School, and is a Leadership Austin Essential Class of 2023 graduate. Beyond work, Alejandra loves to read, attend Zumba and boxing classes, and spend time with her husband, two sons, her dog Bonita, and good friends.

Daniel is a passionate peer specialist supervisor, harm reductionist, as well as a queer rights and drug user activist. With a focus on tangible policy changes conducive to recovery, Daniel’s grassroots efforts and commitment to peer support services exemplify their dedication to effecting meaningful change. They place great emphasis on the transformative power of lived/living experiences, striving to empower individuals to navigate mental health and substance use complexities, foster community connections, and access necessary support systems to achieve their self-defined full potential. Their advocacy is rooted in compassionate approaches to mental health and substance use, underpinned by their core values of unconditional love, limitless compassion, courageous kindness, selfless service, and absolute integrity.

Maisha Barrett (she/her) spent most of her life in the New Orleans area. She began her college degree at Loyola New Orleans and finished at St. Edward’s University in Austin. She has spent ten years in the nonprofit sector in fields that address trauma. These include mental health, domestic violence, and sexual violence. She is passionate about education and considers herself a lifelong learner. Her educational background includes music therapy, psychology, women’s studies, and art. She is passionate about social justice, healing, and making the world a better place through all forms of art and expression. She enjoys a good story, keeping her hands busy with art, and long conversations on her porch. She is currently the Training Coordinator at Via Hope.

Ta’Kisha Nicole Moore (she/her), a New York native, graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelors in Sociology. She has been engrossed in peer work for the last 6 years as she has overcome her own mental health battles. Mental Health recovery is near and dear to her heart. She holds the Recovery Support Peer Specialist, Mental Health Peer Specialist, and Peer Specialist Supervisor Texas certifications. Some of her hobbies include embellishing and clothing design, decorating, rug tufting, sewing, baking, candy making, and furniture makeovers. She’s been married for 20 years and has five children.

Miranda (she/her) joined Via Hope as the Recovery Institute Program Coordinator in 2021. She provides communications support, coordinates activities, and assists with evaluation efforts. She’s deeply committed to peer support, trauma healing, and harm reduction policies and practices. She has a Masters degree in social work from the University of Texas at Austin and, in her free time, she practices krav maga and kickboxing and spoils her rescue dog.