Tana Plescher
President and CEO | Navy Veteran
Tana Plescher is the mother of two teenagers, a US Navy Veteran OIF/OEF. She grew up in Irving, Texas and recognized at an early age that she was put on this Earth to help others. That dream eventually turned into a career in medicine.
For well over a decade, Tana dedicated her life to the wellbeing of others. Being a Hospital Corpsman in the US Navy afforded her many opportunities in many areas including assisting in the delivery of numerous babies, Pediatrics, Family Practice, and OB/GYN.
Tana has also provided emergency care to those severally injured in combat, and provided lifesaving care during Operation Iraqi Freedom, ultimately playing a small role in bringing America's Heroes home to their families.
Amelia Peacock
Interim Program Director | Marine Corps Veteran
Amelia is a USMC Veteran who has a heart and passion for serving her fellow Women Veterans! Amelia served as a volunteer Peer Facilitator of our Table Talk: Color Me Camo Peer Series for a year and a half prior to joining the Grace After Fire staff.
Amelia provides peer support service through Table Talk: Color Me Camo, referral services to women veterans and their families and connects them with external service providers.
Lisa Cortinas
Community Relations Coordinator
United States Marine Corps & Texas Army National Guard
Lisa Marie Cortinas, United States Marine Corps and Texas Army National Guard Veteran served during both Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
At the age of 19, she joined the United States Marine Corps. It was here she realized she was destined for something much bigger than herself. She did four years of Active Duty in the Marine Corps, deploying once to Thailand for a humanitarian mission (Cobra Gold), purifying water and then deploying twice to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After her active-duty time in the Marine Corps, she joined the Texas Army National Guard where she deployed to Afghanistan, with Operation Enduring Freedom. Once she returned home from her deployment, she returned to Afghanistan as a government contractor assisting the warfighter by providing them with Gunshot Detection Systems and Seismic Sensors for force protection purposes. Lisa Marie is grateful for every role she has served in within the military and civilian sector because she recognizes that they were all significant roles that played a major purpose where she could still participate in helping others.
After giving twenty-two years (most all of her adult life), serving in the military and in a military capacity, Lisa Marie continues to serve the Veteran community as the Community Relations Coordinator for a nonprofit organization called Grace After Fire (GAF). Serving in this role also allows Lisa Marie to empower herself by making positive impacts and connections within the Veteran community.
Virginia Brown
Financial Resiliency Coordinator | Air Force Veteran
Virginia Brown, U.S. Air Force Veteran 1992-2001. As a Materiel Management Specialist, she served during Desert Storm/Shield, NATO/Operation Deny Flight, as well as Kuwait/Operation Southern Watch. She worked her way through the ranks and earned ribbons as well as a few medals. Looking to expand in leadership and grow within her level of responsibility, she was promoted to Staff Sergeant.
In May of 2000, Virginia married Travis Brown in San Antonio, Texas. Their joint spouse was denied, they both separated from the Air Force 2001, and decided to make San Antonio, Texas their new home with their critter crew.
Virginia completed her Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science with Texas A&M Kingsville San Antonio in 2005. During the pandemic, she completed an Associates of Science Medical Administrative Billing and Coding with Keiser Online University 2022, achieving Dean’s List and Phi Theta Kappa. She also completed her certificate program with SA Ready to Work in 2023.
Today, Virginia has a focus on decreasing despair and increasing hope by empowering women veterans with financial literacy and resources. She is inspired by the dedication and hard work of Grace After Fire who is working daily on their mission for women veterans to gain knowledge and insight with workshops as well as self-renewal with annual retreats for comradery. Virginia is blessed to be part of this important mission with Grace After Fire and to utilize her military core value of “service before self” to serve women veterans.
Virginia Brown
Financial Resiliency Coordinator | Air Force Veteran
Virginia Brown, U.S. Air Force Veteran 1992-2001. As a Materiel Management Specialist, she served during Desert Storm/Shield, NATO/Operation Deny Flight, as well as Kuwait/Operation Southern Watch. She worked her way through the ranks and earned ribbons as well as a few medals. Looking to expand in leadership and grow within her level of responsibility, she was promoted to Staff Sergeant.
In May of 2000, Virginia married Travis Brown in San Antonio, Texas. Their joint spouse was denied, they both separated from the Air Force 2001, and decided to make San Antonio, Texas their new home with their critter crew.
Virginia completed her Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science with Texas A&M Kingsville San Antonio in 2005. During the pandemic, she completed an Associates of Science Medical Administrative Billing and Coding with Keiser Online University 2022, achieving Dean’s List and Phi Theta Kappa. She also completed her certificate program with SA Ready to Work in 2023.
Today, Virginia has a focus on decreasing despair and increasing hope by empowering women veterans with financial literacy and resources. She is inspired by the dedication and hard work of Grace After Fire who is working daily on their mission for women veterans to gain knowledge and insight with workshops as well as self-renewal with annual retreats for comradery. Virginia is blessed to be part of this important mission with Grace After Fire and to utilize her military core value of “service before self” to serve women veterans.
Sequoyia Hurt
Intake Coordinator | Army Veteran
Sequoyia Hurt is happily married with 1 teenager and 3 elementary aged children. She served in the US Army Reserves as a Pharmacy Specialist while also working as a civilian Pharmacy Technician. This led her to tune further into her passion for natural health and helping people be the healthiest version of themselves. She obtained her Nutrition Coach Certification at Texas Tech through NASM and is currently completing her Personal Training Certification as well as her Weight Loss Specialization. Sequoyia is also First Aid, CPR, and AED Certified through the American Heart Association.
After Sequoyia became a member of Grace After Fire, she continued to engage in the services and programs they offer like the Peer group, Table Talk: Color Me Camo. I participated in TT:CMC for about a year and continued to engage with Grace After Fire through volunteering at various events and attending other social events with Grace After Fire! With the relationship she developed with Grace After Fire, she was able to maintain strong connections with other women veterans and was inspired to train to become a Peer Facilitator. Sequoyia is honored to serve women veterans, empowering them to empower themselves. She enjoys connecting the woman veteran to helpful resources and believes we are more successful together!