At the midpoint of the first decade of the new century, San Antonio began to experience an economic renaissance. While development and growth was taking place, there was and continues to be an overwhelming concern that something equitable needs to be done to include the Eastside Community in the growing prosperity. There was consensus that the area needed a credible economic development organization (EDO) to formulate a plan of action that would include all facets of the Eastside.
There was at that time an organization called the Community Economic Revitalization Agency (CERA) that was in the process of disintegrating. It was decided that CERA needed to be revised or a new EDO was needed to fulfill promises from the past and chart a new mission for the future. With a new name, governance structure and purpose the new EDO, now known as San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside (SAGE) emerged in 2008.
SAGE is a non-profit organization, governed by an 11-member board of directors. Through our partnerships, alliances and leveraging resources, SAGE serves as an economic development resource for current business owners and potential new businesses moving into our community.
As a standalone 501(c)3, we receive funding from both public and private sources including the City of San Antonio. We identify the needs of the Eastside business community and provide assistance to businesses that already have a foothold in our commercial corridor.
Our four driving principles are:
- Advocate for efficient, sustainable growth for San Antonio’s Eastside
- Champion small business development
- Maintain and promote the area’s history and culture
- Provide innovative, progressive solutions to East Side challenges
The organization’s goal is to champion our business community and help support the successes that exist and help create new opportunity. We thank our sponsors for their support in all of our efforts.
For more information on our programs and services, please click here.
Jackie Gorman, SAGE Executive Director, is a highly-skilled, results-oriented leader with extensive experience in training, program management, operations, facility management, information technology and multi-unit management. Gorman is a strong strategic planner with a record of building coalitions to design and implement complex projects.
Prior to joining the Executive leadership team of SAGE, Jackie Gorman was the owner of Ivy Consulting and a senior partner with Allen Austin Executive Search Consultants, where she was the non-profit, government and higher education practice leader.
Prior to her consulting business, she was the Division Head of the Career Advancement & Applied Technology Training Division for the Texas A&M University System in San Antonio.
Gorman received her MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. She is a graduate of the Senior Management Development Program at the Governor’s Center for Management Development and a graduate of San Antonio’s Municipal Leadership Institute.
Gorman has served on numerous boards and commissions and is currently the Chair-Elect of the Board of Directors of Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas and 1st Vice Chair of the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce. She was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002 and was a member of the Leadership Texas Class of 2003.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Leo Gomez serves as Chairman of SAGE Board of Directors for 2011. Gomez is Vice President of Communications and Corporate Development for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Gomez is responsible for public and staff corporate communications, as well as both organizational and business development. He serves on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations, including the Spurs Foundation, Christus Santa Rosa Hospital, Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, and the City’s Linear Creekway Parks Advisory Board, among others.
Dr. Adena Williams Loston serves as Vice Chair of SAGE Board of Directors for 2011. Dr. Loston is the 14th President of St. Philip’s College. Loston is active in numerous professional organizations and associations and has received many awards during her career. Most recently, she was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame for Higher Education. She is also a member of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and the Higher Education Council of San Antonio, among others.
Donna C. Normandin serves as Treasurer for the board. Normandin is currently Senior Vice President, Corporate CRA Officer of CRA and Community Development for Frost National Bank, a position she has held for the past 12 years. Normandin is an alumnus of Leadership San Antonio and currently serves on the Texas C-Bar Board of Directors, City of San Antonio Empowerment Zone Governance Board, ACCION Texas Finance Committee, and United Way of Bexar County – Community Building Committee & Family Success Committee, among others.
Ed L. White, Jr. serves as Secretary for the board. White is Senior Vice President in the Commercial Banking Group with Sterling Bank. He has worked in the banking industry for 23 years. White presently serves on the boards of the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce, where he has served as a past chairman and president, San Antonio Parks Foundation and the UTSA Development Board, among many others. He was also recognized by the San Antonio Business Journal in its inaugural 40 under 40 list of community leaders and is an alumnus of Leadership San Antonio.
Juan A. Garcia, Regional Director of Operations for AmeriPath, Inc., a division division of Quest Diagnostics. It is one of the nation's largest physician and laboratory companies focused on dermatopathology, anatomic pathology and molecular diagnostics. For almost 15 years, Mr. Garcia has worked in the medical field. He is also very involved in the community serving as president of the Dignowity Hill Neighborhood Association.
Willie Mitchell, Willie Mitchell Construction. As a small-business owner, Mr. Mitchell understands the challenges facing similar companies. Mr. Mitchell is a former professional football player who played for NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers. He retired from football in 1973, and since then has split his time between business, politics and community service. Mr. Mitchell has served as the Vice President of the Corporation for Educational Development, and educational consultant for the U.S. Department of Education Southwest Regional Training Center. He currently serves as the chair of San Antonio Fighting Back, Inc. and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Way San Antonio and Bexar County.
Richard Leal, founded Atlas Body Shop in 1971 and has grown his company into one of San Antonio's largest independent collision repair businesses. He was Chairman for nine years of the Ft. Sam Houston Community Development Advisory Board, that Urban Renewed the North New Braunfels Corridor. He currently serves on the Ft. Sam Houston Advisory Board. He is also the President of the Ft. Sam Houston Community Business Association.
Dr. Patricia Adams, LMFT, CEO of Zeitgeist Expressions, Inc. As a small-business owner, Dr. Adams understands the challenges and successes that come with that vision. She provides business consultation, employee assistance program (EAP), chaplaincy, workshops, mental health and medical services for the military and other government and civilian agencies, as well as private entities throughout the United States. For more than 10 years, Adams has offered quality counseling to individuals, families, churches and organizations.
Jelynne LeBlanc Burley, Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for CPS Energy. Burley oversees the company’s organizational excellence and shared services functions. She joined CPS Energy after 24 years in local municipal government. Prior to CPS, Burley served as Deputy City Manager for the City of San Antonio, assisting in the day-to-day management of 12,000 employees and providing oversight of an operating budget and capital budget of more than $2 billion.
Reverend Dr. Robert Jemerson, Sr., pastor of Second Baptist Church. For 17 years, Jemerson has led the church in many community projects including a tutorial program for under-privileged students, ministry to provide for needy families and offering aid and support to fellow churches. Jemerson is as a member of the Board of Directors of San Antonio Mission Ministries, as well as National Council of Christians and Jews. He is currently serving a second term on the Board of Trustees for Our Lady of the Lake University, Advisory Board Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio, Texas, and Board of Trustees for the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health.
Mike Novak, founder of Novak Group, LLC. With more than 30 years of construction industry experience, in 2006 Novak launched Novak Group into a premier construction management and energy efficiency services firm. Novak serves on many community boards and commissions, including Co-Chairman for San Antonio Military Transformation Task Force, a Community-Military Partnership for Post BRAC implementation, and Vice-Chairman for Commission for the VIA Commission on Intra-City Rail and Streetcar. Novak also serves on the Board of Morningside Ministries, a non-profit that provides a broad range of assisted living care for seniors.
