Co-Chair

Cindy is a seasoned professional with over 30 years in real estate development, but now faces the daily challenges of living with Long Covid. Still, she finds love and joy in her Scottish Terrier, Fitz, who not only keeps her laughing but also inspires her creativity as the star of her Instagram videos. Through her role on the leadership committee, Cindy is committed to raising awareness about the invisible and debilitating nature of Long Covid while fostering a supportive community for those affected.

Co-Chair

Before he began his Long Covid journey, Mason was a full-time homesteader, agricultural worker, and community organizer. His work has always been motivated by his passion for building environments and communities that are vibrant and restorative. When he isn't busy being an activist or healing through Long Covid, he spends his time baking for friends and family or listening to live music, especially jazz or anything with a fiddle!

Secretary

Nita is a biotech founder and patient advocate living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, polyneuropathy, inflammatory bowel disease, dysautonomia, mast cell activation syndrome, psoriasis, chronic interstitial cystitis, and osteoporosis. She has served on the advisory board for several NIH-sponsored clinical trials and enjoys science communication efforts through her newsletter and podcast.

Secretary

Rachel comes to the Collective with experience in nonprofit management and communications. Her life-changing experience of living with Long Covid and a Lyme co-infection has led the native Austinite to pursue a new career in multimedia journalism as she hopes to share inspiring stories of Long Covid and chronic illness survivors. She is honored to be a part of the founding team for the Collective and work on the photo documentary project. In addition to her secretary role, Rachel loves to spend her time in nature, reading, and playing music.  

Treasurer

In her pre-covid life, Maggie was no stranger to the challenges of life with chronic illness. She has managing rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and major depressive disorder for decades. Even so, Her Covid infection in July 2022 and May 2023 left her with debilitating symptoms and new diagnoses that suspended her 20-year archeology career. She now focuses on building a brighter future for folks with chronic illness through the Collective, and fostering kittens for her local animal shelter with her husband and teenaged son.

Treasurer

Jamie has dealt with fibromyalgia and myofascial pain for years and now faces her Long Covid and diabetes diagnoses. Her lifelong passion is small business, and she's been involved with both owning and working for them, often concurrently. Jamie volunteered and served on non profit boards for years and is grateful to get to be useful to the Collective. She hopes to continue her art lessons which she loves.

General Officer

Virginia was inspired to work with the Collective and create the Long Covid photo documentary project while watching her best friend struggle through symptoms, diagnosis, and life changes after the COVID-19 pandemic. Virginia is a professional photographer based in Austin, Texas, specializing in portraiture, event, and concert photography. She enjoys spending time with her son, family, and kitties, performing amateur standup comedy, cooking, and playing bass guitar. 

General Officer

Dave has been living with Long Covid since 2022. When he realized the mystery that Long Covid would pose for the healthcare industry, he got involved in the Austin support group that eventually led to the formation of the Collective. Dave is a long-time connector, community builder, tech startup entrepreneur, investor in companies with diverse leadership and the owner of a peach and jalapeño family farm & ranch in Fredericksburg TX. Dave is deeply grateful for the support of his wife Lynn, the rest of his family, friends and his faithful and gentle giant husky dog Jax.

General Officer

Lisa is a native Austinite, a Realtor (lic. on hold), a Legal Transcriptionist, a Breast Cancer Survivor, a wife, mom, and a grandma. She’s had several Covid infections and has been living with Long Covid since 2022. Lisa attended the UT Post-Covid Clinic in 2023 in search of help. She’s also dealt with fibromyalgia, depression, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder - all of which have only become worse after her '22 infection. She is a Scorpio and enjoys quiet walks on the beach.