Leadership

Cortina Merritt has called Central Texas home since 2010, embracing a life filled with ministry and service. Her love for helping others discover their unique gifts and talents to serve God is central to her identity. Cortina’s academic journey, from a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Montevallo to a Master of Divinity from Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and current pursuit of a Master of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Tyler, reflects her dedication to continuous learning and her heart for ministry and community engagement. As the Executive Director, she is eager to connect with others to discuss ministry and community outreach and would love to explore innovative ways to foster positive change. In her personal time, she enjoys diving into a good book and cherishing life with her husband, who inspires her every day. Together, they balance work, faith, and life’s simple joys, making each moment meaningful.   

Gabriella started off at CWJC as an administrative assistant intern 2021 while she was attending McLennan Community College to obtain an Associate degree in Administrative Office Management. Gabriella started in January of 2021 and ended in May 2021 when she graduated with her degree. Gabriella came on to the staff as an administrative assistant in July 2021 and then trained to become a Site Coordinator in 2022. Gabriella enjoys working alongside the staff, students, and all of our interns. Gabi loves what CWJC does for women in our community and has enjoyed watching the women who come to CWJC accomplish such huge milestones. Gabriella and her husband Eric have 5 beautiful daughters and Gabriella loves enchiladas, chips, queso, and reading!

Audrey is a central Texas native who calls Waco home. She holds a B.A. in Language and Linguistics and an M.A. in Spanish from Baylor. Her professional passion is serving adult learners, and she has cultivated her skills through ESL classroom and college Spanish classroom teaching, continuing education program planning for the Waco community, and volunteer engagement with Baylor’s membership program for senior adults, Lifelong Learning. At her core, Audrey believes that anyone, at any age, can learn and change and grow. Her goal is to invest in the local community through CWJC’s work to empower, equip, and advocate for women in McLennan County. Audrey loves good books (especially science fiction), good food (especially international fusion), and sunshine (especially in winter). She and her husband Jamey can often be found hiking, biking, reading, or camping in a beautiful Waco or Texas State Park.

Paula Winstead grew up in Florida, but she moved here with her husband and daughter three years ago for her husband’s job with the VA. Paula has a Bachelor’s in Nursing, but switched to teaching when her kids were young so she could be more hands-on with her children’s education. She homeschooled all three of her children and her last one is getting ready to graduate and start studying at Baylor in the fall. Paula immediately started volunteering as a teacher for GED classes with CWJC when she moved here because it combined her love for teaching with her heart for helping people in difficult situations. Paula is the part-time Testing Administrator for CWJC’s Pearson testing center. Providing this service helps CWJC students have a more successful testing experience because it’s quicker and easier to schedule their tests, and it’s in an environment they are comfortable with which reduces their anxiety. In her free time, Paula enjoys spending time with her family and is thrilled that her two sons just recently moved to Texas so they can all be together again. She and her family love to travel, especially to National Parks where they like to camp and hike in the wilderness and explore God’s beautiful creation. Paula also volunteers with Antioch’s STARS book club mentoring program, and is a house hostess for one of Antioch’s mission houses.

Juliette was born and raised in Oxford England, has a BA in Business  Management.

Emigrated to the USA in 1982 and settled in Axtell Texas. Met and married her husband moved to Hallsburg Tx raising 2 children, a daughter and a son who both live in Texas.

Juliette had her own retail business for several years in both Corsicana and Temple. She came to CWJC through the AARP program and enjoys working with the staff and students. It delights her to see the accomplishments these women make in furthering their education.

Juliette is an avid animal lover, has 3 dogs and 6 cats enjoys spending time with her family both two and four legged.

Dana has lived in Waco most of her life and shares an active church life with her husband at Highland Baptist Church where he is a deacon. Their son and new daughter-in-law live locally and are also at Highland, which is a tremendous blessing to Dana. Dana holds a BA in Accounting from Baylor University and was a plant controller in the manufacturing industry for almost 20 years. Here she lived a vibrant work-life with prayerful Christian coworkers. After the business moved to Houston, she decided to leave the corporate world and thought she would do some volunteering. God moved in her life and brought her to CWJC for what she thought would be teaching an Excel class. In 2016, she joyfully accepted a position at CWJC. Dana loves seeing the impact CWJC makes in the lives of the sweet ladies who come through the doors and enjoys the relationships she has with CWJC staff. Dana enjoys helping others with their businesses, attending weekly Bible study, spending time with her family, and traveling with her husband.