Meet the TU CASA TEAM

Dr. Mariya Davis,
Principal Investigator

Dr. Mariya Davis is an Associate Professor of Special Education and the Principal Investigator for TU CASA, overseeing research and project implementation. Her work and expertise centers on transition to post-school environments for students with disabilities.  Dr. Davis is a proud Army Veteran’s wife and Air Force Mom! In her free time, Dr. Davis likes to paint, garden, cook, and spend time with her family.

Dr. Eric J. López,
Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Eric J. López is a Professor at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Dr. López has over 20 years of higher education experience & works with underserved communities. Dr. López was an American Council on Education Fellow (2016-2017). His research interests include multicultural assessment, consultation and intervention. Dr. López enjoys gardening, hiking and listening to and playing conjunto and mariachi music.

Dr. Gavin Watts,
Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Gavin Watts is the co-lead of the TU CASA Program as well as an Assistant Professor of Special Education at A&M-SA.  Dr. Watts is an avid golfer, bike rider, and in his free time, enjoys camping and exploring the vastness of West Texas.

Veronica Kallead,
Project Director

Veronica graduated from TAMUSA and has worked in education for over 21 years. She loves exploring different places to visit, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Dominique Vera,
Employment Coordinator

Dominique received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from TAMUSA in 2019. Some of her favorite things to do are to travel, workout, and hike. One of her goals is to visit all the national parks in the United States and eventually around the world.

Joshua Aguilar graduated from Texas A&M University in 2018 with a Master of Education degree in Curriculum & Instruction and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 2012. He enjoys traveling to different countries, learning about different cultures, cooking up new recipes, and spending time with his family and friends.

Verona Labrador,
Support Specialist

Verona Labrador received her Master’s Degree in Jurisprudence with a Compliance, Business Law and Risk Concentration from St. Mary’s University and is an A&M-SA alumnus.  She enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and being outdoors.

Ashlyn Thomas-Smith is currently a junior at the university where she is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies Bilingual Generalist Spanish EC-6. She is passionate about education, especially Bilingual Education. Ashlyn plans to continue to bring fun to learning as she believes learning should be enjoyable for all. In her personal time, Ashlyn enjoys spending time with family, going to church, reading, and traveling.

Patricia Garcia,
Student Success Coach

Patricia Garcia is currently a senior and working towards a Bachelors Degree in English with a teaching certification and a Minor in special education. Some of her favorite things to do are spending time with friends, watching new movies, and writing for fun.

Tameca English is a senior at Texas A&M. She will be graduating in May 2025 with a bachelor's degree in general business. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and attending her son’s games and track meets.

Yadirah is currently a senior, working on her Bachelors in ABA with a Minor in Child Development. She loves going out with friends to find new places around San Antonio and on her free time enjoys building Legos, reading and watching movies/shows.